[Editorial] A cut in active duty

In a nation under the constant threat of hostilities from outside, it is a matter of course to place top priority on national defense. That is what President-elect Park Geun-hye has promised to do in unmistakable terms.Park, who committed herself to watertight security during her campaign, said it is necessary to ensure that North Korea will be made to pay a high price for its military adventurism. She said South Korea will have to develop a full capacity for retaliation if it is to make the Nor

Jan. 11, 2013

[Editorial] U-turn companies

One of the bills that lawmakers should pass promptly when the National Assembly convenes later this month is the government proposal aimed at helping Korean companies that operate abroad to repatriate their operations.The Ministry of Knowledge Economy submitted the bill to the Assembly last November, but it has since been put on the back burner. Yet the bill deserves prompt action as it would promote job creation and stimulate economic growth.The ministry has recently commissioned Samjong KPMG,

Jan. 10, 2013

[Editorial] Pardons for chums?

President Lee Myung-bak is moving to issue a special pardon before his term expires on Feb. 24. A presidential spokesman has confirmed the rumors that Lee is considering exercising his right to a pardon before leaving office.The spokesman tried to justify Lee’s move by saying that there have been a lot of calls for executive clemency from religious, business and political circles. Yet he said nothing has been decided regarding the timing and beneficiaries of the proposed pardon. These details wi

Jan. 10, 2013

[Editorial] Capping civil service

Outgoing President Lee Myung-bak vowed to downsize the government to reduce regulation and enhance national competitiveness when he took office five years ago. Over the course of his presidency, however, the number of state public officials rose by 10,773 to 615,487, according to figures from the Ministry of Public Administration and Security. Counting employees at local administrations, the number of civil servants saw an increase of 25,600 to 988,755.The surge in public service manpower was du

Jan. 9, 2013

[Editorial] Suicide prevention

In the first days of the New Year, a string of suicides has reminded Koreans of a gloomy aspect of their society. The most notable of the deaths is that of former pro-baseball player Cho Sung-min, who was found hanged at his girlfriend’s home in Seoul on Sunday. He was the ex-husband of late actress Choi Jin-sil, who killed herself in 2008 after suffering from depression for years following their divorce. Two years later, her younger brother, an actor and singer, also committed suicide in the pr

Jan. 9, 2013

[Editorial] Extra session

In a departure from the convention of holding extraordinary sessions on even-numbered months, the National Assembly is set to open a session later this month, possibly as early as next week. This session will be primarily geared toward helping President-elect Park Geun-hye launch her administration on Feb. 25.One of the first tasks to be done is the revision of the government organization law, with President-elect Park determined to split some of the government agencies for the creation of new m

Jan. 8, 2013

[Editorial] Still in disarray

The main opposition Democratic United Party was put in paralysis when it was defeated in the Dec. 19 presidential election. That was understandable. What party could operate normally in such a crisis?By this time, however, the party should have selected an interim leader tasked with the job of pulling the party together, evaluating the outcome of the presidential election and supervising its operation until a new leadership is elected in a national convention later this year. Belatedly, factions

Jan. 8, 2013

[Editorial] Transition team kicks off

The presidential transition team has set sail to lay the foundations for the new government. On Sunday, the 26 members of the team held their inaugural meeting and resolved to do their best for a trouble-free launch of the new administration.The transition committee will be operating for some 50 days until President-elect Park Geun-hye is sworn in on Feb. 25. Compared with previous teams, its launch was about 10 days late. It may have to rush to ensure that the new government hits the ground run

Jan. 7, 2013

[Editorial] Ending Ssangyong tragedy

The ruling Saenuri Party is seeking to address a drawn-out labor dispute at Ssangyong Motor Co. The party’s floor leader Lee Han-koo, accompanied by other lawmakers, visited the company’s factory in Pyeongtaek last Thursday and met with company officials and union leaders.Lee’s visit was exceptional, given that ruling party leaders have seldom shown up at the scene of labor disputes. He said he went there to see if there was anything that political circles could do to resolve the company’s prolo

Jan. 7, 2013

[Editorial] Self-invited conflict

President-elect Park Geun-hye reaffirmed her commitment to close the country’s deep divides along ideological, generational and regional lines when she launched a special committee on national unity last month.She appointed two senior politicians from the Jeolla region, the stronghold of the main opposition party, to lead the panel, apparently hoping that the move would help ease the deep-rooted rivalry between the southwestern and southeastern parts of the country.It is regretful and deplorable

