Korea should make a strong push for the development and standardization of green technology to achieve a success in the Low Carbon, Green Growth strategy, Prime Minister Chung Woon-chan said. Delivering a speech at a ceremony to commemorate the 2009 World Standards Day on Oct. 14, Prime Minister Chung also said, "In the future, a sustainable global economy will be led by countries that preoccupy international standardization through green technology... Accordingly, we should effectively reduce greenhouse gases and suggest a new model to rationally manage gas." About 700 guests, including high-ranking government officials, business leaders and representatives of consumer groups, attended the event.
The world's big three standardization bodies - the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) - set Oct. 14 as World Standards Day in 1970.
The 2009 subject of World Standards Day is "tackling climate change through standards." The 2008 subject was "intelligent and sustainable buildings." Prime Minister Chung commented on this, "We should upgrade our new technology and green standards to a global level and explore new overseas markets and a green ocean.
"Such chance for further growth will greatly contribute to strengthening the middle-class bracket, offering more jobs to ordinary citizens, and making a warm and better society, not to mention creating a green environment."
To help the nation achieve sustainable and harmonious growth, businessmen and workers should exert all-out efforts to create international standards, he said. "The government, for its part, will actively push ahead with developing the national standards of our technology and upgrading them to global standards," said Chung.
Noting that the ISO set "tackling climate change through standards" as this year's topic, Chung said, "I think it is a message of hope to solve mankind's problems through standards." He said that effective ways to cope with climate change are emerging as the most important international agenda not only in the global market but also in the global diplomatic arena.
"All countries in the world are establishing mid- and long-term plans to reduce greenhouse gas and improve efficiency of energy in order to effectively cope with climate change. South Korea is also exerting the best efforts to attain the goal. For instance, we declared 'low carbon green growth' as new national vision and are going all-out to attain sustainable growth and harmonious development," he said.
Global societies, including the UN and OECD, are highly appraising the green growth strategy being actively propelled by the Seoul government, said Chung.
"However, now is just the beginning. We should regard the crisis of climate change as a good chance for the nation to enter the ranks of advanced economies. We should make doubled efforts to upgrade our systems and standards to the level of advanced global standards," said the Prime Minister.
Commenting that President Lee Myung-bak succeeded in attracting the 2010 G20 summit to South Korea, Prime Minister Chung said, "Such a result indicates that global society has recognized the ability of Korea in carrying out a leading role to solve many global issues, including climate change."
Related to this, the government will make thorough preparations for the G20 summit next year to take the opportunity to develop our society further and upgrade the national status one step higher in the global community, Chung said.
"In line with this, I request all businessmen and workers in the standards sector to join the government's efforts to upgrade the national standards to an advanced global level," he added.
In the meantime, 31 persons and 12 companies and organizations won awards for their great contribution to developing national standards at the ceremony marking World Standards Day.
