Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Korean budget carrier Eastar Jet to lay off 750 employees
Korean budget airline Eastar Jet plans to cut 750 jobs due to financial difficulties from the COVID-19 pandemic. Korea Times file
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
Eastar Jet, a Korean budget airline, plans to lay off 750 employees due to financial difficulties from the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to industry sources Thursday, the company plans to lay off 45 percent of its 1,680 workers ― to 930 ― to keep the business afloat amid the crisis.
The company is also in talks to reduce its fleet by 10 planes to 13.
“The plan has not been finalized,” a company official was quoted by Yonhap, a local news agency, as saying. “We are still in talks over the size of layoffs and severance pay.”
Many people in the airline industry fear that this will only be the beginning of more job cuts, with the pandemic showing no signs of abating.
Last month, Eastar Jet decided to suspend all domestic and international flights to minimize operating losses.