
Reinforcing construction firms accountability, high-tech strategic industries
Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Construction Technology Promotion Act
Proposed by Rep. Park Yong-kab (Democratic Party of Korea)
● This amendment requires the quarterly disclosure of construction firms where fatal industrial accidents have occurred, aiming to enhance the accountability of firms and encourage them to strengthen safety measures at construction sites.
Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act
Proposed by Rep. Kim Sang-hoon (People Power Party)
● This amendment aims to curb stock volatility driven by widespread fictitious subscriptions and short-term trading by institutional investors. It enables a pre-investment survey to gauge investors' interest in initial public offerings and introduces the Cornerstone Investor Program, which pre-allocates publicly offered shares to institutional investors who commit to holding them for a set period.
Pending Bill: Partial Amendment to the Housing Act
Proposed by Rep. Han Jun-ho (Democratic Party of Korea)
● Amid rising disputes over construction cost increases due to soaring material costs, this amendment grants housing remodeling associations the right to request verification of construction costs for renovation projects from the Korea Real Estate Board, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation, or local public corporations.
Promulgated Bill: Enforcement Decree of the Act on Restriction on Special Cases Concerning Taxation
Competent Authority: Ministry of Economy and Finance
● This bill broadens the scope of new growth, source technologies, national strategic technologies eligible for tax credits on research and human resource development expenses, aiming to strengthen support for high-tech strategic and prospective future industries.
Administrative Announcement: Partial Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Improvement of Urban Areas and Residential Environments
● To accelerate reconstruction and redevelopment projects, this amendment requires local governments to notify the reconstruction inspection implementation plan within 30 days of receiving an inspection request, without conducting on-site inspections.
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Korea Herald
7 hours ago
- Korea Herald
South Korea pulls plug on AI textbooks
Massive investment under threat, publishers warn of layoffs and confusion in schools South Korea's National Assembly passed a bill on Monday stripping artificial intelligence-powered digital textbooks of their legal status as official teaching materials, dealing a heavy blow to the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration's flagship education reform project. The amendment narrows the legal definition of textbooks to printed books and e-books, excluding 'learning support software using intelligent information technology." This reclassifies AI-powered textbooks as just another type of educational material, not official textbooks. The new classification takes effect immediately upon promulgation, effectively removing the legal and financial foundations for using AI digital textbooks in schools. The amendment, drafted and passed unilaterally by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, is an updated version of the same legislation passed by the Assembly last year, which was ultimately scrapped after it was vetoed by then-Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who was the country's acting president at the time. Initially launched as a flagship initiative of the Yoon administration, AI textbooks aimed to provide personalized learning experiences for students using advanced AI algorithms. At least 533.3 billion won ($385 million) was allocated to the project last year alone. The textbooks were piloted in the first semester of 2025 for English and math classes in grades 3 and 4 of elementary school, and for English, math and computer science classes in middle and high schools. Despite the ambitious rollout, the initiative faced widespread backlash from educators and parents, many of whom criticized the government for pushing the policy through without sufficient groundwork. In response, the Ministry of Education shifted to a school-by-school voluntary adoption model, after initially planning a nationwide mandate. Currently, the adoption rate of AI textbooks across schools hovers at around 30 percent. The bill's passage now leaves these schools without financial support for AI textbook subscriptions. A high school computer science teacher told The Korea Herald that although some schools secured subscription budgets for the second semester, future use is uncertain. 'Unless the textbooks retain their legal status, we won't be able to receive the necessary funding. It's now almost impossible to use them in class," the teacher said. The publishing industry is also facing a looming crisis. Companies that invested heavily in AI textbook development, expecting the government to mandate their use, now say they are on the verge of collapse. Several firms filed an administrative lawsuit against the Education Ministry in April, citing losses due to low adoption rates and policy flip-flopping. Industry representatives warn that without the legal textbook designation, usage rates could drop further, jeopardizing the estimated 800 billion won in total investments made into AI textbooks. Layoffs and restructuring are now expected across the sector. A worker in her 30s from a major textbook publisher said her department may soon disappear. 'Many companies hired researchers and engineers to develop AI textbooks. Now, with education policy changing depending on who holds political power, we risk not only losing our jobs but also degrading the quality of education itself,' she said. Publishers have been staging a last-ditch push to reverse public sentiment and policy. Fourteen publishing companies have taken turns holding solo protests outside the National Assembly, while others have visited the Democratic Party's headquarters demanding reconsideration of the bill. The Education Ministry has yet to present a concrete roadmap for winding down the AI textbook program. A spokesperson said the ministry would suspend the current textbook review process, prepare guidance for schools to prevent disruption in the fall semester, and consult with regional education offices to minimize confusion.


Korea Herald
12 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Lee's approval rating recovers on trade deal, safety stance: Realmeter
President Lee Jae Myung's job approval rating for the fifth week of July rose by 1.8 percentage points to 63.3 percent, Realmeter showed Monday. The recovery, which negated more than half the reduction over the two previous weeks, followed Seoul's announcement Thursday in a reduction in new US tariffs on South Korean goods including cars from 25 percent to 15 percent in return for a $450 billion spending package to invest in the US and buy US natural liquefied gas. The latest poll involved 2,520 people across the country aged 18 or older. This was in line with a separate poll, also released by Realmeter Monday, that 63.9 percent of 1,016 respondents viewed the tariff deal struck between Seoul and Washington favorably. On the other hand, 32.3 percent viewed the deal unfavorably. About 23.8 percent of the respondents viewed the cut in the US' "reciprocal" tariff to 15 percent and most-favored nation treatment for sector-specific tariffs as the biggest achievement in the latest trade deal, while 23.2 percent said it was avoiding further opening of US beef or rice to South Korean markets. Also driving the uptrend in Lee's popularity for the final week of July were Lee's emergency response to the heat wave that gripped the country and strong stance against workplace accidents. The upsurge was somewhat offset by the public disappointment about the proposed tax code changes, aimed mainly at stock investors, according to Realmeter. Of all respondents, 31.4 percent disapproved of Lee's job performance in the fifth week of July, down 1.6 percentage points. Lee's approval rating has now stayed above 60 percent mark for five straight weeks, according to Realmeter's estimate. On Friday, another analytics firm Gallup Korea's survey for the fifth week of July showed Friday similar uptrend, in which Lee's popularity climbed up 1 percentage point to 64 percent. Meanwhile, Realmeter polls also showed Monday that the support rating for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea had surged 3.7 percentage points to 54.5 percent. Realmeter estimated that the surge in popularity was attributable to the president's "stable management of state affairs," coupled with the "spillover effect" caused by the special counsel's probe into Lee's conservative predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee. The main opposition People Power Party saw its support rating decline by 1.8 percentage points to 27.2 percent in the final week of July.

Korea Herald
13 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Cancellation of treasury stocks, support for semiconductor industry
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