The Kim Young-ran act must not be defanged with dubious exemptions

The results of lawmakers voting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Mar. 3 are posted on an overhead screen, with 226 in favor, four opposed and 17 abstaining. (by Lee Jeong-woo, staff photographer)

No sooner had the Kim Young-ran Act passed the National Assembly than calls were made for it to be revised.

There are signs that a constitutional debate is brewing as well, with the Korean Bar Association announcing plans on Mar. 4 to ask the Constitutional Court to review the law.

For such calls to be made before the law has even taken effect - before the promulgation of the enforcement orders and regulations that will clarify how the law will be executed - is not only hasty but also inappropriate. These calls sound disturbingly like attempts to tamper with a law that an absolute majority of the public agrees with, at least in regard to its intent and outline.

Considering the difficulty with which the law passed the National Assembly, now is the time to apply our wisdom and efforts to enable this law to be implemented effectively. The law must not be defanged by adding dubious exceptions or undermining its original intent on the pretext of revising and supplementing it.

In that sense, haste must be made to implement the other pillar of the law, blocking conflict of interest. In its original conception, the Kim Young-ran Act was supposed to not only ban illicit requests and bribes but also to block conflict of interest.

During the debate in the National Assembly, the provisions about blocking conflict of interest came under fire because of serious concerns about their unconstitutionality. But it is only when both of these two pillars of the law are implemented together that the law’s objectives of eliminating corruption and creating a transparent society can be fully achieved.

Whether it means passing another law or revising the current one, we must ensure that these two legal principles are brought to bear at the same time.

But if the Kim Young-ran Act is to be executed effectively, these are not the only points that will need some work. Because of the haste with which the press and other areas of the private sector were added to the law during deliberation in the National Assembly, absolutely no measures were taken to obviate the danger of the benevolent intent of the law being exploited to tame or subjugate the press.

Despite a massive increase of the authority of the prosecutors and the police, only flimsy measures were put in place to block the arbitrary enforcement of the law. While lawmakers are apparently talking about expanding the scope of the law to cover other areas of the private sector, including labor unions, civic groups, and lawyers, this is no more than a ruse to neutralize the act by “muddying the waters.”

In order to achieve the original intent of the law - which was to uproot corruption among lawmakers and senior public officials - it is urgent that we set right these distorted sections of the law.

It is also important that the standards of law enforcement be clearly stated in the law’s enforcement orders. The only way that the law will fulfill its proper function is for specific problems to be listed and regulated in these enforcement orders.

Wisdom is also needed to ensure that the law is implemented smoothly while minimizing its ramifications on the real economy. Most of all, the law must be revised and supplemented in a way that will maximize its effectiveness.

　

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

　

As policies take effect, migratory trends leading away from the Seoul area

Nationwide, young people continue to move to Seoul, while more baby boomers leaving the big city

Net population movements have begun shifting away from the greater Seoul area as balanced regional development policies launched during the Roh Moo-hyun administration have started taking effect.

The Roh administration (2003-08) launched the policies, which included the building of a multipurpose administrative city at Sejong and numerous “innovation cities,” with the goal of achieving a net migration of 1.7 million people out of the greater Seoul area (the cities of Seoul and Incheon and surrounding Gyeonggi Province) between 2012 and 2030.

A Mar. 3 analysis of population movement trends by the Hankyoreh using data from the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) showed a net migration of 18,595 people away from the greater Seoul area over the three years between 2012, when government institutions and their associated agencies were first moved to Sejong and the ten innovation cities, and 2014. “Net migration” refers to number of incoming residents minus the number of residents leaving. In 2012, the net migration was 6,900 toward the greater Seoul area and away from the rest of the country (known locally as “the provinces”). By 2013, the provinces had a net influx of 4,384 people. The following year, it was up to 21,111.

While the size of the population shift out of the greater Seoul area is still only around 20,000 people, the trend is still noteworthy. Before 2012-14, the trend had been forty uninterrupted years of net population movements out of the provinces toward the capital region. The provinces suffered net population losses of 66,563 people in 2009-11, 246,660 in 2006-08, 406,049 in 2003-05, and 495,958 in 2000-02.

