[Editorial] Wholly unchecked

The Korean Veterans Association has been embroiled in a corruption scandal, plunging it into its biggest crisis since its establishment in 1952 in the midst of the Korean War. 　The scandal surrounds its chairman Cho Nam-poong, a retired four-star Army general who was elected in April. A special audit conducted by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs disclosed various irregularities. 　Cho was found to have handpicked -- in total violation of the association’s personnel rules -- 25 execut

July 31, 2015

[Editorial] Abe’s reality

As the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II draws closer, international pressure is mounting on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over his stance on the country’s wartime wrongdoings. This rightful pressure should be kept up until he comes to his senses and does what he ought to do.　This past week saw a flurry of events regarding Abe’s plan to issue a statement commemorating Japan’s Aug. 15, 1945, surrender that ended the war. 　In Seoul, a group of 524 intellectuals from Korea, Japan and

July 31, 2015

[Editorial] Business as usual

Former Korean Air vice president Cho Hyun-ah’s name graced the headlines again, once again in connection to an unsavory incident.　Cho, who earned global ignominy with “nut rage” -- an incident in which she physically and verbally abused the flight attendants and ordered the taxiing aircraft to return to the gate after she became enraged at how macadamia nuts were served in the first class cabin -- was released from jail in May. She was serving a one-year sentence handed in February when an appea

July 30, 2015

[Editorial] Pyongyang visit

Former first lady Lee Hee-ho is scheduled to visit Pyongyang Aug. 5-8, an opportunity the government could use to engage North Korea.　Although her final itinerary has not been confirmed, Lee is expected to visit a child care center, a maternity hospital and a children’s hospital as well as Mount Myohyangsan, the purpose of her visit being to deliver medical supplies and goods for children. It is not yet known whether Lee will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.　Lee is visiting the North i

July 30, 2015

[Editorial] Never again

It certainly feels good to hear the government announcing that Korea is free from the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak that had kept the whole nation fretting for two months.　Needless to say, it would have been better had authorities dealt with the contagious disease promptly in its initial stage, but it still is fortunate that we could stop the deadly virus after minimizing its impact.　The nation lost so much in its fight with the outbreak. A total of 186 people were hit by the disease

July 29, 2015

[Editorial] More lawmakers?

The main opposition party’s proposal to increase the number of lawmakers has come under strong public criticism. It deserves scolding for, among other things, ignoring the prevailing public belief that the National Assembly is not doing its job well.　The proposal, made by the New Politics Alliance for Democracy’s self-reform committee, suggested that the parliament have seats for 369 lawmakers, including 123 to be elected under the proportional representation system. The current comparable figur

July 29, 2015

[Editorial] NIS investigation

The National Intelligence Service chief Lee Byung-ho’s closed-door briefing at the National Assembly produced, as expected, very different responses from the legislators attending the meeting.　Lee asserted that the spy agency never conducted illegal surveillance of South Korean citizens, according to Won Yoo-chul, the ruling Saenuri Party floor leader. The NIS chief vowed to step down from his post if there was any spying on South Korean nationals. 　The briefing was held in response to the recen

July 28, 2015

[Editorial] Iran deal a lesson for N.K.

A flurry of talks are taking place over North Korean denuclearization following the recent conclusion of the Iranian nuclear deal.On Monday, Sydney Seiler, U.S. special envoy for the six-party talks on North Korean denuclearization, met with his South Korean counterpart Kim Gunn, director general for North Korean nuclear affairs at the Foreign Ministry. From Seoul, Seiler traveled to Beijing where he is to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart. From there, he will go on to Tokyo to hold bilate

July 28, 2015

[Editorial] Still idle

Fifteen months have passed since the Sewol ferry disaster shook the nation, and many Koreans may have recovered from the initial shock of one of the worst maritime calamities. But this does not mean that they could ease up on what they suffered and what they committed themselves to when the tragic accident overtook the entire nation. 　So it is utterly disturbing to hear that the special committee named to investigate what caused the ferry to sink and find what we should do to prevent such a disa

July 27, 2015

[Editorial] Do not repeat failure

The government and the ruling party have set labor reform as their top priority in the second half of this year. Under the agreement, the Saenuri Party has formed an ad-hoc committee to push the reform program. 　There is no doubt that without reforming the notoriously rigid labor market, Korea will be unable to overcome the low-growth trap and the worsening unemployment problems. 　The recent developments have added urgency to the need for labor reform: The economy grew less than 1 percent for th

