[Editorial] End of an era

Cheong Wa Dae opened to the public shortly after President Yoon Suk-yeol’s inauguration ceremony Tuesday, ending its 74-year-old role as the site for the presidential office and residence. Also called the Blue House, its status as the pinnacle of power -- which has been maintained by 12 presidents from the first President Syngman Rhee -- became history. Many citizens from across the country visited Cheong Wa Dae on the day. They said that it was amazing and meaningful to walk down promen

May 12, 2022

[Editorial] A tough path

President Yoon Suk-yeol took office Tuesday, vowing to push for liberal democracy and revive the market economy amid concerns that he will be confronting a host of critical challenges during his five-year term. As the new leader of South Korea, Yoon rightly deserves to be congratulated. But the road ahead would be tougher than expected, to say the least. The inauguration ceremony was held at the National Assembly in Seoul with 41,000 people in attendance. Ahead of the event, Yoon already star

May 11, 2022

[Editorial] Shameless candidacy

Lee Jae-myung, the former presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, on Sunday declared his candidacy for a parliamentary seat in the by-elections. The former governor of Gyeonggi Province will run in the Gyeyang-B district in Incheon. It is unusual for an unsuccessful former presidential candidate to run for a legislative seat just two months after losing the March 9 presidential election. It is a shameless act that ignores voters. Of course, the former presidential candid

May 10, 2022

[Editorial] Shameful self-praise

When President Moon Jae-in took office in May 2017 on the strength of citizens’ anger following the ouster of then President Park Geun-hye over an influence-peddling scandal, public expectations were sky-high. People expected Moon to open a new era of transparent, democratic and communication-based presidential leadership, in contrast to his predecessor’s closed and isolated style. At the time, Moon famously promised to talk as often as possible with the people and media, publicly

May 9, 2022

[Editorial] Ball in Constitutional Court

President Moon Jae-in promulgated revisions to the Prosecution Office Law and the Criminal Procedures Law, but the situation is not over.　 The Democratic Party of Korea and Moon used tricks and expedients to pass the two bills through the National Assembly and promulgate them in the Cabinet meeting. The revised laws are fraught with problems. Lawmakers and high-ranking officials will have a better chance of avoiding punishment because prosecutors will be unable to investigate allegations rela

May 6, 2022

[Editorial] In need of reform

South Korea’s pension system has long been fraught with structural problems, raising concerns about its sustainability. Unless future pensioners agree to pay more and settle for reduced returns, the state’s key welfare policy is feared to collapse -- sooner rather than later. The first age group to face the dreadful reality will be people born after 1990 -- currently those in their 30s. Even if they faithfully pay the national pension premiums for years, they may not receive anythi

May 5, 2022

[Editorial] Hard task carried over

Korea is an export-driven economy. The trade deficit is showing signs of becoming chronic in the last days of the Moon Jae-in administration. Exports increased 12.6 percent to $57.69 billion in April from the same month of last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Meanwhile, imports grew 18.6 percent on-year to $60.35 billion. As a result, the trade balance stayed in the red for the second successive month. Except for February, which saw a small surplus of $840 million

May 4, 2022

[Editorial] Murky future of internet

South Korea is well known for its advanced internet infrastructure that allows for fast and reliable broadband-based services, a blessing for online users. In contrast, its internet regulations are neither sophisticated nor trustworthy, a curse stubbornly maintained by the government and policymakers. A striking case in point is the country’s absence from the list of around 60 signatories of the pledge called the Declaration for the Future of the Internet. On Thursday, the United State

May 3, 2022

[Editorial] Rough transition

President Moon Jae-in criticized President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol again on Friday, 10 days before his retirement. In personally answering an online public petition that opposed Yoon’s plan to relocate the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae, he questioned whether Yoon should incur considerable expense by moving the office to a place other than a government building in Gwanghwamun. Earlier in a recent interview with a cable television channel, he revealed his dislike of the relocation, ca

May 2, 2022

[Editorial] Pyongyang’s nuclear threat

There is no doubt that North Korea is extremely intractable for its obsession with building up military forces and advancing lethal weapons. But its tactics are not so unpredictable. After all, it has consistently repeated its old playbook of saber-rattling in hopes of reaping rewards in various forms. Pyongyang has been test-firing a series of ballistic and strategic missiles that appear increasingly sophisticated in a way that deepens concerns about the security on the Korean Peninsula. Exper

