Journalist
Park Sae-jin, Kim Hee-su
khs@ajupress.com
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K-content gets a permanent address in Incheon — now comes the harder part: keeping it interesting SEOUL, January 06 (AJP) - Imagine never having to fight ticket scalpers again for a G-Dragon concert. No frantic refreshing. No VIP seats resold at 6.8 million won. Just… a year-round GD performance you can drop in on, any weekend you like. That, at least, is the fantasy behind Incheon's ambitious bet on what officials are calling "K-Con Land" — a sprawling cultural complex designed to give K-pop, K-drama and digital content something they've never really had before: a permanent home. At the heart of the plan is a concert hall where holograms of past and present stars perform on a rotating basis. Die-hard fans won't have to wait for comeback tours or overseas dates. The show, in theory, is always on. But K-Con Land is not just about concerts. The larger vision, unfolding across the Cheongna and Yeongjong districts, is to stitch together production studios, performance venues, hotels and tourism infrastructure into a single ecosystem — one that turns K-content from a series of one-off events into something closer to a standing attraction. Think less "festival weekend," more "content district." From airport stopover to content destination Incheon's pitch starts with geography. The city sits next to Korea's main international gateway, and with the opening of the Third Sea Bridge this week, Cheongna and Yeongjong are now directly linked. The goal is to turn airport proximity — long a logistics advantage — into a cultural one. At the center of the plan is I-Con City, a massive complex slated for Cheongna International City, just west of Yeongjong Island. The project covers 260,000 square meters — roughly the size of Yeouido Park — with total floor space exceeding that of COEX. Rising up to 49 floors, the complex will house an arena, VFX studios, a content tower, museums, hotels and resort facilities, all wrapped around a central public space dubbed "Durumi Park." The idea is frictionless circulation: artists arrive, shoot, perform and stay in one place; visitors watch, tour, sleep and move on — or stick around longer. Transportation is meant to do the rest. Subway Line 7's extension to Cheongna, scheduled for 2027, will cut travel time to Gangnam to about 68 minutes without transfers. A KTX connection from Incheon via Songdo would link the area to Busan in just over two hours. For a city long seen as peripheral to Seoul’s cultural core, those minutes matter. Competing with Seoul — by not being Seoul Cheongna's biggest selling point may be what it lacks: density. Unlike Seoul's Sangam Digital Media City, where land is tight and costs are high, Cheongna offers room to build large-scale studios and move bulky equipment — and to house international crews without scattering them across the capital. Production, performance and accommodation in one zone is not just convenient; developers argue it cuts costs and time. "With the Third Land Bridge, Cheongna is now directly connected to Yeouido in 30 minutes and to Yeongjong," said Eum Jae-sang, CIO at DAOL Asset Management. "With Starfield Cheongna and a university hospital also coming in, this won't be a bedroom town. It's becoming a district with its own purpose." The lineup of partners reflects that long-game thinking. U.S.-based boutique hotel franchise The Kessler Collection will oversee overall development and hospitality operations. DAOL manages the funds. POSCO E&C is handling construction. Galaxy Corporation — which represents G-Dragon — is in charge of content operations. Financial structuring is being led by SK Securities. Hotel Shilla will operate serviced residences, while a U.S. senior-living operator is joining the residential side. "This isn't a build-and-sell project," Eum said. "We're talking about operating this for 20 to 30 years after completion." The real test: content, not concrete Construction is slated to begin in the second half of 2027, with completion targeted for 2031. By then, the buildings will likely be impressive. What's less guaranteed is what happens inside them. Industry officials say tax incentives for foreign content producers could make or break the project's appeal. Incheon's Free Economic Zone authority has been calling for stronger breaks, arguing that global competition for film and content production is intensifying. "If production costs one unit, the regional economic impact can be seven to ten times that," said Commissioner Yun Won-sok early last year, noting that many advanced economies now offer aggressive incentives to attract studios. For a project estimated at 1.9 trillion won, the stakes are high. K-content has proven it can draw global attention — but turning that attention into a permanent tourist habit is another matter entirely. A hologram concert may draw crowds once. The challenge will be making them come back. 2026-01-06 17:05:20 -
