Guestbook

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Last year, he led efforts to raise awareness of the pressing challenges facing the horse racing industry among juniors and young people by contributing six papers to journals such as the Korea Research Foundation’s indexed journals, including “A Study on Policies Utilizing the Prevalence of Gambling Addiction in the Gambling Industry,” and through writing and presentations.In a phone interview with this paper, Acting Head of the Horse Racing Headquarters Kim Jong-guk said, “This is a time that requires wisdom and patience to untangle the complex threads of the horse racing industry,

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Although the building was completed at a huge expense, the opening date has been postponed as public opinion among residents has worsened due to the complex interests of some civic groups and political circles, and the situation is being closely monitored.Through community service in the Yongsan area and opening cultural centers, the Korea Racing Authority is working to soothe residents’ public sentiment and improve the image of horse racing and off-track betting facilities.There are no legal defects before the Yongsan branch relocation. As already stated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, since the branch is already operating in the same area, there is no need to seek the consent of local residents for the relocation. Also, the distance from the school claimed by the opposing side is beyond the 200 meters set by law, so there is no major problem.

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Kim Jong-guk, acting head of the horse racing division and a regular contributor to this publication on the issue of the illegal horse racing industry, is currently finishing the writing of a textbook on the horse industry, Understanding the Horse Industry, and is preparing for its publication. At a recent academic conference hosted by the Lottery Society Cooperative, he also presented research on domestic gambling industry regulation policies and an analysis of a survey on the horse racing industry.

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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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Although the building was completed at a huge expense, the opening date has been postponed as public opinion among residents has worsened due to the complex interests of some civic groups and political circles, and the situation is being closely monitored.Through community service in the Yongsan area and opening cultural centers, the Korea Racing Authority is working to soothe residents’ public sentiment and improve the image of horse racing and off-track betting facilities.There are no legal defects before the Yongsan branch relocation. As already stated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, since the branch is already operating in the same area, there is no need to seek the consent of local residents for the relocation. Also, the distance from the school claimed by the opposing side is beyond the 200 meters set by law, so there is no major problem.

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Emphasizing the importance of customized customer services and internet betting for improving the image of the horse racing industry both on the ground and through consistent research publications, Director Kim Jong-guk studied equestrian voting systems and horse racing systems in major advanced horse-riding countries after publishing 『Theory and Practice of Equestrian Voting』 in April 1995, and earned his master’s thesis in 2003 with a study titled 'A Study on the Introduction of Internet Marketing into the Korean Horse Racing Industry.

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During his 30 years at the Korea Racing Authority, he researched the expansion of customer service, the internet betting industry, and issues related to gambling industry regulation and illegal gambling. Service Team Leader, Director of Horse Racing Management. Served as Director of General Affairs, Director of the Business Division, Director of the Off-track Betting Division, Branch Manager, and Head of the Fair Horse Racing Headquarters. This is the first case of a Grade 1 executive being appointed as a head of a division-level department since the related regulations were revised at the end of 2016.

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Although the building was completed at a huge expense, the opening date has been postponed as public opinion among residents has worsened due to the complex interests of some civic groups and political circles, and the situation is being closely monitored.Through community service in the Yongsan area and opening cultural centers, the Korea Racing Authority is working to soothe residents’ public sentiment and improve the image of horse racing and off-track betting facilities.There are no legal defects before the Yongsan branch relocation. As already stated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, since the branch is already operating in the same area, there is no need to seek the consent of local residents for the relocation. Also, the distance from the school claimed by the opposing side is beyond the 200 meters set by law, so there is no major problem.

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On the 13th, the Korea Racing Authority, which had made key personnel changes in the second half of the year including the head of the Illegal Horse Racing Crackdown Headquarters and regional center chiefs on September 6, appointed former Fair Racing Headquarters chief Kim Jong-guk as acting head of the Racing Headquarters.Acting Director Kim graduated from the Department of Public Administration at University of Seoul, earned a master's degree from University of Seoul's Graduate School of Business,

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Food and Rural Affairs to amend the Enforcement Rules of the Grassland Act so that equestrian facilities may be installed within pastureland designated for ranching.Jeju Special Self-Governing Province explained that it proposed this in order to establish clear grounds for installing equestrian facilities and to develop the horse industry as a new growth engine industry by linking it with the primary industry and the tertiary industries such as tourism, leisure, and sports.The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food is currently pushing to revise the Enforcement Rules of the Pasture Act so that horse-related facilities, livestock experience facilities, farm landscape facilities, and rest facilities—essential infrastructure for livestock farming—are included within the scope of facilities currently designated for horses, so that they can be used without obtaining a separate pasture conversion permit, but equestrian facilities are not included.

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However, despite this reality, civic groups that have ridden on social prejudice against off-track betting facilities and regional selfishness are absorbed in opposition for the sake of opposition, and it is regrettable that the reality of labeling the horse racing industry—which contributes a significant portion to the national budget by paying tax revenue amounting to 1.4 trillion won annually—as gambling is nothing short of unfortunate.The horse industry and horse racing industry say that instead of opposing only for the sake of opposition, they should seek development into a healthy leisure activity and openly discuss with each other to set the best course for one another.

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Regarding the Daejeon branch, the Daejeon Participatory Autonomy Citizens’ Coalition held a press conference on the 8th in front of the Korea Racing Authority’s Daejeon branch in Wolpyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, calling for the withdrawal of the expansion plan for the Wolpyeong-dong off-track betting center and urging the withdrawal of the Daejeon branch expansion plan and relocation to the outskirts.In their statement, they argued that since the Daejeon branch was established, citizens have been exposed to the risk of gambling addiction and are suffering serious infringements on their living environment, such as traffic congestion caused by illegal parking on weekends and the deterioration of educational and residential environments due to the concentration of entertainment facilities. They demanded the relocation to the outskirts or closure, but accused the Korea Racing Authority of instead trying to expand it.

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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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In particular, the two main roads are blocking access to the nearest school, Seongsim Girls’ Middle and High School, so it was found that only 0.27 students per day actually attend school in front of the new Yongsan branch, revealing how absurd the opposing side’s claims were.Nevertheless, the opposing side is shouting only opposition unconditionally.In their press statement, the Residents’ Committee demanded opposition to the expansion of the Yongsan branch office outside the building, desperate resistance if the branch office is forced to open inside, and strong action from the Yongsan District Mayor, the district council, and National Assembly member Jin Young.In particular, they have repeatedly insisted that opening the new Yongsan branch is absolutely impossible, and that if the opening is pursued, there would be no need for consultation.

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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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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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With Gyeryong Construction relocating to a new headquarters in February, the Korea Racing Authority plans to purchase the shared Gyeryong Construction building and improve customer service by remodeling it into an optimized facility. When residents began opposing the expansion of the Daejeon branch, the Korea Racing Authority stated that it would maintain the current policy of one person, one seat, assigned seating system and the current number of entrants.The importance of off-track betting facilities in the horse racing industry is by no means small.To implement horse racing, enormous financial resources are required to equip basic facilities such as racecourses, stands, and auxiliary facilities, and due to difficulties in securing land to build racetracks, it is a reality in countries that have implemented horse racing that they operate off-track betting facilities far outnumbering the number of racetracks.

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Regarding the Daejeon branch, the Daejeon Participatory Autonomy Citizens’ Coalition held a press conference on the 8th in front of the Korea Racing Authority’s Daejeon branch in Wolpyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, calling for the withdrawal of the expansion plan for the Wolpyeong-dong off-track betting center and urging the withdrawal of the Daejeon branch expansion plan and relocation to the outskirts.In their statement, they argued that since the Daejeon branch was established, citizens have been exposed to the risk of gambling addiction and are suffering serious infringements on their living environment, such as traffic congestion caused by illegal parking on weekends and the deterioration of educational and residential environments due to the concentration of entertainment facilities. They demanded the relocation to the outskirts or closure, but accused the Korea Racing Authority of instead trying to expand it.

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In particular, they stated that they will closely analyze the operational performance of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Horse Industry Special Zone going forward and expand the designation of special zones, while also announcing plans to designate around five special zones nationwide by 2017 in the mid to long term, with one zone per region.The only animal in Korea that is managed under a special law is the horse. Once one of the animals closest to humans, it has now, under the influence of the Industrial Revolution, given up much of its former role and become confined to activities such as horse racing and horseback riding.In 2011, the government enacted the Horse Industry Promotion Act as a measure to prevent the deterioration of the rural economy caused by FTAs, aiming to develop it as a new growth engine for the rural economy.

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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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In particular, the two main roads are blocking access to the nearest school, Seongsim Girls’ Middle and High School, so it was found that only 0.27 students per day actually attend school in front of the new Yongsan branch, revealing how absurd the opposing side’s claims were.Nevertheless, the opposing side is shouting only opposition unconditionally.In their press statement, the Residents’ Committee demanded opposition to the expansion of the Yongsan branch office outside the building, desperate resistance if the branch office is forced to open inside, and strong action from the Yongsan District Mayor, the district council, and National Assembly member Jin Young.In particular, they have repeatedly insisted that opening the new Yongsan branch is absolutely impossible, and that if the opening is pursued, there would be no need for consultation.

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With Gyeryong Construction relocating to a new headquarters in February, the Korea Racing Authority plans to purchase the shared Gyeryong Construction building and improve customer service by remodeling it into an optimized facility. When residents began opposing the expansion of the Daejeon branch, the Korea Racing Authority stated that it would maintain the current policy of one person, one seat, assigned seating system and the current number of entrants.The importance of off-track betting facilities in the horse racing industry is by no means small.To implement horse racing, enormous financial resources are required to equip basic facilities such as racecourses, stands, and auxiliary facilities, and due to difficulties in securing land to build racetracks, it is a reality in countries that have implemented horse racing that they operate off-track betting facilities far outnumbering the number of racetracks.

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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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In particular, they stated that they will closely analyze the operational performance of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Horse Industry Special Zone going forward and expand the designation of special zones, while also announcing plans to designate around five special zones nationwide by 2017 in the mid to long term, with one zone per region.The only animal in Korea that is managed under a special law is the horse. Once one of the animals closest to humans, it has now, under the influence of the Industrial Revolution, given up much of its former role and become confined to activities such as horse racing and horseback riding.In 2011, the government enacted the Horse Industry Promotion Act as a measure to prevent the deterioration of the rural economy caused by FTAs, aiming to develop it as a new growth engine for the rural economy.

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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.