The Chungcheong region was the largest beneficiary of migration over the past three years, with a net population increase of 60,463 from the greater Seoul area: 24,898 to South Chungcheong Province, 21,979 to Sejong, and 14,379 to North Chungcheong Province. The city of Daejeon suffered a net loss of 793 to greater Seoul.

“The main reasons for the population movements toward Chungcheong appear to be the construction of Sejong, a trend of people returning to agriculture and village life, and industrial complexes in northern South Chungcheong,” said Kang Hyun-soo, director of the Chungnam Development Institute.

The original target population influx for Chungcheong was 650,000 Seoul-area residents by 2030.

Jeju Island and Gangwon Province had the next largest net influxes of greater Seoul residents. Jeju attracted 17,100 people from the capital region over three years, ranking it third only to South Chungcheong and Sejong.

“It appears that Jeju is one of the more attractive destinations for people who are looking for a better quality of life in the ‘US$30,000 [per capita GNP] era,’” said Kwon Yong-woo, an emeritus professor at Sungshin Women‘s University.

Gangwon Province, which is a popular destination for returning farmers, saw a net influx of 9,426 people from the Seoul area over the three-year period.

For the Yeongnam and Honam regions (the southeast and southwest of the country, respectively), the net population loss to Seoul continues. The five metropolitan cities and provinces in Yeongnam experienced a net loss of 58,794 residents to the capital region between 2012 and 2014. Analysts blamed the continued decline on a slump among major local manufacturers. The balanced development policy set its initial target net population gain for Yeongnam at 720,000 Seoul-area residents by 2030.

In Honam, the net population loss to the Seoul area has been 9,610 people since 2012. The net outflow has been shrinking, however, with a decline from 5,853 in 2012 to 3,079 in 2013 and just 678 in 2014. Gwangju had the largest net loss, with 8,596 residents; North Jeolla Province had a net loss of 1,700. South Jeolla Province, in contrast, had a net gain of 686 Seoul-area residents - suggesting the balanced development policies have had some effect. The initial target population influx for Honam was 340,000 capital region residents by 2030.

“It hasn’t been very long since Sejong and the innovation cities were built, so the effect has been fairly small,” said Kwon. “Once the infrastructure is established, most of the employees at the relocating agencies will come in, and there could be additional population movements as well.”

Kang noted generational differences present in the population shifts.

“Younger people are still moving to the greater Seoul area, while the baby boomers are moving to the provinces,” Kang explained. “This trend of the older generation moving away from the capital appears likely to continue.”

Dankook University professor Cho Myung-rae suggested a different trend may be at work.

“We’re seeing the entire country turning into one big mega-city,” Cho said. “The trend of greater Seoul residents moving to Chungcheong, Jeju, and Gangwon is less about balanced development than it is about the greater Seoul area growing.”

　

By Kim Kyu-won, staff reporter

　

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

The ‘Samsung Man’ From can-do spirit to innovation, employee standards continue to evolve

One out of 100 salaried workers in Korea works at Samsung Group ― the nation’s largest conglomerate with 30 affiliates. There are around 490,000 Samsung employees, with half of them working outside Korea. 

Most Koreans have respect for big family-run businesses that have contributed to laying the foundation for today’s economic prosperity over the past decades. Working at Samsung, among others, has long been considered a social status symbol. 

The so-called “Samsung Man” refers to the most talented elite people here. They are also the highest-paid employees who enjoy the best welfare benefits. 

Now the cachet may be weakening as more job options are available. But still almost 200,000 people apply every year for the Samsung Aptitude Test, the group’s unique entrance exam. 

The word Samsung Man also represents the can-do spirit of older generations who used to prioritize work over their personal life and never hesitate to sacrifice whenever the company requires. 

Under the charismatic leadership of chairman Lee Kun-hee, the loyalty and integrity of employees has shaped not just Samsung’s own corporate culture but also the overall image for Korean workers. 

But now at a time when his son Lee Jay-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, is taking charge, a generational transition is also underway among employees. 

A work-life balance is crucial for younger generations. They work as a team if necessary but also want their individual achievements to be fully evaluated. When these needs are not met properly, they are willing to give up the coveted job. 

