[Editorial] Crisis at KBS orchestra

The KBS Symphony Orchestra, the older of Korea’s two leading orchestras, is embroiled in a crisis, the worst since its founding 56 years ago. The problems facing the orchestra, currently under the management of the state-run Korea Broadcasting System, are deep and complex and in a sense epitomize maladies that strike many social institutions of present Korea and the cultural community in particular.The cancellation of the 666th regular monthly concert, which was scheduled for March 8-9 at the Se

March 19, 2012

[Editorial] City Hall assessment

As the new City Hall building is nearing completion in May, the 10 million residents of the capital city are watching the peculiarly-shaped glass and steel structure, wondering how their lives will be affected by a liberal mayor who is applying his political ideology to administrative measures one after the other. For the past five months since his election last October, Mayor Park Won-soon was more proactive in halting the projects pushed by his predecessor Oh Se-hoon than introducing his own.

March 19, 2012

[Editorial] No magic wand

The main opposition Democratic United Party drew ardent support from young voters several months ago when it made an election promise to cut university tuition fees by half. Now it has taken one step further by promising to pay 12 million won in subsidy to students fresh out of high school if they forfeit the tuition benefit by not being admitted to university. The 12 million won subsidy is just one of a wide array of generous welfare projects to which the opposition party commits itself ahead o

March 18, 2012

[Editorial] Missile or satellite?

When a satellite is sent into space on the back of a long-range missile, is it a satellite launch or a missile launch? This question is being raised at a time when North Korea is preparing “to launch a working satellite, Kwangmyongsong-3, manufactured by itself with indigenous technology to mark the 100th birth anniversary of President Kim Il-sung,” as it announced on Friday. But it is not an either/or question. It is a missile launch and a satellite launch put together. Nonetheless, North Korea

March 18, 2012

[Editorial] Irritating turf war

Prosecutors and police are at each other’s throats again, this time over the investigation of a prosecutor who was accused of verbal assault and abuse of power by a police officer.The case involves a police officer in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, who filed a complaint in January against a prosecutor in Changwon, the seat of the provincial government, for insulting him and abusing his power in directing and supervising the investigation of a private waste treatment company.The police offic

March 16, 2012

[Editorial] Exemplary lawmakers

Rep. Kim Moo-sung of the ruling Saenuri Party and Rep. Park Sun-sook of the main opposition Democratic United Party are a rare species in Korean politics. They recently set shining examples of self-sacrifice in the ongoing election candidate nomination process, attracting praise from the media as well as fellow politicians.Rep. Kim is a political heavyweight who has been elected four times from a district in Busan, a traditional stronghold of the ruling party. The party’s candidate recommendatio

March 16, 2012

[Editorial] Proportional nominees

As the political parties wind up their selection of candidates for the parliamentary district elections, they have started the process of nominating candidates for election through proportional representation. The ruling Saenuri Party announced its list of 549 applicants. The main opposition Democratic United Party is accepting applications.Here again, there are do’s and don’ts the parties will have to keep in mind if they are to live up to the spirit of proportional representation and avoid rep

March 15, 2012

[Editorial] Nuclear cover-up

A nuclear power plant, whose operation had been suspended for an inspection, experienced a temporary cutoff in the power supply, an accident which, if prolonged, could have caused a horrendous disaster. No less serious was that the accident had been covered up for more than a month.The power failure at the Busan-based Gori-1 nuclear power plant happened at 8:34 p.m. on Feb. 9, reportedly because the procedure of safety checks on the power supply was not followed as directed by the manual.During

March 15, 2012

[Editorial] Korea as FTA hub

The Korea-U.S. free trade agreement went into effect today, nearly five years after the two countries concluded their negotiations in April 2007. It is an essential component of the FTA web that Korea has been weaving to become a hub of trade and investment.The trade pact will undoubtedly benefit Korea by enabling it to access the world’s largest economy more freely. Research institutes forecast that the free trade deal would boost Korea’s gross domestic product by 5.7 percent and create 350,000

March 14, 2012

[Editorial] Yes men on the board

The primary role of outside directors is to act as a check and balance against inside directors. They are expected to monitor their company’s overall management activities, assess the performance of management and prevent its majority shareholder or chief executive officer from always having his own way. To carry out these responsibilities, an outside director needs to have expertise and experience in corporate management. Hence, in the United States, outside directors are usually chosen from am

