[Editorial] National unity

The violent clashes between protesters and riot police in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Thursday vividly showed what the nation lacks in coping with the crisis caused by North Korea’s nuclear and missile menace -- unity. In fact, the controversial deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile exposed some common problems in Korean society-- government indecisiveness, not-in-my-backyard selfishness, intervention by activists and domination of populism. It was in July la

Sept. 8, 2017

[Editorial] Putin negative on sanctions

President Moon Jae-in and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed various issues including North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles and cooperation for the development of the Russian Far East.In their summit meeting in Vladivostok on Wednesday, the two leaders shared the view that the North’s nuclear and missile development was an unacceptable mistaken course of action and that it was urgent to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula.They also agreed to strengthen strategic communication betwe

Sept. 7, 2017

[Editorial] Minimize impact

North Korea’s latest nuclear test -- its sixth and reportedly most powerful yet -- has yet to impact the global and Korean economy as much as it has ratcheted up geopolitical tensions. Yet, that should not offer any basis for optimism. Most of all, the crisis is certain to move in a different direction than in the past, in which a fresh provocation by the North struck the stock and financial markets only temporarily. What distinguishes this crisis from those in the past is that the latest nuclea

Sept. 6, 2017

[Editorial] Dialogue off the table

Chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Party Choo Mi-ae on Monday proposed dispatching special envoys simultaneously to North Korea and the US to arrange for “two-track talks” between South and North Koreas and between the US and the North as a way to solve the North’s nukes problem.Choo said in an address at the National Assembly, “The government must oppose war on the Korean Peninsula at any cost and should not stop nor give up efforts for dialogue.”It is hardly understandable to make this remark

Sept. 5, 2017

[Editorial] Stopping NK

North Korea’s latest nuclear test imposes a formidable challenge to the US, South Korea and the international community, as the provocation has brought the crisis to a different level to those of the past. Most of all, the latest test apparently puts the rogue regime closer to the completion of its goal of attaining the capability to strike the mainland US with a nuclear-mounted intercontinental ballistic missile. As with most claims from the isolated regime, Sunday’s special announcement of suc

Sept. 4, 2017

[Editorial] Clarify ordinary wages

The government and the National Assembly are moving to clarify ordinary wages in law after a court decision involving Kia Motors.Such moves stem from a need to establish clear criteria, as the current code on ordinary wages is blamed for the legal disputes over them. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Kim Dong-yeon remarked on Friday, “I will seek a fast revision of the Labor Standards Act to clarify the legal scope of ordinary wages.”Politicians of both the ruling and op

Sept. 3, 2017

[Editorial] Nothing but loyalty

In February this year, Rep. Shim Jae-kwon, chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee, authored three bills to add ambassadors appointed by the president to a list of senior administration officials whose nominations are required to go through parliamentary confirmation hearing. The ruling party lawmaker wrote the bills in reaction to the revelation that Choi Soon-sil, the jailed confidante of ousted President Park Geun-hye, peddled influence in the appointment of a former corpo

Sept. 1, 2017

[Editorial] Super welfare budget

The government budget plan for next year has been set at 429 trillion won ($381 billion), up 7.1 percent from this year.The rate of increase is the steepest since 2009, when the nation struggled to escape from a global financial crisis.The rapid budget expansion is attributable to welfare policies the new administration promised to implement, such as raising pensions for low-income seniors and widening state health insurance coverage.Welfare expenditures have increased 12.9 percent to take up 34

Aug. 31, 2017

[Editorial] Effective punishment

North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan into the Pacific Ocean east of Hokkaido on Tuesday. It flew about 2,700 kilometers and reached a maximum height of 550 kilometers.Unlike recent high-angle launches, it was fired at a normal angle, causing speculation it may have attempted to test the technology needed for a missile to reenter the atmosphere in an actual battle situation. Atmospheric reentry is regarded as the last hurdle to clear before perfecting an interconti

Aug. 30, 2017

[Editorial] Commander in chief’s posture

President Moon Jae-in rebuked the military Monday. “North Korea has been upgrading its asymmetric warfare capabilities, so we should have built up our response accordingly. But I have a lingering question as to what the military has done thus far with so much money (it has received),” Moon told military brass during a policy briefing of the Defense Ministry. During the presidential campaign, Moon called defense contract irregularities one of the deep-rooted evils of past governments.Among the re