Reflecting the changing atmosphere, Samsung hires more workers than other conglomerates while losing them at a faster pace. 

The turnover rate at Samsung Electronics stands at about 10 percent, which compares to some 2 percent at other big companies like LG Electronics and POSCO.

“I still think Samsung is the best workplace in Korea, but the demanding job didn’t work for me,” said a 35-year-old former Samsung Electronics worker who relocated to a state-run corporation two years ago. 

Another 30-something copywriter working at Cheil Worldwide, a Samsung-affiliated advertising firm, said he was considering moving to a foreign company. “I feel limitations to shine as an individual here,” he said.

At a time when Samsung is desperately seeking new growth engines amid the rapid saturation of its core businesses, it is facing a tricky situation coping with the generational transition among employees while continuing its growth momentum at the same time. 

As part of its efforts, the group has recently decided to overhaul its decades-old hiring system. 

It plans to abolish the entrance exam and focus more on applicants’ personality and on-site experiences rather than their schools and English fluency. And the new push is expected to affect the hiring process of other conglomerates, too.

This week’s Weekender explores the meaning of being a Samsung Man in Korea and the business empire’s ever-evolving corporate culture. 

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)

Recently extended nuke reactor doesn’t meet safety standards

Wolseong reactor 1 had its lifespan stretched in late February, but doesn’t have proper conduit to remove spent fuel 

Comparison of safety features of Wolseong reactors 1-4

After the South Korean government approved an extension of the lifespan for Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant reactor 1 on Feb. 27, activist groups are arguing that the reactor does meet the latest safety standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“Unlike reactors no. 2, no. 3, and no. 4 at Wolseong, the containment vessel at reactor no. 1 does not have a sluice in the conduit that is used to remove used nuclear fuel. As a result, it cannot carry out the leak test required by the International Atomic Energy Agency and thus does not satisfy the international standards for safety inspection,” the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement and the Safety and Future of Atomic Power, an organization of atomic power experts, said on Mar. 4.

Twice a day for 40 minutes at a time, spent nuclear fuel is removed from the containment vessels at the first four reactors at Wolseong. The containment vessels contain the CANada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) heavy water reactors used at the plant.

In 1991, the Canadian nuclear safety authorities strengthened the R-7 standards in order to reinforce the equipment that keeps radiation from leaking out of the containment vessel while spent fuel is being removed. The revised standards require that a sluice be placed on the water tank that the spent fuel is released from and that double closing valves be installed.

Sluices and double closing valves were installed on Wolseong reactors no. 2, no. 3, and no. 4 according to these revised standards, but they were not applied to reactor no. 1, which had an earlier design.

“We created our own standards, based on foreign standards, and have carried out radiation leak tests every five years. During our review of the proposal to keep running the reactor, we examined the results of these tests and confirmed that there were no issues,” said the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, which reviewed the proposal to extend the lifespan at reactor no. 1.

But Lee Jeong-yun, president of Safety and Future of Atomic Power, said, “The enforcement decree of the Nuclear Safety Act states that, for the lifespan of a nuclear reactor to be extended, the reactor must be upgraded so that it satisfies the latest safety standards. According to the 2012 standards by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which are the latest standards, Wolseong Reactor 1 cannot even carry out a radiation leak test”.

The measure described in the Canadian standards is conducting a leak test at a pressure that is lower than the design pressure and then mathematically convert this to design pressure conditions. But after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, the IAEA tightened up the regulations, requiring reactors to conduct a leak test at the actual design pressure.

Design pressure refers to the greatest pressure that the reactor designers expect the containment vessel might endure during an accident.

Since there is no sluice at Wolseong reactor 1, if a leak test is carried out at the design pressure of 18psig, the 3.5 cubic meters of water in the tank would all leak, since the water can only withstand 5 pounds per square inch of pressure. This means that no test can be carried out to determine whether the radiation might be leaking.

　

By Lee Geun-young, senior staff writer

　

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

Parts of Kim Young-ran could be revoked even before the law takes effect

The headquarters of the Korean Bar Association in Seoul.

Korean Bar Association seeking a Constitutional Court review of the anti-corruption law

With the Korean Bar Association planning to ask the Constitutional Court to review the Kim Young-ran Act, some sections of the law may be in danger of being revoked before the law even takes effect.

