Prime Minister Chung Hong-won delivers his commemorative speech at the 39th Korea National Quality Award 

Convention at the KEPCO headquarters in Seoul on Nov. 28. (photo: MOTIE)

The 39th Korea National Quality Award Convention took place at the KEPCO headquarters in southern Seoul on Nov. 28 to evaluate all quality management practices of the industrial community and to renew their determination to ensure global quality management.

Hosted and organized by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards under the umbrella of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korean Standardization Association (KSA), the convention was attended by roughly 1,600 people, including Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, Vice Minister for Industry and Technology Kim Jae-hong, the chiefs of economic organizations, businesspeople, and 72 prizewinners. 

In his commemorative speech, Prime Minister Chung stressed the significance of quality, which is the key to the creative economy, and the need for redoubling efforts to strengthen quality competitiveness during difficult times. 

The KSA has organized the Korea National Quality Award Convention as an annual event since 1975 to award prizes to corporations or those who contributed to quality management and product innovation in a bid to awaken the significance of quality management and publicize it. In particular, the convention, which is one of the nation's major events along with the Trade Day anniversary event, is an extraordinary event in which employees and businesspeople mingle together in one place and renew their determination to contribute to national development. 

A total of 72 people and 20 bodies were presented with diverse quality management awards. During the event, attended by top-rated quality management employees and businesspeople, the coveted Order of Industrial Merit, Silver Tower, went to Kim Ryang, vice chairman of Samgyang Holdings; Park U-dong, president of Poongsan Corp. Defense Products Division; and Lee Dae-young, president of Taeyoung Ceramic. 

Prof. Yoo Han-joo of Soongsil University was presented with the Service Merit Medal, Hongjo, while Suh Byung-sam, vice president of Samsung Electronics Home Appliance Division, was honored with the Order of Industrial Service, Tin Tower.  

The Korean National Quality Award Grand Prize, the Presidential Award, went to LSIS and Korea South-East Power Co. The newly inaugurated Quality Competitiveness Innovation Award went to Samsung Electronics Mobile & IT Division, while Shinwon snatched the Masterpiece Creation Award. 

Excellent quality circles, which have been playing leading roles behind economic development through diverse improvement activities, were also honored with prizes. A survey showed that quality circles were recognized for fixing about 90,000 field problems yearly, thus bringing about financial benefits worth some 2 trillion won. Six hundred eighty-seven quality circles participated in preliminaries, which took place throughout 16 cities and provinces across the nation in 2012. A shortlist of 285 quality circles squared off during a main competition from Aug. 26 to 30. Out of them, 96 excellent quality circles, including a team from S&T Heavy Industries, were presented with gold medals, 93 teams won silver medals and 96 others were presented with bronze medals. More SMEs and mid-size companies were allowed to participate in the competition, so the convention served as a good opportunity for field workers and SME businessmen to be recognized as those who contributed to enhancing quality management and are imbued with a sense of pride. 

Twenty-four exemplary workers were designated as national quality craftsmen and each of them was awarded a plaque of a “National Quality Master.”