Guestbook

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Although there was discussion about suspending it due to the expiration of CEO Kang Yong-sik’s term as president of the Seoul Owners’ Association, it was agreed to continue it through this year, leading up to the final 14th Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum.Although the Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum is regarded as having fallen short of its ultimate goal of addressing the communication breakdown among horse racing stakeholders—a major problem in the horse racing industry up to now—and of reaching its final objective of jointly responding to the current issues facing the horse racing industry, it is still seen as having laid a considerable foundation for the development of Korean horse racing by opening a channel for communication among related organizations and providing a platform to discuss the current issues facing the horse racing industry.

TEST008

Although there was discussion about suspending it due to the expiration of CEO Kang Yong-sik’s term as president of the Seoul Owners’ Association, it was agreed to continue it through this year, leading up to the final 14th Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum.Although the Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum is regarded as having fallen short of its ultimate goal of addressing the communication breakdown among horse racing stakeholders—a major problem in the horse racing industry up to now—and of reaching its final objective of jointly responding to the current issues facing the horse racing industry, it is still seen as having laid a considerable foundation for the development of Korean horse racing by opening a channel for communication among related organizations and providing a platform to discuss the current issues facing the horse racing industry.

TEST008

Although there was discussion about suspending it due to the expiration of CEO Kang Yong-sik’s term as president of the Seoul Owners’ Association, it was agreed to continue it through this year, leading up to the final 14th Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum.Although the Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum is regarded as having fallen short of its ultimate goal of addressing the communication breakdown among horse racing stakeholders—a major problem in the horse racing industry up to now—and of reaching its final objective of jointly responding to the current issues facing the horse racing industry, it is still seen as having laid a considerable foundation for the development of Korean horse racing by opening a channel for communication among related organizations and providing a platform to discuss the current issues facing the horse racing industry.

TEST008

Although there was discussion about suspending it due to the expiration of CEO Kang Yong-sik’s term as president of the Seoul Owners’ Association, it was agreed to continue it through this year, leading up to the final 14th Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum.Although the Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum is regarded as having fallen short of its ultimate goal of addressing the communication breakdown among horse racing stakeholders—a major problem in the horse racing industry up to now—and of reaching its final objective of jointly responding to the current issues facing the horse racing industry, it is still seen as having laid a considerable foundation for the development of Korean horse racing by opening a channel for communication among related organizations and providing a platform to discuss the current issues facing the horse racing industry.

TET008

Although there was discussion about suspending it due to the expiration of CEO Kang Yong-sik’s term as president of the Seoul Owners’ Association, it was agreed to continue it through this year, leading up to the final 14th Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum.Although the Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum is regarded as having fallen short of its ultimate goal of addressing the communication breakdown among horse racing stakeholders—a major problem in the horse racing industry up to now—and of reaching its final objective of jointly responding to the current issues facing the horse racing industry, it is still seen as having laid a considerable foundation for the development of Korean horse racing by opening a channel for communication among related organizations and providing a platform to discuss the current issues facing the horse racing industry.

TEST008

Although there was discussion about suspending it due to the expiration of CEO Kang Yong-sik’s term as president of the Seoul Owners’ Association, it was agreed to continue it through this year, leading up to the final 14th Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum.Although the Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum is regarded as having fallen short of its ultimate goal of addressing the communication breakdown among horse racing stakeholders—a major problem in the horse racing industry up to now—and of reaching its final objective of jointly responding to the current issues facing the horse racing industry, it is still seen as having laid a considerable foundation for the development of Korean horse racing by opening a channel for communication among related organizations and providing a platform to discuss the current issues facing the horse racing industry.

TEST008

Although there was discussion about suspending it due to the expiration of CEO Kang Yong-sik’s term as president of the Seoul Owners’ Association, it was agreed to continue it through this year, leading up to the final 14th Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum.Although the Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum is regarded as having fallen short of its ultimate goal of addressing the communication breakdown among horse racing stakeholders—a major problem in the horse racing industry up to now—and of reaching its final objective of jointly responding to the current issues facing the horse racing industry, it is still seen as having laid a considerable foundation for the development of Korean horse racing by opening a channel for communication among related organizations and providing a platform to discuss the current issues facing the horse racing industry.

TEST008

Although there was discussion about suspending it due to the expiration of CEO Kang Yong-sik’s term as president of the Seoul Owners’ Association, it was agreed to continue it through this year, leading up to the final 14th Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum.Although the Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum is regarded as having fallen short of its ultimate goal of addressing the communication breakdown among horse racing stakeholders—a major problem in the horse racing industry up to now—and of reaching its final objective of jointly responding to the current issues facing the horse racing industry, it is still seen as having laid a considerable foundation for the development of Korean horse racing by opening a channel for communication among related organizations and providing a platform to discuss the current issues facing the horse racing industry.