April 29, 2022

[Editorial] Attend hearings

Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo’s two-day confirmation hearings all fell apart due to the Democratic Party of Korea’s boycott. The ruling and opposition parties agreed to reconvene on May 2 and 3. But it is unclear if they will proceed normally, considering the party’s excessive demands. Just a day before the hearing started Monday, the party abruptly demanded its postponement, citing that the nominee had not provided information sincerely. The National Assembly has so

April 28, 2022

[Editorial] More risks for economy

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which exacerbates already troubled global supply chains, is not the only headache for the Korean economy to tackle. There is a growing list of risk factors, some of which warrant a careful analysis and, if necessary, decisive action. As with other parts of the world including the United States and Europe, inflation is posing the most immediate and insidious threat. As if the war in Ukraine isn’t bad enough, Indonesia’s surprise palm oil export ba

April 27, 2022

[Editorial] Suspicions on party leader

The Central Ethics Committee of the People Power Party on Thursday decided to begin disciplinary procedures for its leader, Lee Jun-seok, in connection with allegations that he had received sex services as a bribe. Lee is the first party leader in the history of the country’s main conservative party to be referred to the ethics committee for review while in office. All of its nine members decided unanimously to start the procedures. However, it did not say when the procedures will begin.

April 26, 2022

[Editorial] Prosecution reform

It came as a surprise that the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the main opposition People Power Party pulled off a compromise on the controversial bill that will strip the prosecution of its investigative powers. In most cases, compromise is better than confrontation. But this does not mean that striking a deal solves all the problems at hand at once. After all, compromise is likely to entail a host of unresolved issues and grievances from those who prefer confrontation. As for the comp

April 25, 2022

[Editorial] Defection trick

The Democratic Party of Korea is going against common sense and procedural norms in order to push through bills that will strip the prosecution of all of its investigative powers.　 Min Hyung-bae, a member of the National Assembly’s legislation and judiciary committee, defected from the party on Wednesday to become an independent lawmaker. 　 The party is pushing bills to revise the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecution Office Act, which will take the prosecution’s hands off all

April 22, 2022

[Editorial] Problematic choices

Shortly after his election victory, President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said he believes that he was elected by the people to restore “fairness and common sense” in society. But many of his picks for the inaugural Cabinet are now entangled in a slew of embarrassing allegations, raising questions about whether the nominees in question will carry out their duties with a sense of fairness and common sense. At the heart of the dispute is Chung Ho-young, the health and welfare minister nomi

April 21, 2022

[Editorial] Tighten guard

North Korea on Sunday announced that it had successfully test-fired two “new-type tactical guided weapons.” It did not disclose the date of the launch, but South Korea’s military presumes the launch occurred at around 6 p.m. Saturday. The military disclosed the provocation after the North announced them in the morning of the following day. The disclosure came 13 hours after the tests. With the military criticized for its belated disclosure, Cheong Wa Dae said that it had held

April 20, 2022

[Editorial] Tackle inflation first

The South Korean economy confronts a toxic mix of high inflation, frothy asset prices and a volatile exchange rate, among other negative variables, amid concerns that the forthcoming launch of the new administration might exacerbate uncertainties. For President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, such dire conditions mean it’s no time to be self-congratulatory about his election victory. On Friday, he asked the presidential transition team to come up with a comprehensive road map to strengthen the econ

April 19, 2022

[Editorial] Stop legislation

The Democratic Party of Korea on Friday submitted bills to revise the criminal procedure law and the prosecution office law to strip away completely the prosecution’s investigative powers. On the back of its parliamentary majority, the party started the legislative process to block investigations of allegations involving the Moon Jae-in administration and former Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, who was the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. The party and the admini

April 18, 2022

[Editorial] Consider all factors

The incoming administration led by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is set to recast the country’s controversial carbon neutrality and nuclear phase-out plans of the Moon Jae-in administration. This is a welcome development, as it is never too late to fix a glaring problem. The presidential transition team claimed Wednesday overhauling the two interlinked policies, whose side effects are claimed to outweigh potential benefits, is inevitable. Won Hee-ryong, the transition team’s plann

April 15, 2022