Guestbook

TEST008

The seat occupancy system (designated seating system) was gradually incorporated and expanded in phases in November 2014, following the Prime Minister’s Office’s “Measures for the Soundness of the Gambling Industry (off-track betting outlets)” plan. The general rooms currently in operation are scheduled to be gradually converted to a seat occupancy system, in accordance with government guidelines aimed at improving the user environment of off-track betting outlets.

TEST008

The seat occupancy system (designated seating system) was gradually incorporated and expanded in phases in November 2014, following the Prime Minister’s Office’s “Measures for the Soundness of the Gambling Industry (off-track betting outlets)” plan. The general rooms currently in operation are scheduled to be gradually converted to a seat occupancy system, in accordance with government guidelines aimed at improving the user environment of off-track betting outlets.

TEST008

He added, “I will actively support the many concerns and opinions shared here today so that they can translate into practical and tangible results,” and urged, “Please do not hesitate to provide the Korea Racing Authority with support for the development of Jangheung County’s horse industry.”Meanwhile, the Korea Racing Authority stated that it plans to implement improvement measures including establishing a cooperative medical care system through a registration system for private veterinarians at each hub, providing clinical training for large animal veterinarians to promote emergency horse medical personnel, and expanding the installation of riding horse breeding support centers for horses, in response to difficulties such as the absence of a specialized horse veterinarian in the area of Jangheung County’s horse producers and the inconvenience of breeding support due to the long distance of Jangsu Ranch.

TEST008

Before the meeting began, KRA Chairman Hyun Myung-kwan said, “Jangheung County is the first local government to sign an MOU with the KRA and hold a meeting to discuss matters related to the development of the horse industry.” He added, “We look forward to hearing valuable suggestions from Jangheung County for fostering the horse industry.”At the meeting, a variety of opinions were discussed regarding the Korea Racing Authority and Jangheung County’s efforts to promote the horse industry.After the meeting, County Governor Kim Seong said, “There are many concerns about the direction of development in the horse industry, which is being promoted as a key project of Jangheung County,” adding, “The Korea Racing Authority’s proposal for the development of Jangheung County’s horse industry was a great help.” He said, “We ask for your continued interest and support for Jangheung County’s horse industry going forward.”

TEST008

Meanwhile, horse racing officials point out that the concerns raised by People’s Solidarity and others—that the Korea Racing Authority prohibits credit card payments for betting tickets and only accepts cash, raising concerns about income evasion and tax avoidance—are contrary to government policy and appear to be an impure attempt to discredit the Korea Racing Authority.In addition, under the horse racing moderation policy, the government legally prohibits not only small purchases but also the use of credit cards at racecourses or off-track betting outlets, and there is growing criticism that, contrary to government policy, the government is making an unreasonable claim that betting must be paid by credit card.

TEST008

Before the meeting began, KRA Chairman Hyun Myung-kwan said, “Jangheung County is the first local government to sign an MOU with the KRA and hold a meeting to discuss matters related to the development of the horse industry.” He added, “We look forward to hearing valuable suggestions from Jangheung County for fostering the horse industry.”At the meeting, a variety of opinions were discussed regarding the Korea Racing Authority and Jangheung County’s efforts to promote the horse industry.After the meeting, County Governor Kim Seong said, “There are many concerns about the direction of development in the horse industry, which is being promoted as a key project of Jangheung County,” adding, “The Korea Racing Authority’s proposal for the development of Jangheung County’s horse industry was a great help.” He said, “We ask for your continued interest and support for Jangheung County’s horse industry going forward.”

TEST008

On the 23rd, a roundtable meeting for discussions on fostering the horse industry in Jangheung County, hosted by the Korea Racing Authority, was held in the Korea Racing Authority’s main conference room.Present at the meeting were Chairman Hyun Myung-kwan of the Korea Racing Authority, Vice Chairman Lee Sang-young of the Korea Racing Authority, Assemblyman Hwang Ju-hong (New Politics Alliance for Democracy, Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee), Jangheung County Governor Kim Seong, and Chairman of the Jangheung County Council Kwak Tae-soo, among others, who engaged in in-depth discussions on development plans to foster Jangheung’s horse industry.

TEST008

The seat occupancy system (designated seating system) was gradually incorporated and expanded in phases in November 2014, following the Prime Minister’s Office’s “Measures for the Soundness of the Gambling Industry (off-track betting outlets)” plan. The general rooms currently in operation are scheduled to be gradually converted to a seat occupancy system, in accordance with government guidelines aimed at improving the user environment of off-track betting outlets.

TEST008

The current legal venue fee for over-the-counter sales offices is 2,000 won. However, as the Korea Racing Authority has implemented service provision and a designated seating system, various usage fees are being charged according to the conditions of each off-track betting facility.The Korea Racing Authority stated that it faithfully pays the 10% value-added tax on service fees provided in addition to the admission fee, and that service fees are differentiated based on factors such as per-person occupied area, type of seat, arrangement of ticket machines and monitors, interior quality, provision of additional services (such as snack and beverage information materials), and the unit price.

TEST008

The seat occupancy system (designated seating system) was gradually incorporated and expanded in phases in November 2014, following the Prime Minister’s Office’s “Measures for the Soundness of the Gambling Industry (off-track betting outlets)” plan. The general rooms currently in operation are scheduled to be gradually converted to a seat occupancy system, in accordance with government guidelines aimed at improving the user environment of off-track betting outlets.

TEST008

In response to allegations raised by groups such as People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, the Korea Racing Authority explained through a press release that “the Korea Racing Authority is faithfully paying VAT on entrance and usage fees.”The Korea Racing Authority explained that it has been faithfully paying value-added tax on off-track betting venue entrance fees and on off-track betting venue usage fees charged to horse racing customers, and that the entrance fee for off-track betting venues was established in July 2011 based on Article 5 of the Korea Racing Authority Act, and that before the entrance fee was incurred, a separate usage fee was charged to customers who wished to use the member room (2005) or the designated seating area (2008).

TEST008

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.

TEST008

he 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.”

TEST008

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.

TEST008

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.

TEST008

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.

TEST008

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.

TEST008

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.

TEST008

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.

TEST008

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.

TEST008

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.

TEST008

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.

TEST008

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.

TEST008

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.

TEST008

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.