President Park Geun-hye has expressed her sincere thanks to the construction workers who have shed sweat and tears and who have dedicated themselves to construction projects both at home and abroad.

Her words of appreciation came during a ceremony on June 25 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Korean companies first winning overseas construction projects and to commemorate the roughly USD 700 billion in construction contracts that Korean firms have won since then.

“Our construction industry has recorded USD 700 billion in projected orders over just a half-century since we first set foot in overseas construction markets in 1965,” said President Park. “It has been a long, arduous journey for 50 years. You have been at the forefront, leading the nation, and you are honest living proof that our people have risen up.”

She mentioned a series of major projects that were completed by domestic construction companies, including the building of a container port in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, of a canal in Libya, a project that transformed the desert into fertile land, and, lastly, of the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa in the UAE. The president said that, “The government will do all it can to support these kinds of core projects, as the industry can continue picking up steam on the global scene.”



In addition, she offered a series of possible paths that businesses in the sector could take to further expand their presence in global markets. She said they should engage in unexplored, higher value-added projects, such as constructing zero-energy buildings based on energy-saving technologies, smart highways that allow for the operation of autonomous cars, and advanced IT-based smart cities. She said they should expand into overseas markets and open new markets and, lastly, that they should create jobs for the young in those overseas markets.

“It’s expected that there will be a constant rise in demand for professional manpower as the global construction industry goes cutting-edge, experiencing a convergence between and the integration of state-of-the-art technologies,” said the president. “The industry is a 'blue ocean' for young job-seekers, an industry into which it is worth trying to get, if they are armed with creative ideas and a challenging spirit.”

She continued to say that, “In this regard, the government will increase its support for finding out any possible opportunities for human resources, training the young to get ready to work in the business, and to help people find jobs.”



“Only if the government and construction companies work together to strengthen our competitiveness in global markets will the time soon come when our overseas construction orders reach USD 1 trillion and the nation becomes one of the top five construction powers. I call on you to continually serve as the driver of the domestic economy so that we can see another economic takeoff.”

By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Cheong Wa Dae
jiae5853@korea.kr