The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE; Korean: 산업통상자원부; Hanja: 産業通商資源部) is a ministry under the Government of South Korea. It is concerned with regulating economic policy, especially with regard to the industrial and energy sectors. The ministry also works to encourage foreign investment in Korea.
The current minister is Ahn Duk-geun, the former Head of the Trade Negotiations Division (as a 1st Deputy Minister) in the Department from May 2022 to January 2024.
History
The ministry began in 1948 as the Ministry of Commerce during the First Republic. In 1993, it was merged with the Ministry of Energy, established in 1977. A year later the ministry changed its name to Ministry of Trade and Energy.[1]
In 1998, it transferred trade negotiation duties to the foreign ministry changing its name to Ministry of Industry and Energy. In 2008, it was restructured into Ministry of Knowledge Economy following newly elected president Lee Myung-bak's cabinet reorganization. In 2013, following President Park Geun-hye's cabinet reorganisation the ministry was restructured into the current form bringing back trade negotiation duties from the foreign ministry. In 2017, it delegated duties related to SMEs to newly created Ministry of SMEs and Startups under President Moon Jae-in.[2] In 2018, it added the third vice ministerial role for energy policies in addition to existing trade minister and vice minister (now 1st vice minister).[3]
Headquarters
The headquarters are located in the Sejong Regional Government Complex in Sejong City.[4] The headquarters were formerly located in the Gwacheon Government Complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.[5]
Subsidiary sections
Subsidiary organisations of the MOTIE include:
Korean Agency for Technology and Standards
Korea Trade Commission (not to be confused with the country's anti-trust agency Fair Trade Commission)
^"Location." (Archive) Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Retrieved on January 1, 2014. "Address : 402 Hannuri-daero, Sejong-si, 339-012, Republic of Korea"
^"Location." () Ministry of Knowledge Economy. Retrieved on January 1, 2013. "Address Ministry of Knowledge Economy, 88, Gwanmoonro, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea"