[Editorial] Show unyielding spirit

President Moon Jae-in vowed to prevent war at all costs in a speech on Tuesday marking the anniversary of the end of Japanese occupation in 1945. He said, “Any military action against North Korea should be decided only by South Korea and not by anyone else without the South’s permission.”He also warned of tighter sanctions and more pressure unless the North stop nuclear and missile provocations. Sanctions were designed to bring North Korea to the negotiating table, not to raise military tension,

Aug. 16, 2017

[Editorial] First 100 days

President Moon Jae-in marks his 100th day in office Thursday, with -- like many of his predecessors -- both good and bad grades. Overall, the general public gives a relatively good mark to what the Moon administration has been doing since it took office in the midst of a national crisis that peaked with the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye. The latest public opinion poll put Moon’s approval rating at 71.8 percent -- it went down for two consecutive weeks -- which is still high in co

Aug. 15, 2017

[Editorial] Trust scientific basis

Electromagnetic waves and noise near the site where the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense antimissile system is deployed in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, have been shown to be harmless to humans.Anti-THAAD protesters have cited electromagnetic waves and noise as a major justification for their opposition to the system.Measurements conducted by the Ministry of National Defense together with the Ministry of Environment last Saturday found that the strengthe of electromagnetic waves measure

Aug. 14, 2017

[Editorial] The China factor

The outcome of the escalating tension between the US and North Korea will depend on what their two notoriously erratic leaders -- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un -- opt to do. But there certainly are more factors and variables in determining the future course of events, among which China should top the list. The fact that Trump held a telephone conversation with President Xi Jinping over the weekend -- despite the lack of a breakthrough -- is evidence that China has a key role to play in defusing t

Aug. 13, 2017

[Editorial] Dangerously naive

All the latest developments show that the confrontation between the US and North Korea is raising tension to the highest level in recent years. US President Donald Trump and other government leaders in Washington are openly talking about a war with the North, which in turn is inciting the communist regime to threaten to launch missile strikes in the waters off Guam, which houses US air and naval bases.It is clear the crisis is reaching boiling point, placing the Korean Peninsula on alert as Nort

Aug. 11, 2017

[Editorial] Stop escalating tension

Tension on the Korean Peninsula is escalating sharply, with Washington and Pyongyang getting on each other’s nerves with blunt threats and warnings.The US intelligence community assessed that North Korea has successfully produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its intercontinental ballistic missile, according to the Washington Post.The secretive nation is projected to field nuclear ICBMs capable of striking the US mainland next year.If the assessment is correct, the lives of

Aug. 10, 2017

[Editorial] Fair judgment

There are several factors to be considered about the trial of Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of Samsung Group, who has been charged with bribery and other suspicions stemming from a corruption scandal involving ousted President Park Geun-hye. Firstly, there is the concern that the trial, which began four months ago, is being affected by something other than strict legal arguments. One such indication comes from the team of Special Prosecutor Park Young-soo.Given the nature of the case, it is

Aug. 9, 2017

[Editorial] Data must be unbiased

The government imposed an emergency power cutback on some companies twice last month, even as it was publicizing that the electricity supply was more than enough.According to a report that Korea Power Exchange submitted to Rep. Kim Moo-sung of the minor opposition Bareun Party, about 450 companies were instructed to reduce their electricity usage for three hours on July 12, and some 2,500 companies for four hours on July 21.　The government adopted the emergency cutback system in 2014, in which i

Aug. 8, 2017

[Editorial] No empty warning

North Korea should take the latest series of sanctions as a clear warning the international community will not condone its nuclear and missile provocations. The past week has seen actions taken to impose the most extensive-yet sanctions on the North Korean regime, which test-fired last month two ballistic missiles that were seen as capable of reaching the US mainland. One such action was taken by the US, as President Donald Trump signed a bill on a package of sanctions against North Korea, Russi

Aug. 7, 2017

[Editorial] Adjust recruitment

Students at colleges of education are protesting a government plan to sharply reduce the recruitment of elementary school teachers next year. 　Last year, the government passed 846 of those who took certification tests to work at elementary schools in Seoul.This year, it plans to reduce the number of successful test takers to 105.Nationwide, the figure has been cut from 5,764 last year to 3,321 this year. In Gwangju, just five certifications will be issued this year.The usual ratio of test takers

