KEPCO's Research Unit to Be
Upgraded to World-Class Level

Chairman Han intends to have KEPRI benchmark GE Crotonville for its research center

Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) Chairman Han Joon-ho said recently that his company's research institute, KEPRI will benchmark GE Crotonville for its research center. He disclosed the plan after returning from a visit to the GE Crotonville Campus where he participated in a training program for Korean entrepreneurs.
Han said he was moved when he read Jack Welchi's biology, "From the Gut"after he took the helm of the Korean utility giant, for the second time. He said he found that there are many things to learn from the GE Crotonville.
"I announced a case of KEPCO's management innovation at the GE Crotonville, I felt that there are many things to be learned, including GE's Six-Sigma management, human resources management and innovative management, which attracted the attention from the Korean executives who participated in the training program,"the said.
The KEPCO chairman said KEPRI has made a strong showing in the technology R&D sector, but lagged in terms of management strategy and electricity policy development, so he is striving to upgrade KEPRI's backward sector to the level of GE Cronville or its research center.
KEPCO recently carried out massive management innovations, including reorganization calling for the separation of its distribution business to an independent business entity.
KEPCO Chairman and CEO Han has been recognized in Korea and abroad for conducting remarkable management innovations since he took the helm in March of 2004.
KEPCO's innovative steps have paid off: KEPCO recently won the international prestigious Edison Award for outstanding managerial achievement, and KEPCO became the first non-American company to grab the 2005 Demand Response Annual Award (Outstanding Achievement in Demand Response) from the Peak Load Management Alliance. Domestically, the Korean utility giant won the Customer Satisfaction Award for its seventh year in a row and KEPCO was selected as the most innovative public organization and various other acknowledgments were garnered.
However, the Korean utility company refuses to rest on its laurels. KEPCO is striving to adopt powerful management innovation plans internally with an eye to getting a step closer to becoming a global integrated energy group while solidifying their competitive edge in the power generation industry.
The reorganization calls for the introduction of an independent management entity system in KEPCO's power distribution business, among others. nw

KEPCO Chairman-CEO Han Joon-ho