[Editorial] Overstepping the line

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea and its supporters are coming down on the 27-year-old man who first raised suspicion that Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s son enjoyed special favors when he served in the military. They have stepped over the line. The informant and Choo’s son fulfilled their military duty as Korean Augmentation to the US Army soldiers in the 2nd Infantry Division of the Eighth US Army. The informant revealed that Choo’s son did not return to his unit after

Sept. 15, 2020

[Editorial] Inappropriate assistance

The government last week unveiled plans to draw up a fourth supplementary budget this year to help cushion the economic impact of the prolonged novel coronavirus crisis. During an emergency economic council meeting Thursday, President Moon Jae-in described the proposed extra budget worth 7.8 trillion won ($6.57 billion) as a disaster relief package tailored to concentrate support on the businesses and individuals that have suffered the most damage from the pandemic. He noted such an approach wa

Sept. 14, 2020

[Editorial] Self-employed in crisis

The number of self-employers and small enterprise owners going out of business, apparently due to the economic aftermath of COVID-19, has increased markedly. According to the Korea Small Business Institute and Statistics Korea, the number of self-employed people decreased by 127,000 to 5.54 million in July from a year earlier. In the same month last year, the number fell by 26,000. The decrease widened by nearly 4.9 times in a single year. The number of self-employed people who hired other wo

Sept. 11, 2020

[Editorial] Youth unemployment

A recent survey of major local firms on their employment plans must have further frustrated the country’s young job seekers, who have encountered a particularly harsh labor market. Half of the companies that responded to the poll by the Korea Economic Research Institute said they have not yet fixed hiring plans for the second half of this year. Nearly 25 percent of the firms replied they would not recruit new employees in the period. Many of the firms with hiring plans said they would em

Sept. 10, 2020

[Editorial] Independent probe

Suspicions are swirling regarding the alleged absence without leave of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s son when he served in the military. Choo’s son, 27, whose surname is Seo, did his military duty as a KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to the United States Army) soldier in the 2nd Infantry Division of the US Eighth Army in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, from November 2016 to August 2018. In 2017 he took sick leave from June 5-14, extended it till June 23, took four days of annual leave (J

Sept. 9, 2020

[Editorial] Controversial fund

The government last week disclosed plans to finance a special fund worth 20 trillion won ($16.8 billion) over the next five years to support the South Korean version of the “New Deal” announced by President Moon Jae-in in July. The fund will consist of 3 trillion won in government investment, 4 trillion won in investments from state-run financial institutions and 13 trillion won from private financial firms and individual investors. It is part of a massive financing scheme worth 19

Sept. 8, 2020

[Editorial] Interpret law as is

The recent Supreme Court ruling on a progressive, leftist teachers’ union is hard to understand. The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union was outlawed by the previous administration under former President Park Geun-hye.　 The Park government took the action based on an article in the enforcement ordinance of the teachers’ labor union law. The article requires the government to outlaw a labor union if it refuses to follow a government order to comply with the law.　 The union

Sept. 7, 2020

[Editorial] Ballooning debt

The government submitted the 2021 budget proposal set at a record 555.8 trillion won ($468.5 billion) to the National Assembly on Thursday for approval, the deadline of which falls on Dec. 2. The bloated budget, up 8.5 percent from the spending plan for this year, is designed to kick-start a post-pandemic economic recovery, create more jobs and expand social infrastructure and welfare schemes. South Korea’s annual fiscal deficit is projected to reach a record 109.7 trillion won next year

Sept. 4, 2020

[Editorial] Litigation risk

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong has been indicted for his role in controversial merger and accounting fraud allegations. Ten other former and incumbent Samsung executives were also indicted on similar charges. Lee’s charges are stock manipulation, violations of capital market laws and external audits as well as breach of trust, in relation to the 2015 merger between the Samsung affiliates Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T, and alleged accounting fraud at the pharmaceuti

Sept. 3, 2020

[Editorial] Trilateral posture

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper and his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono met in Guam on Saturday to discuss key regional security issues, including threats from North Korea. They agreed on the importance of ensuring that UN sanctions on the North are fully implemented for the abolition of the recalcitrant regime’s nuclear arsenal and ballistic missiles. Esper and Kono raised objections to China’s actions that destabilize the region, pledging to strengthen cooperation in building the p