Aug. 6, 2017

[Editorial] Hasty taxation decision

A recently unveiled bill on tax code revision targeting only the rich is hasty and politically expedient.The revenue increase from raising tax rates for the top 93,000 earners and 129 highest earning companies is estimated to be some 5.5 trillion won ($4.88 billion) a year, or 24 trillion won over five years. This is far short of the 178 trillion won required to implement the 100 new policy projects of the Moon Jae-in administration during its five-year term.Raising taxes on the rich alone goes

Aug. 4, 2017

[Editorial] Inconvenient review

Historical and territorial disputes between Korea and Japan are never easy to settle. To be fair, it may be impossible for the two countries to reach a compromise on some of the knottiest issues. The Japanese Army’s exploitation of Korean women and girls as sex slaves during World War II may be one such issue. The two sides reached an agreement in 2015 to leave the issue behind, but the accord faces an uncertain future, pending a review by the Korean government. The agreement was pushed by Japan

Aug. 3, 2017

[Editorial] Easygoing attitude

The US is talking tough after North Korea’s recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which can strike part of its mainland.US President Donald Trump told his Cabinet on Monday his administration will “handle” Pyongyang, stressing that the US can deal with anything. US media outlet Politico reported Trump may be considering strong economic sanctions on China. The punitive measures could be introduced as early as this week.Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday, “Chinese Peopl

Aug. 2, 2017

[Editorial] THAAD folly

The way past and incumbent governments alike have dealt with the deployment of a US missile shield system to counter threats from North Korea shows how foolhardy and senseless the leaders of this country are. The Moon Jae-in administration’s decision last week to deploy four additional interceptor launchers for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery was only the latest in a series of flip-flops the South Korean government did. Moon took the action in response to the North’s test-launch

Aug. 1, 2017

[Editorial] Response to NK missiles

North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on July 28 is misguided behavior which will only cause tighter sanctions and backfire on its goals.The reasons for the North to keep developing ICBMs are obvious.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un thinks he can make Washington hesitate to intervene in crises on the Korean Peninsula by threatening the US with nuclear missiles.His ultimate intention is to break the US-South Korea alliance and make Washington back off from Korean issues.But

July 31, 2017

[Editorial] Passing the buck

The way the government is determining the fate of two nuclear reactors whose construction has been halted temporarily is as problematic as its policy to reduce the nation’s dependence on nuclear power. The government and a panel tasked with considering the issue have been ping-ponging over who should have the final say. Under pressure from the government, the panel eventually said it would make the call, but this then raised skepticism about its independence. The latest developments show that th

July 30, 2017

[Editorial] Populism all over

Granted, it is hard to separate politicians from populism. Nevertheless, what Korean politicians -- from President Moon Jae-in to opposition leaders -- do these days offers ample cause for concern. The Moon administration and ruling party -- taking advantage of or aiming to further bolster their high-running popularity -- is rolling out one populist policy after another. Indeed, one of Moon’s first public appearances since becoming president was related to his election pledge to turn all conting

July 28, 2017

[Editorial] Growth problems

The income-led growth policy outlined by the Moon Jae-in administration is quite different from former economic paradigms. The previous governments stressed large companies and exports to grow the economy, create jobs and increase household income. On the other hand, the Moon government calls for increasing household income and creating jobs through fiscal expenditure, expecting these to lead growth. Its policies include sharply raising the minimum wage to 10,000 won; hiring 810,000 people in th

July 27, 2017

[Editorial] Russian loophole

There are increasing signs that Russia and North Korea -- former Cold War allies -- are getting closer to each other. This could change geopolitics in the region and affect the international endeavors to stop Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile belligerence. One palpable sign came at the UN Security Council early this month, where Russia thwarted adoption of a new resolution against the launch of what the North claimed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile. Russia, one of the five permanent me

July 26, 2017

[Editorial] Ensure fairness

A government committee has been launched to plan and manage public debates which will decide the fate of two nuclear reactors: Shin Kori 5 and 6.However, as President Moon Jae-in has proclaimed a policy to wean the nation from nuclear power generation, the concern is that the commission activity will be biased. The construction of the reactors has been suspended temporarily in line with the policy.Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Un-gyu said to reporters after his inauguration ceremon

July 25, 2017