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Kang Seung-woo

Korea Times Business Reporter

Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.

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South Korea

Abe panel report angers Koreans

Bereaved family members of Koreans, who died while undertaking forced labor overseas during Japan’s colonial rule, call on the government to establish a law offering them compensation during a rally at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap Japanese leader urged to apologize for colonial rule, sex slaveryBy Kang Seung-woo A report from an advisory panel for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s war anniversary statement has reignited public anger here over Tokyo’s controversial stance on its wartime atrocities.Based on the report, Abe will write a statement to be issued on Aug. 14 to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.The report, however, only mentioned Japan’s wartime aggression without an apology.This prompted strong protest from the Korean government as well as scholars awaiting an apology for Japan’s wartime wrongdoings, including the sexual enslavement of Korean women -- the main impediment to improving bilateral ties.Worse, the report stated that the Korean government has “emotionally” dealt with histor

Aug 7, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
Abe panel report angers Koreans
South Korea

Lotte faces imminent governance reform

Kang Suk-yun, chairman of Lotte Employee Council, speaks during a press conference at Lotte World in southern Seoul, Wednesday. Kang and other heads of labor unions at Lotte Group affiliates issued a joint statement supporting group Chairman Shin Dong-bin as its leader. / Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-hanRegulator to prod chaebol to reduce cross-shareholdingBy Kang Seung-woo, Lee Min-hyungThe government and the ruling Saenuri Party plan to examine the cross-shareholding structure of Lotte Group that enables the owner family to control all affiliates with only a small number of shares.In a broader measure, they are considering revising fair competition rules to enhance governance structures in all family-run business groups, or chaebol, which critics say are opaque and outdated.The action reflects concerns that the ownership structure has played a key role in family feuds in chaebol, as seen at Lotte Group, and will ultimately fan the “Korea Discount” — a term investors use for undervalued Korean stocks — and pose a risk to the economy.Government officials and l

Aug 5, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
Lotte faces imminent governance reform
  • Who cares about Lotte's nationality?
  • Succession war weighs on Lotte's business
  • Lotte faces probe on structure, taxes
South Korea

Park to focus on labor reform

By Kang Seung-woo President Park Geun-hyePresident Park Geun-hye will speak to the nation, Thursday, about her intentions for the second half of the year, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.“President Park will issue a statement to unveil her plans on how to lead the nation in the second half of this year,” presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said in a briefing, without elaborating on the exact details of the statement.The presidential office said she will not receive questions from reporters.Park is expected to talk about her push for labor market reform and how to revive the economy, hit hard by the recent outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).Park is likely to renew calls for reform, urging unions and opposition parties to join the government’s efforts to enhance flexibility. Since April, unions have boycotted a three-way meeting of labor, management and government representatives, denouncing the government-driven reform as a means to oppress workers.Park is also likely to mention the allegations that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) spied on

Aug 4, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
Park to focus on labor reform
South Korea

NK threatens attack on leaflet senders

By Kang Seung-wooNorth Korea threatened to attack South Korean activists, Monday, for sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets over the inter-Korean border.The threat by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) came three days after a conservative civic group flew about 10,000 leaflets to the North from Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, located close to the border.The leaflets featured an “execution list after Korean unification” that included North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the North’s party officials and military brass, along with Kim’s wife, Ri Sol-ju.“We regard the leaflet distribution as an apparent act of war and are running out of patience with it. Such a small action can lead to the destruction of the group,” the CPRK said.“The leaflets carry unacceptable and offensive crap. It is another military provocation.”The organization also said that the South Korean government is behind the campaign.“The leaflet campaign cannot be conducted without protection from the spy agency, the defense ministry or the unification mi

Aug 3, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
NK threatens attack on leaflet senders
South Korea

Parties slam Lotte owner family

By Kang Seung-wooThe ruling and opposition parties blasted the founder of Lotte Group and his two sons, Monday, saying their deepening succession row is humiliating for the country.They said such public family feuds have become typical at chaebol, or family-controlled conglomerates, underscoring the need to modernize their corporate governance structure.“The people are enraged by the Lotte owners family who are engaged in mudslinging without thinking about their responsibility to the economy,” said Rep. Suh Chung-won of the ruling Saenuri Party, a close aide to President Park Geun-hye, during a party meeting.“The group has grown through people’s support, but its outdated and opaque management system is not based on common sense. It is an act of betrayal to the people.”He said it is time for the nation to check managerial risks at the country’s conglomerates that derive from owner families’ outdated thinking and straightening out these problems.The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) said conglomerates are becoming a ris

Aug 3, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
  • Lotte chief vows to hold onto job
South Korea

