Dismantling 40 years of large-scale research infrastructure could set back national construction technology R&D, union warns

The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology's main campus in Ilsan. [Herald DB]
The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology's main campus in Ilsan. [Herald DB]

The union at the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology has come out strongly against the government's planned second round of public institution relocations to regional areas.

The union issued a statement Friday urging that the institute be excluded from the relocation list, warning that moving without accounting for the unique nature of its large-scale demonstration and testing facilities "will undermine the nation's R&D competitiveness in construction technology."

The union expressed concerns as the government prepares to finalize its second public institution relocation plan by year's end, with the institute's potential move currently under review.

Construction technology R&D relies on large-scale demonstration tests to verify the performance and safety of technologies before they are established as national standards. The union argues that stable operation of major testing facilities and continuity of research are therefore essential.

The union particularly took issue with the relocation costs. Moving the institute's main campus testing facilities along with the SOC Demonstration Center in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, and the Fire Safety Center in Hwaseong would cost an estimated 1.3 trillion won ($974 million), according to the union.

"Moving the research facilities alone would cost 1.3 trillion won, and the R&D infrastructure built up over 40 years could be destroyed," the union said.

The fiscal burden could grow even larger when factoring in sunk costs from dismantling existing facilities, expenses tied to relocating research staff, and losses from interrupted research, the union said.

"Dismantling and rebuilding large-scale demonstration facilities takes considerable time," the union said. "Serious disruptions to national construction technology R&D as a whole are inevitable during the reconstruction period."

The union also raised concerns about the weakening of the institute's role as a research hub in northern Gyeonggi Province. The institute currently conducts construction technology research and demonstration work in the region through facilities including the Yeoncheon SOC Demonstration Center, and the union warned that relocating those facilities could also disrupt related national policy tasks, including the push to establish a peace special zone.

The union urged the Ministry of Science and ICT to properly convey the concerns of researchers and the unique nature of the R&D infrastructure to the government agencies driving the relocation. "It must take a responsible role in ensuring that a forced relocation decision is not made," the union said.

"The institute's large-scale demonstration infrastructure is a core asset underpinning national safety and technological competitiveness," the union added, calling for the institute to be excluded from the relocation list "so that researchers can focus on their essential national mission."


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com