Sept. 2, 2020

[Editorial] Use budget efficiently

South Korea’s economic situation is worsening. Last week the Bank of Korea revised its economic growth for this year down sharply to negative 1.3 percent. It is true that the government’s fiscal role has become important in kick-starting the pandemic-hit economy. But equally important is the efficient use of its budget. If it splurges on nonessential or populist programs under the pretext of reviving the economy, growth momentum will vanish. In this context, the “expansionar

Sept. 1, 2020

[Editorial] Abe’s departure

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s planned departure from office is raising hopes that the strained relations between Seoul and Tokyo might at last begin to see some improvement. Days after becoming Japan’s longest-serving premier last week, Abe announced his intent to step down due to a chronic illness, saying he will stay in the post until his successor is chosen, probably within September. During his current tenure, which began in 2012, Seoul-Tokyo ties have reached a low ebb

Aug. 31, 2020

[Editorial] Reckless legislation

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the government revised the Housing Lease Protection Act to restrict jeonse (rent-free lease) deposit increases to 5 percent, but in practice landlords will find it effectively impossible to raise deposits without tenants’ consent. In revising the law last month, they added a new article banning landlords from raising deposits by 5 percent or more, but did not specify that tenants must accept increases within that amount. Recently, the Ministry of L

Aug. 28, 2020

[Editorial] Barter deal

Since taking office last month, Unification Minister Lee In-young, a student activist-turned-lawmaker known for his accommodating approach to North Korea, has been eager to make a breakthrough in stalled inter-Korean relations. He has pitched, in particular, small-scale trade with the North as a “creative” way to enhance inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation while avoiding violating international sanctions imposed on the recalcitrant regime for its nuclear and ballistic missile tes

Aug. 27, 2020

[Editorial] Epidemic politics

Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon and his Sarang Jeil Church are largely responsible for the resurgence of COVID-19. This is undeniable. They flouted social distancing instructions, obstructed contact tracing and refused testing. They deserve condemnation. But the government and the Democratic Party of Korea cannot be immune to responsibility for their failure to contain the virus. New infections are increasing rapidly and throughout the country. Now is the time for the entire nation to unite to beat the ep

Aug. 26, 2020

[Editorial] Proper position

In a briefing about Saturday’s talks between top South Korean and Chinese officials, Cheong Wa Dae said the two sides agreed to finalize Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “early visit” to South Korea once the novel coronavirus situation here stabilizes. Yang Jiechi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo, confirmed that South Korea is at the top of the list of countries Xi will travel to, said presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok. Yang held a four-hour m

Aug. 25, 2020

[Editorial] Needless Big Brother

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is seeking to authorize the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to track people’s financial accounts in connection with their real estate transactions. Rep. Huh Young said last week he will propose an amendment to the real estate transaction report law to grant such authority to the ministry. Currently, the prosecution, the police, and the National Tax Service can access people’s financial information after obtaining court warrants. T

Aug. 24, 2020

[Editorial] Consultative mechanism

In a meeting with US Ambassador Harry Harris on Tuesday, South Korea’s Unification Minister Lee In-young called for an upgrade to the two countries’ joint “working group” on matters related to North Korea. Lee said the operation and functions of the working group should be revamped in a way that “facilitates the development of inter-Korean relations and Korean Peninsula peace policy.” He added that it was time for “Working Group Version 2.0.” Des

Aug. 21, 2020

[Editorial] Anti-Japanese frame

Blunt anti-Japanese remarks by Kim Won-woong, head of the Heritage of Korean Independence, are fanning split in public sentiment about history issues. 　 His words, which are close to sophistry, infuriate most members of the public, but the ruling Democratic Party of Korea chimes in with him.　 In an address to mark the 75th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945) on Aug. 15, he said that Syngman Rhee (1875-1965) colluded with those who had collaborated wi

Aug. 20, 2020

[Editorial] Medical reform

There is no sign of the ongoing controversy over planned medical reform being settled amid mounting concerns over a resurgence in the number of novel coronavirus cases. Local doctors staged a one-day strike across the country Friday to protest the government’s medical reform plan, causing some disruptions at mostly small clinics. The scheme, among other things, calls for raising admission quotas at medial schools by 400 a year for a decade starting 2022 and opening a new public medical s

Aug. 20, 2020