New S. Korean regional carrier SUM Air's first aircraft arrives at Gimpo SEOUL, January 05 (AJP) - SUM Air, a new South Korean regional carrier, said its first new-build aircraft has arrived at Gimpo International Airport after completing a multi-leg ferry flight from France. The inaugural aircraft of SUM Air, a Regional Air Mobility (RAM) operator, departed Toulouse on Jan. 1 and landed at Gimpo International Airport on Jan. 4, according to the company. The aircraft was formally handed over on Dec. 29 following the completion of leasing procedures with aircraft lessor Avation. It was registered in South Korea on Dec. 30 under the registration number HL5264 before departing France. The delivery flight was conducted as a ferry flight, operating without passengers or cargo, and passed through Cairo, Muscat, Nagpur and Da Nang en route to South Korea. SUM Air said the aircraft will undergo demonstration flights required for air operator certification. Following consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the airline plans to conduct trial takeoffs and landings in February at Goheung Airfield in South Jeolla Province, which has a 1,200-meter runway comparable in length to Ulleung Island's planned airport. SUM means "island" in Korean, and the carrier plans to connect cities and islands, including Ulleung, Heuksan and Baengnyeong, once their airports open. "SUM Air aims to address mobility challenges in regions with limited air connectivity and grow into a core regional carrier linking communities across Korea by revitalizing regional airports," said Choi Yong-duck, CEO of SUM Air. 2026-01-05 17:35:18 -
Lights-out warfare and why it should worry South Korea SEOUL, January 05 (AJP) - The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a lightning U.S. raid last weekend was not merely a dramatic geopolitical shock. It marked a decisive shift in how modern wars are fought — quietly, surgically and increasingly in the dark. The operation, carried out by U.S. Delta Force commandos, removed a sitting head of state from his bedroom in just five minutes, completing an end-to-end mission in under five hours. Yet the most striking element was not speed or firepower, but how little the world saw while it was happening. There were no mass airstrikes. No prolonged fighting. No advance warning. Instead, the lights went out. The New Battlefield: Cyber Before Kinetic According to military analysts, the operation followed a now-emerging template of "dark warfare" — a fusion of cyber disruption, drone dominance and precision special operations. U.S. forces temporarily cut power and communications in parts of Caracas, reportedly through a coordinated cyberattack and drone strikes on key substations and communication towers. The objective was not destruction, but paralysis — delaying response, blinding defenses and sowing confusion. "This is modern warfare," said retired South Korean Army Lieutenant General Chun In-bum. "Drones didn't just support the operation — they reshaped the battlefield itself." Chun cautioned that many tactical details remain classified, but emphasized that drones have become central, not auxiliary, to contemporary military strategy. Drones That See What Satellites Cannot The groundwork for the raid was laid months earlier. Beginning last August, U.S. intelligence agencies deployed teams into Venezuela, combining human intelligence with persistent drone surveillance. Unlike satellites, which offer intermittent snapshots, drones hovered continuously — mapping Maduro's movements, routines and living quarters in granular detail. They tracked not only where he slept, but how he moved, what he wore, even the layout of his residence. Using this data, Delta Force built a full-scale replica of the hideout and rehearsed the assault repeatedly — a level of precision impossible without drone-collected intelligence. In early December, drones struck a remote coastal dock — a move widely seen as both a disruption of cartel logistics and a deliberate probe of Venezuelan air defenses. The strike drew radar responses without risking pilots, allowing U.S. planners to map threats in advance. Five Minutes in the Dark When the final order came from U.S. President Donald Trump late on Jan. 2, roughly 150 aircraft launched simultaneously from some 20 land and naval bases across the Western Hemisphere. As drones neutralized surveillance and cleared flight paths, helicopters carrying Delta Force operatives flew at just 30 meters above sea level toward Maduro's residence. Despite brief resistance, U.S. forces overwhelmed Venezuelan defenders under constant drone overwatch. Within three minutes of entry, commandos reached Maduro's location. Two minutes later, he and his wife were in custody as they attempted to flee to a reinforced panic room. By 4:30 a.m., the team had withdrawn safely to the USS Iwo Jima, stationed about 100 miles offshore. From authorization to extraction: four hours and 43 minutes. A Blueprint That Raises Alarms in Asia The operation has sent shockwaves far beyond Latin America — particularly in Northeast Asia. Just hours later, North Korea launched its first ballistic missile of the year, a move widely interpreted as signaling vigilance amid shifting global deterrence norms. Its foreign ministry was also among the first to respond to the U.S. operation, releasing a statement on Sunday to condemn "the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty." Still experts caution against simplistic parallels. "Venezuela and North Korea are fundamentally different cases," said Jung Kyeong-woon, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Studies. Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal, he said, fundamentally alters the calculus. "The likelihood of a Venezuela-style operation on the Korean Peninsula remains low." Choi Seung-woo, a director of the Seoul Defense Forum Center for Nuclear Strategy, echoed that assessment, noting that Pyongyang emerged from the failed 2019 Hanoi summit convinced that Washington understands its nuclear capabilities, making so-called 'bloody nose' strikes unlikely. Why South Korea Still Cannot Ignore the Lesson Still, the Venezuelan raid underscores vulnerabilities that resonate uncomfortably in South Korea. South Korea is among the world's most digitized societies — its power grids, financial systems, transportation networks and military command structures deeply interconnected. That connectivity is a strength — and a potential weakness. In a crisis, a short-lived blackout, GPS disruption or cyberattack on civilian infrastructure could delay response just long enough for drones and special forces to act. North Korea, meanwhile, has invested heavily in asymmetric capabilities — cyber warfare units, GPS jamming, electronic warfare and special-operations forces trained not for invasion, but infiltration. Pyongyang is also accelerating drone development with reported Russian technology transfers, including AI-enabled reconnaissance and suicide drones. "The lesson is not that this will happen in South Korea," Chun said. "The lesson is that warfare has already changed — and anyone who ignores that reality is unprepared." War Without Sirens Perhaps the most unsettling takeaway is strategic ambiguity. Cyberattacks and drone strikes often fall below the legal threshold of war. They are deniable, reversible and difficult to attribute in real time. Mutual defense treaties were written for missiles and armies — not malware and micro-drones. When the lights go out, policymakers may still be debating whether an attack has even occurred. In the age of dark operations, wars may no longer begin with explosions — but with silence. And by the time certainty returns, the mission may already be over. 2026-01-05 16:54:33 -
Doctors' associations urge halt to government-backed Korean medicine infertility programs SEOUL, January 03 (AJP) - Doctors' associations in Korea have called on the government and local authorities to immediately suspend public support for Korean medicine–based infertility treatment, citing a lack of scientific evidence and safety verification. At a press conference on Saturday, the Korean Medical Association (KMA), the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and related groups said such programs pose potential risks to maternal health and fetal safety. "These treatments are being promoted without sufficient scientific or safety verification, despite infertility care being a highly specialized medical field directly linked to the health and lives of both parents and unborn children," the groups said. They cited a report published by the Research Institute for Healthcare Policy on the use of Korean medicine in infertility treatment, saying 4,473 participants took part in programs operated by 103 local governments between 2017 and 2019, recording a clinical pregnancy rate of 12.5 percent over an average treatment period of 7.7 months — roughly half the natural pregnancy rate observed over the same timeframe. They also warned that many herbal medicines used in these infertility treatments contain ingredients that have been linked to fetal abnormalities, miscarriage and organ toxicity when used during pregnancy. "Recommending treatments that lack even minimal safety assurances to women experiencing infertility — and funding them with public money — is unacceptable," they said. The groups urged an in-depth investigation into the toxicity and teratogenic risks of herbal ingredients used in infertility treatment, as well as full public disclosure of the findings. The controversy comes as the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced plans to extend Korean medicine to fertility treatments to promote the development of traditional medicine. The KMA, in response, criticized the policy as lacking scientific grounds and reiterated its demand for a full suspension. However, the Association of Korean Medicine has pushed back against the criticism, arguing that its infertility programs have accumulated sufficient clinical experience over years of implementation. The group has urged the government to expand support to protect patient choice and address Korea's low birth rate. 2026-01-03 17:38:27 -