The association is taking issue with two provisions in the law. First, the law states that members of the press are included in the category of “public servants” to whom the law applies. Second, the law makes it illegal to not report the fact that one’s spouse has received gifts in money or kind.

Applying the law to members of the press, who are regarded as public servants despite any clear grounds for doing so, constitutes an infringement of the principle of equality compared with other occupations, the association argues, while forcing individuals to report that their spouses have received gifts could infringe the freedom of conscience.

It is still unclear whether a law that has yet to take effect is even eligible to be reviewed by the Constitutional Court. The current requirements for constitutional review are that the request must be made by a party whose basic rights are allegedly being infringed and that said infringement must in principle be caused by a law that is currently in force.

Since the Kim Young-ran Act does not apply to lawyers and since the law has not yet taken effect, there is reason to think that the law in principle does not qualify for constitutional review.

In regard to the requirement that a constitutional review must be requested by parties to whom the law applies, the court has said in a previous ruling that “third parties who merely have an indirect, de facto, or economic interest in the exercise of public power, as well as those who are automatically disadvantaged by the law in question, are not recognized as being parties to whom the law applies.”

However, the association can easily satisfy this requirement by recruiting a journalist or some other member of the press to stand as a claimant.

There is also court precedent about the second requirement. “For a law to qualify for a constitutional review, it must ordinarily be a valid law that is currently in effect. However, if a law has been promulgated and is already presenting a credible danger even though it has not yet taken effect, the court may grant on an exceptional basis that infringement is occurring and conduct a constitutional review,” the Constitutional Court said, stating its standard position.

“If the party concerned waits until a law takes effect to request a constitutional review, the infringement may already have happened, which could place that party in a difficult situation. There are examples of constitutional reviews taking place even before the law or enforcement decree took effect,” said a court staff member.

While the decisions of other courts only apply to the parties involved in the trial, the decisions of the Constitutional Court apply to everyone. If the court were to rule that including members of the press in the scope of the Kim Young-ran Act is unconstitutional, not only the journalists who filed the suit, but all members of the press, would be exempted from the provisions of the law.

　

By Lee Kyung-mi and Kim Seon-shik, staff reporters

　

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

China says summit with N. Korea to take place when 'convenient'

The leaders of North Korea and China may meet when their schedules are "convenient," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday, signaling the possibility of a North Korea-China summit despite long-running standoffs over the North's nuclear ambition. 

North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong-un, has yet to visit China since taking the helm of the reclusive state in late 2011, while Russia has said that Kim would be among those attending a May 9 ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Political ties between North Korea and China remain strained, particularly after the North's third nuclear test in February 2013. 

Asked whether North Korea's Kim could visit China this year, Wang replied, "As to when our leaders will meet, we will have to see when it is convenient for both parties." 

"The China-North Korea relationship has a strong foundation. It should not and will not be affected by temporary events," Wang said. 

North Korea is China's only formal treaty ally, but Beijing's leadership has appeared to become increasingly frustrated by the North's nuclear and missile ambitions. 

Analysts say North Korea won't give up its nuclear weapons program because having it would prolong the Kim regime and help obtain political and economic benefits from the international community.

With China cold-shouldering North Korea's nuclear policy, Pyongyang is seeking to deepen both diplomatic and economic ties with Russia. 

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong told a U.N. meeting last week that Pyongyang would strongly respond to ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the United States. 

Wang urged all relevant countries to exercise calm and restraint on the Korean Peninsula, saying the situation there "is entering another delicate period." 

"We call on the relevant countries to exercise calm and restraint and say and do things that will have a positive effect so as to continue fostering an atmosphere and conditions for resuming the six-party talks," Wang said. 

The six-party talks, aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear ambition, have been dormant for nearly six years. The talks involve South Korea, North Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan. 

 North Korea has called for the resumption of the six-party talks without preconditions, but South Korea and the U.S. insist that the North should first show its sincere commitment toward forgoing its nuclear weapons program. (Yonhap)

호주 한인들, ‘박근혜 정권 퇴진’ 요구 나서

http://news.khan.co.kr/kh_news/khan_art_view.html?artid=201503061409331&code=970207&nv=stand


미국에 이어 호주에 거주하는 한인들이 박근혜 대통령 퇴진을 요구하는 시위를 연다. 