March 14, 2012

[Editorial] ‘No territorial dispute’

With regard to the renewed controversy over Ieodo in the East China Sea, both Korea and China share the position that it is not a matter of territorial dispute. President Lee Myung-bak made this point clear during a roundtable with newspaper and broadcaster editors Monday. In Beijing, the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said on the same day that neither China nor Korea regards Ieodo, which Chinese call Suyan Rock, as part of their territory, hence there is no territorial dispute.President Lee

March 13, 2012

[Editorial] Mayor’s dolphin politics

The Seoul Grand Park and Zoo in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, outside the Seoul proper, remains under the control of Seoul City government since it was established 1984, when animals were moved there from the Changgyeong Palace compound. Still it is rare for the busy Seoul mayor to make an official visit to the zoo far from his office. Records show that former Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon visited it just once in 2009.Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon took time out Monday to go to Seoul Zoo where he held a pres

March 13, 2012

[Editorial] Healing national conflicts

Internal unity and national consensus should be greatly emphasized in the Republic of Korea which, as one half of a divided nation, confronts a most bellicose adversary across a volatile border. But South Korea is torn apart by too many social and political conflicts in which extremist attitudes defy reasonable solution. Elections escalate the differences, with parties making the incorrect assumption that only criticism can help them collect more votes.The central administration, local autonomou

March 12, 2012

[Editorial] Are they racist?

The Internet is all agog these days to speak about the “racist” behavior of some K-Pop stars. Those comments, ranging from outright denunciation to admonition, reflect the rapidly increasing popularity of Korean entertainers, but warn of possible repercussions that could affect their popularity itself.Setting off the recent controversy was Jenny Hyun, a co-songwriter for Girls’ Generation and Chocolat, who made a series of racist tweets about black people. In her blog, she said she was incensed

March 12, 2012

[Editorial] Stay the nuclear course

March 11 marked the first anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. During the weekend, protests and rallies took place throughout the world to commemorate the catastrophe and call for a nuclear-free world. In Seoul, some 80 civic groups, including the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, held a rally at the plaza in front of Seoul City Hall, urging the government to shift away from nuclear power. The Fukushima disaster, which is still playing out, has energized the anti-nuclear mo

March 11, 2012

[Editorial] Reforming the prosecution

The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party are renewing their bids to reform the prosecution. Last year, they promoted a comprehensive overhaul of the powerful organization but their campaign bore little fruit due to strong resistance from prosecutors and lack of support from the government. On Tuesday, the DUP unveiled a 10-point reform plan aimed at ensuring the political neutrality of prosecutors, curbing their power, and strengthening the protection of suspects’ rights

March 11, 2012

[Editorial] Change in governance

Two terrestrial broadcasting networks, KBS and MBC, are embroiled in strikes by unionized reporters and other employees. A strike has just started at YTN, a 24-hour cable news channel. What the three broadcasters have in common is that their management is under the direct or indirect control of the government.Their chief executive officers are replaced each time presidential power switches hands from one political party to another. The change of management tends to put a spin, sometimes subtle a

March 9, 2012

[Editorial] Playing second fiddle

The main opposition Democratic United Party and the minor United Progressive Party are moving to forge an alliance in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Watching their negotiations, one may wonder if the powerful, resurgent, center-left party is playing second fiddle to the smaller, more left-wing party.Before the talks started in February, it was widely anticipated that the UPP’s demand for concessions in nominations would be a major stumbling block to the proposed electoral alliance. But th

March 9, 2012

[Editorial] Keep up the pressure

Protests against China’s forced repatriation of North Korean defectors are spreading in South Korea and abroad. The problem has been around for a long time but has never attracted as much domestic and global attention as it does now. Now that the ball has started rolling, it is incumbent on government officials, politicians, civic groups and celebrities participating in the protest movement to keep up the momentum. Especially, politicians on both sides of the aisle need to pull their weight to w

March 8, 2012

[Editorial] No more delay for Jeju base

Tensions are mounting on Jeju Island as the Navy has started preparatory work for the construction of a naval base on the island amid vehement protests from the local government and environmentalists.On Wednesday, builders began demolition work on the construction site, removing parts of a rocky outcrop that environmental activists claim to have high geological value and therefore deserves preservation.Jeju Governor Woo Keun-min and other leading politicians of the island requested that the Navy

March 8, 2012