Guestbook

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As the Year of the Blue Horse arrives, the horse industry is rapidly emerging as a new growth engine that will inject fresh vitality into the struggling rural economy and the national economy. At the same time, a red light has once again been cast on the horse racing industry, which will lay the foundation for fostering the horse industry, causing concern in both the horse industry and the horse racing sector.At the beginning of the new year, the opposition is once again raising its voice against the new Yongsan branch, while the Daejeon branch announced plans to expand in order to improve customer service, but civic groups are pushing back.The Korea Racing Authority had planned to expand and relocate its Yongsan branch office (off-track betting center) from 40-590 Hangang-ro 3-ga to 16-48 Hangang-ro 3-ga in October last year.

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As the year-end approached and with the closure of Seoul Racecourse Park approaching, the number of horse racing fans who visited the racecourse and off-track betting locations actually increased slightly compared to the previous week, yet the ticketing operations were carried out normally without major disturbances.The Korea Racing Authority and the Betting Ticket Sales Union held a total of 15 main and working-level negotiations starting August 16, during which they negotiated 110 union demands and 78 KRA demands, but failed to narrow their differences. Then, after negotiations continued through mediation by the Central Labor Relations Commission on December 15, the talks ultimately broke down without reaching an agreement, and the Betting Ticket Sales Union eventually filed a strike notification on the 20th.

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Korean Language Trainers Association, and it feels like a very heavy burden. The training aspect is difficult because both racehorses and riding horses are involved, and the members are scattered all over the country. First, we will devote concentrated effort to combining racehorse training and riding horse training into one. And I will place emphasis on clearly defining what role the aspect of training should play. If it is properly established as the first president, the succeeding presidents will be able to accomplish even more on that foundation.

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We are preparing two events for spring and autumn. The biggest event is holding a symposium. Since it is an association of trainers combining racehorses and riding horses, we will provide training related to the acclimatization and training of racehorses transitioning to riding horses. In addition, since racehorses are currently being produced through various training centers, there are plans to analyze and present the effects of the training process and the differences between horses that received training and those that did not.

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Among them, the Korea Racing Authority is most interested in how to handle the taming and training involved in converting racehorses into riding horses.It is a matter that we need to think about together on how to carry out the education in between.There are various areas, including those, that need to be cooperated on. What kind of horse should the Korean-style riding horse be, and how should it go, and so on. We will discuss with the Korea Racing Authority, the Korea Equestrian Federation, and others to consider the direction the Equestrian Trainers Association should take.

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Relying on those things, we have been preparing for the founding. We’ve been preparing for about a year.Establishing a nonprofit corporation requires various forms and procedures. We thoroughly reviewed those matters through the legal affairs officer, and also explained the association’s founding purpose to the relevant official at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. I will do my utmost to secure approval for the incorporation through a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture,

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As part-time horse racing workers, betting ticket sellers only need to come to work on the days races are held to handle ticketing and guidance, and because they currently work two days a week, they fall under the category of ultra-short-hour workers with less than 15 working hours per week. If the weekly working hours are 15 hours or more, under the Labor Standards Act and the Act on the Standards of Working Conditions, the employee may receive paid holidays and annual paid leave, and be eligible for severance pay.The ticket-selling union said, “The Korea Racing Authority only forcibly adjusted meal and break times, reducing working hours to less than 15 hours, while the actual working hours are more than 15 hours.” They added, “Because management cuts the meal and break times by 10 minutes each, we can’t even have a leisurely meal.” It was argued that all actual working hours should be recognized.

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On November 28, the Korean Association of Korean Language Trainers was launched. An association was born for horse trainers working across both racehorses and riding horses. We interviewed Chairman Kwon Seung-joo, who was elected as the inaugural president at the founding general meeting.The establishment of the association feels somewhat delayed. I have been preparing since last September. After talking to various horse trainers, related organizations and institutions,

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Although the betting ticket sales union went on strike on race day demanding changes to wages and employment arrangements, there was no major disruption in the ticket sales operations.When collective bargaining with the Korea Racing Authority broke down, the Labor Union of Racecourse Ticket Vendors of the KRA Korea Racing Association went on strike, and on the 22nd, about 300 ticket vendors refused to come to work.At some off-track locations, some ticket sellers who had more than 50% attendance were refusing to come to work, causing confusion at Seoul Racecourse Park and various off-track locations. To avoid this, free admission was implemented, all Korea Racing Authority staff waited at the ticket counters, and race broadcasts encouraged the use of self-service ticket machines.