July 27, 2015

[Editorial] Patient records leak

Medical information on nearly 90 percent of Korean population was sold as big data to a multination firm, raising concerns about safekeeping of the highly confidential information.　A company specializing in developing medical fees settlement programs used by hospitals and the Korea Pharmaceutical Information Center -- which distributed free pharmacy management software to nearly half of the country’s pharmacies -- were caught having sold a vast amount of data to a multinational firm, IMS Health

July 26, 2015

[Editorial] Pardons for businessmen

Last Friday’s Blue House luncheon attended by 17 business leaders and heads of Centers for Creative Economy and Innovation supported by their companies was an occasion for the corporate top brass to talk directly with President Park Geun-hye.　The luncheon meeting, held to celebrate the recent opening of the last of the creative economy centers in Incheon -- there are now 18 such centers -- lasted more than three hours, a sign that there was a lot of talk at the meeting.　Entering the last half of

July 26, 2015

[Editorial] Will they last?

President Park Geun-hye hosted a luncheon Friday for the heads of the 17 major conglomerates which are each supporting her signature project for promoting start-ups and venture firms in an equal number of major provinces and metropolises.The Blue House luncheon came two days after Park visited Incheon to open the 17th and last center there. Like in other centers, Hanjin Group, in tandem with the Incheon Metropolitan Government, will spend 159 billion won ($138 million) to foster local start-ups

July 24, 2015

[Editorial] Rights watchdog

President Park Geun-hye has nominated senior judge Lee Seong-ho as chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission. If Lee goes through the parliamentary confirmation hearing, he will take helm of the nation’s top human rights watchdog next month.Park’s spokesperson said that the president chose Lee, head of the Seoul Central District Court, because he had a firm belief in the protection of human rights.Lee may have such a belief, but it does not mean that he fulfills the requirement that th

July 24, 2015

[Editorial] Internship guideline

Compounding the already dire problem of youth unemployment in Korea is the exploitation of interns.A Ministry of Employment and Labor survey of 151 randomly selected companies in the hotel, fashion, hairdressing and bakery sectors found that 103 companies had hired interns without a contract. Of the 103, 45 companies paid them below minimum wage.　A well-known hotel in Seoul was found to have filled 70 percent of its full-time positions during the summer peak season with interns, paying them 300,

July 23, 2015

[Editorial] Mitsubishi’s selective apology

Japan’s Mitsubishi Materials Corp., after its unprecedented move of apologizing to U.S. prisoners of war who were used as slave labor during World War II, now says it hopes to apologize to former British, Dutch and Australian World War II POWs who were used as slave labor. The company also said that it hopes to reach an amicable solution with Chinese forced laborers who have filed lawsuits against the company. Regrettably, there is no mention of any form of relief for Koreans who were taken away

July 23, 2015

[Editorial] Rural life

The number of urban households moving to rural areas increased by a whopping 36 times over the past decade to 44,692 last year, according to government data.This phenomenon is ascribed mainly to a rising flood of retirees who want to seek a second life in the countryside. Returning to farming seems increasingly attractive to many baby boomers -- born between 1955 and 1963 -- who are reaching retirement age, as a way of making a living in their later years as well as realizing their wish to get a

July 22, 2015

[Editorial] Devotion to work

Asked by a reporter last week whether she would run in next April’s parliamentary election, Gender Equality and Family Minister Kim Hee-jung replied to the effect that she felt no need to answer a self-evident question. Her response was seen as a clear indication that she would quit her ministerial job to campaign for a seat in the National Assembly.Kim, a ruling party lawmaker, might have felt embarrassed when President Park Geun-hye told Cabinet members Tuesday to put aside their personal purs

July 22, 2015

[Editorial] In rough seas

The shipbuilding industry, once a major source of pride for Korea Inc., is sailing through rough waters. While the sluggish global economy is primarily to blame for the current situation, there is a bigger cause for concern.　A simple look at figures shows how bad the situation is. Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world’s top shipbuilder, recorded its biggest-ever operating loss of 3.25 trillion won ($2.84 billion) in 2014. 　Another world-class shipbuilder, Samsung Heavy Industries, which managed to

July 21, 2015

[Editorial] Future of progressives

Shim Sang-jung, a veteran progressive politician, has taken helm of the minor opposition Justice Party, which is the most left-wing party that has seats in the National Assembly. 　Shim, a two-term lawmaker, scored a come-from-behind victory over popular former lawmaker and party chief Roh Hoe-chan. She won 52.5 percent of the vote in a run-off poll, against Roh’s 47.5 percent. 　She said her primary mission would be to realign the nation’s progressive forces -- used in Korea to describe groups po

July 21, 2015