'Golden,' Rosé's 'APT.' place in UK year-end top 10 SEOUL, January 03 (AJP) - "Golden," a song from the "KPop Demon Hunters" soundtrack, and Rosé of BLACKPINK’s global hit "APT." have both placed in the top 10 of the UK End of Year Singles Chart. According to the chart released Friday, "Golden," performed by the fictional group Huntrix from Netflix's animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," ranked fourth overall. The track previously topped the UK Official Singles Chart for a total of 10 non-consecutive weeks last year. "APT.," a collaboration between Rosé and U.S. pop star Bruno Mars, finished fifth on the chart. The song peaked at No. 2 during its run and has now spent a cumulative 57 weeks on the chart. Other songs from "KPop Demon Hunters" also made the year-end list. "Soda Pop" and "Your Idol" by the film's rival group Saja Boys ranked 36th and 44th, respectively, while Huntrix tracks "How It's Done" and "What It Sounds Like" placed 67th and 90th. "Golden" has continued to enjoy strong popularity in the U.S. as well, including a high-profile performance at a New Year's event in New York. The song held the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 for eight weeks and remained in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart for 27 weeks following its release. Topping the UK End of Year Singles Chart was "Ordinary" by U.S. pop newcomer Alex Warren. British singer-songwriter Lola Young's "Messy" placed second, followed by "Pink Pony Club" by American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan at No. 3. 2026-01-03 16:37:11 -
Nearly 70% of departing KT subscribers switch to SK Telecom after fee waiver SEOUL, January 03 (AJP) - More than 30,000 subscribers have left KT in the three days following the company's decision to waive early termination fees, with around 70 percent of those switching to SK Telecom. According to industry sources on Saturday, a total of 31,634 subscribers left KT between Dec. 31 and Friday, averaging more than 10,000 departures per day. Of those, 26,192 moved to rival mobile carriers, including 18,720 — more than 70 percent — who switched to SK Telecom. Another 7,272 subscribers moved to LG Uplus, while the remainder opted for budget mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). Industry officials attribute the heavy shift toward SK Telecom to its customer reacquisition policies. Following last year's hacking incident, SK Telecom has been restoring subscription tenure and membership tiers for returning customers, a move that appears to have encouraged former users to switch back amid KT's penalty waiver. Differences in consumer trust are also believed to have played a role. While the SK Telecom case was largely concluded with the imposition of fines, LG Uplus remains under scrutiny over suspected record concealment. KT's compensation package itself has also been cited as a factor driving subscriber departures. Although the company offered termination of early fee waivers, additional data allowances and expanded membership benefits, the extra data benefit does not apply to users on unlimited data plans, who account for roughly 30 percent of its subscriber base. With KT's fee waiver program set to remain in effect until the 13th and rival carriers continuing aggressive customer campaigns, industry watchers expect further subscriber losses in the coming days. All three of South Korea's major mobile carriers were attacked by hackers last year. A joint public-private investigation led by the Ministry of Science and ICT found that KT's breach involved a significantly larger scale of malware infections than the incident at SK Telecom, while SK Telecom was assessed to have suffered greater damage in terms of personal data leaks. LG Uplus is expected to face an intensive police investigation following allegations of false submissions and server disposal related to its breach. 2026-01-03 14:51:15 -
Police arrest taxi driver in fatal Jonggak Station crash after positive drug test SEOUL, January 03 (AJP) - Police have arrested a taxi driver after he tested positive for drugs following a fatal crash near Jonggak Station in central Seoul, officials said Saturday. According to police, the driver was detained after a preliminary drug test showed a positive result for morphine. The accident occurred at around 6 p.m. Friday on a road near Jonggak Station in Seoul's Jongno District, when a taxi collided with two vehicles. The collision sent the taxi onto the sidewalk, killing one pedestrian and injuring 13 others. Police said the electric taxi, driven by a man in his late 70s, first struck a vehicle, crashed into a signal pole at a crosswalk and then hit another vehicle ahead. In the process, pedestrians waiting to cross the street were struck and knocked to the ground. Among the injured was a woman in her 40s, a South Korean national, who suffered cardiac arrest. She was transported to a hospital while receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but later died. Police said they have not ruled out the possibility that the driver had taken legally prescribed medication, such as cold medicine, and have requested a detailed analysis from the National Forensic Service. A further investigation will be conducted into potential vehicle defects, the driver's health condition and the circumstances surrounding any drug use before deciding whether to seek an arrest warrant. 2026-01-03 11:04:57 -