Jan. 6, 2013

[Editorial] More immigration

A recent report on the country’s immigration policy should draw attention from the public as well as government policymakers as a catalyst for their far-sighted views on how to secure long-term sustainable growth and social vitality.The report, submitted by the Migration Research and Training Center to the Justice Ministry, proposed increasing the number of foreign nationals here, which stood at 1.44 million last year, to 3 million by 2030. If not, the paper predicted, the nation would begin to

Jan. 6, 2013

[Editorial] Peter Pan syndrome

One notable aspect of Korea’s corporate landscape is the meager presence of intermediate-sized companies ― businesses that are larger than small and medium enterprises (SMEs) but smaller than large corporations. According to a recent report from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, midsized businesses accounted for a mere 0.04 percent or 1,291 of the nation’s 3.12 million enterprises in 2010. The share is much smaller compared with other countries, including Germany (11.8 percent), Swede

Jan. 4, 2013

[Editorial] Shame on lawmakers

Lawmakers on the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts have shown that all the talk in political circles about a new politics was nothing more than lip service.According to reports, they handled the 2013 budget bill in the same old and lousy way as before. They did not make even a modicum of effort to cast away old practices and establish new ones.In the first place, they turned the process of deliberating on the budget proposal into a series of back-door deals on allocati

Jan. 4, 2013

[Editorial] Generational harmony

Last month’s presidential election highlighted a growing generational divide as well as deep-rooted ideological and regional rivalries in the country. President-elect Park Geun-hye, a conservative, garnered support from more than two-thirds of voters aged 50 or older. But she saw her liberal rival, Moon Jae-in, secure about the same proportion of ballots cast by voters in their 20s and 30s, according to estimates based on exit polls.The election outcome has deepened the sense of frustration amon

Jan. 3, 2013

[Editorial] Political reform adrift

Under a related law, the National Assembly is obliged to pass the state budget bill by Dec. 2 to allow 30 days of preparation for its implementation. Held hostage to partisan wrangling, however, the parliament has failed to meet that deadline since 2002.Lawmakers set a new record, not passing the budget bill until hours after the beginning of the fiscal year when they approved the expenditure plan for 2013 early Tuesday morning. This time, it was a tug of war between the rival parties over how t

Jan. 3, 2013

[Editorial] Another gloomy year

Many will now have to grapple with a harsh reality as the New Year euphoria recedes. They include college seniors who, set to graduate next month, have yet to land jobs, and urban tenants, many of whom will find that their rent has risen beyond their means when they renegotiate their contracts ahead of the spring moving season.According to an estimate by President Lee Myung-bak’s administration, the number of new job openings will decline from 440,000 last year to 320,000 this year. College stud

Jan. 2, 2013

[Editorial] Kim Jong-un’s message

In his New Year’s message on Tuesday, North Korea’s young leader, Kim Jong-un, called for the resolution of inter-Korean confrontation and vowed to turn his communist state into an economic powerhouse. But his message failed to impress South Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s administration, which said Kim offered no fresh ideas on improving inter-Korean relations.As is often the case with North Korea’s public announcements, however, the omissions, rather than content, in Kim’s message drew keen a

Jan. 2, 2013

[Editorial] Secretive appointments

President-elect Park Geun-hye is grappling with a task that has been blown out of proportion in terms of importance ― appointing members of the presidential transition team. By now she should have started to receive briefings from members of the transition committee on the conduct of the affairs of the central government. Yet she is still not ready to unveil the full lineup. On New Year’s Eve, Kim Yong-joon, the former Constitutional Court chief who was named to lead the transition team, said hi

Jan. 1, 2013

[Editorial] Tax bombs on the way

Lawmakers have begun to drop tax bombs to bankroll the welfare pledges of President-elect Park Geun-hye. They passed the budget bill for 2013 early Tuesday morning together with a set of measures aimed at increasing tax revenue.This year’s budget was finally set at 342 trillion won, down 500 billion won from the administration’s original proposal submitted last September. Nevertheless, legislators approved bills that would increase the tax burden on rich people as shortfalls are expected in tax

Jan. 1, 2013

[Editorial] Nation at crossroads

Reconciliation and happiness are set to be the two most often heard words in Korean society this year. And it is certain that President-elect Park Geun-hye will frequently mention the words, which she has resolved to turn into reality for all her compatriots, many of whom turned to the notion of healing last year amid increasing hardships.Park, from the conservative ruling Saenuri Party, pledged on the campaign trail to unite the nation beyond ideological, regional and generational lines and bri

Dec. 30, 2012