Aug. 29, 2017

[Editorial] Low-strength provocation

North Korea launched projectiles Saturday, but South Korea and the US initially saw them differently, though Seoul later agreed with Washington’s assessment.The projectiles are presumed to have reached an altitude of 50 kilometers and have flown 250 kilometers.Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday they were a new type of rocket or unknown projectile, while the US Pacific Command has defined them as short-range ballistic missiles.The South Korean Ministry of National Defense revised its position Monday that

Aug. 28, 2017

[Editorial] Reasonable doubt

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong charged with bribery to former President Park Geun-hye was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday.The court ruled he had bribed Park and her confidante Choi Soon-sil by sponsoring equestrian trainings of Choi’s daughter Chung Yoo-ra and donating to a winter sports center Choi effectively controlled.“Lee offered bribes in anticipation of Park’s favor in tightening his managerial control over Samsung Group,” it ruled.The court said it could not a

Aug. 27, 2017

[Editorial] Different China

Relations between South Korea and China are at rock bottom. You need look no further than what happened in Beijing and Seoul this week as the two countries marked the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties. Commemorative events held for the silver anniversary in the two capitals were anything but as glittering as they should have been. There was no joint ceremony, unlike in 2012 when the 20th anniversary celebrations drew senior officials including Xi Jinping, who was then the vice president. This

Aug. 25, 2017

[Editorial] Unilateral denuclearization

President Moon Jae-in stressed the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the improvement of inter-Korean relations during policy briefings of the Foreign and Unification Ministries on Wednesday.He said that the problem of North Korean nukes should be approached with a sense of ownership that peace on the peninsula should be defended by none other than Koreans.Moon also instructed them to prepare steps to realize inter-Korean economic cooperation.　The clarification of his policy to push ec

Aug. 24, 2017

[Editorial] Golden rule

The Constitution allows a spoils system in the judiciary, as it empowers the president to nominate the head of such powerful bodies as the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court. This has always been a source of dispute over the political neutrality and independence of the judiciary. The Moon Jae-in administration is no exception. Moon’s nominations of Kim Yi-su as the head of the Constitutional Court and Lee You-jung as a new justice of the top court are deadlocked at the National Assembly due

Aug. 23, 2017

[Editorial] Habitual strikes

Hyundai Motor President Yoon Gap-han reportedly said during a recent collective bargaining with its labor union, “the days of the union demanding high wages like they did when Hyundai Motor grew rapidly are past.”Hyundai Motor’s labor cost has not only far exceeded the industry average but has already reached its limits, he said.“Sales have plunged in the US and China this year and orders for production have declined sharply,” Yoon said. “The time when overtime is not needed may come sooner than

Aug. 22, 2017

[Editorial] Pyongyang’s next step

The tension between the US and North Korea that had raised the specter of war on the peninsula has eased off as both sides refrain from threats of military strikes against each other. There have been many signs of a lull in the crisis recently, including comments from North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump who had previously exchanged bellicose tit-for-tat rhetoric that many thought would portend military conflict between the two countries. Kim, who had ordered the prepar

Aug. 21, 2017

[Editorial] Helter-skelter response

Last week’s tests on eggs at all 1,239 chicken farms across the country found eggs in 49 farms contaminated with insecticides banned for the human food chain.The government said eggs from unaffected farms are safe. But consumers do not seem to believe everything as told due to lingering doubts about tests.The government response to the contaminated egg scare has been chaotic.The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs disclosed egg contamination to the press about 10 hours after knowing

Aug. 20, 2017

[Editorial] Time to show performance

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday he has tried to right wrongs and re-establish the roles of government.“I have tried to carry out the reforms the people demand. They are my biggest power in running state affairs,” he said at a news conference marking his 100 days in office.Moon emphasized, as he had done in his inaugural address, that he would be a president for all Koreans.But actually, he has clung to those who attended the candlelight rallies that led to the snap election he won.The key to

Aug. 18, 2017

[Editorial] Tainted eggs

The egg contamination crisis exposes a problem caused by a combination of government laxity and the lack of professional ethics on the part of farmers. A bigger cause for concern is that the egg industry might not be the only one with such a problem. As expected, the number of egg farms affected by the nationwide crisis is growing day by day, with more than 60 farms having been found to have produced eggs tainted by harmful pesticides.The egg farms stretch from as north as Cheorwon, Gangwon Prov

Aug. 17, 2017