[Editorial] Sole opposition candidate

When lawyer-civic activist Park Won-soon declared his candidacy for the Seoul mayoral by-election a month ago, his approval rate hovered around 5 percent. When he won the endorsement of Ahn Cheol-soo, a wildly popular social critic and software businessman, Park’s approval figure shot up close to 50

Oct. 4, 2011

[Editorial] Rage on Wall Street

Protests on Wall Street in New York, now in their third week, are growing in size. But the political and financial institutions they denounce show little sign of listening to them. A small group of college students started the demonstration on Sept. 17. They were joined by unionists, other students,

Oct. 4, 2011

[Editorial] President-party relations

Gone are the days when the president concurrently held the presidency of the ruling party. The cabinet in the presidential office used to be the main source of the governing party finance, including funds for election campaigns. If these are the legends of the past dictatorial rule, the relations be

Oct. 3, 2011

[Editorial] Chinese tourist rush

The Chinese national holiday celebrating the Oct. 1, 1949, founding of the People’s Republic of China stretches seven days, extending to the Oct. 8-9 weekend this year. An estimated 300 million people will be traveling during the long holiday. The China Tourism Agency expected that about 2.2 million

Oct. 3, 2011

[Editorial] Left out of limelight

The liberal opposition groups are set to select their joint candidate on Monday, stealing the show from their divided conservative adversaries. Through the selection process, they are consolidating their unity ahead of the Oct. 26 Seoul mayoral by-election.But the ruling Grand National Party has yet

Oct. 2, 2011

[Editorial] Speed up ratification

U.S. President Barack Obama is reportedly planning to send the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement to the Senate for ratification as early as this week. The United States is speeding up the process of ratification, with President Lee Myung-bak scheduled to make a state visit to Washington on Oct. 13.The

Oct. 2, 2011

[Editorial] No leniency on sex crimes

A box-office hit based on the true story of sex crimes against disabled students by their brazen teachers has turned the nation into a seething cauldron of anger.The film, titled “Dogani,” which means a crucible or cauldron in English, depicts a real case that took place at Inhwa School, a special e

Sept. 30, 2011

[Editorial] New outlets for medicines

The government is set to submit a bill to the National Assembly to make cold medicines and fever reducers available at supermarkets and convenience stores. Currently these products are sold only at licensed drug stores.The bill is a follow-up to a government plan announced in June, which is intended

Sept. 30, 2011

[Editorial] Hong’s Gaeseong visit

Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, chairman of the ruling Grand National Party, is visiting the South Korean industrial complex in Gaeseong, North Korea, on Friday. He says his visit is aimed at learning about the difficulties South Korean companies have at the complex, adding that helping to resolve those difficu

Sept. 29, 2011

[Editorial] Better late than never?

The prosecutors’ office is described as a semi-judicial agency. In other words, the office is granted a great degree of freedom in prosecuting criminal cases, if not the kind of uninhibited independence as is guaranteed to the court in the process of adjudication. What the prosecutors’ office has re

Sept. 29, 2011

[Editorial] Defense against recession

The government’s budget plan for 2012, unveiled Tuesday, attempts to walk a fine line between improving government finances and stimulating economic growth. The plan puts priority on, among other things, improving fiscal soundness. It proposes to increase spending by 5.5 percent to 326.1 trillion wo

Sept. 28, 2011

[Editorial] Back in crisis mode

Cheong Wa Dae is back in crisis mode. President Lee Myung-bak instructed his aides Monday to switch the presidential office into emergency mode as global financial instability stemming from the fiscal woes in the eurozone has risen sharply in recent weeks. During the past two months, volatility in d

Sept. 28, 2011

[Editorial] Hotel room shortage

Many hotel projects are under way in Seoul amidst steady rise in tourist arrivals mainly from China and Japan. Meticulous planning with the help of tourism authorities is necessary to avoid a glut in accommodation facilities. Most important is securing middle-class hotels wanted by budget-conscious

Sept. 27, 2011

[Editorial] Reactions to hallyu

Massive number of tourists travelling between Korea and Japan and the popularity of hallyu dramas and K-pop singers in recent years have helped reduce the tension that existed between the peoples of the two neighboring countries for a century. So, we are puzzled, or just amused, at occasional report

Sept. 27, 2011

[Editorial] Putin-Medvedev pact

We can hardly make an in-depth comment on the Putin-Medvedev contract to keep themselves as the masters of the Kremlin until 2024 or possibly thereafter. But remembering the outcome of an earlier such agreement between the two Russian leaders, under which Dmitry Medvedev was elected President in 200

Sept. 26, 2011

[Editorial] Trade currency settlement

In May, the finance ministers of Korea, China and Japan agreed to study the feasibility of using their own currencies to settle transactions among the three countries. The agreement, reached on the sidelines of the Asian Development Bank’s annual conference in Hanoi, drew attention as using local cu

Sept. 25, 2011

[Editorial] University reform drive

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has put five state-funded universities on the chopping block, demonstrating its resolve to reform domestic universities, regardless of whether they are private or public. The ministry’s action followed the selection earlier this month of 43 poorly ma

Sept. 25, 2011

[Editorial] Restoring bipartisanship

Up until several days ago, there had been no assurance that when Lee Yong-hoon retires as chief justice of the Supreme Court on Saturday, his successor would assume his duties without interruption. The presidential nominee for the top court post had been left in limbo, with the rival parties at logg

Sept. 23, 2011

[Editorial] President’s men

Corruption scandals involving people close to President Lee Myung-bak are spreading like wildfire, with many wondering whether they are a symptom or a precursor of Lee’s degeneration into premature lame-duck status.A businessman, who was convicted of falsifying corporate accounts and sentenced to a

Sept. 23, 2011

[Editorial] Digital hospital exports

Korea is set to create a new promising export industry by combining its advanced information technology with high-quality medical services and world-class construction prowess. The new export item emerging from this combination is a digital hospital ― an IT-based hospital in which all medical inform

Sept. 22, 2011