The Korea Times

Taxation on clergy delayed by one year to 2016

By Cho Jae-hyon The government has decided to put a controversial plan to tax the clergy on hold for a year, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance said Thursday.The administration originally planned to levy taxes on members of the clergy from next year.“The decision to put off taxation to 2016 is aimed at giving certain religious groups a chance to voluntarily report their incomes,” said the ministry in a statement.The grace period of one year came after certain religious groups strongly objected to the planned taxation.However, whether the government will carry through with the plan from 2016 remains uncertain, given that the general election is scheduled for that year and the presidential election is the following year.The decision is part of changes to the 2014 tax code.Under the new tax code, the government will apply a 10 percent tax credit on wage increases that exceed average gains for the preceding three years.This tax credit drops to 5 percent for people working for large conglomerates and does not apply to senior executives and those with annual incomes exce

Dec 25, 2014By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

Huh apologizes for plagiarism

Huh Tae-yeolHuh Tae-yeol, President-elect Park Geun-hye’s appointed chief of staff, apologized Wednesday for plagiarizing his doctoral thesis."I offer a deep apology to the people. At that time, I did not have sufficient understanding of the way to write a thesis or research ethics and failed to sincerely comply with the research ethics standards,” Huh said.The swift  redress from the former three-term lawmaker and close ally of Park, came just hours after the DongA Ilbo daily reported that his 1999 doctoral paper on local government administration was heavily copied from another person's work published three years earlier.He acknowledged that he plagiarized the thesis with which he obtained a doctoral degree from KonKuk University.He also stated that he didn’t have sufficient time to fully prepare for the thesis at that time.“I feel really embarrassed for not abiding by the research ethics standards,” he said.Still, Huh made it clear that he will not step down."If the people show understanding toward my shortfalls, I will take this job as my last p

Feb 20, 2013By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

Job recovery gaining faster momentum

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Chae-pil, right, visits a booth on the opening day of the 2012 Korea Job Fair on Oct. 30 at the aT Center in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul. The two-day event co-hosted by his ministry, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, and the Ministry of National Defense drew 90 small- and medium-sized firms seeking to hire jobseekers in their 20s and 30s.                                                       / Courtesy of Ministry of Employment and Labor‘Open hiring’ scheme helps boost employment of high school graduatesBy Cho Jae-hyonFollowing the global financial and economic crisis, the Korean government has put top priority on creating more jobs. The domestic employment market also suffered from the fallout of the financial crisis that peaked in 2009, with those losing their jobs outnumbering the newly-employed by more than 72,000 the following year. To tackle the aggravated job market

Nov 28, 2012By Cho Jae-hyon

Others

'Psy does Gangnam no justice'

By Cho Jae-hyon Psy is galloping ahead with his “Gangnam Style” to conquer the pop world. The chubby rapper has been an oddball compared with other svelte, good-looking K-pop stars; but his offbeat style, peppered with elements of fun and humor, is hot worldwide. People have fallen love with this funny and kitschy “Psy style.” Millions of people are mimicking and parodying the horse-riding dance moves and singing. With the song climbing higher on the Billboard chart, his fans are likely to see him perform the song topless, as he pledged, if it reaches the top. And the ideal place for his topless performance would be definitely somewhere in Gangnam, the district which also has risen to global fame thanks to the massive hit. Often dubbed the “Beverly Hills” of Seoul, Gangnam is the most affluent neighborhood full of designer-brand shops, trendy bars, plastic surgery clinics and state-of-the-art office buildings. Psy has called himself “second class” or “B-class,” a classification that doesn’t fit the image of the rich and snobbish Gangnam district. But this irony is one

Sep 26, 2012By Cho Jae-hyon

Others

Men guilty by 'no' intention

By Cho Jae-hyon Women are the weaker of the two sexes and are long considered as vulnerable to sexual assaults and harassments. This generalization indicates men are aggressors, but this also produces an unintended side effect ― putting ordinary men in an awkward position in everyday circumstances. From subway to streets at night, they have to overcome suspicious looks from women who fear the men sitting next to them in the subway or going in the same direction in a desolate neighborhood street are potential sexual predators. Riding up steps on an overpass, many Korean women in short skirts cover their behind with their bags. Men may suppress an urge to cry out loud, “Wear long skirts or trousers and cover up.” Of course, few would translate this urge into action. Thus, this would make ordinary men behind them look away at the risk of stumbling. In other words, the men have to pay extra attention or they may subject themselves subject to “dagger” looks or even verbal denunciations for every move they make. Is it a case of the “Minority Report” appli