Lotte Korea chief set to fight back

By Kang Seung-wooLotte Korea ChairmanShin Dong-binLotte Korea Chairman Shin Dong-bin, the younger son of group founder Shin Kyuk-ho, plans to return home today, said officials of the group Sunday.He has been staying in Japan gathering support for a vote at the shareholders’ meeting. A showdown over leadership of the conglomerate is expected to early this month and will determine the winner of a sibling feud between Dong-bin and his elder brother, Dong-ju, over who will take management control of the group.Dong-bin is expected to make a public apology for causing concern.“Chairman Shin will return home Aug. 3 after wrapping up his schedule in Japan. He will make a public apology for causing concern over family problems,” a group official said.Dong-bin has been on the defense recently because his father, 93, is said to support Dong-ju and plans to pass group control to the eldest son. Dong-ju and other family members released a document on Friday showing the founder’s support for Dong-ju as successor over Dong-bin.Dong-bin has reportedly lost his father’s

Aug 2, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
Lotte Korea chief set to fight back
  • Lotte's siblings up ante in feud
  • Lotte Korea chief in talks with his father Shin Kyuk-ho
South Korea

Military dragging feet on sex offenses

By Kang Seung-woo The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is being criticized for taking little action to address sexual abuse on military bases despite earlier pledges to root out such offenses.In the wake of several high-profile sexual-violence cases in the military, the ministry unveiled comprehensive measures to combat sex offenses on March 26, including tougher punishment on offenders and transferring those convicted to other units.“The defense ministry is seeking to revise regulations regarding disciplinary action on service members and civilian employees linked to sex offenses,” a military official said on Sunday.The official said the ministry will complete the revision within the year, but there are concerns that this may be extended to next year.A measure forcing sex offenders to transfer to other units in order to prevent them from working with their victims is still under review.“If a victim wants to move to a new unit, the military authorities will allow him or her to do so, as well,” the official said.A plan to allow civilian experts to join d

Aug 2, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
South Korea

Controversy erupts over Saenuri chief's pro-US remarks

Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung gives a special lecture at Columbia University in New York, Wednesday. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooRuling Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung is taking flak for careless remarks he made about Korea’s relations with the United States and China during a U.S. trip.Diplomatic experts say that it was not appropriate for Kim to openly make such a remark, citing an apparent lack of diplomatic sense.“The United States is more important than China to Korea,” Kim said during a press conference with Korean correspondents in Washington, D.C., Monday.“Kim only had to stress the importance of the ROK-U.S. alliance,” said Kim Yeoul-soo, an international relations professor at Sungshin Women’s University.“He should not have made a remark that may provoke China because it is also a diplomatically important partner to us.”China has surpassed the U.S. as the Korea’s No. 1 trading partner.Kim added: “The politician’s imprudent remark has overshadowed his achievements during the U.S. trip.”The ch

Jul 30, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
South Korea

NIS scandal fraught with questions

By Kang Seung-wooThe National Intelligence Service (NIS) has strongly denied allegations that spyware purchased by one of its officers from an Italian firm in 2012 was used to conduct illegal surveillance on civilians.NIS chief Lee Byung-ho explained to lawmakers, Monday, about the purpose of the program and how it operated, but opposition parties still claim that many questions still remain unanswered.Rather, Lee’s explanations have spawned fresh allegations. The parties are demanding that the spy agency submit all related data to make the public understand, but it said that it will not ― and cannot ― do so, citing possible risks to national security.Here are some of the questions that remain about the agency’s activities. What was Lim’s job? The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) claims the role of the NIS officer, who committed suicide after deleting data on the use of the spyware, remains unclear. The NIS said the employee, surnamed Lim, purchased and operated the Remote Control System (RCS) technology.“The NIS c

Jul 29, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
South Korea

NIS chief denies spying allegations

Lee Byung-ho, the chief of Korea’s National Intelligence Service, waits for a meeting of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee, Monday. Opposition lawmakers have vowed to look into allegations that the spy agency purchased a hacking spyware to monitor civilians. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooNational Intelligence Service (NIS) chief Lee Byung-ho denied allegations Monday that the NIS spied on citizens ahead of the 2012 presidential election.“There was no illegal monitoring of civilians. This is a fact,” Lee said, while speaking to the National Assembly Intelligence Committee.He also noted that a surveillance program the spy agency bought from an Italian firm in 2012 was not used to intercept content sent through KakaoTalk, the nation’s most-popular mobile messenger.Earlier this month, according to WikiLeaks, the NIS made inquiries to a foreign surveillance equipment firm last year to seek ways of accessing the messenger service.Lee made the remarks at a plenary session of the parliamentary committee, which began a three week-long investigation into t

Jul 27, 2015By Kang Seung-woo
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