Cold snap grips South Korea over first weekend of new year SEOUL, January 03 (AJP) - South Korea was hit by a sharp cold snap over the first weekend of the new year, with temperatures dropping to around minus 10 degrees Celsius nationwide on Saturday, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. Morning temperatures in most regions hovered near minus 10 degrees Celsius, while strong winds pushed wind chill values even lower. The cold spell, however, is expected to ease from Saturday afternoon, with temperatures gradually rising to seasonal averages. According to the KMA, temperatures will remain close to the seasonal norm for the time of year, with average lows ranging from minus 12 to zero degrees Celsius and daytime highs between 1 and 9 degrees. Highs on Saturday are forecast to reach between zero and 8 degrees Celsius. On Sunday, morning lows are expected to range from minus 10 to 2 degrees Celsius, with daytime highs climbing to between 1 and 10 degrees. Some regions are forecast to see light rain or snow over the weekend. Parts of the west coast of South Chungcheong Province may receive less than 1 centimeter of snowfall or around 1 millimeter of precipitation through Saturday afternoon. Light snow flurries of under 0.1 centimeter are expected in mountainous areas of Jeju Island through Saturday morning, along the southern Gyeonggi coast through Saturday night, and across Chungcheong Province and North Jeolla Province until Sunday morning. The KMA warned that icy roads and black ice could form in areas experiencing rain or snow, urging both drivers and pedestrians to exercise caution. Dry weather conditions are also expected to persist in Seoul, parts of inland Gyeonggi Province, the east coast and mountainous areas of Gangwon Province, eastern South Jeolla Province, and much of the Gyeongsang region, raising the risk of wildfires and other fires. Fine dust levels are forecast to remain at "moderate" levels across most of the country on Saturday, but air quality is expected to deteriorate to "poor" in Seoul, southern Gyeonggi Province, Sejong, North Chungcheong Province and North Jeolla Province on Sunday. 2026-01-03 09:54:21 -
Japan tops most popular international routes as China sees sharp rise in passengers SEOUL, December 31 (AJP) - Japan-bound flights emerged as the most popular international routes this year, while passenger traffic on China routes posted the strongest growth, according to travel data released by South Korean low-cost carrier Eastar Jet. Based on an analysis of customer usage data for its 2025 travel trends, Eastar Jet said on Wednesday that it carried approximately 5.6 million passengers this year, up 23 percent from the previous year, bringing its cumulative passenger total to 12 million. The airline expanded its fleet to 20 aircraft after introducing five new Boeing 737-8 jets, logging more than 34.2 million kilometers of flights—equivalent to circling the globe 853 times. Eastar Jet also added 12 new routes, including services to Almaty in Kazakhstan, Manado in Indonesia, and new international departures from Busan, expanding its network to more than 30 routes. The most frequently used international routes were Incheon–Osaka, Incheon–Tokyo and Incheon–Fukuoka, while the domestic Gimpo–Jeju route accounted for more than 70 percent of all domestic passengers. China routes stood out this year, with passenger numbers rising by more than 128 percent year on year. Average load factors on China flights also climbed by over 28 percent per flight. Foreign nationals accounted for about 30 percent of Eastar Jet's passengers. Among them, Taiwanese travelers made up the largest share at 38 percent, followed by Japanese (32 percent), Chinese (18 percent) and other nationalities (12 percent). Taipei emerged as the most popular overseas destination, reflecting Eastar Jet's extensive service to the city from Gimpo, Incheon, Busan, Cheongju and Jeju. The airline data aligns with broader tourism trends. According to Korea Tourism Organization statistics released on Tuesday, the number of foreign visitors to South Korea from January to November reached 17.42 million, up 15.4 percent from a year earlier and equivalent to 108.6 percent of pre-pandemic levels in 2019. By country, China led with 5.09 million visitors, followed by Japan (3.35 million), Taiwan (1.73 million), the United States (1.38 million) and the Philippines (560,000). Outbound travel by South Koreans also continued to recover. From January to November, the number of overseas trips by Korean nationals totaled 26.8 million, up 3.2 percent from the same period last year and reaching 101.6 percent of 2019 levels. By age group, travelers in their 30s recorded the highest monthly average at around 460,000, followed by those in their 40s and 50s, with roughly 410,000 and 380,000 travelers, respectively. Eastar Jet said its youngest passenger this year was under one year old, while the oldest was 103. Eastar Jet also observed distinct booking patterns depending on departure timing. About 42 percent of passengers purchased tickets between two weeks and two months before departure, while 21 percent booked more than two months in advance and around 20 percent bought tickets within a week of travel. 2025-12-31 16:54:46 -
