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Jake_Kim
Joined: 27 Aug 2005
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 12:28 am Post subject: |
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| dairyairy wrote: |
| Jake_Kim wrote: |
U.S. Congress blocked the takeover bid by CNOOC for Unocal in 2005.
Such a clear example of American xenophobia, wasn't it? |
Been losing sleep over that, too? Haven't we all? |
The point was that there are a handful of industries in any country that are strategically more significant than others at national level, and nowhere is it wholeheartedly welcomed to have such strategically critical industries taken over by foreign control.
Plus, railway is considered to be an industry where natural monopoly holds. Control of national railway service is thus not irrelevant to the public good, unlike consumer goods with numerous alternatives in a competitive market. Whether or not current structure and management of Korail is efficient is an entirely separate issue.
If the prospect were of some foreign control over, say, an express bus company, there would have been practically no fuss at all. |
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Popocatepetl
Joined: 14 Oct 2013
Location: Winter in Korea: One Perfect day after another
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| Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 7:13 pm Post subject: |
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Some koreans told me that they are angry that Korail will be sold to foreign companies.
They're worried that they will have to pay more and the service will be less good.
They think it could be the start of a mass-privatization of government services.
I think that is scaremongering though by the labor union though. They've pulled a foreigner out the bag in order to emotionalize the dispute.
In reality korail will probably be cut up into sections and each be sold off to new government-established corporations.
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KORAIL privatization dispute revived
Dec 10
Union workers oppose plan to form affiliate to operate new KTX route
The union suspects that the plan to set up a subsidiary under KORAIL is a step toward privatizing the rail operator in the future.
“Should this new company fail to secure sufficient public funds, it will end up finding itself new shareholders in the private sector, which will eventually lead to privatization,” said union leader Kim Myung-hwan last week.
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20131208000311 |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 5:09 am Post subject: |
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| Popocatepetl wrote: |
Some koreans told me that they are angry that Korail will be sold to foreign companies.
They're worried that they will have to pay more and the service will be less good.
They think it could be the start of a mass-privatization of government services.
I think that is scaremongering though by the labor union though. They've pulled a foreigner out the bag in order to emotionalize the dispute.
In reality korail will probably be cut up into sections and each be sold off to new government-established corporations.
| Quote: |
KORAIL privatization dispute revived
Dec 10
Union workers oppose plan to form affiliate to operate new KTX route
The union suspects that the plan to set up a subsidiary under KORAIL is a step toward privatizing the rail operator in the future.
“Should this new company fail to secure sufficient public funds, it will end up finding itself new shareholders in the private sector, which will eventually lead to privatization,” said union leader Kim Myung-hwan last week.
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20131208000311 |
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I've never understood the reasoning behind this "new unit." The government said that it was to provide competition to improve service, but how can the same company compete with itself?
Maybe that's why the union is suspicious. |
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JFP2020
Joined: 31 May 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 3:28 am Post subject: |
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| People here seem to be unaware of the important point, which is that it wasn't just a depiction of a European, but a white man with an outlandishly big nose, i.e. a racial caricature. So, yes, it was obviously xenophobic. |
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JFP2020
Joined: 31 May 2010
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aq8knyus
Joined: 28 Jul 2010
Location: London
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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| JFP2020 wrote: |
| https://twitter.com/search?q=%EC%BD%94%20John%20Power&src=typd |
At the same time I also saw posters talking about the UK's privatised rail system leading to more accidents and how unsafe they are generally.
What they ignored was that years of underinvestement during state ownership left the railways in pretty bad shape.
In 2013, 20 years after privatization, the UK despite having the second most extensive rail system in the EU had the second safest network. |
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