To lead in energy, Korea has to shed some chains

JoongAng Daily ^ | 10/21/2013 | Joo Kyung-don

[TexGrill]

What should Korea do after the World Energy Congress?

Two years ago, Daegu was in the world’s spotlight when top athletes visited the city for the World Athletics Championships. The city was again in the spotlight last week, hosting the 22nd World Energy Congress.

I found the city quieter and calmer this time, perhaps because the event last week dealt with more serious (or maybe not as entertaining) issues such as energy, the environment, the global economy and social equality.

However, this doesn’t mean that the event wasn’t successful or unimportant. In fact, the 22nd World Energy Congress was the largest congress ever in its 90-year history. From Sunday to Thursday, it drew more than 7,000 participants from 120 countries.

The participants included 272 speakers from 73 countries, which is also the largest number at a WEC, according to organizers. With casual visitors included, organizers guess that perhaps 30,000 people visited the world’s largest energy meeting.

Industry insiders said that the popularity of this year’s event indicated that people were paying more attention to energy issues now than ever before. The congress ended with the announcement of the “Daegu Declaration,” the first time in the congress’ history that a declaration with the host government addressed the world’s important energy issue and asked the global energy community to establish a framework for a sustainable global energy system.

[TexGrill]

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