[Editorial] New threat

Special counsel Huh Ik-bum and his team have started investigating the online opinion rigging scandal involving a detained power blogger and several close associates of President Moon Jae-in. The investigation and its result will have many implications for Korean society and politics. First, it would put to the test the nation’s justice system, which has often been challenged in past cases involving those in powerful positions, including the president, senior government officials and politicians

June 29, 2018

[Editorial] Policy consistency

Controversy over whether to construct a new airport in the southeastern region of the country has been revived.　As a matter of fact, the issue was resolved two years ago with the decision to expand an existing airport on the western end of Busan.　Then, Busan Mayor-elect Oh Geo-don raised the issue again in an interview with news media on Monday. 　“Expanding Gimhae International Airport was a misguided political decision. The expansion must be stopped,” Oh said. “Constructing a new airport on Gad

June 28, 2018

[Editorial] Dilemma on refugees

Refugee and migration problems are a global issue, affecting people and governments in many parts of the world, from the US and Latin America to Europe to Africa and Asia. Notwithstanding, Korea has been relatively detached from the refugee crisis. But the case of more than 500 Yemeni refugees stuck on Jeju Island shows Korea too is no exception.There always is a dilemma of how to deal with a refugee crisis. It is difficult for any host country to balance humanitarian consideration of people in

June 27, 2018

[Editorial] Wrongful calculation

Household debt rose to an all-time high of 1,468 trillion won ($1.317 trillion) as of the end of the first quarter of this year. The household debt service ratio, which indicates the proportion of principal and interest payments to household income, hit a five-year high last year. Many households are now deep in debt.In this situation, banks reportedly have increased their incomes by raising interest rates on loans unfairly. They have undermined consumers’ trust in them by themselves. Banks have

June 26, 2018

[Editorial] JP’s legacy

Kim Jong-pil, or “JP” as he was also called, was at the center of Korean politics from the early 1960s to early 2000s. But it would be too much to say he was a statesman or a hero. It also would be not exactly right to describe him disparagingly only as a professional politician. Maybe it lies somewhere between the two extremes. What’s obvious is Kim -- a two-time prime minister and nine-term lawmaker who headed ruling and opposition parties -- was one of the most influential politicians in the

June 25, 2018

[Editorial] No time to lose

South and North Korea fixed the schedule and scale of a reunion event for families who were separated during the Korean War. The agreement came in their Red Cross talks at the Mount Geumgang resort in North Korea on Friday. Each side will choose 100 people to meet at the resort from Aug. 20-26. It will be the first family reunion since October 2015. Among various reconciliation measures sought after recent dialogues between South and North Korea and between the US and North Korea, resuming famil

June 24, 2018

[Editorial] Police reform first

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Thursday announced reform plans aimed at better coordination of the investigative powers of the prosecution and police. Police will be empowered to close investigations based on their own judgment without sending related cases to the prosecution after investigation. They are required to forward cases to the prosecution if they deem that suspects need to be charged. Prosecutors will not be able to command police investigations before police send related cases to them

June 22, 2018

[Editorial] Dismantling pressure

Signs are growing that the denuclearization process for North Korea is going in the direction the North wants. The biggest concern is that the “maximum pressure” that contributed to the North coming to the negotiation table is cracking without any substantial progress in dismantling the North’s nuclear capability. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to China on Tuesday and Wednesday -- the third in three months -- is yet another sign, as Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping must have discuss

June 21, 2018

[Editorial] Early closure of reactor

State-owned nuclear operator Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. held an emergency board meeting on Friday and decided to close Wolsong-1 nuclear power plant early.Wolsong-1’s life cycle was extended for 10 years to 2022 as it was deemed “economically viable” after its 30-year operational license ended in 2012.The extension decision was then overturned by reason of “uncertain economic viability.”It is difficult to understand why it has turned suddenly from economically viable to nonviable.Unlike mos

June 20, 2018

[Editorial] Bright and dark sides

The peace process aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis is gaining momentum. On the surface, the latest developments offer optimism, but there are causes for concern as well. The brightest prospects come from inter-Korean relations, as the two Koreas are quickly following up on the agreements made by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at their two meetings. On Monday, the two sides held a meeting at the truce village of Panmunjeom to discuss inter-Korean sport

