Korea Radwaste Management Corp. (KRMC) is engaged in active corporate culture innovation under the leadership of KRMC President Song Myung-jae. 

As traditional music sounded through the public address system of the KRMC head office in Gyeongju City at 5 p.m. on April 30, hard-working KRMC staff members stood up from their seats and began to do calisthenics in time with the music. Even though they initially felt awkward, many have now voluntarily been participating in the stretching exercises under the cause of maintaining health and enhancing work efficiency.

KRMC’s corporate culture has changed much. Gone are the days when a defeatist mentality prevailed, instead it has been replaced with the “can-do” spirit. For instance, the Audit Department recently launched the “Viva KRMC Campaign,” a once-monthly visiting audit service designed to listen to the pending issues and related complaints as part of efforts to practice preventive ethics management.  

The Quality Guarantee Department in charge of environment management is also abuzz with the “All Staffs Own Mug Cup Drive” and the separate garbage collection campaign designed to differentiate itself from others as a certified environment management company. 

Celebrating the first anniversary of relocating the KRMC head office to Gyeongju, KRMC conducted a volunteering activity offering free health checks-up to 600 elderly people from areas lacking medical service infrastructure. This is part of the corporation’s commitment of devoting itself to volunteering activities for the underprivileged in its neighborhoods. Each KRMC staff member is obliged to engage in 15 hours of volunteering activities.  

In particular, since last October when the incumbent KRMC President Song took office, KRMC has been engaged in active volunteering activities such as supporting foreign expatriate families, “Sharing Love Rice Drive,” and free meal services. Last year-end, President Song inaugurated the Local Community Management Committee designed to ensure seamless communica-tions with local communities. 

Song, a former executive director of power generation at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., took the helm at KRMC on Oct. 10. A graduate of Seoul National University’s Nuclear Engineering Depar-tment, the KRMC president served in such positions at the KHNP as the president of the Nuclear Power Environment Technol-ogy Research Institute, the chief of the Radwaste Management Headquarters, and the executive director of the Power Generation Division. He said in his inaugural speech, “We will put forward our fullest efforts to pursue co-prosperity and shared growth with the local community and make people feel at ease with confidence over safety.” 

KRMC President Song, after only 20 days in office, declared “emergency managem-ent” to innovate KRMC’s operations and give a shot in the arm to the organizational structure. He first came up with innovation steps °™ building organizational efficiency and a merit system. Thanks to these efforts, the average KRMC staff members saw the value added for work efficiency surge by 15 percent since Song’ s inauguration. 

President Song’ s bid to enhance global competitiveness is noteworthy. He has signed MOUs with prominent Korean universities to allow select KRMC emplo-yees of more than three years to take courses on radioactive waste (radwaste). The president has also introduced a system to secure doctorate and master’s degree holders from foreign universities. 

KRMC is a state-run organization charged with transporting and disposing of low- and intermediate-level radwaste (LILR).

The construction of a low- and interme-diate-level radwaste treatment center now under construction in Gyeongju City, Gyeongsangbuk-do, has been delayed by 18 months to June 2014. President Song said, “It is more important to secure national and regional consensus in order to ensure public security and protect the nation’s environm-ent through safe radwaste management, and our corporation will strive to further strengthen the safety of our low- and intermediate-level radwaste treatment facility while doing our utmost to ensure transparent information provision and active communications.”

KRMC will make concerted efforts to create harmonious relations with the local community and contribute to the develo-pment of the region, said Song, adding that his corporation will implement projects that neighborhood residents want.   

Song also urged his executives and staff members to establish a regime for the safe construction of radwaste treatment facilities and the managing of radwaste as well as upgrading systems to the levels of advanced countries through management efficiency and ethical management.