[Editorial] Don’t politicize courts

For the first time in the history of the South Korean Constitution, judges representing courts across the nation have effectively resolved to impeach their colleagues.A national council of judges announced Monday that impeachment needs to be considered for judges alleged to have abused their authority during the tenure of former President Park Geun-hye.The council representatives essentially urged the National Assembly to impeach other judges. The judicial branch is now embroiled in a political

Nov. 21, 2018

[Editorial] Deer or horse?

There are many reasons the state prosecution should hasten its investigation into allegations that Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung’s wife used Twitter posts to attack her husband’s political rivals, with some of the posts containing false information and defamatory comments. At stake is the governorship of the nation’s largest provincial government. If the prosecution’s investigation and consequent court trial result in the conviction of Kim Hye-kyung with a fine of 3 million won ($2,650) o

Nov. 20, 2018

[Editorial] Stop twisting arms

The National Assembly and the government asked 15 large companies, including Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor and LG Electronics, to contribute to a fund for the mutual growth of private companies and farming and fishing villages.The Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee of the National Assembly called senior executives of the companies to a meeting it held on the mutual growth of companies and farming and fishing villages last week.The committee reportedly selected

Nov. 19, 2018

[Editorial] At a crossroads

The news that North Korea tested an unspecified new weapons system last week is yet another sign that its denuclearization talks with the US have reached a crossroads. The latest development, however, should not fan excessive pessimism. What is obvious is that North Korea, by announcing the testing of an unspecified “new up-to-date tactical weapon” in the presence of leader Kim Jong-un, wanted to send a message to the US, which it accuses of obstructing the denuclearization talks. Most important

Nov. 18, 2018

[Editorial] Respond sternly

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions began a sit-in near the gate of the premises of the presidential office on Wednesday.Thirteen members including its leader Kim Myeong-hwan condemned the administration under President Moon Jae-in for “joining hands with chaebol tycoons and trying to shut itself off from laborers.” They vowed to “straighten its labor policy direction through a general strike.” The group has called a general strike on Nov. 21, and plans to continue the sit-in near Cheong Wa

Nov. 15, 2018

[Editorial] Tug of war

Uncertainty over the denuclearization of North Korea is increasing as the deadlock continues in talks with the US. The latest controversy over the North’s missile bases is one more sign that a prolonged tug of war could derail the peace process. A red light appeared last week when the US and North Korea canceled a meeting in New York between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his North Korean counterpart. Moreover, US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed that his administration would not rus

Nov. 14, 2018

[Editorial] Rewarding mismanagement

The government has said it will allow terrestrial broadcasting stations to take commercial breaks mid-program.　The Korea Communications Commission Friday unveiled a plan to improve the broadcast advertising system. The plan calls for the introduction of commercial breaks to terrestrial broadcasting programs and relaxed rules on virtual advertising and product placement.The three terrestrial broadcasters -- KBS, MBC and SBS -- have persistently asked for permission to show commercial breaks for a

Nov. 13, 2018

[Editorial] First step

The nation’s conservative forces are still in disarray, 18 months after the presidential election in which they yielded power to a liberal president and five months after they suffered their most humiliating defeat ever in the local elections. One big problem with the failure of the conservatives to recover from the election defeats, which stemmed from the ouster of the impeached President Park Geun-hye, is that it gives the Moon Jae-in administration a virtual free hand to run the nation. The l

Nov. 12, 2018

[Editorial] Go with market

The reshuffle of South Korea’s top two economic officials Friday raises concerns rather than expectations over policy direction. President Moon Jae-in appointed his top social affairs adviser Kim Soo-hyun as new presidential chief of staff for policy, and Hong Nam-ki, minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, as new deputy prime minister for economy and minister of economy and finance.The move reflects Moon’s will to sustain his basic policy direction, including the controversia

Nov. 11, 2018

[Editorial] Let them alone

The government and the ruling party on Tuesday agreed to enact “cooperation profit sharing” between large companies and small and medium-sized companies.The Ministry of SMEs and Startups vowed to enforce the system in the first half of next year.The small and mid-sized companies referred to in the system are suppliers of parts, materials or technology to large companies. In Korea, a supplier to a large company is formally called a “cooperation company.” “Cooperation profit” means profit earned b

