Former lawmaker Kang Ki-yoon took office as the ninth president of Korea South-East Power Co. (KOEN).
KOEN held an inauguration ceremony for Kang at the KOEN headquarters in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, on Nov. 4 and when he began his term, which lasts until November 2027. President Kang said, “I will lend an ear to field voices as a communicating and visiting CEO.”
Upon his inauguration, President Kang visited several parts of KOEN headquarters and carried out field management by listening to voices of executives and staffers, including the trade union.
President Kang visited KOEN’s trade union office and met with union leaders prior to the inauguration ceremony.
He also got briefings from KOEN’s executives. President Kang visited each division head office and listened to their pending issues, a departure from the conventional practice.
He plans to take time out to meet with cleaning and security officials, who are working elsewhere over dinner on Nov. 4, as the first duty since his inauguration.
President Kang’s departure from the conventional practice reflects his management philosophy, in which the company could overcome difficulties when all of its members build a sense of unity with a horizontal corporate culture based on mutual communication.
KOEN held President Kang’s “open” inauguration ceremony under the theme, “The Future of Our Company We Desire,” reflecting his intent on communication. He took time out to answer questions staff members wrote in advance.
In his inaugural speech, President Kang stressed KOEN’s future, saying, “We will build a strong foundation to make KOEN a global leader in 20 years to come.”
Kang revealed his determination to overcome the difficulties caused by the shifting energy paradigm from coal-fired power generation, which has served as a stable income source, in the wake of steps to cope with climate change and fine dust.
President Kang called for the company’s workers to concentrate their capabilities on the future, suggesting his management tenants: a united KOEN, creative and challenging spirit without resting on the present and leaping toward a global company beyond a public entity.
President Kang was born in Changwon, Gyengsangnam-do in 1960. He served as a lawmaker at the 19th and 21st National Assemblies.
President Kang was a member of the National Energy Policy Forum during the 21st National Assembly.
He has maintained his concern for the energy industry by proposing the necessity for establishing an energy transition policy roadmap in a long-term perspective.
President Kang spearheaded the enacting of the Act on the Compensation of Damages, caused by nuclear power phase-out policies during the 21st National Assembly.
KOEN’s New R&D Tech Items Recognized on Global Stage
Korea South-East Power Co. presented two creative entries to 2024 iENA International Trade Fair, Ideas, Inventions, and New Products that took place from Oct. 26 to 28 at Nuremberg Exhibition Center, Germany and took home awards in four categories — a gold prize and a silver prize as well as IFIA and Saudi special awards.
The 2024 iENA Nuremberg brought together 8,000 entries from 35 countries.
It is one of the world’s leading trade fairs for innovation, along with fairs in Geneva and Pittsburgh, the United States.
KOEN presented “the non-contact electric conduction indicating lamp” and a “method of measuring the berthing velocity and robot.”
The entries are new R&D technologies whose development had been implemented by KOEN in cooperation with SMEs after the power company disclosed its power plant staff’s difficulties.
The entry, titled “the method of measuring the berthing velocity and robot,” jointly developed by KOEN and Piot, was honored with a gold prize and the IFIA special award in recognition of creating a safe environment like surveillance over dangerous work involved in unloading of power plant coal.
The IFIA special award, a top prize recognized by the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA), has earned KOEN a competitive edge in the global market.
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