To shorten working hours, Korea wants employers to pay strictly by hours SEOUL, December 31 (AJP) - South Korea is known for long working hours. The five-day workweek is only a generation old, and the 52-hour cap has been in place for less than eight years. Average working hours remain above the OECD average, and the government now wants to address this by overhauling the way wages are calculated. It plans to tackle the loosely defined "comprehensive wage" system, under which various allowances and overtime pay are bundled into an annual or monthly salary. The government aims to require employers to track actual working hours and compensate overtime strictly based on recorded time. The move marks the first attempt to bring under statutory control a wage practice that has long been tolerated through court rulings rather than explicitly defined in labor law. The comprehensive wage system largely exists for employer convenience, allowing a preset amount of overtime, night work and holiday pay to be included in monthly salaries when tracking actual hours is deemed difficult. The practice is not stipulated in the Labor Standards Act but has been permitted in limited cases through Supreme Court rulings dating back to the 1970s. The term itself became widely used in the 1990s and gradually spread as a common pay arrangement. The system has been especially prevalent in sectors such as information technology (IT) and gaming, where long working hours are common. In practice, however, many companies have failed to pay additional compensation even when employees worked beyond the hours implicitly covered by their salaries, drawing criticism that the system has enabled unpaid overtime and wage violations. Labor experts say the controversy stems from a gap between the law's wording and how it has been enforced. The Labor Standards Act requires employment contracts to clearly specify both wages and agreed working hours, defined as the hours set within statutory limits by agreement between employers and workers. "If the law is interpreted literally, comprehensive wage arrangements are fundamentally inconsistent with this framework," said Jung Bong-soo, a labor attorney at KangNam Labor Law Firm. He added that in reality, many white-collar workers have a fixed number of overtime hours — such as 20 or 24 hours per month — vaguely included in their salaries, with no additional pay even when they work longer. "Strictly speaking, most of these practices amount to violations of the law," he said. To address the issue, the government plans to require employers to guarantee full pay even when workers perform fewer hours than agreed, while mandating additional compensation for any work exceeding the agreed hours. As a core measure, all companies would be required to record actual working hours for overtime, night and holiday work. Wage ledgers would have to include detailed information on working days and overtime hours, institutionalizing transparent tracking and management of working time. The Ministry of Employment and Labor said it intends to make clock-out records mandatory for overtime work across all businesses, with detailed requirements to be laid out in forthcoming legislation. The legal package is also expected to include a provision prohibiting after-work text orders. Korea currently has no explicit rules governing after-hours contact, with disputes handled indirectly under workplace harassment or overtime regulations. Some labor scholars caution that stronger enforcement will be crucial if the reforms are to have any real impact. "Supervision of working hours has been weak due to limited administrative capacity," said Kim Sung-hee, a professor at Korea University's Graduate School of Labor Studies. "Without clear, binding rules on how and when the measures apply, recommendations alone will not bring about change." Labor attorney Jung also noted that South Korea already has a legally defined "discretionary work system" for jobs where working time is genuinely difficult to measure. Expanding its application in line with industry characteristics and job roles could help reduce confusion surrounding comprehensive wage practices. The debate comes amid persistent concerns over South Korea's long working hours compared with other advanced economies. South Korea continues to rank among the countries with the longest working hours in the developed world. According to OECD data cited by the government, annual working hours stood at 1,859 last year, compared with an OECD average of 1,708. Although the figure has declined from 2,071 hours in 2015, South Korea still ranks near the top among member countries. Countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and France report fewer than 1,500 working hours per year, while the United States — the next highest among major economies — stands at around 1,810 hours. The government says its latest measures are aimed at narrowing that gap by making long hours more visible — and more costly — for employers. 2025-12-31 15:10:19