Nov. 8, 2018

[Editorial] Responsible labor activism

Two events scheduled for later this month illustrate problems with the nation’s labor activism. The first is the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ plan to stage a general strike on Nov. 21. The other is a social dialogue event the following day that the KCTU has decided to boycott.The KCTU, the more radical of the two largest national umbrella unions, has called the general strike in an effort to achieve, among other things, the revision of labor laws, the elimination of contingent jobs, the

Nov. 7, 2018

[Editorial] Respond strongly

It became belatedly known that Ri Son-kwon, chairman of North Korea’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, had made a scathing joke about Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, chief policymaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. During an event in Pyongyang on Oct. 5 marking the 2007 inter-Korean summit, Ri was quoted by participants as saying, “those with a pot belly should not be entrusted with a budget,” after a ruling party official introduced Kim to him as the party’s main offici

Nov. 6, 2018

[Editorial] New leadership

Signs are growing that President Moon Jae-in may replace his two top economic officials, as the administration faces increasingly stiffer challenges to manage the national economy. In all, the earlier Moon replaces the two the better it would be for the nation. Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Kim Dong-yeon and Jang Ha-sung, chief policy adviser to Moon, have long faced public pressure to step down for the recent economic situation and conflicts over their views on key economic policies. Judgin

Nov. 5, 2018

[Editorial] Expedite legislation

The Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of conscientious objectors to military service has aroused public uproar.Hundreds of online petitions against the ruling have appeared on the presidential office’s website. “If every adult male is exempt from mandatory military service on conscientious, religious grounds, who will protect our country?” a petitioner posted. “The ruling demoralizes servicemen on both active and reserve duties,” another said.Opposition to conscientious objection to military servi

Nov. 4, 2018

[Editorial] Acid test of diplomacy

It is inevitable that Korea-Japan relations will be impacted by the Supreme Court’s ruling that Japan’s Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. should compensate four South Koreans for forced labor during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea.Though the ruling came late -- 13 years and eight months after the suit was first filed -- we hope that it will ease the lifelong rancor of wartime forced laborers and their surviving families.The government must try its best to heal their wounds.The ruling is notewor

Nov. 1, 2018

[Editorial] In step with the world

The decision of South Korea and the US to launch a working group on North Korea reflects Washington’s concerns about the pace of Seoul’s efforts to improve ties with Pyongyang in the absence of a substantial progress in denuclearizing the North. The announcement in Washington of the decision on the working group came after the US Treasury Department contacted South Korean conglomerates to inquire about their inter-Korean businesses and asked major banks to observe the international sanctions on

Oct. 31, 2018

[Editorial] Half-baked plans

Local governments recently poured out policies to expand free child care and free school lunch provisions.Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Monday unveiled a plan to provide free lunches to students of all private and public schools in the capital from 2021. Currently, only pupils at public elementary and middle schools receive free lunches. On the same day, Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province announced it would provide free lunches at kindergartens and elementary and middle schools starting next yea

Oct. 30, 2018

[Editorial] Self-contradiction

President Moon Jae-in’s controversial ratification of inter-Korean agreements he signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang last month highlights the legal and political complexities of dealing with the North. It also manifests how deep polarization in this society is. The controversy began Tuesday last week when Moon ratified the Pyongyang Declaration and inter-Korean military agreement. The declaration calls for denuclearization of the peninsula and broader inter-Korean exchanges

Oct. 29, 2018

[Editorial] Concerns on special court

The ruling and three minor opposition parties agreed to rush through a bill to create a special court to deal with suspicions of “judicial power abuse and trial manipulation” involving the former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae. They say the bill is intended to guarantee a fair trial, because many of the suspects are presiding judges of the Seoul Central District Court, which will take on the case if the prosecution indicts.According to the related bill proposed by Rep. Park Ju-min of

Oct. 28, 2018

[Editorial] Sputtering industry

The Korean auto industry, once the locomotive of the national economy, is in trouble. One prime example is that the auto parts industry has asked for a package of more than 3 trillion won ($2.65 billion) in government financial assistance. The problems facing the car parts companies are so serious that some financial institutions are refusing rollovers and new loans to those in the “high-risk” group.Indeed, some statistics manifest how serious the crisis is. Sales of the 89 listed car parts supp

Oct. 25, 2018