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Although the betting ticket sales union went on strike on race day demanding changes to wages and employment arrangements, there was no major disruption in the ticket sales operations.When collective bargaining with the Korea Racing Authority broke down, the Labor Union of Racecourse Ticket Vendors of the KRA Korea Racing Association went on strike, and on the 22nd, about 300 ticket vendors refused to come to work.At some off-track locations, some ticket sellers who had more than 50% attendance were refusing to come to work, causing confusion at Seoul Racecourse Park and various off-track locations. To avoid this, free admission was implemented, all Korea Racing Authority staff waited at the ticket counters, and race broadcasts encouraged the use of self-service ticket machines.

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North Korean defectors and established the LetsRun Foundation.Mr. Jeon Young-hae is from Jeju, like the current chairman. After graduating from Jeju Girls’ High School and the Department of Public Administration at Jeju National University, he joined the Grand National Party through open recruitment and later served as head of public relations for the Jeju provincial party and as deputy spokesperson for the provincial party. In the 2006 local elections, I served as the personal secretary to former Chairman Hyun,

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Former Chairman Hyun and Jeon Young-hae remarried after their divorce, and there is a 32 year age gap between them.Meanwhile, former chairman Hyun also ran again for governor of Jeju in 2010, accompanied by his ex wife, Ms. Oh, who was also battling illness. In particular, when allegations of his private life such as using a nominee account and going through a divorce surfaced through the media during the Grand National Party primary, Mr. Oh also responded actively,

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Jeon also mentioned the process of former chairman Hyun Myung-kwan coming to the Korea Racing Authority, giving up his reappointment, and rushing to retire, as well as his plans afterward. After one rejection, he accepted the offer and came to the Korea Racing Authority, determined to bring the spirit of innovation he learned in the private sector into the company. He said he had no desire for reappointment, but also judged that it was right to leave while others were applauding. The reason for hastening his retirement was,

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He added that, through the general opening remarks, he explained that the guidebook for park-style off-track betting facilities was released with the basic policy that the KRA would carry out the pilot project, as this model comprehensively considered and incorporated improvements to address issues that arose during the installation and operation of existing off-track betting facilities, as well as the diverse demands and suggestions of local residents.Team Leader Kim added, “The park-type OTC sales outlets will be selected through a fixed, predetermined review process for applicants submitted through a public contest, and after approval procedures by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, they will be finalized. The plan is to proceed with a pilot project and then decide whether to expand it.”

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During his tenure as head of the Rural Development Administration, he promoted projects such as the development of smart farm technology, the establishment of the sixth industrialization of agriculture, export expansion, and mechanization of field farming, emphasizing that “if we had not understood the difficulties faced on the ground, we would not have achieved these accomplishments.” Therefore, “Without customers, there are no companies, so we must always view everything anew with sincerity from the customer’s perspective,

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As part-time horse racing workers, betting ticket sellers only need to come to work on the days races are held to handle ticketing and guidance, and because they currently work two days a week, they fall under the category of ultra-short-hour workers with less than 15 working hours per week. If the weekly working hours are 15 hours or more, under the Labor Standards Act and the Act on the Standards of Working Conditions, the employee may receive paid holidays and annual paid leave, and be eligible for severance pay.The ticket-selling union said, “The Korea Racing Authority only forcibly adjusted meal and break times, reducing working hours to less than 15 hours, while the actual working hours are more than 15 hours.” They added, “Because management cuts the meal and break times by 10 minutes each, we can’t even have a leisurely meal.” It was argued that all actual working hours should be recognized.

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Chairman Lee Yang-ho said that while it is a great personal honor to assume the presidency, despite various efforts, the public’s perception and image of the Korea Racing Authority are not entirely positive, and he expressed his desire to make the Korea Racing Authority a company loved by the people.In response to a question about how to incorporate his 30 years of public service and experience working to promote agriculture into his management principles, he stated the principle

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Since the enactment of the Horse Industry Promotion Act, other local governments that only belatedly entered the race to develop the horse industry were unable to meet the basic requirements, so they began demanding the designation of a special zone combining two or three basic local governments, or a regional special zone at the provincial level. At the suggestion of these local governments, the Regulatory Reform Committee of the Prime Minister’s Office recommended the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to ease the related requirements, but the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that it would prepare a plan to relax the designation requirements for the horse industry special zone starting in 2014, following its designation as the first horse industry special zone in 2013.The designation requirements for a special horse industry zone at the end of 2013 demand a substantially large-scale basic horse industry foundation within a limited scope.

