Latest news with #KangYu-jung
Korea Herald
27-07-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
SPC to end overtime night shifts after presidential rebuke
Korean food conglomerate SPC Group said it will eliminate overtime night shifts exceeding eight hours across its manufacturing lines starting in October, following the death of a factory worker in May. The group, which owns the well-known bakery chain Paris Baguette, said Sunday it will overhaul its production system and working arrangements by cutting overnight operations for all but essential items like fresh goods and gradually reducing daytime hours to prevent fatigue-related accidents. The move comes after President Lee Jae Myung visited the SPC Samlip plant in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, Friday, where he directly linked the fatal accident to 'prolonged late-night labor.' The victim, a woman in her 50s, was killed in May after being caught in machinery while applying lubricant to a conveyor belt during a night shift. To prevent such a fatal accident, SPC vowed to hire more workers, adjust output and product mix, and reorganize factory lines. Affiliates, including Paris Baguette, Paris Croissant, Shany and Samlip, are preparing detailed execution plans, with full implementation set for Oct. 1. The presidential office welcomed the move. 'SPC's announcement came just two days after (the president) questioned whether it was sustainable for employees to work four 12-hour night shifts a week, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and urged Korea to become a society that values life and is willing to bear the cost of safety,' presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters in a briefing. As part of its broader safety reform, SPC also committed to cutting the 12-hour shift system by 20 percent by 2027. It will invest 62.4 billion won ($45 million) to enhance automation, improve safety equipment and upgrade working conditions. SPC has come under growing public scrutiny following a string of fatal workplace incidents. The total number of work-related deaths rose to six between 2022 and 2025, including three previously reported accidents and three additional fatalities linked to illness caused by overwork.
Korea Herald
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
North Korean crossed MDL into South Korea Thursday: JCS
A North Korean male, who identified himself as a civilian, crossed the Military Demarcation Line inside the Demilitarized Zone into South Korea, the South's military officials said Friday. The individual was taken into custody after crossing the midwestern part of the land border on Thursday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message to reporters. It has yet to detect any unusual activities among the North Korean military. 'Our military identified the individual in question in the MDL area and proceeded with tracking and monitoring (of the individual),' the JCS said. 'We secured the individual through a normal procedure to guide the individual, and relevant authorities plan to investigate the detailed process (in crossing the border) to the South,' it added. A JCS official, declining to be named, told reporters that the individual, identified as male, was first detected through a military monitoring device on the South Korean side of the border around 3 a.m. Thursday. The operation to secure and guide the individual out of the DMZ spanned a total of 20 hours following the initial discovery of the North Korean individual, the official explained. He was later found by the military in a nearby stream, some 1 meter deep, before they took him into custody. The North Korean identified himself as a civilian to the South Korean troops and was unarmed. When the man asked the soldiers, "Who are you?" a sergeant replied, "We are the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. We will guide you safely." The presidential office said they received reports from the military and that the related agencies have launched a probe into the matter, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a Friday morning briefing. The last time that a North Korean crossed the MDL to defect to the South was Aug. 20. The North Korean, identified as a soldier, crossed the border when the inter-Korean tension was high, with the South conducting full-scale, anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts near the border. The broadcasts, now suspended, were carried out in response to the North's repeated launches of trash-carrying balloons. The DMZ, a 4-kilometer-wide buffer zone, currently separates the two Koreas. The two Koreas are still technically at war.
Korea Herald
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee Jae Myung appoints vice ministers for unification, interior, agriculture, ocean, disaster management
South Korea's presidential office on Friday announced a list of vice minister-level officials across several ministries. According to Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, Kim Nam-jung, a veteran of inter-Korean affairs, was appointed vice minister of the Ministry of Unification. Kim previously served as the standing representative for inter-Korean talks and has worked at the ministry for over 30 years, earning the nickname 'the living history of the Unification Ministry.' At the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Kim Min-jae, currently an assistant vice minister, was promoted to vice minister. Kim Gwang-yong, the ministry's spokesperson, was tapped to head the National Disaster and Safety Management Agency, which plays a key role in crisis response and disaster preparedness. Kang Hyoung-seok, head of the Agricultural Innovation Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, was named its new vice minister. At the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Kim Sung-bum, director of the Marine Policy Bureau, was promoted to vice minister. The presidential office said the appointees were selected for their 'field expertise and institutional knowledge,' and emphasized the importance of leadership that can deliver 'stable and responsive governance' across sectors ranging from agriculture and marine policy to inter-Korean relations and public safety.
Barnama
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Barnama
Seoul To Tackle Anti-Pyongyang Leaflet Launches
SEOUL, June 15 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Jae-myung ordered Saturday to come up with measures to prevent the launch of anti-Pyongyang leaflets in areas bordering with North Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported. The president's order followed a report that a civic group had launched anti-Pyongyang leaflets from Ganghwa Island in Incheon, west of Seoul, earlier in the day, presidential spokeswoman Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing. Police have since launched an investigation into three balloons discovered in Ganghwa and Gimpo City. These balloons reportedly contained Bible booklets and snacks, but no leaflets with content criticising the North Korean regime.
Korea Herald
10-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Cabinet approves W26b for presidential office relocation
The Cabinet on Tuesday earmarked 25.9 billion won (US$19 million) in state funds to relocate the presidential office to the former compound of Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office said. President Lee Jae-myung approved the relocation plan in a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, and the amount is roughly 69 percent of the budget spent to move the presidential office to Yongsan in central Seoul under the former administration, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. The presidential compound was relocated to the headquarters of the defense ministry in Yongsan a few months after former President Yoon Suk Yeol assumed office in May 2022. The old presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, located on a secluded hilltop compound in central Seoul, has since been opened to the public for sightseeing visits. "To ensure a smooth return to Cheong Wa Dae and a better sightseeing environment for visitors, the operation schedule for Cheong Wa Dae tours will be adjusted," Kang said. "The return to Cheong Wa Dae will be conducted in phases on weekends and holidays." In a separate notice, the Cheong Wa Dae Foundation, which operates walking tours at the former presidential compound, said the current tour schedules will run through July 14, with changes set to take place starting from reservations for the July 16-31 period. All tours will temporarily halt from Aug. 1 for maintenance and security procedures until they resume after the relocation is completed. (Yonhap)
