[Editorial] Recovery momentum

A resurgence in novel coronavirus cases is slowing down South Korea’s economic recovery, though its manufacturing sector has been propped up by improving exports. Outbound shipments from Asia’s fourth-largest economy grew 4 percent on-year in November, bouncing back from a 3.6 percent decrease in October. The country’s economy grew at a faster-than-expected pace of 2.1 percent in the July-September quarter from three months earlier, raising hopes that it was on a path to recov

Dec. 9, 2020

[Editorial] Runaway legislation

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is ready to pass controversial bills on Wednesday, the final day of the regular session of the National Assembly.　 The party vows to ram through its revision to the law on the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials or CIO. The revised bill neutralizes the opposition party’s veto for recommended CIO heads. In short, the ruling party is intent on getting a figure on its side appointed to head the office. In that

Dec. 8, 2020

[Editorial] Unconstitutional move

In a session of a parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and unification last week, ruling party lawmakers unilaterally passed a controversial bill aimed at banning the flying of anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the inter-Korean border into the North. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea, which commands an overwhelming parliamentary majority, is planning to ram it through during a plenary session of the National Assembly on Wednesday. If enacted, the proposed revision to the Development of I

Dec. 7, 2020

[Editorial] Retract punitive move

The court ruling and the conclusion by the inspection committee of the Justice Ministry confirm suspicions that Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae took illegitimate steps in order to get Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl dismissed. Law-breaking conduct by a handful of ministry officials and prosecutors who helped Choo could be grounds for her prosecution later. The court ruled Tuesday that her order of excluding Yoon from duty is neglect of the prosecution’s independence and political neutralit

Dec. 4, 2020

[Editorial] Trilateral deal

China is renewing efforts toward concluding a free trade agreement with South Korea and Japan in an apparent attempt to erode US influence in the region by forming a framework encompassing the three Northeast Asian economic powers in its favor. During his visit to Seoul and Tokyo last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised the need to make an active push for the trilateral FTA. Negotiations on the envisioned deal among the three countries have made little progress since kicking off in 20

Dec. 3, 2020

[Editorial] Pork barrel politics

The projects that the Moon Jae-in administration has pushed through without preliminary feasibility studies since it was launched in 2017 cost about 88 trillion won ($79.5 billion) total, according to data from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The figure exceeds the 84 trillion won combined cost of all the projects exempted from feasibility surveys by the two previous administrations under Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye. In 2015, projects exempted from feasibility studies colle

Dec. 2, 2020

[Editorial] Unanswered courtship

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit here last week was viewed as aimed at strengthening ties between South Korea and China ahead of the launch of a new US administration in January. His trip to Seoul, the first since December 2019, came as US President-elect Joe Biden has made clear his intent to rebuild a network of America’s alliances to reassert its global leadership and keep China’s growing assertiveness in check. The Chinese top diplomat might have been pleased by t

Dec. 1, 2020

[Editorial] Protect rule of law

The court on Monday will hear a lawsuit filed by Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to suspend the effect of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s order excluding him from his duties.　 Yoon faces a disciplinary committee hearing to be convened by the ministry on Dec. 2. The court is expected to determine before Dec. 2 whether to suspend Choo’s order. If the court accepts Yoon’s request, he can work as prosecutor general pending judgment on the lawsuit filed by Yoon requesting the rev

Nov. 30, 2020

[Editorial] No evidence of misconduct

The nation’s top prosecutor, Yoon Seok-youl, is being pushed over the cliff in his protracted feud with Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, who critics say has been abusing her power to block the prosecution’s investigation into sensitive cases involving figures close to President Moon Jae-in. Taking issue with what she called “some serious misconduct” by the prosecutor general, Choo on Tuesday gave an order suspending Yoon from duty and began the process of taking disciplinary

Nov. 27, 2020

[Editorial] Giving up on catching spies?