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Power Blade. I am also grateful to Majo and the trainer for creating this great opportunity. Even if I always work hard, there will be times when I appear good to horse racing fans and times when I appear bad. But I want you to know that all the jockeys always work hard for the horse racing fans. No class ever tries not to work hard. Everyone has days when they smile and days when they’re sad, so I hope you’ll support all the riders, and I hope everyone achieves great success.

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Kim Young-kwan, I was able to ride good horses and achieve a great deal as a jockey. It is rare to have a jockey win nine times in a single year, and most of what he wanted to achieve was accomplished. If I only have a dream, I want to win the Grand Prix and the President’s Cup. Of course, it won’t be easy, though. My dream going forward is, of course, to have a long career as a jockey. I don’t feel that I absolutely have to become a trainer, but I just want to stay healthy and have a long career.It seems that 2016 was a particularly lucky year.

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The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs expects that if Jeju Special Self-Governing Province faithfully implements the detailed action plans under the Horse Industry Promotion and Development Plan, it will play a leading role in fostering Korea’s horse industry and will also make a significant contribution to stabilizing horse supply and demand.Minister Lee Dong-pil said, “At a time when FTAs are expanding, the horse industry can create new sources of income for agriculture and rural areas, promote exchanges between urban and rural communities, and develop into advanced-country-style industries such as tourism, leisure (equestrian) industry, and healing industry.” He added, “The designation of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Horse Industry Special Zone carries great significance in that it will establish the foundational infrastructure for the future development of the horse industry.”

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The company also suggested that since I was in Seoul, I might as well change the atmosphere, so I ended up moving.It’s been about a month now, and it’s fun. The first two weeks were tough because my body hadn’t adjusted. But now I’ve gotten used to it, so it’s fine. From my perspective, it seems there are more advantages than disadvantages. If there’s a downside, it’s that I earn a little less than in Busan and can’t see my family very often. After all, it carries less psychological burden than Pukyong. I am satisfied with living in Seoul now.

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Because there had been two occasions when one or two horses turned away and won without any prior advantage, I thought there was no need to suffer any loss when battling “Otuk Otuk” in a power struggle. If I went to do good deeds, I would go, and if “Ottukottuki” decided to go out on its own, I tried to give it to it. I planned to follow and check it out, wearing down Otuk Otuk-i’s power, and save my strength to beat Mainstay. But absurdly, after passing the third corner,I had no strength. People say it’s because they don’t go to do good deeds after seeing this,

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Shin Geon-jung, secretary general, Lee Seon-young, secretary general of the Chungbuk Participation Solidarity, and Lee Jun-young, editor-in-chief of Horse Industry Journal, who all spoke and engaged in a discussion.In a discussion session chaired by Lee Eon-gu, head of the Chungju Garden Forum, which lasted about two and a half hours, Chungju City Council member Kim Heon-sik spoke about the recent reality of the Suanbo Tourism Special Zone, which has been in a state of severe stagnation. He emphasized the necessity of hosting the center, saying, “The development and establishment of the Chungju Mal Culture Complex Leisure Center is expected to greatly contribute to revitalizing the Suanbo Tourism Special Zone, which is currently in a desperate state, and the residents of the Suanbo area are earnestly hoping for it.”

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Therefore, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province stated that it is negotiating with the government after submitting a revised opinion to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, requesting an amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Grassland Act so that rural-style equestrian facilities can be used without obtaining a separate grassland-use permit.Jeju Special Self-Governing Province’s amendment was introduced to ease this, because most equestrian facilities in Jeju are set up on grassland, but obtaining permits for converting grassland is complicated and not easy.Jeju Special Self-Governing Province expects that if these revised opinions are accepted, it will be possible to obtain a permit for equestrian facilities without a prior pasture conversion permit, thereby contributing not only to income growth for horse-breeding farms within Jeju but also for horse-breeding farms nationwide.