6일 호주 현지에서 한국어로 발행되는 신문인 <호주국민헤럴드>에 실린 광고를 보면, 이달 13일 오후 3시 호주 시드니 한국 총영사관 앞에서 ‘박근혜 퇴진 시드니 한인 행동의 날’이 개최될 예정이다.

광고에 실린 ‘박근혜 퇴진을 위한 우리의 행동’이라는 제목의 글에서 호주 한인들은 박근혜 정권 퇴진, 비정규직 해체, 친일 독재 자본 세력 척결 등을 요구했다. 이 광고에는 미주 한인들의 시위 사진도 실렸다.

<호주국민헤럴드>에 실린 광고.

아래는 광고에 실린 글 전문.

‘박근혜 퇴진을 위한 우리의 행동’

한국의 정부 수립 이후 60여년 동안 친일 독재 자본의 정권에 의해 우리 민중의 삶은 무참히 짓밟혔다. 친일 독재 자본의 정점에 있는 박근혜 정권은 조작과 날조, 그리고 온갖 거짓으로 민중 수탈의 강도를 점차 극대화시키고 있다.

박근혜 정권은 이미 태생부터 불법한 정권이었다. 국정원, 국방부 사이버사 등을 동원, 전대미문의 사전 불법 선거운동을 자행해 정권을 찬탈했다.

불법한 박근혜 정권은 주지하다시피, 300여명의 어린 생명을 수장시킨 세월호 살인 사건으로 하늘과 사람을 분노케 했다. 또 노동자들은 이 추운 겨울에 공장의 굴뚝에서, 차가운 콘크리트 바닥을 기며 최소한의 생존을 호소하고 있다.

OECD 국가 중 청년 실업률 최고, 자살률 최고, 빈부 격차 최고, 출생률 최저 등 더 이상 열거할 수 없을 만큼의 생지옥 속에서, 조국은 가진 자는 더 많이 갖기 위해, 없는 자는 살아남기 위해 극도의 이기심과 적자생존의 천박한 사회로 전락했다.

우리는 이같은 조국의 현실을 바라보면서 그 상황을 바라만 보는 것은 동포로서의 직무유기이며, 인간의 본성을 저버리는 행위로 여긴다. 이제 우리의 온 힘을 모아 조국의 변혁을 위한 최대한의 노력을 기울이며 아래의 요구가 관철될 때까지 싸워나갈 것이다.

1. 친일 독재 자본의 화신 박근혜의 퇴진을 강력히 추진한다.
1. 사회 최대 병폐인 비정규직의 해체를 위해 노력한다.

1. 사회 기득권을 형성하고 있는 친일 독재 자본 세력의 척결을 위해 노력한다.
1. 우리는 우리의 요구가 관철될 때까지 전세계 민중세력과 연대해 끝까지 싸워 나갈 것을 다짐한다.

Anticorruption law causes stir

Calls for changes to the hard-hitting antigraft bill that passed the National Assembly on Tuesday are escalating as journalists, teachers, legal professionals and some lawmakers argue the new restrictions may be unconstitutional, unfair and abusive.

The Assembly, faced with growing criticism for sidestepping any clauses that would directly impact the incumbent lawmakers in their hasty push for the bill, hinted revisions could be unavoidable before the bill goes into effect in 18 months.

“(We) will listen humbly to all voices concerning any inadequate parts and side effects and revise the bill as necessary during the preparation period for the enactment,” ruling Saenuri Party floor leader Rep. Yoo Seong-min said Wednesday. He added that his party would work closely with the government in setting the upper limit of monetary gifts allowed for business purposes.

The so-called Kim Young-ran bill passed in the Assembly on Tuesday with over 90 percent approving the bill. The law aims to make it illegal for civil servants, journalists and teachers to receive more than 1 million won ($911) in cash or gifts, regardless of the occasion.
 

(Yonhap)

While public calls for the bill have been fierce, both members of the Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy and have expressed worries that the bill could bring side effects, such as by challenging the Constitution.

