[Editorial] Dereliction of duty

The main opposition party’s boycott of a parliamentary confirmation hearing for a Supreme Court justice nominee can hardly be justified. It may only deepen public concern about whether the New Politics Alliance for Democracy is really committed to abiding by the principles of procedural democracy.Under an agreement reached between the rival parties last month, the hearing for Park Sang-ok, a former prosecutor who was nominated as Supreme Court justice in January, was scheduled to be held on Feb.

Feb. 26, 2015

[Editorial] Political reform

The National Election Commission this week submitted draft revisions to laws on elections and political activities to the National Assembly. Its proposals are meant to reflect changing conditions in efforts to reform politics. Serious consideration needs to be given to some proposed measures, such as increasing the number of lawmakers elected through the proportional representation system and obliging presidential candidates to return campaign funds offered from state coffers if they withdraw fr

Feb. 26, 2015

[Editorial] Yellow dust worsens

Yellow dust swept into Korea on Sunday carrying with it fine dust particles that contain various pollutants, including carcinogens. Although the yellow dust phenomenon occurs primarily in the spring, the country was hit on Monday by what the Korea Meteorological Administration said was the worst winter yellow dust in five years, resulting in the issuing of the sixth yellow dust warning since 2002. On Monday morning, the KMA issued a yellow dust warning for Seoul which was subsequently lowered to

Feb. 25, 2015

[Editorial]Playing it safe

Three out of 10 middle and high school students in a survey last year said that they had no job goals in mind. The hopes, expectations and dreams ― the typical characterization of youth ― seem to have been snuffed out in today’s youngsters. In the survey of 180,000 elementary, middle and high school students, those who said they had a desired job cited teaching as their No. 1 choice. On a positive note, this could be a sign of respect for teachers. Yet, it is difficult to shake off the feeling t

Feb. 25, 2015

[Editorial] Widening wage gap

A recent report shows the wage gap in Korea has been widening between large and small companies and between regular and irregular employees.The average monthly wage at enterprises with fewer than 300 employees remained at 2.04 million won ($1,830) last year, accounting for 56.7 percent of the corresponding figure for corporations with 300 or more workers. The proportion was down from 59.8 percent a decade earlier, according to the report released by the Korea Labor Institute.The most severe inco

Feb. 24, 2015

[Editorial] Third year in office

President Park Geun-hye, who enters the third year of her five-year term Wednesday, is being pressed to carry forward her key reform agenda and regain public trust in her leadership.Her aides say no special event is scheduled to mark the day, probably reflecting the uneasy atmosphere over the high-running public discontent with her job performance. Park’s approval rating, which soared above 60 percent a year ago, is hovering around 30 percent in recent weeks.Public support for the president has

Feb. 24, 2015

[Editorial] State health insurance surplus

The National Health Insurance Service recorded a 4.6 trillion won surplus in 2014, its largest ever. After four consecutive years of surplus, the accumulated figure now stands at more than 12.8 trillion won.In announcing the figures, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said that the continued surplus shows that people are in better health. Indeed, the NHIS expenditure increased 5.7 percent over the previous year, continuing the significant slowdown in expenditure over the past few years. From 201

Feb. 23, 2015

[Editorial] N.K.’s unchanged ways

Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang remain as icy as ever despite Seoul’s offer of high-level talks.Seoul proposed the talks last December to discuss pending issues and a possible reunion of families separated during the Korean War. Pyongyang reciprocated with Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s message in which he alluded to a possible acceptance of the proposal. North Korea has yet to respond to the offer of high-level talks; instead it held a military drill on the West Coast which it said was aimed at

Feb. 23, 2015

[Editorial] Worry over Cabinet

Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo spent the weekend receiving briefings on pending policy issues from his aides in preparation for a parliamentary interpellation session that starts Wednesday. Embattled by allegations of ethical lapses during the parliamentary confirmation process, Lee has vowed since taking office a week ago to make up for his disgrace by performing his job well.It seems, however, that Lee should first take steps to disperse public doubts about whether his Cabinet is really prepared t

Feb. 22, 2015

[Editorial] Chinese tourists

Local tourism industry officials expect about 126,000 Chinese tourists to visit Korea during China’s weeklong Lunar New Year holiday, which continues through Tuesday. This figure represents a 30 percent increase from the same season last year.Korea’s tourism sector is becoming increasingly dependent on a growing number of Chinese visitors, who spend more money here than tourists from any other country.Fueled by the popularity of Korean pop culture and a gradual appreciation of the Chinese curren