TEST008

The government also asked me to send a thank-you message to Chairman Hiyayat, so I replied." Governor Woo Geun-min also said, “If the equestrian competition becomes known through broadcasting and the media, it will bring us closer to the public and help boost tourism.”The Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum was launched in April 2010, led by Kang Yong-sik, then president of the Seoul Owners Association, through a preparatory meeting composed of representatives from racing organizations, the media, and academia. It held its inaugural ceremony in May of that year and began full-scale activities, striving over the next four years to seek progressive alternatives for raising public awareness and advancing the modernization of horse racing through diverse discussions covering the horse racing industry as a whole.

TEST008

The government also asked me to send a thank-you message to Chairman Hiyayat, so I replied." Governor Woo Geun-min also said, “If the equestrian competition becomes known through broadcasting and the media, it will bring us closer to the public and help boost tourism.”The Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum was launched in April 2010, led by Kang Yong-sik, then president of the Seoul Owners Association, through a preparatory meeting composed of representatives from racing organizations, the media, and academia. It held its inaugural ceremony in May of that year and began full-scale activities, striving over the next four years to seek progressive alternatives for raising public awareness and advancing the modernization of horse racing through diverse discussions covering the horse racing industry as a whole.

TEST008

The government also asked me to send a thank-you message to Chairman Hiyayat, so I replied." Governor Woo Geun-min also said, “If the equestrian competition becomes known through broadcasting and the media, it will bring us closer to the public and help boost tourism.”The Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum was launched in April 2010, led by Kang Yong-sik, then president of the Seoul Owners Association, through a preparatory meeting composed of representatives from racing organizations, the media, and academia. It held its inaugural ceremony in May of that year and began full-scale activities, striving over the next four years to seek progressive alternatives for raising public awareness and advancing the modernization of horse racing through diverse discussions covering the horse racing industry as a whole.

TEST008

The government also asked me to send a thank-you message to Chairman Hiyayat, so I replied." Governor Woo Geun-min also said, “If the equestrian competition becomes known through broadcasting and the media, it will bring us closer to the public and help boost tourism.”The Horse Racing Industry Advancement Forum was launched in April 2010, led by Kang Yong-sik, then president of the Seoul Owners Association, through a preparatory meeting composed of representatives from racing organizations, the media, and academia. It held its inaugural ceremony in May of that year and began full-scale activities, striving over the next four years to seek progressive alternatives for raising public awareness and advancing the modernization of horse racing through diverse discussions covering the horse racing industry as a whole.

TEST008

On the 16th, the eve ceremony and symposium for the Jeju Open endurance equestrian competition were held at Hanwha Resort Jeju in Jeju City, where Governor Woo Geun-min met with former King Mijan. Governor Woo Geun-min recalled his visit to Malaysia with former King Mijan, saying, “Thanks to investment agreements with Airline A and Group B, Jeju became well known in Malaysia, and the number of tourists approaches 70,000.” He also expressed hope that horseback riding would contribute to revitalizing tourism in Jeju, expressing his anticipation for this year’s Jeju Open endurance riding competition.

TEST008

On the 16th, the eve ceremony and symposium for the Jeju Open endurance equestrian competition were held at Hanwha Resort Jeju in Jeju City, where Governor Woo Geun-min met with former King Mijan. Governor Woo Geun-min recalled his visit to Malaysia with former King Mijan, saying, “Thanks to investment agreements with Airline A and Group B, Jeju became well known in Malaysia, and the number of tourists approaches 70,000.” He also expressed hope that horseback riding would contribute to revitalizing tourism in Jeju, expressing his anticipation for this year’s Jeju Open endurance riding competition.

TEST008

On the 16th, the eve ceremony and symposium for the Jeju Open endurance equestrian competition were held at Hanwha Resort Jeju in Jeju City, where Governor Woo Geun-min met with former King Mijan. Governor Woo Geun-min recalled his visit to Malaysia with former King Mijan, saying, “Thanks to investment agreements with Airline A and Group B, Jeju became well known in Malaysia, and the number of tourists approaches 70,000.” He also expressed hope that horseback riding would contribute to revitalizing tourism in Jeju, expressing his anticipation for this year’s Jeju Open endurance riding competition.

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In response, Mayor Lee said, “Since the private investment company’s business plan was received on November 25, we have been gathering public opinion regarding the Korea Racing Authority’s announcement of a park-type off-track betting facility,” adding, “After the deadline for public submissions on November 29, we have already sent an official letter requesting consultation on the situation and the KRA’s stance.”In his response, the mayor also explained, “If KRA’s park-type off-track betting facility is established and operated within the Suanbo Tourism Special Zone, tax revenue is estimated to reach about 2.5 billion won annually through collected grants and financial subsidies.” He added, “We will do our best during consultations with Chungbuk Province and Chungju City to ensure that a significant portion of the leisure tax attributable to Chungbuk Province is reinvested for a certain period in the Suanbo area, where the park-type off-track betting facility will be located.”

