[Provided by Daegu City Council]
[Provided by Daegu City Council]

The Daegu City Council issued a statement Wednesday at the entrance of the council building, urging the government to confirm Daegu as the headquarters of a planned new state energy company and to uphold the principle of balanced national development.

In the statement, council members said they were calling for Daegu to host the new entity — to be named Korea Energy Resources Corporation — citing the stability of the merger, economic efficiency and continuity in energy policy. "The government must stop stoking wasteful competition among local governments and strictly adhere to the consistent principle of balanced national development," they said.

The government formally announced plans on Sept. 3 to establish the tentatively named Korea Energy Resources Corporation by merging Korea Gas Corporation and Korea National Oil Corporation, as part of its public institution reform initiative.

The council said the integration should be led by Korea Gas Corporation, arguing it has greater operational capacity than Korea National Oil Corporation and has already built and is stably operating a nationwide integrated supply chain management system based in Daegu.

The council also highlighted Daegu's track record as a clear advantage for hosting the new body. The city was the first local government in the country to implement a solar city policy and a carbon emissions trading project, has consistently hosted major international events such as the World Energy Congress and the World Gas Conference, and maintains a strong global energy network.

Council Speaker Lim In-hwan said Daegu is "a ready-made energy innovation city with all the know-how, management functions and policy symbolism in the energy sector." He added: "If Korea Energy Resources Corporation is established, Daegu's innovation district is unquestionably the rational and optimal choice."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com