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Kim Ji-soo

Korea Times Editorial Reporter

Kim Ji-soo joined The Korea Times in 2006, and worked on such desks as culture and politics and is currently a member of the Editorial Board. Previous workplaces include The Korea Herald and the Korea JoongAng Daily.

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South Korea

Large firms' wages 61.9 pct more than those of SMEs

The average worker's wage at large companies in South Korea is 61.9 percent higher than that paid by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), data showed Wednesday.The average annual wage of large firms amounted to 64.19 million won (US$54,310.86) in 2014, more than the 39.66 million won for SMEs, according to the data on 2,000 local companies compiled by market researcher CXO Institute.The overall average annual salary for the companies came to 44.98 million won, according to the data.Companies whose annual sales topped 1 trillion won paid an average of 64.19 million won to its employees, while those with sales of between 500 billion won and 1 trillion won paid out 54.13 million won, the data showed.SMEs that earned less than 100 billion won in sales per year gave out paychecks of 39.66 million won on average.Companies that paid an average of over 100 million won to its workers accounted for 0.2 percent of the batch, while those with annual paychecks of over 90 million won and 80 million won took up 0.5 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively.By industry, the average salary of oil refiner

Aug 12, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
South Korea

Lotte needs at least 2.5 tln won to unwind circular shareholding

Lotte Group, which is mired in a bitter family fight over control of its sprawling business empire, needs about 2.5 trillion won (US$2.1 billion) to unwind its complex circular shareholding structure, a report estimated Wednesday.Lotte Group does business both in South Korea and Japan and has 416 cross shareholding arrangements that allow its founder and family members to wield a disproportionate amount of power over the group with a relatively small portion of shares.According to the report by market tracker CEO Score, Lotte Group has to dispose of six affiliates' stakes in Lotte Shopping, Lotte Confectionery and Lotte Chilsung Beverage in order to break its cobweb-like shareholding structure.The six include Dai Heung Industry, Lotte Data Communication and Lotte Engineering & Construction, which currently hold a combined 2.46 trillion won worth of shares in the three key Lotte affiliates known to stand at the center of the group's governance, the report said.The cost is the minimum amount of money estimated to be needed to deal with the governance issue and keep the owner family

Aug 12, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
South Korea

Park Yu-cheon of JYJ to enlist on Aug. 27

Park Yu-cheonFans of Park Yu-cheon, an actor and member of K-pop band JYJ, will be disappointed to learn that he will enter the military on Aug. 27.His agency said Park will not disclose details of the day he enters military service.Instead, there will be a fan meeting on Aug. 25.Park will serve as a reservist for two years.

Aug 11, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
Park Yu-cheon of JYJ to enlist on Aug. 27
South Korea

Navy launches new frigate Gwangju, 6th in next-generation fleet project

 The Navy said Tuesday it has launched a new guided missile frigate named Gwangju as it continues to churn out next-generation warships to retire older vessels.The new frigate is the sixth addition to the fleet as part of the Navy's project to build 20 next-generation vessels by 2020.The new series will replace the Navy's aging frigates and patrol combat corvettes, the Navy said in a statement.Once deployed, it will be tasked with patrolling and defending South Korea's sea territory and contribute as deterrence against North Korea's aggression, the statement said.The 2,300-ton new frigate is fit to accommodate about 120 crewmen and able to sail at a maximum speed of 30 knots or 55.5 kilometers per hour.The vessel is equipped with three-dimension scanning radar, a sonar torpedo detecting system as well as antiaircraft and antiship missiles to be able to engage in antiaircraft, antisubmarine and antiship operations.The frigate Gwangju will undergo test navigation and examinations before being handed over to the Navy for deployment by the end of 2016. (Yonhap)  

Aug 11, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
Navy launches new frigate Gwangju, 6th in next-generation fleet project
South Korea

South demands North's apology, punishment over mines blast

South Korea has demanded North Korea apologize and punish those responsible for planting land mines inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that seriously wounded two soldiers last week.“This case is a clear provocation where North Korean forces illegally intruded onto the military demarcation line to intentionally bury mines,” presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said Tuesday.He reiterated the position that the North’s action was a violation of the Armistice and the treaty of non-aggression signed by the two Koreas.Seoul on Monday resumed loudspeaker propaganda against the North for the first time in 11 years in retaliation for the blasts. The explosions happened on Aug. 4 inside the DMZ near Paju, Gyeonggi Province.  

