The Council on Regional Environmental Centers was launched on July 22, with a goal of building a network of regional environmental technology centers. The Council will serve as a main body to provide consultation and coordination among Korea’s 16 Regional Environmental Technology Development Centers, and it will seek to maximize research capacity and information sharing while encouraging wide applications of environmental technologies.

The nation’s first regional environmental center opened in Yeo-Su, Ulsan in 1998, with gradual expansion in number of centers to reach 16 today. These centers have been playing significant roles in bringing solutions to regional environmental challenges by providing technological supports to local industries, and tangibly, they mark successful records of 669 research contributions.

Upon the establishment of the council, Minister KWAK, Kyul-Ho made an earnest request to the Council to effectively collaborate research capacities of each region and develop effective measures tailored to meet regional characteristics and conditions. The Minister also stressed the importance of encouraging cooperation among regional universities, local governments, industries, and civil groups whom are in the frontlines of local environmental issues.