[Editorial] Unfortunate memoir

Former President Lee Myung-bak’s memoir has become a politically contentious issue, further straining the Park Geun-hye administration, which is already floundering on major policy issues.“The President’s Time 2008-2013” reveals details about the controversial Four Rivers project as well as Lee’s “resource diplomacy,” a matter on which the National Assembly is set to launch a special investigation. The massive project aimed at refurbishing the four major rivers is currently under attack for havi

Feb. 1, 2015

[Editorial] Sex crimes in the military

The recent comments made by the Saenuri lawmaker Song Young-keun in relation to a sexual assault case in the military reveal why the country’s military is plagued by sexual crimes and misconducts.Remarking on a case in which a brigade commander sexually assaulted a female NCO, Song, a retired Army Lt. Gen. who served as the commander of the defense security command, said that the brigade commander rarely went off base and suggested that the man, in his mid-40s, could have suffered from sexual fr

Feb. 1, 2015

[Editorial] Pit of corruption

The ongoing investigation into defense acquisition programs is revealing yet more cases of dirty connections between the military and the industry.The joint investigation team arrested former Navy Chief of Staff Jung Ok-geun on Thursday on suspicion of taking kickbacks from two affiliates of STX Group, which received orders for supplying ships and engines to the Navy when Chung held the top post. Jung’s arrest came one day after investigators arrested his son and a former chief of naval operatio

Jan. 30, 2015

[Editorial] A league of their own

We cheered on National Assembly Speaker Chung Eui-hwa last November when he singled out 42 lawmakers and asked them to resign from posts they held outside the parliament. Chung’s action was in line with the parliament’s self-reform proposals aimed at cutting lawmakers’ powers and privileges. The proposals ― propelled by public pressure ― included restricting the immunity that forbids detention of lawmakers while the parliament is in session, halting lawmakers’ pay when the parliament is idle and

Jan. 30, 2015

[Editorial] Film fest at risk

It appears Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo and Busan International Film Festival commissioner Lee Yong-kwan have mended fences over Suh’s demand that Lee step down from his position, but concerns still remain over the independence of Asia’s premier film festival.The rift surfaced during last year’s BIFF when the festival went ahead with the screening of “Diving Bell,” a controversial documentary about the Sewol ferry disaster, despite Suh’s objection. Busan City provides 6 billion won of the festival’

Jan. 29, 2015

[Editorial] Hero in peril

The news that Korea’s swimming hero Park Tae-hwan twice failed doping tests has shocked the country that takes great pride in the swimmer lovingly nicknamed “Marine Boy.”Park gave the country its first Olympic gold medal in swimming in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His gold in the 400-meter freestyle and silver in the 200-meter freestyle were seen as setting a milestone for the country as it joined an exclusive club of countries that produce Olympic swimming gold medalists. The swimmer’s recent eff

Jan. 29, 2015

[Editorial] Isolated youths

The 18-year-old Korean boy believed to have joined the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria began suffering from school violence when he was in elementary school. He confined himself to his home, seldom talking to his parents, after dropping out of middle school.According to figures from the Education Ministry, the number of dropouts across the country was estimated at 280,000 in 2013, accounting for about 4 percent of the total juvenile population. Experts say some 40,000 dropouts are leading a secl

Jan. 28, 2015

[Editorial] Fighting prejudice

The welcome Korean medical staff received on returning home Monday after a month of treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone apparently was less than what they deserved. There was not even a placard welcoming the nine health care workers at Incheon International Airport. A mid-level government official made short welcoming remarks at the airport’s security area before they were whisked away to a quarantine facility, without being noticed by other people.The medical personnel themselves had reques

Jan. 28, 2015

[Editorial] Ethics matter

There is no doubt that Chung Myung-whun is a source of pride for Koreans. Many welcomed the news that the internationally renowned pianist-conductor decided to take the post of artistic director of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in 2005. Chung did not betray expectations. The orchestra has grown, as he put it recently, to become “the best in Asia” under his stewardship. Before Chung took over the baton, the SPO managed to fill less than 40 percent of the seats at its concert halls, but now it sell

Jan. 27, 2015

[Editorial] Plug loopholes

What the prosecution has found in its probe into the loan scam involving Moneual, a bankrupt home appliance maker, shows how vulnerable the nation’s export financing and bank loans are to mismanagement and corruption. Prosecutors said last week that they had indicted the CEO and three other executives of the firm for receiving 3.4 trillion won in illegal bank loans based on fabricated exports records since 2007. Also indicted, mainly on bribery charges, were 10 people from the Korea Trade Insura

