Day: March 29, 2024

A civic group filed a constitutional petition on Friday against the two major parties’ offshoot parties launched to win proportional representation seats, accusing the parent parties of abusing a system intended to benefit minor parties.

Ahead of the April 10 general elections, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) each launched paper parties, commonly known as satellite parties, for the proportional representation seats in the 300-member National Assembly that are allocated to parties based on the total number of votes they receive.

Such satellite parties are often merged into their parent parties after the elections, contributing to their total parliamentary seats.

The Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice filed a petition, along with a request to suspend the satellite parties, with the Constitutional Court, saying that the PPP and the DP established them for the sole purpose of securing proportional representation seats.

“The two giant parties went beyond
compromising the purpose of the proportional representation system intended to benefit minor parties to seize parliamentary seats and election subsidies from other parties,” the group claimed, adding that this is in breach of the spirit of representative democracy.

The civic group had filed a similar petition against the two major parties ahead of the previous general elections in 2000, but the court dismissed it

Source: Yonhap News Agency

The chief of an Indonesian aerospace company involved in the joint KF-21 fighter jet development project has visited South Korea, officials said Friday, amid a probe over an employee of the company allegedly stealing data on the program.

Gita Amperiawan, CEO of PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), arrived in the country Thursday for a two-day trip to visit the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI), according to the officials at DAPA and KAI.

The visit took place as police are investigating the PTDI engineer’s alleged attempt to take technologies related to the project at KAI’s headquarters in Sacheon, 296 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in January.

PTDI has dispatched engineers to KAI, the manufacturer of the KF-21, after Indonesia agreed to take part in the project launched in 2015 to develop the advanced supersonic fighter by 2026.

A DAPA official said Amperiawan made the visit for talks on the joint development project but did not provide details. A KAI
official also confirmed the visit, noting that it took place for discussions on future cooperation on the project.

Jakarta’s commitment to the program has been called into question over the years as it has failed to make timely contributions to the project despite agreeing to shoulder about 20 percent of the project’s cost of 8.1 trillion won (US$6 billion) through 2026.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo called upon the heads of major general hospitals Friday to play a role in efforts to establish a dialogue channel between the government and doctors to end a prolonged walkout by junior doctors protesting a hike in the medical school admission quota.

More than 90 percent of the country’s 13,000 trainee doctors have been on strike in the form of mass resignations since Feb. 20 to protest the government’s decision to increase the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 seats from the current 3,058 starting next year.

In an attempt at a breakthrough, Han met with the chiefs of the so-called “Big Five” hospitals.

“Despite the government’s continued efforts for dialogue with the medical community, a dialogue mechanism has not been established yet,” Han said during a meeting. “I hope that hospital heads who always work with trainee doctors and professors will play a role.”

Han reiterated the government’s commitment to actively invest in improving the treatment of interns and reside
nts, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in this process.

The prime minister once again urged junior doctors on strike to return to their workplaces, acknowledging the considerable financial strain on hospitals due to reduced patient care resulting from the collective action.

The meeting marks the second of its kind, as medical professors at major general hospitals nationwide have begun submitting mass resignations in support of medical interns and residents.

The government has expressed openness to dialogue to resolve the situation but remains firm on the decision to increase the quota.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

Hyosung Group Honorary Chairman Cho Suck-rai died of a chronic illness Friday, a source said. He was 89.

It has been seven years since he stepped down from the top management position in 2017 due to his advanced age and health.

Source: Yonhap News Agency