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Korea Herald
7 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Korea's extra holidays fuel travel abroad, not local economy: National Assembly report
A recent National Assembly Research Service indicated that temporary public holidays are not boosting domestic spending; instead, they are resulting in increased overseas travel. Released Thursday, the report examined the impact of this year's extended Seollal New Year holiday in January, when the government added a temporary holiday on the 27th. That move created a six-day break, intended to encourage local consumption. Instead of spending more at home, nearly 3 million South Koreans went abroad, marking the highest monthly figure for outbound travel on record. According to NARS, the number of Korean overseas tourists in January rose 9.5 percent from December and 7.3 percent year-on-year. Credit card data showed a brief bump in domestic tourism-related spending on Jan. 27, with major issuers BC Card and Shinhan Card reporting a 60 percent jump in spending compared to the previous Monday. But overall domestic tourism spending in January fell by 7.4 percent from December and 1.8 percent year-on-year, according to the report. Export and production indicators also declined. Exports in January dropped 10.2 percent from the same month in 2024, while industrial output fell 1.6 percent month-on-month and 3.8 percent from the year before. Although these results stem from multiple economic factors, NARS noted that the reduced number of working days during the extended holiday likely contributed to the slowdown. These concerns are resurfacing now as public attention turns to the upcoming October holiday stretch. With national holidays already scheduled from Oct. 3-9, many are speculating whether the government will declare Friday, Oct. 10 a temporary public holiday, effectively creating a 10-day break. The Lee Jae-myung administration has not expressed any official position. The NARS report cast doubts on extended holidays leading to an increase in domestic spending, particularly as international travel becomes more accessible. Beyond the economic issue, the report raised the issue of the public not benefiting equally from temporary holidays. Providing sufficient rest periods for the public is another key reason for temporary holidays, as Korean workers logged 1,872 hours on average, which is about 130 hours more than the OECD average. But businesses with fewer than five workers are not subject to the legal clause that provides the basis for the temporary holidays, specifically Article 55 of the Labor Standards Act. This means an estimated 10 million workers nationwide employed at such businesses could be excluded from the benefits. The same clause mandates a substitute off-day for holidays that overlap with weekends or other public holidays, which is also not applied to the aforementioned smaller businesses. The NARS report recommended moving away from one-off holidays and toward broader reforms. Expanding substitute holiday coverage and shifting fixed-date holidays to weekday observance, as seen in countries like the US, could ensure more predictable and equitable rest for all workers. 'Rest should be a universal right,' the report said, 'not a privilege granted occasionally or unequally.'
Korea Herald
14-05-2025
- Climate
- Korea Herald
Confused command leaves South Korea unprepared as wildfires spread out of control: report
From 2010-2020, average area scorched by wildfires in South Korea grew 7.8 times bigger, large-scale fires more than tripled As South Korea recovers from its worst wildfire disaster on record, a National Assembly report warns that a fragmented and confusing command structure left firefighting efforts slow and disorganized. In March more than 20 wildfires broke out across the peninsula's southeastern Gyeongsang provinces, fueled by strong winds and dry weather. The fires burned over 104,000 hectares of forest, killed 31 people, and damaged nearly 8,000 homes and facilities. Also affected were 33 cultural heritage sites, including centuries-old temples. It was the most destructive wildfire event in South Korea's history. A report from the National Assembly Research Service published earlier this month points to a key vulnerability in the country's disaster command structure. Under current law, responsibility for wildfire response shifts depending on the size and spread of the fire. The Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety designates the national Korea Forest Service as the lead agency. But the Forest Protection Act assigns command to local mayors or governors, depending on the fire's size and location. This dual system creates delays and confusion, particularly in the early stages of a wildfire when quick decisions are critical. In the southeastern Uiseong and Yeongdeok regions, emergency orders were reportedly inconsistent, and firefighting efforts were slowed by coordination problems between local officials, the KFS and the National Fire Agency. Wildfires are currently managed through a 13-level response system based on area burned, wind speed and duration. In the initial stages, local authorities can only deploy 50 personnel and limited equipment according to the current law. They must wait for the situation to escalate before receiving outside reinforcement, an approach the report pinpoints as ineffective in fast-moving scenarios. Yoo Jae-beom, the legislative researcher behind the report specializing in the forestry sector, recommends simplifying this system to two or three tiers and transferring early-stage command to either the forest authority, fire response authority or provincial governments. He also supports establishing joint regional wildfire command centers to ensure faster coordination across agencies. Other data cited in the report suggest damage has been growing even before the March wildfires. The average area burned by wildfires in 2020 increased 7.8 times compared to 2010. The number of large-scale wildfires, which are defined as fires damaging over 1 million square meters, has more than tripled (3.7 times). The report also raises concerns over weak enforcement of fire prevention laws. Between 2019 and 2023, fewer than 20 percent of individuals apprehended for starting wildfires, whether through arson or negligence, received jail time or fines. The average fine issued in 2023 was just 2.8 million won (about $2,000). "The fire season now begins in winter, spreads faster in spring and burns more land than ever before," said the research. "Unless we align laws, restructure response systems and invest in fire-resilient forests, the scale of disaster will only grow." mjh@