Jan. 27, 2015

[Editorial] Time for change

The recent Blue House reshuffle fell far short of people’s expectations, with a poll showing more than 48.2 percent of the respondents unsatisfied with the scope of the changes.At the heart of the problem are three secretaries ― implicated in the recent Blue House leak scandal that rocked the nation ― who remain at the Blue House with new assignments. Chief of staff Kim Ki-choon also proved his staying power once again. Although the Blue House said that Kim would move once his work was complete,

Jan. 26, 2015

[Editorial] Child care debate

The government’s plan to revise the payment system for early childhood care has stay-at-home moms crying foul at the suggestion that working moms be given priority in getting slots in child care facilities.The problem of over-demand created by the Park Geun-hye administration, which promised to pay for child care expenses, has been brewing for quite some time. And when abuses at child care facilities came to light in recent weeks, the government was quick to blame universal child care payments f

Jan. 26, 2015

[Editorial] Slumping growth

Data released by the central bank Friday showed Korea’s economy expanded by 3.3 percent last year, a slight improvement on the 3 percent growth in 2013.Economic policymakers here are in no position to be complacent about this performance just because it matched the global growth rate in 2014. Despite two stimulus packages worth 46 trillion won ($42.5 billion) coupled with two rounds of interest rate cuts, Asia’s fourth-largest economy failed to achieve its annual growth target of 3.9 percent.Esp

Jan. 25, 2015

[Editorial] Preconditions for dialogue

North Korea last week made it clear that the South would have to lift blanket sanctions it imposed on the North in 2010 before the two sides could resume dialogue.In a statement Friday, the North Korean Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea called on Seoul to lift the sanctions in order to resolve the issue of reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. The statement further said that without the removal of the restrictions, “any kind of talks, contacts or exchanges (be

Jan. 25, 2015

[Editorial] Park’s quandary

It appears likely that the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will attend the May ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Victory Day, a day celebrating the former Soviet Union’s victory over the Nazis, in Moscow.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow had received a positive signal regarding the invitation extended in November when Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Kim’s special envoy Choe Ryong-hae. Lavrov said that several dozen invitations to the ceremony on M

Jan. 23, 2015

[Editorial] Lee Seok-ki trial

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a nine-year sentence for a former lawmaker convicted of inciting rebellion in the event of a war with North Korea.Lee Seok-ki, a key member of the now-disbanded United Progressive Party, was found guilty of inciting an armed rebellion to overthrow the government, but not guilty of plotting one. In its ruling, the nation’s highest court drew a distinction between inciting a rebellion and plotting a rebellion. At Lee’s first trial, he was found guilty of both c

Jan. 23, 2015

[Editorial] Ill-designed tax scheme

Mounting public anger over tax revisions, which caused many workers to pay more in their annual tax settlements, prompted the ruling party and the government to amend them again and apply changes retroactively.In a hurriedly arranged meeting Wednesday, senior officials from the ruling Saenuri Party and the Finance Ministry agreed to increase tax credits for families with children and people preparing for retirement. Saenuri leader Kim Moo-sung emphasized the need to redress the tax codes.The mai

Jan. 22, 2015

[Editorial] PyeongChang preparations

An official from the International Olympic Committee said during a visit here last week the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang would not be shared with another city. Gunilla Lindberg, head of the IOC’s Coordination Commission, was quoted by the PyeongChang organizing committee as declaring that all scheduled events would be staged in South Korea as originally planned.Her remark put an end to speculation that PyeongChang would be asked to share some competitions with a foreign city, probably in Jap

Jan. 22, 2015

[Editorial] As obstinate as ever

The ruling and opposition parties have agreed to form a special parliamentary committee on political reform, which will be tasked with, among other things, rezoning the electoral districts across the country. The reform was necessitated by the Constitutional Court’s rulings in October that the current constituency map that allows a 3-to-1 population ratio of the most populous district to the least populous one breaches the basic law, and that the ratio should be reduced to a maximum of 2-to-1. A

Jan. 21, 2015

[Editorial] Fatal attraction

In general, Koreans are not very interested in international news that does not affect their lives directly. For instance, the frequent suicide bombings in countries like Iraq and Pakistan and many other news stories coming from the Middle East, even involving the extremist Islamic State military group, are hardly even discussed over drinks among ordinary citizens. The case of a teenager who is believed to have joined the IS, however, shows that some of what is happening in the region is no long

Jan. 21, 2015