Electricity bill 'struggle'...Industrial use alone will rise 9.7 percent.

'Frozen' again for electricity bills for housing...Stay close to one and a half years
Industrial Electricity Prices Increase 9.7% On Average..."Differential Application"
"Exporting Large Companies Share Pain...I can afford the burden"
KEPCO expects to 'maintain a stable surplus' in raising electricity rates

[Anchor]
KEPCO has come up with a desperate measure to raise only industrial electricity bills amid the accumulated deficit and high prices.

Electricity bills used by households and small business owners were frozen in consideration of the economic burden of the common people.

Reporter Park Ki-wan reports.

[Reporter]
Electricity bills for homes used by ordinary households have also been frozen.

Since it was last raised in May last year, it has maintained the same rate for nearly a year and a half.

It was because they considered the burden of the economy of the common people, but this time, it was more because of domestic demand that did not survive than prices.

[Kim Dong-cheol / President of Korea Electric Power Corporation: We had no choice but to comprehensively consider the economic situation in which people's livelihoods and self-employed businesses continue and consumer sentiment has not yet recovered.]

On the other hand, industrial electricity bills will increase by an average of 9.7%.

In particular, industries that use large-capacity electricity, such as semiconductor factories, will be subject to a 10% increase and small and medium-sized companies will be subject to a 5% increase.

This is because KEPCO's financial structure can be expected to be improved by increasing the overall rate by 5% while charging higher electricity rates to large companies that use half of the nation's electricity.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have been burdened with export costs, but the government says it is inevitable.

[Choi Nam-ho / Second Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy: I would like to say that the increase was centered on industrial use in order to share the pain of large export companies.]

KEPCO expects to maintain a stable surplus structure with this increase in electricity rates.

However, it is expected that it will be difficult to rule out the possibility of additional hikes due to changes in economic conditions next year.

I'm Park Kiwan of YTN.

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