Resolve to Ensure
Quality Management
The 31st National Quality Management Convention held at KINTEX on December 7

The 31st National Quality Management Convention was held at the KINTEX in Ilsan, north of Seoul on December 7 to evaluate all quality management practices of the industry community and renew their determination to ensure quality management.
Organized by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE) and Korean Standardization Association (KSA), Kim Yong-gap, chairman of the National Assembly Industry and Resources Committee, MOCIE Minister Lee Hee-beom, Kim Sung-jin, administrator of Small and Medium Business Administration, Kim Jong-kap, commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, were among the 1,500 people on hand during the convention.
MOCIE Minister Lee said in his speech during the rally, "As markets have been diversified, customers have demanded a higher level of quality, and only companies which survive quality competition will become the leaders of the 21st century."During the anniversary convention, the coveted Korean Quality Grand Prize went to Korea Western Power Corp. (President-CEO Kim Jong-shin) and Samjin LND (President-CEO Lee Gyung-jae). LG Micron (President Cho Young-hwan) was presented with the Quality Management Award. Nine other companies were also awarded in overall prizes and specialized awards in each category in recognition of taking the initiative in promoting quality management activities to raise corporate competitive edge and contribute to consumer protection.
Seventy four people were presented with various orders and medals.
Samsung SDI President-CEO Kim Soon-taek and KT Linkus President Park Boo-kweun were honored with the Order of Industrial Service, Gold Tower.
The Excellent Task Team Award went to 195 task teams, including the Bulgok (Fireworks) Team of Lotte Confectionery Yeongdungpo plant. The award is given to task teams which have contributed to raising competitiveness through field quality improvement activities.
Quality maestros, those who have made contributions to improved quality control, went to 42 people, including Yeo Un-jong, manager of Daejeon Electricity Management Office at Korea Electric Power Corp.
Two persons, including Hang Wan-seok, an official at Hanwha Polymer, were awarded with the idea presentation prize for making proposals to ensure quality improvement, cost reduction and efficiency.
Established in 1975, the National Quality Management Convention is being held every year with an objective of dispersing positive effects earned by quality management to the entire industry and it is a forum where both managers and laborers take seats together to receive awards for their contribution to enhance quality management standards and pledge for quality innovation the next year.
Looking back the history of quality management in Korea started with the promulgation of Industrial Standardization Law in 1961 and the establishment of Industrial promotion Agency in 1973, it strengthened the industrial competitiveness and enhanced the product quality, and also greatly helped the nation emerge as one of the major industrialized countries in the global scene. With the devoted efforts concerted by all the corporate employees and laborers alike, Korea could overcome such a harsh economic reality faced by the acute foreign exchange crisis by the bail-out plan of the IMF late 1997, to provide a decisive momentum for the nation to rebuild its economy, to envision allowing the nation? economy to enter the ranks of developed countries.
From now on, the global economy is looking forward to further advanced products with ever diversifying consumers?demanding styles and escalating level of living standard, in which only those who can fulfill the ideals of quality management may be viable.
The U.S. in the 1980 had critically devastating ordeals suffering from a double deficit situation in both financial and trade terms with the downgrading industrial effectiveness, where the sustainability of the U.S. hegemony in the global economy was put on trial. In order to make quality management into a worldwide campaign the U.S. government promulgated the Malcom Baldridge National Quality Award in 1987, which decisively contributed to improving the industrial competitiveness onward. which are on the list for standardization include 3,000 kinds in the category of home appliance, semiconductor, machinery components and materials; 1,500 kinds in the category of IT-related products and state-of-the-art area, e-Commerce; 500 kinds for the category of health, environment and social welfare; 1,000 kinds in the category of enacting the PL law and other safety-related areas. nw

MOCIE Minister Lee Hee-beom (on the rostrum) delivers a speech during the 31st National Quality Management Convention, held at the KINTEX in Ilsan, north of Seoul on December 7. (left) The award winners take a photo session.