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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

4-day work week in Korea: SK starts with hope, doubt

SK GroupBy Oh Young-jin SK Group has introduced a four-day work week, the first among big Korean firms. A five-day work week is the norm in Korea as elsewhere in the world. According to SK officials and reports, the shorter work week was implemented as a trial late last year for employees at SUPEX Council and SK Holdings, two key entities that determine the overall future course of one of Korea's leading conglomerates. The two have a combined workforce of 300, a small portion of the tens of thousands of workers in the group's nearly 100 affiliates. Employees working at the two companies get the second and fourth Fridays off, except those who have "indispensable" work to do on those days. SK's four-day work week system reflects Chairman Chey Tae-won's management philosophy of putting employees' happiness first, SK officials said, adding that the workers responded positively to the move.But some doubt whether the initiative will spread to affiliates with large workforces on shifts such as SK hynix, the world's second-largest chip maker, and in energy or chemicals.SK officials reportedl

May 21, 2019By Oh Young-jin
4-day work week in Korea: SK starts with hope, doubt
  • SK emphasizes social value as key management index

Korea's No.1 newspaper accused of inventing experts' quotes

Chosun Ilbo removed the articles at the center of the dispute. Korea Times fileBy Park Si-soo South Korea's highest-circulating newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, is suspected of inventing the quotes of experts for three articles attacking a polling agency, which it claimed was “untrustworthy” because it is friendly to the ruling party. Chosun removed the articles published on May 16 and 17 after the experts said they had never talked with the paper's reporters. But Realmeter, the agency, has declared no mercy for “fake interviews and unfair reporting,” pledging legal action against the newspaper and the articles' writers. Realmeter CEO Lee Taek-soo said the articles had “seriously tarnished” the agency's reputation. On the left are three controversial articles from Chosun Ilbo. On the right is survey expert Bae Jong-chan's text message denying contact with Chosun reporters. Courtesy of Lee Taek-sooThe conservative daily has been at odds with liberal President Moon Jae-in and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on many fronts, especially North Korea an

May 21, 2019
Korea's No.1 newspaper accused of inventing experts' quotes

Korea to boost economic ties with Denmark

President Moon Jae-in, right, shakes hands with Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark at the start of their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulPresident Moon Jae-in agreed with Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, to boost a bilateral economic partnership focusing on urban development, sustainable energy and welfare technology as well as food products, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.“Your visit to South Korea to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the two countries establishing diplomatic ties will further promote bilateral ties. I hope the hearts of the two countries' citizens will become closer,” Moon said at the start of their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, according to press pool reports.Moon met the crown prince briefly last October when he was in Denmark for the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) summit. “I hoped to spend more time with you then,” Moon reportedly told Frederick. “I am very glad to see you again after seven months.”Frederik and his wife Crown Princess Mary, will be visiting until May 22, on the roya

May 20, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
Korea to boost economic ties with Denmark
  • INTERVIEW Danish royal visit focuses on business, cultural relations

Lawmakers from Korea, Japan to discuss reviving ties

President Moon Jae-in, fourth from left, speaks during a meeting with South Korean lawmakers of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union and their Japanese counterparts in the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in this Dec. 14, 2018. Korea Times fileBy Park Ji-wonLawmakers from South Korea and Japan will meet in Tokyo in September to discuss ways to resolve strained relations between the two countries.“The South Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union and its Japanese counterpart have decided to hold a general meeting from Sept. 17 to 19 in Tokyo to discuss ways to seek cooperation with each other to resolve tensions between South Korea and Japan,” Rep. Kim Kwang-lim of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, a key member of the bipartisan body, told The Korea Times, Monday“The two will also talk about issues such as Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea and the latter's nuclear weapons. The committees on foreign affairs, women and security have each suggested two topics. The agreement on the specific agenda will be released soon,” Kim added. On Saturday and Su

May 20, 2019By Park Ji-won
Lawmakers from Korea, Japan to discuss reviving ties

Moon's approval rating rises to 49.4 percent

President Moon Jae-in delivers a speech during a memorial ceremony marking the 39th anniversary of the Gwangju Democratization Movement, held last Saturday at the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju. YonhapBy Jung Da-minPresident Moon Jae-in's job approval rating rose slightly this week, a poll showed Monday, while support for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) recorded its highest rating in seven months.In the poll of 2,512 adults over 19 conducted by Realmeter from May 13 to 17, Moon's job approval rating came to 49.4 percent, up 0.8 percentage points from another Realmeter poll the week before. Some 46 percent disapproved of Moon's job performance in the latest poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points with a 95 percent confidence level, down 1 percentage point from the week before.The poll comes amid recent controversies surrounding the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), including its floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won's derogatory remarks attacking Moon and his supporters as well as its leader Hwang Kyo-ahn's unwelcome visit to Gwa

