Friday, August 20
Unemployment up
The Korean unemployment rate has hit an eight month high of 3.6% seasonally adjusted. While this seems low to us from the west, where 5-6% unemployment is seen as a low rate, here it is a problem.
The biggest rises were in the construction and agricultural sectors, but about 50% of those unemployed are in the 15-29 year old bracket- a concern for the government. They are planning two things to help the rate drop. The first is a directive that government businesses should hire at least 3% of new staff as new university graduates, to help the youth unemployment rate, and secondly, they are aiming for 6% growth this year to help employment generally.
That rate seems high, considering the tough times at the moment for many people though.
In what seems to be a strange way of fiddling the figure though, 109000 long term unemployed are not included in the list of unemployed people! They are counted on a special list of long-term job seekers!
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The biggest rises were in the construction and agricultural sectors, but about 50% of those unemployed are in the 15-29 year old bracket- a concern for the government. They are planning two things to help the rate drop. The first is a directive that government businesses should hire at least 3% of new staff as new university graduates, to help the youth unemployment rate, and secondly, they are aiming for 6% growth this year to help employment generally.
That rate seems high, considering the tough times at the moment for many people though.
In what seems to be a strange way of fiddling the figure though, 109000 long term unemployed are not included in the list of unemployed people! They are counted on a special list of long-term job seekers!
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Seoul asks for US cut delay
In a sign that the Koreans are not ready to depend themselves without the Americans they want to leave so badly, the Korean defense Ministry has asked the Pentagon to delay the planned setback of troops and heavy weaponry from South Korea.
It has pleased with the US to delay the troop cutback, of 12000, for at least a year, and also asked the US to leave missiles, Apache helicopters and other heavy weaponry when the pullout does take place. No word on if they have offered to pay for the delay, or for the weapons!
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It has pleased with the US to delay the troop cutback, of 12000, for at least a year, and also asked the US to leave missiles, Apache helicopters and other heavy weaponry when the pullout does take place. No word on if they have offered to pay for the delay, or for the weapons!
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Military past comes back to bite politician
The headline sounds like something that ill be written about Kerry in the next few months, but it actually applies to the former leader of the Uri Party here in Korea.
Rep. Shin Ki-nam was forced to resign yesterday over growing anger that his father was a collaborator with the Japanese Imperial Army during their time occupying Korea, from 1910-1945.
Sin' father was a Staff Sergeant in the Japanese Army, and it is claimed that he either tortured, or oversaw the torture of Korean independence fighters.
The issue came up because the Uri Party is trying to set up a ``truth, reconciliation and future commission to investigate abuses of power by past administrations and pro-Japanese collaborators. The aim of the commission is to embarrass the leader of the GNP, whose father was a former dictator. Shin was leading this effort, without revealing to national assembly that his father was in fact one of the people who engaged in the abuses. As I have said before, the sins of the father carry over in Korea, and Shin really should have known that not only would this information come to light, that it would force him to resign as leader of the party.
The new leader is Lee Bu-young, who quit from the opposition GNP at the end of last year to join Uri. He failed to win a seat in the elections in April.
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Rep. Shin Ki-nam was forced to resign yesterday over growing anger that his father was a collaborator with the Japanese Imperial Army during their time occupying Korea, from 1910-1945.
Sin' father was a Staff Sergeant in the Japanese Army, and it is claimed that he either tortured, or oversaw the torture of Korean independence fighters.
The issue came up because the Uri Party is trying to set up a ``truth, reconciliation and future commission to investigate abuses of power by past administrations and pro-Japanese collaborators. The aim of the commission is to embarrass the leader of the GNP, whose father was a former dictator. Shin was leading this effort, without revealing to national assembly that his father was in fact one of the people who engaged in the abuses. As I have said before, the sins of the father carry over in Korea, and Shin really should have known that not only would this information come to light, that it would force him to resign as leader of the party.
The new leader is Lee Bu-young, who quit from the opposition GNP at the end of last year to join Uri. He failed to win a seat in the elections in April.
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Sorry about the delay in posting!
Well, I have been very slack in posting I know. I had a very relaxing vacation in Malaysia and Singapore- if you get the chance go to Malaysia, it is really a great place for a vacation. There is a lot to see and the people are really friendly.
My computer also just died, and I am in the process of selecting a replacement- so many choices out there now!
Enough of the excuses though! I am sorry that the postings have been so thin lately, and I will try to keep them up.
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My computer also just died, and I am in the process of selecting a replacement- so many choices out there now!
Enough of the excuses though! I am sorry that the postings have been so thin lately, and I will try to keep them up.
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