Feb. 22, 2015

[Editorial] Crippled start

Former ruling party floor leader Lee Wan-koo was sworn in as prime minister Tuesday after the National Assembly narrowly passed his confirmation motion a day earlier. The 148-128 vote, with five ballots invalid, reflected the deep negative sentiment against Lee, whose qualification for the No. 2 post in the executive branch had been seriously questioned by a string of allegations of ethical lapses during last week’s parliamentary hearing. At least seven of the 155 ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers

Feb. 17, 2015

[Editorial] Currency swap termination

It may not carry a significant consequence for Korea and Japan to have decided not to extend their $10 billion currency swap line that is scheduled to expire on Feb. 23. But it is still regretful that they failed to preserve the deal, the last in a series of swap arrangements set up between the two neighboring countries since July 2001.Announcing the decision Monday, the Finance Ministry here said both sides had agreed that it might be appropriate to allow the accord to expire naturally in light

Feb. 17, 2015

[Editorial] Like nursing an infant

The Korean carbon trading market got off to a very slow start in the first month of its operation. A sluggish beginning was largely expected, but this should not allow officials to get complacent. The Korea Exchange, the nation’s main bourse and the operator of the emissions trading market, said that only 1,380 tons of emissions allowances ― with a total value of 11.55 million won ($10,500) ― changed hands in the first month of trading since Jan. 12. There was not a single transaction in all but

Feb. 16, 2015

[Editorial] Undeserving elite

We hardly need to repeat that many members of Korea’s elite have problems with their competence and ethical standards. But recent cases tell us that too many people in this society have reached high places despite lacking the professional and personal qualities required of them. Nothing illustrated this better than the case of Lee Wan-koo, the man who is taking over the No. 2 post in the administration despite a host of questions about his qualifications. Lee managed to get the votes to be appro

Feb. 16, 2015

[Editorial] Another death at a zoo

The accident at Seoul Children’s Grand Park on Thursday that claimed the life of a zookeeper bears much resemblance to the accident at Seoul Grand Park last May that also resulted in a zookeeper’s death.In both instances, the zookeepers entered a compound where ferocious predatory animals were kept ― lions in the latest case and tigers last year ― unaware that one of the gates that kept the beasts contained was open. They were both working alone.Following a review of the 2014 attack, the authori

Feb. 15, 2015

[Editorial] Fresh start

The ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung paid his respects at the grave of former President Roh Moo-hyun on Feb. 14, reciprocating the major opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy Chairman Moon Jae-in’s visit to the graves of former President Syngman Rhee and former President Park Chung-hee at the National Cemetery on Feb. 9 on his first day as party chairman.Moon’s visits to the two graves were the first by a chief of the opposition party and Kim’s visit to Roh’s grave in Gimhae,

Feb. 15, 2015

[Editorial] Lessons from ‘nut rage’

A Seoul court sentenced Cho Hyun-ah, a former Korean Air vice president and the eldest daughter of the company chairman, to one year in prison for endangering aviation safety by ordering a taxiing plane to return to the gate at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport in December.In a case that came to be known as the “nut rage” and gained worldwide notoriety, Cho, who was vice president in charge of cabin service, verbally and physically abused flight attendants over the serving of macadamia nuts. Sh

Feb. 13, 2015

[Editorial] P.M. nominee vote

A major political clash was narrowly averted Thursday when the ruling Saenuri Party and the major opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy agreed to postpone a plenary session until Feb. 16, delaying the vote on Lee Wan-koo’s appointment as the new prime minister.The deal was brokered by the National Assembly speaker Chung Ui-hwa who advised Saenuri Party not to think only about the immediate gains but also diverse perspectives of the issue. Chung also requested that the NPAD take part in

Feb. 13, 2015

[Editorial] Change hard to come by

The election of Moon Jae-in as leader of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy raised hopes ― at least, among those who support him and his party ― that it could provide momentum for the main opposition party to shake itself out of years in the doldrums and make a fresh start for victories in the next major elections. Even some on the opposite end of the political spectrum also hoped that the NPAD under Moon would become a healthy and responsible opposition, leaving behind its internal faction

Feb. 12, 2015

[Editorial] Precious lesson

Korea’s mayors and governors are big fans of international events ― be they sporting competitions, festivals or conferences. This is largely because they believe hosting international events will make them look like competent local administrators in this age of globalization. So many local governments in the country compete to host international events, with mayors and governors painting rosy pictures ― often exaggerating, or miscalculating their effects on their own provinces and municipalities

Feb. 12, 2015