[Editorial] Fiscal indiscretion

The nation’s debt obligations have surpassed the 400 trillion won mark for the first time. The national debt, or the combined debt obligations of the central and local governments, was at 420.7 trillion won as of the end of 2011.The increase of 28.5 trillion won over the previous year raised the ratio of national debt to gross domestic product from 33.4 percent to 34 percent. This must be seen as a matter of concern.Nevertheless, it should not come as a surprise. That increase had been anticipat

April 12, 2012

[Editorial] N.K.’s reckless gamble

This week is a crucial week for North Korea and its young leader, Kim Jong-un. Amid global outcry, the impoverished country is ready to launch a long-range rocket to mark the April 15 centennial of the birth of Kim Il-sung, its founder and the grandfather of the 20-something leader.Underlying the planned rocket launch is the paranoid regime’s desire to demonstrate to the outside world as well as its disgruntled people that it has attained its long-cherished dream of becoming a “strong and prospe

April 11, 2012

[Editorial] Reform 112 call service

National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Hyun-oh has stepped down to take full responsibility for the bungled police investigation of a recent murder case.The police came under fire following reports that the 112 emergency service center carelessly handled a desperate phone call for help from a woman who said she was being attacked. The 28-year-old victim in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, reported her exact whereabouts during her call but police failed to figure out her location. By the time police of

April 11, 2012

[Editorial] Assert voter power

Since democracy was restored in 1987 after the end of long military-backed authoritarian rule, the people of the Republic of Korea are going to the polls today to form a new National Assembly for the seventh time. But the passage of a quarter of a century has not accomplished a stable, productive partisan politics and many voters are still not quite sure how different major parties are from one another in policies.So, 30 to 40 percent of eligible voters, and an even higher percentage in large ci

April 10, 2012

[Editorial] Samsung, Apple, Nokia, RIM

As Samsung Electronics revealed its record high quarterly operating profit last week, Nokia reported the reduction of its plants in Finland after closing its operations in Germany, Hungary and Romania. Top executives of Research In Motion are leaving the company one after the other as the BlackBerry maker faces a possible hostile takeover.Nokia was the pride of Finland and RIM was the biggest tech success story of Canada. Since Nokia edged Motorola to become the world’s largest cell phone produc

April 9, 2012

[Editorial] Endless turf war

Anyone writing for English-language newspapers will from now on have to take extra care in differentiating the two schools of medicine in this country, the traditional and Western disciplines. A newly-coined English term for traditional medicine has become the subject of yet another dispute between the two divisions in the healing profession in an extension of their endless turf war.What started the new round of contention was the decision by the association of doctors practicing the traditional

April 9, 2012

[Editorial] Curses come home to roost

With the parliamentary election just two days away, rival parties are making the final sprint toward the finish line. While it is still anybody’s guess which party will come out of election day smelling of roses, the main opposition Democratic United Party is at pains to prevent a foul-mouthed candidate it has nominated from snuffing out its chance of victory. The candidate is Kim Yong-min, a co-host of the popular podcast “Naneun Ggomsuda (I’m a Petty-Minded Creep).” It was recently highlighted

April 8, 2012

[Editorial] Stepping up FDI efforts

Following the effectuation of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement last month, expectations have been growing for a boost in foreign direct investment in Korea. The FDI tally for the first quarter of the year shows that these expectations were not unfounded. According to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, inward FDI hit $2.34 billion in the first three months of the year, the largest amount since the first quarter of 2008. The figure represents a 17 percent increase on year, a sharp acceleration

April 8, 2012

[Editorial] Local finances in peril

The deepening financial trouble of local governments came to the fore again when the Incheon metropolis, finding its coffers nearly empty, delayed paying monthly perks to its 6,000 employees last week. Such a delay was unprecedented not just in Incheon but throughout the nation.True, payments were made three days later. But some other metropolises and municipalities are already mentioned as potential candidates for failing to disburse monthly salaries on time. The central government is planning

April 6, 2012

[Editorial] Single-issue voting?