Questions also linger over the range of people who are subject to the bill, as well as the ambiguity regarding punishments for officials from the civilian sector.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, the driving force behind the bill’s enactment, also said review of the bill would continue for smooth enforcement.

“The bill touches on an area that was never regulated before, so a clash of opinions is inevitable … We will sort out the issues concerning the bill during the 1 1/2 years (before implementation),” ACRC head Lee Sung-bo said in a press conference on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, various groups from the legal and education fields voiced vehement opposition.

“I don’t understand how the law can apply the same regulations to public officials ― who have to shoulder the responsibility of serving the public ― as the media and private school officials,” said Lee Hun, the head of The Lawyers for Citizens. He pointed out that the ACRC’s data submitted to the Assembly fails to present previous cases of press and private school officials being punished by a same law as the public officials.

“The Assembly has committed ‘legislative tyranny’ by passing a bill that can be interpreted as unconstitutional … As head of state, the president should exercise her veto rights to the bill on the part about the civilian officials,” he said.

Critics point out that since the bill originally targeted public officials, the criteria for what is considered illegal solicitation is based on the civil servants’ code of conduct. The act does not cite an official standard for civilians. 

A local lawyers’ group on Wednesday said it will file a constitutional appeal on the anti-graft bill as early as Thursday. 

“As a group entrusted with a mission to build a society based on constitutionalism, we cannot condone a law that has unconstitutional elements becoming implemented,” the Korean Bar Association said in a press release.

“The bill has arbitrarily selected the subjects for regulation, including the press, and was ambiguous on the concept of ‘illegal solicitation.’ This bestows an excessively wide range of discretion upon the prosecutors and the court, and violates the principal of equality and precision.”

The Korea Federation of Teacher’s Associations also released a statement lambasting the passage of the bill and said it might submit the case to the Constitutional Court.

“Teachers are expressing concerns that they are being treated as potential criminals and that the bill is making the education circles look like a hotbed of corruption,” said KTFA spokesperson Kim Dong-seok.

Other concerns relate to possible violations of the nation’s criminal code, which absolves families when they hide criminal relatives on the run, or the Constitution as the supreme law outlaws guilt by association.

The Kim Young-ran bill obligates public officials’ spouses to report on their husbands or wives if they become aware of any pay-for-favor deals involving their partners.

Named after the bill’s initial writer, a former Supreme Court justice and ex-head of the ACRC, the bill will take effect 18 months after President Park Geun-hye’s Cabinet approves the bill.

The 1 1/2 year grace period has sparked additional condemnations against politicians, as it prevents the bill from coming into force before next year’s parliamentary elections, exempting the lawmakers who voted for the bill from its restrictions and penalties.

NPAD Rep. Choi Min-hee said, “I will not vote for a bill that has the potential to restrict the freedom of the press.” Choi was one of the 17 lawmakers who abstained in the Tuesday vote.

Choi was referring to fears that authorities could intimidate reporters to prevent them from writing critical stories about the government by threatening to prosecute journalists who had shared meals, or exchanged customary gifts with friends working in officialdom. 

The public, meanwhile, appeared to support the anticorruption bill.

A poll conducted by television broadcaster JTBC and opinion surveyor Realmeter on Wednesday, a few hours before the bill passed, showed 64 percent of respondents favoring the bill. Only 7.3 percent said they were against it, while 28 percent said they were unsure.

The poll was conducted on 500 adults nationwide, and has a 95 percent confidence level, plus or minus 4.4 percent. About 6.5 percent of those asked by an automated response system answered the survey.

By Yoon Min-sik and Jeong Hunny
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com) (hj257@heraldcorp.com)

Russia salutes ‘Fatherland Defender’s Day’

The Russian Embassy held a reception on Monday to commemorate veterans and servicemen of its armed forces.

“In celebrating our national holiday today ― the Fatherland Defender’s Day ― we pay tribute to our veterans who fought on the battlefields to defend our country’s freedom and independence,” newly appointed Russian Ambassador to Korea Alexander Timonin said in a keynote speech at Millennium Seoul Hilton.

