친환경차 관련 정책의 큰 축을 담당하는 환경부와 산업통상부 관계자가 전기차 산업의 현재 상황, 미래 정책 방향과 더불어 최근 전기차 판매 감소, R&D 예산 감축 등에서 비롯된 자동차 산업에 대한 우려에 대한 답을 내놨다.

▲2023 Electric Vehicle Leaders Forum site
Ministry of Environment, “2024 Electric Vehicle Subsidy Government Plan, KRW 1.732 trillion, Support for 295,000 Vehicles”
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, “Automobile Parts Companies to Make All-Out Efforts to Transform Flexible Future Vehicles, Automobile Industry R&D Expected to Spend 2 Trillion Won Over 5 Years” Officials from the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, which are largely responsible for policies related to eco-friendly vehicles, provided answers to concerns about the automobile industry stemming from the recent decline in electric vehicle sales and reductions in R&D budgets, as well as the current status and future policy directions of the electric vehicle industry.
The '2023 Electric Vehicle Leaders Forum', which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2023, was held on the 13th in the National Assembly Members' Hall conference room, hosted by the Korea Electric Vehicle Association, and officials from the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy gave presentations on the topic of 'Establishing a mid- to long-term roadmap policy plan to achieve carbon neutrality and electric vehicle distribution goals.'
▲Kim Pil-su, Chairman of the Korea Electric Vehicle Association
Kim Pil-soo, Chairman of the Korea Electric Vehicle Association, gave a welcoming speechIn , he said, “Carbon neutrality is essential and being eco-friendly is a duty, so the flow of electric vehicles will not stop,” and “Now that electric vehicle sales are slowing down, it is a period of catch-up to solve various problems with electric vehicles and reduce hard landings.”
In the first session, which consisted of government ministry announcements and Q&A, Ryu Pil-moo, director of the Ministry of Environment’s Air Future Strategy Division, presented on ‘Electric Vehicle Distribution Policy and Distribution Status,’ and Choi Bo-seon, director of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Automobile Division, presented on ‘Future Vehicle Transition and Export Support Measures for Sustainable Growth of the Automobile Ecosystem.’
■ Ministry of Environment
Director Ryu Pil-moo announced, “We are taking steps to complete the plan to expand the supply of eco-friendly vehicles (4.2 million electric vehicles, 300,000 hydrogen vehicles, etc.) announced in the ‘1st National Basic Plan for Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth’ last April,” and “There are policy difficulties, but we are approaching it with potential.”
He continued, “The cumulative number of electric vehicles supplied by November 2023 will be 552,500, and the record of 164,486 supplied in 2022 alone accounts for 70% of the number supplied over the past 10 years.” He emphasized, “Although the supply speed has slowed down, it is not that far behind when considering that 149,951 units were supplied from January to November 2023.”
In addition, there is a movement centered around Germany to use e-fuel, a carbon-free fuel, using existing internal combustion engines, but there is a clear limit due to the significant disadvantage in terms of price, and although there is continuous talk of hybrids, he added that ultimately, the path will move toward electrification.
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▲Ryu Pil-mu, Director of the Air Future Strategy Division of the Ministry of Environment
To increase the distribution rate, the Ministry of Environment will further strengthen the mandatory purchase rate of zero-emission vehicles in the public sector.
In the future, hybrid vehicles will not be reflected in the public sector's zero-emission vehicle performance, and only electric and hydrogen vehicles will be able to satisfy the system. In addition, the plan is to strengthen the eco-friendly vehicle purchase target system for large-scale vehicle owners such as car rental companies (13%), cargo companies (20%), and large corporations.
Director Ryu also talked about the 2024 electric vehicle subsidy plan.
The total electric vehicle subsidy in 2024 is expected to be 1.732 trillion won, supporting 295,000 vehicles.
Although the amount is smaller than the 2023 subsidy of KRW 1.886 trillion, the plan is to increase the budget invested in infrastructure to resolve inconveniences for electric vehicle drivers.