Election campaigns are regrettably being held hostage by the illegal surveillance of civilians by President Lee Myung-bak’s administration when there are so many sensitive issues that merit keen attention from the electorate. They range from security against North Korean provocations to taxation and policy on chaebol, or family-controlled business conglomerates.True, assigning government officials, including police officers as alleged, to keep a close watch on civilians was so serious a breach o

April 6, 2012

[Editorial] Weed out corrupt police

In its long-running dispute with the police over how to share investigation powers, the prosecution has adamantly opposed police officers being allowed to investigate crimes on their own. One reason is prosecutors’ concern about police officers’ susceptibility to corruption. An unfolding corruption case has proved that this concern is not unfounded.On Sunday, prosecutors arrested four police officers on charges of having taken 200 million won in bribes from Lee Gyeong-baek, a hostess bar owner o

April 5, 2012

[Editorial] Sugar-coated pledges

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance has issued another warning against welfare populism pursued by political parties, saying their welfare-related campaign pledges are simply beyond the reach of state finances.According to the ministry, the recently finalized welfare platforms of the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party offer a total of 266 programs, excluding overlapping ones. If these programs are implemented in their entirety, the ministry said, it would cost

April 5, 2012

[Editorial] New allegations

The scandal over the alleged illegal surveillance of civilians by President Lee Myung-bak’s administration is escalating as new allegations are made, this time about activist entertainers put under police surveillance. News reports say that the police kept a watch on them under order from the presidential office.Upon being called on to verify the allegations, the presidential office says it is in the process of confirming them. But suspicions were raised about the Lee administration having put h

April 4, 2012

[Editorial] Overpriced ballots

The National Election Commission spent nearly 30 billion won on allowing Koreans overseas to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections. But the dismal turnout raised the cost per ballot to an exorbitant level.During the March 28-April 3 period, 56,000 Koreans living overseas cast ballots at 158 Korean diplomatic and consular missions in 107 countries. They accounted for 45.7 percent of the overseas Korean residents that had registered for the vote, the electoral watchdog says. But the actual

April 4, 2012

[Editorial] Sexual aberration

“No sitting together for a boy and a girl after 7 years old.” (Namnyeo chilse budongseok.) From ancient times, this rule of sexual segregation in social life was strictly observed as one of the main tenets of Confucian ethics. From about the middle of the last century, society relaxed the restriction as it accepted the influx of foreign culture after the wars. Co-education from the primary level was a clearest change. In the following decades, men and women shared space and opportunities at work

April 3, 2012

[Editorial] Greenpeace deportation

It was unnecessary and excessive for the immigration authorities to bar the entry of three Greenpeace staff at Incheon International Airport on Monday and send them back to Hong Kong. An Immigration Service officer said the three members of a four-man group were detained at the airport at the request of a relevant government office which cited “national interest reasons.”The Greenpeace group consisted of Kumi Naidoo, international executive director; Mario Damato, East Asia executive director; F

April 3, 2012

[Editorial] Spring in Myanmar

If the election of Aung San Suu Kyi in parliamentary by-elections in Myanmar on Sunday marks the beginning of a new process in the democratic development in the Southeast Asian country, it indicates the choice of evolution instead of revolution by the opposition leader, who seems to have learned the art of compromise through her long confrontation with the military.Until the growth of politically conscious and economically sustainable grassroots that are able to provide viable alternatives, the

April 2, 2012

[Editorial] ‘Red complex’

Most South Koreans believe the North Korean regime is evil, and their antagonism toward the North grew further when Pyongyang announced a purported satellite launch plan, which the world condemned as cover for its long-range missile project. Therefore, whichever political groups or individuals determined to be sympathetic with the North Korean communists are sure to lose votes even if they could expect support from a small pocket in the extreme left.Thus, in the final week of the National Assemb

April 2, 2012

[Editorial] Military adventurism

The window of diplomacy toward North Korea is closing as the date for its long-range missile launch is fast approaching. Defying international pressure against its plan, the communist state is proceeding with preparations for what it claims to be a satellite launch, scheduled for any time between April 12 and 16. What will follow is nothing but international sanctions. The United States, which vows to overhaul its approach toward North Korea if it pushes ahead with its plan, has already taken pu

April 1, 2012

[Editorial] Massive surveillance

A businessman who put a video clip lampooning President Lee Myung-bak in his blog was not the only civilian placed under illegal surveillance. Instead, President Lee Myung-bak’s administration is found to have conducted surveillance on numerous civilians with no authorization from the court. The prime minister’s office has a section authorized to monitor high-level officials ― either in government departments or firms and organizations funded or invested in by the government ― if they are suspec

April 1, 2012