May 20, 2019
Moon's approval rating rises to 49.4 percent

Tears flow at memorial

President Moon Jae-in consoles the bereaved mother of a victim of the 1980 May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement at the National Cemetery there, Saturday. Moon paid his respects at the cemetery after participating in a memorial ceremony marking the 39th anniversary of the movement. Yonhap

May 19, 2019
Tears flow at memorial
  • Launch of May 18 fact-finding committee still pending

Launch of May 18 fact-finding committee still pending

By Kim Jae-heunA public outcry to uncover the truth behind the suppression of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising continues to grow. However, the formation of a special fact-finding committee to find those responsible for the ensuing human rights violations and the bloody crackdown at the time remains adrift.At a ceremony marking the 39th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, Saturday, President Moon Jae-in called on the country to rise to the challenge in discovering the truth. “I urge the National Assembly and my fellow politicians to take greater responsibility and proceed with the launch of the special committee. When it is established, the government will fully support its investigation and provide all the necessary information and data needed,” Moon said during a speech at the National Cemetery for the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Gwangju.He also called on the political parties to end their confrontation over the issue. Liberty Korean Party Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn was met by angry protestors in Gwangju, the same day, who demanded that he pu

May 19, 2019By Kim Jae-heun
Launch of May 18 fact-finding committee still pending
  • Tears flow at memorial

Anti-corruption policy is vital for a just country

Noh Hyeong-ouk, minister for government policy coordination, speaks with The Korea Times in his office at the Government Complex Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulThis is the transcript of an interview The Korea Times and its sister paper, the Hankook Ilbo, conducted with Minister for Government Policy Coordination Noh Hyeong-ouk. ― ED.Q. What is the meaning of anti-corruption reform under the Moon Jae-in administration?A. Former administrations had pushed for the eradication of corruption. However, they failed because of the resistance of vested interest groups. As a result, our society ended up having cheating and privilege. In order not to repeat the past, the government is pushing for fundamental reform against corruption, so that, as President Moon Jae-in said, the country will become a just place where people can have equal opportunities in a fair process. The reform is part of an innovation to change the policy, the country's system and practices, which remained corrupt.Q. What differentiates this administration's drive from past anti-corruption measures?A. Pe

May 19, 2019By Park Ji-won
Anti-corruption policy is vital for a just country
  • INTERVIEW 'S. Korea will eradicate power abuse in public sector'

Moon's confidants resume activities before 2020 general elections

Im Jong-seok, left, former presidential chief of staff, talks in front of the grave of the late President Roh Moo-hyun, along with his former colleagues in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Saturday. They paid a visit to the late president's grave in a move to commemorate the 39th anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, a pro-democracy movement. From left are Im, former senior presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan, former presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun and former chief of the presidential press center Kwon hyuk-ki. Yonhap By Park Ji-wonPresident Moon Jae-in's “confidants” are engaging in more political activities in an apparent move to win backing from party members in the ruling Democratic Party of Korea ahead next year's general election.Former presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok visited Bongha Village, Gimhae, where the late President Roh Moo-hyun is buried, Saturday. Visiting the village was interpreted as a symbolic move to show respect for the

May 19, 2019By Park Ji-won
Moon's confidants resume activities before 2020 general elections

INTERVIEW 'S. Korea will eradicate power abuse in public sector'

Minister for Government Policy Coordination, Noh Hyeong-ouk, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in his office at the Government Complex Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulMarking the second anniversary of the Moon Jae-in administration, The Korea Times, in collaboration with the Hankook Ilbo, interviewed Cabinet ministers to review his government's policies on tackling corruption to create a more just society, as well as other pending issues. This is the last of the interviews. ― ED.By Park Ji-wonOne of President Moon Jae-in's major election promises was the eradication of corruption from all levels of society. This is being accomplished by first of all eliminating abuses of power in the public sector, according to Noh Hyeong-ouk, head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination. “After the Park Geun-hye administration's corruption scandal, anti-corruption efforts to eliminate existing cheating and abuse of privileges became our mission, as mandated by the people who took to the streets calling for the creation of a just country,” Noh sai

May 19, 2019By Park Ji-won
[INTERVIEW] 'S. Korea will eradicate power abuse in public sector'
  • Anti-corruption policy is vital for a just country
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