The subsidy for electric passenger vehicles (KRW 210 billion, 3,000 units in 2023) was set at KRW 140 billion, 2,000 units in 2024, but the reduced number of units will be used to support hydrogen passenger vehicles.
The expansion of subsidies for hydrogen passenger vehicles is interpreted as an attempt to reduce the subsidies leaking out due to the introduction of Chinese electric buses and to simultaneously control and revitalize domestic companies by providing subsidies to domestic hydrogen passenger vehicles.
As mentioned earlier, the budget will be invested in infrastructure and the convenience of charging stations will also be expanded.
Manager Ryu said, “We are taking steps to increase the number of chargers from approximately 290,000 as of November 2023 to 1.23 million by 2030. He said, “We will review and implement policies to ensure that the charging industry and electric vehicle distribution are interlocked.”
■ Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
Choi Bo-seon, head of the Automobile Division at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, announced the “Future Vehicle Transition and Export Support Measures for Sustainable Growth of the Automobile Ecosystem” and said, “In 2024, we will focus on helping auto parts companies make a more flexible transition.”
The operating profit rate of Korean auto parts companies in 2022 is expected to be in the early 2% range, with 83% of companies recording sales of less than 10 billion won, and in particular, the proportion of parts companies without plans to prepare for future cars is 90.5%.
In order to resolve the difficulties faced by these parts companies, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will focus on ▲providing funds and work to the parts industry, ▲strengthening the future car structure, and ▲expanding parts exports.
▲Choi Bo-seon, Head of the Automobile Division of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
Director Choi Bo-seon said that the government has supported companies' investment in preparation for the future with KRW 9.1 trillion (future car transition support, low-interest loans, etc.) and the private sector with KRW 5.2 trillion (mutual growth funds) in 2023, and that policy funds for 2024 are being discussed with the fiscal and financial authorities.
We also talked a bit about R&D, which is a hot topic. />
“There have been adjustments to the R&D budget, but the automobile sector will continue to grow and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will do its best,” said Director Choi. “It is expected that around 2 trillion won will be invested over the next five years.”
We also did not leave out the discussion on human resource development.
Director Choi said, “I am well aware that human resource development is a serious problem,” and added, “If the ‘Special Act on Future Vehicles’ that passed the plenary session last Friday is implemented in the first half of 2024, it is expected to be of great help not only to the human resource issue but also to R&D necessary for the transition to future vehicles.”
Regarding concerns about the existence of training for maintenance personnel for eco-friendly vehicles such as electric vehicles due to the reduction in R&D, Director Choi emphasized, “The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will remain in charge of the budget for training personnel for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral courses, while the Ministry of Employment and Labor will be in charge of training for in-service workers.” He added, “The ‘Future Vehicle Special Act’ also provides a basis for financial support projects related to personnel, and we have also included a provision for the government and companies in demand to create departments, so you do not need to worry about training personnel.”
Regarding overseas exports, Manager Choi Bo-seon said, “There is no guarantee that overseas situations will always flow in our favor, but we will respond well to changing conditions.”
Contrary to concerns that the U.S. IRA will cause a crisis in the auto industry, the company is responding by increasing the proportion of business leases and rental vehicles.
In addition, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy plans to target the ASEAN market through industrial ODA (official development assistance) to discover emerging markets.
The government We plan to invest 18-19 billion won to open an electric vehicle technology cooperation center in Indonesia and provide electric vehicles and chargers from Korea to lay the foundation for market formation.
If a certain market is formed through this project, it is expected that the private sector will be able to participate and generate profits.
Chief Choi Bo-seon emphasized, “Until September 2023, the number one export sector was automobiles, and 6 million of the 7.2 million units produced domestically and internationally will be exported,” and “In keeping with the automobile industry, which is a global business hub, we will make efforts to enable parts companies to export electrified parts.”