Korea Specialty Contractors Association (KOSCA) launched its operations for the new year with a reception for its members attended by heads of its key member firms led by KOSCA Chairman Pyo Jae-seok held at its head office in Seoul.
Chairman Pyo, in his New Year speech at the reception, said he hopes the New Year, the year of “blue horse,” or unicorn as it is called in Europe, would bring a lot of good things for the construction industry in Korea, lifting the gloomy economic cloud hanging over the country, giving new hope to specialty construction firms by creating wonderful working conditions for each member firm.
KOSCA will also work for reform, change, selection, and concentration as its frames for this year since the specialty construction industry has been going through such hard times lately that they have to worry about their survival.
Project orders have been down despite the government’s unsuccessful measures to revive the construction industry, the chairman said. The measures were so unfruitful that there are cries to allow for their extinction due to free welfare populism and major construction firms paying so little for subcontractors, Pyo said.
But, he said, a crisis is also an opportunity, because the situation is not that critical for the specialty contractors with the new government at work to revive the economy and create jobs, leaving so much room for specialty contractors to play a big role in job creation.
Also hopeful for the industry is that both the government and political parties have been discussing with project owners and contractors revisions of related laws and regulations, which would improve the working environment for the specialty construction firms, Pyo said.
Submitted for legislative approval are such laws as the basic law for the construction industry, raising the small construction category to 1 billion won from 300 million won; the division of construction projects to subcontractors; and the abolition of the real construction cost system, which would improve the rights for specialty contractors and small construction firms and help them win more projects since the construction industry will be more democratized when those legislative pieces get parliamentary approvals, the KOSCA chairman said.
“We are living in an age where speed decides the fates of nations and businesses, and we have to adapt to the changes quickly or else we cannot survive. Therefore, we should adapt to changes faster than others and secure competitiveness and plant seeds for the future and continued growth,” Pyo urged.
“When the conditions and situations are changed good for every one to prepare for his or her future, its too late. We have to find opportunities when it is still dark as when the darkness is lifted, it is too late,” Pyo warned.
“It is said bamboo trees grow strong as they get, while kites fly higher as winds blow stronger,” Pyo said, adding, “Although the roads ahead of us seem dark, we will be able to resurrect ourselves if we forge ahead, focusing on selection and concentration, constantly pushing ourselves to seek new growth engines.”
At his inaugural as the KOSCA chairman in September for his new four-year term last year, Pyo stressed that he will try to make KOSCA truly a working association to open a new future for the industry, as they have to do the work themselves for their future and survival and not depend on others. Pyo assumed the Chairman’s post vacated by Rep. Park Duk-hum, who became a legislator in October 2012, and served the remainder of his term.
Pyo stressed that specialty construction firms have the unique experience of having led the economic development of the nation over the past half century with a pioneering spirit, beating all kinds of problems along the way by changing crises into opportunities. We now have to forget our past and find new paradigms with creative ideas, Pyo called out.
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