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally pushed an amendment to the National Intelligence Service Act through a related subcommittee at the National Assembly on Tuesday. The opposition People Power Party quit the subcommittee session after failing to remove a clause requiring the intelligence agency to transfer anti-communist investigation power to the police after three years. The Democratic Party plans to push the bill through the National Assembly by Dec. 9. Given its sweeping majo

Nov. 26, 2020

[Editorial] Widening gap

Official data released last week showed that income inequality in the country is worsening, suggesting that less privileged households have suffered more from the Moon Jae-in administration’s ill-conceived policies as well as from the prolonged coronavirus pandemic. The average monthly income of households in the bottom 20 percent income bracket decreased 1.1 percent on-year to 1.63 million won ($1,466) in the third quarter of this year, while the corresponding figure for the top 20 perce

Nov. 25, 2020

[Editorial] Don’t beat around the bush

As jeonse prices in Seoul kept rising 72 weeks in a row, the government on Thursday unveiled a package of measures with a focus on increasing the supply of public rental housing units. Jeonse is a Korean-style real estate lease where tenants pay a lump-sum deposit to landlords and retrieve it when the contract ends. The government will supply 114,000 public rental housing units across the country over the next two years. It will purchase not only houses to rent out, but also hotels, commercial

Nov. 24, 2020

[Editorial] Prolonged silence

North Korea has kept silent on the outcome of the US presidential election on Nov. 3 in an apparent indication that it is at a loss how to deal with the incoming Joe Biden administration. In previous US presidential votes, it usually took a couple of days for the North to mention or issue a statement on the results. Apparently, Pyongyang wanted to see the reelection of President Donald Trump, who has boasted of his friendly relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump and Kim have tri

Nov. 23, 2020

[Editorial] Airport politics

A government panel’s decision on a state project to expand Gimhae International Airport into an air travel hub in the country’s southeast is unconvincing and contradictory.　 The panel said Tuesday that the new, larger Gimhae International Airport will have no problems in serving as a gateway airport for the southeastern provinces in light of capacity but that the project requires a fundamental review, meaning it will effectively be scrapped. 　 It gave a lame excuse for the need for

Nov. 20, 2020

[Editorial] Narrowing stance

At a press conference this week, US President-elect Joe Biden affirmed his administration would seek to take the lead in setting the rules for trade in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, not leaving the work to China. He said the US, which makes up 25 percent of the world’s economy, needed to be aligned with other democracies so that it could “set the rules of the road instead of having China and others dictate outcomes because they are the only game in town.” His remarks ca

Nov. 19, 2020

[Editorial] Excessive measures

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae is facing criticism for ordering ministry officials to seek to enact a law to force suspects to disclose the passwords for their mobile phones. The order appears to target Han Dong-hoon, a senior prosecutor currently being investigated in what Choo calls as a typical corrupt relationship between the prosecution and the press. Han is charged with colluding with Lee Dong-jae, a former cable TV news reporter, to pressure a jailed businessman to reveal incriminating in

Nov. 18, 2020

[Editorial] Worsening unemployment

South Korea extended the streak of job losses to eight months in October, amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic crisis, according to government data released last week. The number of employed people in the country shrank by 421,000 from a year earlier to 27.09 million last month. The jobless rate rose by 0.7 percentage point on-year to 3.7 percent, the highest figure for October in two decades. The number of unemployed people here stood at 1.03 million last month, up 164,000 from a year earli

Nov. 17, 2020

[Editorial] Lack of reciprocity

China unilaterally canceled two flights chartered by Samsung Electronics to send its employees to the country. The flights were arranged under an agreement reached by Korea and China in May to fast-track the entry of their peoples for business purposes. Beijing effectively flouted the agreement.　 The planes were scheduled to depart for the Chinese cities of Xian and Tianjin on Nov. 13. Samsung Electronics has memory chip manufacturing facilities in Xian and a TV factory in Tianjin. Seoul spe

Nov. 16, 2020

[Editorial] Rising won

Customs data released this week showed South Korea’s exports increased 20.1 percent on-year in the first 10 days of November, raising hopes that outbound shipments from Asia’s fourth-largest economy may rebound this month from a 3.6 percent fall in October. In the Jan. 1-Nov. 10 period, the country’s exports declined 7.4 percent from a year earlier to $429.7 billion, due largely to a decrease in global demand amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The slump in exports,

Nov. 13, 2020