Aug 22, 2012By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

Singapore readies for Yeosu Expo

An event to raise awareness on the need to protect the ocean, resources and the environment will take place at Seoul Plaza from March 31 to April 1. Under the theme of “Fishes and Friendship,” the event, organized by the Singapore government, invites participants to write and leave messages of hope. The “Fishes of Friendship” will form an integral part of a larger-than-life art installation inside the Singapore Pavilion at the Yeosu Expo to depict the world’s rich marine biodiversity. For the past few months, Singaporean artists and students have been making models of fishes from recycled materials as well as painting on reused acrylic bottles which will be used to form the art installation inside the pavilion. Bernard Tan, the pavilion director, said, “The Fishes of Friendship will celebrate the strong ties between people of Korea and Singapore. Together, we will be able to conjure and complete the spirit and life of fishes, and pledge for a better today and tomorrow.”

Mar 29, 2012By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

Father arrested for attempting to kill son

A 50-year-old man was arrested for attempting to murder his 6-year-old son for crying while he was arguing with his wife, police said Friday. The man, surnamed Lee had been drinking and beat his wife when she spoke ill of his mother. As his son was crying, Lee assaulted him, inflicting injuries which need 16 week to heal. He was charged with attempted murder. He also beat up his 4-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son. According to the police, the man was previously convicted of killing his 2-month-old daughter in 2001 and was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Mar 23, 2012By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

Teen caught for prostituting classmate

A teenager was caught for prostituting a former elementary school classmate suffering from a mental illness to repay a debt owed by her boyfriend, police said Friday. The 17-year-old girl along with her boyfriend, 29, forced the mentally-ill girl to have sex with dozens of men. The boyfriend opened a website to attract men and directed them to motels. Police said 25 men had sex with the teenager from Feb. 13 to 17, with each one paying 100,000 won. They also forced her to have sex with 20 men in a week earlier this month, raking in a total of 4.5 million won. They didn’t give any money to the victim who was forced to have sex as often as four times a day, police said. The pair were caught after a sister of the victim reported it to the police. Police have apprehended 21 men who paid for sex with the girl.

Mar 23, 2012By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

Students petition against dormitory operator

The student council of Sogang University filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission against KDB Asset Management, the operator of the school’s dormitory, Friday, over high costs. It is the first time that students have filed a complaint against a private operator of school dormitories. The council said Friday that the asset management firm has applied higher-than-market interest rates on loans tapped by the school for the construction of the dormitory. The financing contract also bans the school from paying the principal for 10 years. The “unfair” terms of the loan are leading to high costs for students using the dormitory, according to the council. The members of the council visited the fair trade watchdog’s headquarters Friday afternoon and submitted the complaint signed by 80 students. “KDB Asset Management signed the contract in 2008 when interest rates were exorbitantly high following the U.S. financial crisis. It is unfair that the financial firm is forcibly maintaining the terms for 20 years and refusing to accept the school’s demand that it be allowed t

Mar 23, 2012By Cho Jae-hyon

South Korea

61-year-old man arrested for killing wife

By Cho Jae-hyon A 61-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of killing his wife in a blind rage during an argument, police said Wednesday. The man, surnamed Yang, allegedly stabbed his wife multiple times to death at their home in Joongnang-gu, northern Seoul, Sunday. Yang, who has been jobless for years after retirement, had habitually beaten his wife and was drunk at the time of the crime. He also injured his son who was attempting to stop the attack, by stabbing him in the leg.

Mar 21, 2012By Cho Jae-hyon

Cho Jae-hyon

Read more

Taxation on clergy delayed by one year to 2016

Huh apologizes for plagiarism

Job recovery gaining faster momentum

'Psy does Gangnam no justice'

Men guilty by 'no' intention

Singapore readies for Yeosu Expo

Father arrested for attempting to kill son

Teen caught for prostituting classmate

Students petition against dormitory operator

61-year-old man arrested for killing wife

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