Leading executives of Korea Gas Safety Corp. raise their arms to stress the importance of safe use of gas at 

the the 20th Gas Safety Grand Awards presentation ceremony led by President Jun Dae-chun held on May 31 

at the 63 Building in Yeouido, Seoul. [Photos on courtesy of  Korea Gas Safety Corp.]

    Korea Gas Safety Corp. held the 20th Gas Safety Grand Award presentation ceremony at the Grand Ballroom of the 63 Building in Yeouido, Seoul, on May 31, the company said recently.

The event has taken place since 1994 without interruption to promote happiness and public safety through the safe use of gas across the country as well as to encourage those involved in the effort despite the tough conditions, the company said.

Among some 500 participants in the award presentation ceremony included 2nd Vice Minister Han Jin-hyun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and President Jun Dae-chun of Korea Gas Safety Corp. and people from related companies. Among the winners of medals and citations for their contributions to the safe use of gas included President Chung Won-kyu of Hwasung Co. who won the Industrial Merit Bronze Tower Medal, and President Roh Joong-sok of Esco Co. who won the Industrial Merit Iron Tower Medal.

Headquarters Manager Lee Sang-keun of Korea Gas Safety Corp. won the Presidential Citation for his contribution to introducing the research staff evaluation and incentive system and the pre-screening system for subjects for research to spur progress in the development and vitalization of technologies for the safe use of gas. Lee also made a huge contribution toward making the company’s social services more effective by initiating free gas facilities checkups at social welfare facilities, buying equipment at traditional markets, providing free meals to the elderly, and more.

The 2nd Vice Minister, in his congratulatory speech, said Korea’s energy industry also has entered the stage of qualitative growth from that of quantitative growth, congratulating those who are in the energy industry for their hard work and dedication to their jobs.

He urged the energy industry to try to win the public trust by securing a safe supply of gas and by establishing the safe energy management ecology system. The high-ranking government official said MOTIE will push the most effective gas safety policies in its establishment of a mid- and long-term safe gas management plan by expanding the investment in R&D activities for the safe handling of gas.

Imports of liquefied natural gas into Korea, the world’s second-largest buyer of the fuel, rose 38 percent in January as demand from power generators increased. 

LNG shipments climbed to 3.98 million metric tons from 2.89 million a year earlier, data on the Korea Customs Service’s website showed. The monthly volume slid from 4.25 million tons in December. The total cost of the January purchases increased to $3.07 billion, compared with $1.99 billion in the same month a year earlier, the data showed. The average price paid per ton rose to $769.82 from $690.63. 

Korea buys most of the cleaner-burning fuel under multi-year contracts from suppliers in Qatar, Indonesia, and Oman. Last month’s purchases included 62,304 tons on the spot market costing about $721.85 a ton from Trinidad & Tobago and 64,758 tons for $801.69 a ton from Belgium, the data showed. State-run Korea Gas Corp., the world’s biggest LNG buyer, said yesterday that its January sales rose 12 percent to 4.78 million tons from a year earlier. 

Korea has designated the development of shale gas and electricity storage systems as “new growth engines,” a set of promising industrial sectors qualifying for financial and other support from the government, for the country’s economy. 

Kim Sang-hyup, a senior presidential secretary, said, “We now will draw up a comprehensive set of measures to prepare for the full-blown development of shale gas.” Shale gas refers to natural gas, mainly methane, that is produced in shale formations. It has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States and elsewhere as advancement in drilling technologies has made it possible to access large volumes of shale gas that were previously uneconomical to extract.

 President Jun Dae-chun of the Korea Gas Safety Corp.(Photo courtesy of Kogas)