TEST008

Eo Kyung-seon, head of the Chungju Citizens’ Coalition opposing the establishment of a virtual horse racing track, emphasized, “The foundation and core of the Chungju Horse Culture Complex Leisure Center is the installation and operation of a virtual horse racing track within Chungju city,” adding, “It will affect not only the daily lives of residents in the Chungju area but also the economy. Since it is expected to have ripple effects throughout society, we cannot help but oppose the bid,” they said, reiterating the opposition stance of the Chungju Citizens’ Coalition Against the Bid.Shin Geon-jun, Secretary General of the Chungju Citizens’ Coalition Against the Hwaseong Horse Racing Track, and Lee Seon-young, Secretary General of the Chungbuk Participation Solidarity, also expressed negative views on the project plan for attracting, establishing, and developing the horse culture complex leisure center through their opening remarks, and voiced their opposition as a group.

TEST008

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.”

TEST008

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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Following the keynote presentations, a panel discussion involving experts from various fields was held, where a wide range of opinions were put forward on preventing the spread of illegal gambling in Korea.Park Sung-ki, Secretary General of the Integrated Supervision Commission on Gambling, who took the floor as the first discussant, briefly introduced the background, definition, and role of the commission, and said, “Although the commission was created at its inception to eradicate illegal gambling games, during its development it was not recognized as having enforcement authority, so it ended up focusing less on cracking down on illegal gambling and more on imposing institutional regulation on the legal aspects.” Also, “A task force for cracking down on illegal gambling is scheduled to be formed soon within the Disciplinary Committee, and I am grateful that the National Assembly created this opportunity.”

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Researcher Kang said, “Compared to the astronomical expected profits, that level of punishment has become acceptable. If the system for recovering criminal proceeds is actively utilized to strongly recover the profits earned from gambling, illegal gambling could be reduced.” Along with this, measures to ease regulations were also presented as a solution to strengthen the competitiveness of the legal gambling industry. Research Fellow Kang said, “It is time to consider ways to absorb the demand from illegal gambling industries into the legal market,” adding, “Until now, the total sales cap system has only applied to legal gambling businesses, but going forward, it is necessary to include illegal gambling industries and implement an integrated total sales cap system.”

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At present, as an alternative, we intend to place an online illegal gambling investigator in the disciplinary committee. I agree that the Gambling Supervision Commission needs to ease regulations on the legal gambling industry. He said, “I think the idea of integrating the legal and illegal scales under the total sales volume system is a groundbreaking solution, but in reality, it seems difficult because the scale of illegality varies from one investigative agency to another.”Because of this, major domestic shipping lines are drooling over national-flagged cruises. Moreover, if domestic access to onboard casinos is permitted, people will be able to board and use casinos in places like Incheon, Busan, and Jeju, which will become cruise home ports, greatly improving accessibility. In the end, the national cruise business is expected to become a “goose that lays golden eggs.”

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Kim Moon-young, publisher of this paper, said, “The legal private industry is managed and supervised under relevant laws in each sector, but it is struggling under the double regulation of overlapping regulations imposed by the Private School Discrimination Investigation Act. To prevent the spread of illegal gambling, we need to strengthen the competitiveness of the legal gambling industry, so I asked Park Sung-ki, Secretary General of the Gambling Supervisory Commission, “How about changing the name of the commission to the Illegal Gambling Management and Supervision Commission to better reflect its significance in launching?”Regarding this, Secretary-General Park Sung-ki said, "If the Disciplinary Committee Act is abolished, there will be confusion among the public. It was stated that a second “Bada Story” incident could be repeated, and “In the long term, the Disciplinary Committee needs special judicial authority over illegal gambling.”

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Moreover, when the “Act on the Promotion and Support of the Cruise Industry,” which allowed onboard cruises, was being reviewed in the National Assembly, criticism is pouring in because, when concerns about gambling were raised, he promised to “strictly limit entry to nationals,” only to reverse his position just three months later after the law passed the National Assembly this February.Discord is already arising even in coordination among government ministries. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which oversees approval authority, bluntly stated that it has never considered allowing domestic nationals to use onboard casinos. This is because allowing domestic nationals to use casinos is prohibited under current law.

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Currently, the payout rate of horse racing in our country is 73%, which is far too low compared with the OECD average. Even in Japan, it becomes 75.1%, and in Hong Kong, 78.1%. In countries like the United Kingdom or Australia, it reaches as high as 89%. Our country takes too many taxes off people. On top of that, there are many horse racing taxes, including a 100% increase in entrance fees, double taxation at more than 100 times the rate, and refunds exceeding 2 million won. So the content is that horse racing taxes should be reduced.