The Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) held an event in celebration of the 36th anniversary of its founding, and gave rewards for long service and excellent research projects at the institute on March 31.

That day, KREI President Choi Sei-kyun made a speech on the theme, “Let’s prepare the agricultural policy research hub of the Naju period,” celebrating KREI’s founding. Choi said that KREI’s biggest issues are its relocation to Naju and the accompanying issue of securing an outstanding workforce, and he would find ways to fill research gaps by introducing the KREI senior network system and strengthening the honorary senior research fellow system. He also said, “Let’s turn our relocation to Naju into a blessing and realize our vision to become a global think tank.”

Long service and excellent research projects were also rewarded. Research directors Park Seong-jae, Oh Nae-won, and Choi Kyeong-hwan were rewarded for 30 years of service, Senior Research Fellow Jeong Min-kook and Senior Research Assistant Noh Yeong-suk for 20 years of service, and Senior Research Fellow Song Joo-ho and Senior Administrative Assistant Kang Myeong-hwan for 10 years of service.

Senior Research Fellow Hwang Yun-jae et al. won the best research project award for “An Analysis of the Government’s Agri-food Policy Communications with Consumers and Suggestions for Improvement.” The research projects that won excellence awards were as follows: “A Study on Improving a Livestock Product Distribution System for Stabilizing Inflation (Year 3 of 4)” by Senior Research Fellow Huh Duk et al.; “Analyses of the Chinese Horticultural Industry Against the Korea-China FTA” by Senior Research Fellow Jeon Hyoung-jin et al.; “Production Inducement Effects of Direct Payment for Upland Crops” by Research Director Park Dong-gyu et al.; and “An Analysis of Effects of RCEP on Agriculture and Countermeasures” by Senior Research Fellow Song Joo-ho et al.