smokehard

With the price of oil showing now signs of decreasing, the Korean government announced measures which they hope will save energy. Like Japan, Korea is virtually dependent on foreign oil imports, and as such, the rising price of oil has hit individuals and corporations hard.

In an effort to conserve and use less energy resources, the Korean government directed public sector workers to set office air conditioners to 27C and implement an even-odd driving system based on the last number of their license plates. Nevertheless, despite the new measures, the first and second day of the new system saw no change in how full the parking lot usually is at one of Korea’s largest government complexes.

The Gwacheon Government Complex is home to the Ministry of Environment, and the ministry responsible for the new measures, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.

Analysts note that tightening belts in the public sector alone won’t lead to substantial effects because this accounts for only 3.7 percent of all energy consumption. “We are ready to implement obligatory measures for the private sector also. An alternate day system on vehicle use will be expanded to all vehicles and there will be some limitations on energy use if oil prices surpass $170,” said Minister of Strategy and Finance Kang Man-soo. (Link)

If the government can’t even get their own employees to follow the new system, in their own parking lot, how on earth are they going to regulate private sector workers? Why didn’t  the guard at the gate refuse entry to cars with the wrong number on their license plate? Why haven’t the police ticketed the offenders? Clearly, this policy was not thought through properly and like so many policies before (examples here), will go down in Korean history as being a complete waste of time, and ironically, resources.