June 19, 2018

[Editorial] Job crisis

Job growth decreased sharply to 72,000 jobs in May after staying a little over 100,000 for three straight months.It is the first time since the 1998 financial crisis that employment growth has remained below 200,000 jobs for four successive months. The unemployment rate was 4 percent last month.The youth unemployment rate rose to 10.5 percent, an 18-year high for May after related data was compiled in May 2000.Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon called the May job figures “s

June 18, 2018

[Editorial] Real reform

Korean party politics is in bad shape. The June 13 local elections and the 12 parliamentary by-elections simply showed how bad it is. The biggest concern is that the uneven playing field caused by the lopsided victory of the ruling party will continue to remain at least until the 2020 parliamentary election. That means Korean politics will be largely devoid of checks and balances, the quintessential element of a healthy democracy. The biggest blame should be placed on the dismal performance of t

June 17, 2018

[Editorial] Preserving alliance

It is an undeniable fact that the recent US-North Korea summit provided a turnaround in the nuclear standoff between the two sides. But the dramatic shift from threats of war to handshakes for peace did not come without defects. US President Donald Trump’s rash move that could weaken the South Korea-US alliance is one of them. What Trump said -- he gave the same words to Kim Jong-un during their talks in Singapore earlier this week -- is already seeing repercussions, as his pledge to cease the S

June 15, 2018

[Editorial] Opposition sanctioned

Voters did not hold the ruling party accountable for the government performance but sanctioned opposition parties in Wednesday’s local elections.The Democratic Party of Korea scored a landslide victory, while opposition parties suffered humiliating losses. Polls predicted the triumph prior to the elections, but the lead was wider than anticipated.The Democratic Party won 14 of 17 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial posts, while the main opposition Liberty Korea Party secured just two seats. O

June 14, 2018

[Editorial] A new Kim?

The denuclearization agreement signed by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un -- despite criticisms that it lacks details and a timeline -- has many implications besides the start of work to remove nukes from the hands of a young dictator who once threatened a nuclear strike on the world’s most powerful country. 　Most of all, the historic accord that calls for the formation of relations between the two countries and establishment of a “lasting and stable” peace regime al

June 13, 2018

[Editorial] Opening new era

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday, taking the first step toward a peacefully denuclearized Korean Peninsula. The first summit between a sitting US president and North Korean leader in 70 years since the division of Korea in 1948 raised hope for a new era of reconciliation between the two countries.Trump said at a signing ceremony for a “comprehensive” joint statement with Kim after the summit that he had developed a “very

June 12, 2018

[Editorial] CVID first

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are to meet each other in Singapore on Tuesday for talks whose outcome would have huge implications on regional and global security and the future of a country that has often been called the most reclusive and troublesome in the world. The summit is historic in that the leaders of former war adversaries are meeting for the first time. The fact that Trump and Kim are meeting in neutral territory symbolizes the reality faced by the two men. What’s good for now is that

June 11, 2018

[Editorial] Unjustified probe

The Ministry of Education asked the prosecution Friday to investigate 17 people who were involved in the previous administration’s plans to scrap textbooks on Korean history and introduce state-authored ones.They are five former Cheong Wa Dae officials, eight ministry officials and four people who are not government officials. The ministry will take disciplinary actions against six other ministry staff.If government officials do anything illegal in performing their jobs, it is a matter of course

June 10, 2018

[Editorial] Working hours confusion

Beginning July 1, maximum weekly working hours will decrease from 68 to 52 for companies employing 300 or more workers.Though the related bill passed the National Assembly on Feb. 28, the government has yet to specify as to what should be regarded working hours, with just three weeks left to the enforcement date, causing confusion among companies.　Dong Seoul Bus Terminal in eastern Seoul posted a public notice Wednesday that it would stop selling bus tickets in advance online from July, then wit

June 8, 2018

[Editorial] Not bargaining chip

As the clock ticks toward the US-North Korea summit in Singapore on June 12, speculation is rising over what issues US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will discuss. The fate of 28,000 American troops stationed in South Korea might be one of them. There have been conflicting messages from top US officials. Trump and diplomats like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seem not to have ruled out the possibility of Trump and Kim discussing the issue. In contrast, Secretary of De

June 7, 2018