산업부 '제조업 활력 회복 및 혁신전략' 주요 내용은?
Back in December, President Moon Jae-in met with the nation's trade ministry to discuss ways to boost the manufacturing industry... considered a key growth engine of the Korean economy.
The measures set to take affect this year includes revitalizing and innovating the sector.
Ko Roonhee outlines what they are.
The trade ministry's policy plan for 2019 is going to be focused on manufacturing.
The ministry said the stagnation in the manufacturing industry is mainly due structural problems and the rising trend of trade protectionism on the global stage...which negatively affected the nation's exports.
To reverse that, the ministry laid out specific plans for the industry's revitalization... mainly centered around manufacturing clusters.
Revitalization will be carried out in various cities across the nation...and the ministry aims to create 26-thousand jobs by 2022.
In the western city of Gunsan, a complex just for exporting used vehicles is scheduled to be built...so that local companies in the field can cooperate more efficiently.
In Daegu, infrastructure related to autonomous vehicles will be created.
In Gwangju, the government will create a hub for producing electronics related to fine dust, such as air purifiers.
In Changwon, old industrial complexes will be transformed into new smart factories...which means an increase in automated manufacturing facilities.
Another main part of the trade ministry's plan is innovating the sector.
For manufacturing companies producing equipment and components, the government aims to invest more than 889-point-1 million U.S. dollars for research and development.
In terms of the auto industry, the government aims to encourage more people to drive environmentally-friendly cars by providing subsidies.
The ministry also vowed to foster new fields...like developing hydrogen markets and financially supporting companies that specializes in robots.
An economic expert says...these measures will become more effective when companies from different industries work as a team.
"For example, in the case of autonomous vehicles, companies in the auto sector cannot work alone, at least not how they used to some decades ago. They need to cooperate with companies in other sectors like ICT."
Ko Roon-hee, Arirang News.