Korea Herald
14-05-2025
- Climate
- Korea Herald
Confused command leaves South Korea unprepared as wildfires spread out of control: report
From 2010-2020, average area scorched by wildfires in South Korea grew 7.8 times bigger, large-scale fires more than tripled As South Korea recovers from its worst wildfire disaster on record, a National Assembly report warns that a fragmented and confusing command structure left firefighting efforts slow and disorganized. In March more than 20 wildfires broke out across the peninsula's southeastern Gyeongsang provinces, fueled by strong winds and dry weather. The fires burned over 104,000 hectares of forest, killed 31 people, and damaged nearly 8,000 homes and facilities. Also affected were 33 cultural heritage sites, including centuries-old temples. It was the most destructive wildfire event in South Korea's history. A report from the National Assembly Research Service published earlier this month points to a key vulnerability in the country's disaster command structure. Under current law, responsibility for wildfire response shifts depending on the size and spread of the fire. The Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety designates the national Korea Forest Service as the lead agency. But the Forest Protection Act assigns command to local mayors or governors, depending on the fire's size and location. This dual system creates delays and confusion, particularly in the early stages of a wildfire when quick decisions are critical. In the southeastern Uiseong and Yeongdeok regions, emergency orders were reportedly inconsistent, and firefighting efforts were slowed by coordination problems between local officials, the KFS and the National Fire Agency. Wildfires are currently managed through a 13-level response system based on area burned, wind speed and duration. In the initial stages, local authorities can only deploy 50 personnel and limited equipment according to the current law. They must wait for the situation to escalate before receiving outside reinforcement, an approach the report pinpoints as ineffective in fast-moving scenarios. Yoo Jae-beom, the legislative researcher behind the report specializing in the forestry sector, recommends simplifying this system to two or three tiers and transferring early-stage command to either the forest authority, fire response authority or provincial governments. He also supports establishing joint regional wildfire command centers to ensure faster coordination across agencies. Other data cited in the report suggest damage has been growing even before the March wildfires. The average area burned by wildfires in 2020 increased 7.8 times compared to 2010. The number of large-scale wildfires, which are defined as fires damaging over 1 million square meters, has more than tripled (3.7 times). The report also raises concerns over weak enforcement of fire prevention laws. Between 2019 and 2023, fewer than 20 percent of individuals apprehended for starting wildfires, whether through arson or negligence, received jail time or fines. The average fine issued in 2023 was just 2.8 million won (about $2,000). "The fire season now begins in winter, spreads faster in spring and burns more land than ever before," said the research. "Unless we align laws, restructure response systems and invest in fire-resilient forests, the scale of disaster will only grow."
Korea Herald
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Video games must clarify AI use, according to new law
Even partial use of artificial intelligence must be disclosed, though precise application up for interpretation A new law on the regulation of artificial intelligence mandates clear disclosure of AI use in a wide variety of products, including video games, a field where AI has played an integral role since its very inception. Rep. Kang Yu-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea said Tuesday that the National Assembly Research Service's reply on her inquisition suggested that video games are subject to the AI Framework Act, which is set to take effect in January next year. As such, video game developers that used AI in development must notify users that their product is based on artificial intelligence, and they must implement a risk assessment and management system. Video games have been actively using AI to control numerous interactive elements to improve the player experience since its primitive stage, ranging from gradual adjustment of difficulty levels to movement patterns of nonplayer characters. Some video games more recently have adopted conversational AI for dynamic storytelling, such as Uncover the Smoking Gun, published in 2024. Public disclosure of AI use is not confined to games actively using AI in the gameplay experience, but also includes those that use AI-generated images, sounds or 3D models. The new act stipulates that even partial AI use of a product must be disclosed, including for creative content. "Video games that used an AI model partially to create text, images, sound or video can be considered an AI product, and its publisher can be regarded to be in the AI industry," the parliamentary think tank was quoted as saying. The National Assembly Research Service added that application of the new law may differ depending on how much generative AI has been used and how much human contributions factor into the product. Creative industry struggling to find balance between AI, human input "With the rapidly increasing application of AI in games, the boundary (between the AI and) creative realm such as sound and images is tumbling. ... As the concerns of existing creators and hopes of industry clashes, there need to be policies that protect the rights (of creators) while promoting the industry," Rep. Kang said. The Basic Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence and the Creation of a Foundation for Trust was passed by the National Assembly in December and enacted in January. It is to provide legal guidelines for AI use in the creative industry, which has been quick to adopt the technology in music, movies, cartoons and other products. The local creative industry has been mulling adoptive measures in the increasingly wide use of AI for making what had previously been considered products of pure human imagination. The Korea Music Copyright Association recently implemented a procedure that requires songwriters to verify that they did not use AI at all in writing their songs, in response to possible legal issues related to AI-generated songs. Its stance is that AI-created songs cannot be copyrighted.