Aug 11, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
  • Tension builds along border
South Korea

Precise number of Tripitaka Koreana blocks uncovered

There are nearly a hundred more wooden blocks in the collection of Tripitaka Koreana than previously thought, South Korea's cultural heritage administration said Monday.Tripitaka Koreana, or "Palmandaejanggyeong" in Korean, is a collection of 13th-century Buddhist scriptures carved on more than 80,000 wooden printing blocks. It is considered the most comprehensive set of Buddhist scriptures found to date. The Haein Temple, in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, 354 kilometers south of Seoul, where the texts are kept, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.The number of these wooden blocks has been a source of contention since no comprehensive research has been done on the matter, even after it was designated a national treasure in 1962.But after 10 years of counting and confirming, the Cultural Heritage Administration said it has determined that there are 81,352 blocks of the text, which is 94 more than what was recorded in 1915 when Korea was a colony of Japan.The agency has also discovered that 36 of them were manufactured during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule.Yun Sun-ho, head of the

Aug 10, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
Shows & Dramas

Park Hae-jin, Seo Kang-joon also to star in 'Cheese'

Actor Seo Kang-joonHallyu actors Seo Kang-joon and Park Hae-jin will star in an upcoming cable drama “Cheese in the Trap,” reports said. Female lead Kim Go-eun has already been announced.The drama will be based on a popular webtoon of the same name, and will be aired on the cable channel tvN. It is produced by a popular producer Lee Yun-jeong, who was behind the 2007 MBC drama “Coffee Prince.”Seo will play a former piano prodigy-turned-loser Baek In-ho in the drama. Park Hae-jin will star as the “perfect man” Yu Jung opposite female star Kim, who will play Hong Seol, in the drama mainly centered around the three characters on campus. Actor Park Hae-jin

Aug 10, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
Park Hae-jin, Seo Kang-joon also to star in 'Cheese'
North Korea

Pyongyang, 'more free than expected'

Former first lady Lee Hee-ho and her entourage did not meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their four-day visit to North Korea.But Lee and the entourage that returned Saturday released pictures and impressions of a Pyongyang livelier and freer than expected, in particular because the young leader has been eliminating his possible rivals or opponents. An official with the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center was reported as telling Yonhap there were more cars on the streets of Pyongyang than five years ago and more people using cell phones, referencing those who had been to the North before during the historic 2000 summit and the 2011 funeral of Kim Jong-il. Those who took photos said that there was were no restrictions in taking them.Lee visited on the invitation of Kim Jong-un, whom she briefly met in 2011 at the funeral of the leader’s late father, Kim Jong-il.  

Aug 9, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
South Korea

Alcohol blamed for domestic and sexual violence

/ Korea Times fileSeven out of 10 domestic and sexual violence offenders were drunk when they committed their crimes, Uijeongbu police in Gyeonggi Province disclosed Sunday.The findings were in a report by Lee Won-jeong, a director of a criminal division at Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, who studied 3,747 cases of violence-related crimes in Uijeongbu last year. It showed a total of 4,851 people were arrested for violent crimes in the area and 61.5 percent, or 2,983, of them were drunk.For sexual and domestic violence offenders, seven out of 10 were drunk at the time of their crimes. And for those who obstructed police, the figure was nine out of 10.

Aug 9, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
Alcohol blamed for domestic and sexual violence
Shows & Dramas

Sulli no longer f(x) member

Sulli, a former f(x) memberSulli, a former member of girl band f(x), will focus on her acting career, reports say.Sulli, who has been on leave since July last year, has left SM Entertainment’s band. The management agency said f(x) will now be a four-member group, comprising Victoria, Luna, Amber and Krystal. There were rumors Sulli would leave the band, but nothing was concrete until last week.Sulli is dating Choi Ja from Korean rap band Dynamic Duo.  

Aug 9, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
Sulli no longer f(x) member
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