“We also congratulate the officers and soldiers of our glorious armed forces who have set an example of honest and faithful service for the well-being of our citizens.”

Timonin previously served as an ambassador to North Korea from 2012-14 and minister-counselor to South Korea from 2000-04 and 2006-11. 

Russian Ambassador to Korea Alexander Timonin (center) poses with military attaches from the Russian Embassy and members of Korea’s Joint Forces Military University in Daejeon at the Fatherland Defender’s Day reception at Millennium Seoul Hilton on Monday. (Joel Lee/The Korea Herald)

He was appointed the new ambassador to Korea last December, replacing Konstantin Vnukov. 

The holiday was introduced in 1919 to commemorate the first mass draft into the Red Army on Feb 17, 1918, as part of the Russian Civil War (1917-22). After several date and name changes, it was given its current name and decreed a national holiday by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2002. 

“Under present conditions, our country is strengthening its position as a democratically, economically and militarily strong nation,” the ambassador said. “Russia has consistently advocated the formation of democratic, equitable and polycentric world order, excluding interference in the internal affairs of other states.”

Timonin has written a number of books and articles on peace and security and multilateral economic cooperation in Korea and Northeast Asia. He participated in the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea as a deputy head of the Russian delegation from 2004-06. 

The ambassador noted that an integral part of Russia-Korea relations was military cooperation not directed against third countries. 

“I am confident that further expanding our bilateral relations and military contacts will contribute to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia,” he said. 

This year marks the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and South Korea and Russia’s 70th anniversary of defeating Nazi Germany. 

A grand-scale national event is scheduled in Moscow on May 9, to which international leaders, including South Korean President Park Geun-hye and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, have been invited. 

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)

Korea, UAE expanding partnership

ABU DHABI ― Leaders of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates agreed on Thursday to upgrade bilateral relations by expanding cooperation in new areas of medical service, intellectual property, culture, agriculture and renewable energy.

At the summit, President Park Geun-hye and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, observed the signing of six memorandums of understanding on establishing a Korean cultural center in the Gulf state, expanding the export of Korean-made halal food and agricultural products. 

The global market for halal food, which is produced or processed under Islamic dietary guidelines, is expected to grow to $1.62 trillion in 2018 from $1.08 trillion in 2012, according to officials.

Korean food companies have faced difficulties in exporting their products to the Middle East and other Islamic countries due to a lack of market information and low recognition of Korean brands in the regions.

Under the agreement, the two sides will work together to share market info and establish a halal food certificate system, to open doors for Korean firms seeking international opportunities. If realized, they are expected to export $1.2 billion worth of food products by 2017, officials said.

“The agreement is expected to help Korean agricultural products make inroads into the Middle East for the first time,” said An Chong-bum, senior presidential secretary for economy.

The two countries are also set to seek opportunities to enter emerging markets in Africa and the Middle East by combining South Korean nuclear reactor technology with the UAE’s funding power. 

On the occasion of Park’s visit to the wealthy Gulf nation, officials from two countries also signed separate MOUs to expand cooperation in the fields of medical service, oil exploration and education.

The summit on Thursday was their third meeting after Park entered office in early 2013.

This is Park’s second visit to the wealthy Gulf state. The South Korean president visited the UAE last year for a ceremony marking the installation of a Korean-built nuclear reactor at a power plant under construction in Barakah, some 300 kilometers west of Abu Dhabi.

South Korea signed a final agreement in 2009 to build four nuclear reactors. The project worth $20.4 billion marked South Korea’s first exports of nuclear reactors.

Park said in an interview with Emirates News Agency that the construction of a nuclear power plant by Korean firms in Barakah carries “great symbolic significance” as it has laid the groundwork for bilateral cooperation for “the next hundred years.”

The president also called for joint efforts to advance the bilateral ties by shifting the focus from heavy industries to high-value-added industries. 

“Rather than remaining content with what we have achieved thus far, we are eager to expand the sphere of cooperation to a much broader range of areas, including health care, intellectual property, IT and new and renewable energy,” she said.

The UAE is her third destination of the four-nation trip to the Middle East. Park leaves for Qatar on Friday. 

By Cho Chung-un, Korea Herald correspondent
(christory@heraldcorp.com)