[Editorial] No need to rush

Under President Park Geun-hye’s prodding, government officials have begun discussing ways to make the presidential special pardons less susceptible to abuse. Choo Kyung-ho, policy coordination minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, presided over a meeting of senior officials from relevant ministries last week. Choo said that the meeting’s participants agreed to work out measures to make special pardons fairer and more transparent by next month. The government move was prompted by controversy o

May 10, 2015

[Editorial] Lotte World Mall reopens

Seoul City on Friday gave Lotte the green light to reopen the aquarium and cinema at Lotte World Mall in Jamsil, following a safety review at the mall. The company will also be allowed to proceed with the construction of a concert hall that had been halted.Operations of the two key entertainment facilities at the Lotte World Mall were suspended after several safety concerns were raised following its official opening in April 2014. A water leak was found at the aquarium, while moviegoers experien

May 8, 2015

[Editorial] City Hall Irregularities

The Board of Audit and Inspection has found that the Seoul Metropolitan Government promoted civic servants, gave pay raises and created new organizations, all of which were irregular and not in compliance with existing regulations.The city government created 11 new organizations in violation of the current law, despite an earlier order from the BAI to eliminate the organizations that are in excess of the number allowed. A team charged with reforming the pedestrian blocks was one such organizatio

May 8, 2015

[Editorial] Historians’ warning

A group of noted Japanese studies scholars around the world has issued an open letter denouncing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his right-wing conservative government’s attempts to rewrite history.The letter came after Abe failed to apologize for the system of sexual slavery run by the Japanese military during World War II and other wartime atrocities during his speech before the joint meeting of the U.S. Congress last month. The historians had waited until the end of Abe’s U.S. visit to

May 7, 2015

[Editorial] Disgrace at parliament

The National Assembly approved Park Sang-ok as a Supreme Court justice on Wednesday, 100 days after his nomination.The approval was made possible as National Assembly Speaker Chung Eui-hwa put the bill to vote in his capacity as the parliamentary chair on the last day of the extra parliamentary session. This is the first time since 2012 that a vote was taken on action by a National Assembly speaker. The opposition parties, including the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, walked out of the sess

May 7, 2015

[Editorial] Deeper issue at stake

The probe into the Sung Woan-jong bribery scandal is gaining momentum. On Tuesday and Wednesday, prosecutors questioned close aides of South Gyeongsang Gov. Hong Joon-pyo, and the governor will be summoned Friday as a suspect in the case. Hong will be the first politician to face interrogation in the scandal, which was prompted by Sung’s allegations that he gave illicit money to eight politicians, including close associates of President Park Geun-hye. Hong and Lee Wan-koo, who resigned as prime

May 6, 2015

[Editorial] Economic woes

Recent data shows clouds are gathering over the South Korean economy: Exports are falling, industrial output and private consumption remain sluggish, inflation is crawling at its lowest level and fears of deflation are growing. On top of all this come unfavorable external conditions such as the steep fall of the Japanese yen against the won and the slowdown of major economies like the U.S. and China. This may force a further reduction of the economic growth forecast for this year, which has alre

May 6, 2015

[Editorial] Joining TPP

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent visit to the U.S., which demonstrated the strengthened Washington-Tokyo alliance, has caused concern here that South Korea may be sidelined from the changing geopolitical dynamics in Northeast Asia.Members of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee admonished Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Monday for what they saw as Seoul’s diplomatic inaction. Many South Koreans are worried that Abe is consolidating Japan’s alliance with the U.S. while refusing

May 5, 2015

[Editorial] Absurd populism

The two main political parties are facing mounting criticism for agreeing to expand payouts from the national pension service without suggesting plans on how to fund the increase.The agreement was attached to their deal reached at the weekend to revise the civil servants’ pension system. The revision, which fell short of public expectations, is projected to save some 333 trillion won ($309 billion) in fiscal spending to fill its shortfall over the next seven decades by making government employee

May 5, 2015

[Editorial] Whither North Korea?

It is not rare to receive negative news from North Korea, be it about its reclusive, totalitarian leader and his loyal lieutenants, grave violations of human rights or an economy in tatters. Yet, the latest developments in the country raise some concerns. First, the Kremlin’s announcement that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will not attend a ceremony in Moscow next month marking the 70th anniversary of Russia’s victory over Germany in World War II disappointed many who had thought Kim’s visit t

May 4, 2015

[Editorial] Blind spot

The Sung Woan-jong scandal is a typical corruption case in which a greedy businessman pursued his financial and political interests through collusive ties with influential people and bribery. The scandal, which has already unseated the prime minister and is closing in on more associates of President Park Geun-hye, clearly shows that Korean politics is still dominated by dirty money. What we find more troubling is that while Sung and other corrupt individuals in the case cannot avoid blame and pu

May 4, 2015

[Editorial] Incomplete reform

The public pension reform bill to be put to a parliamentary vote Wednesday falls short of consolidating the foundation for making the money-losing system sustainable and improving efficiency in other areas.The leaders of the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy on Saturday endorsed the bill worked out by a task force of government officials and experts appointed by the parties after months of negotiations. They evaluated it as the best possible comprom

May 3, 2015

[Editorial] Due responsibility

An article in our Constitution stipulates that all Koreans are obliged to pay taxes as set by laws. This obligation is essential to lay the financial foundation for governing a state.However, tax payment may no longer be regarded as a basic responsibility for every citizen now that nearly half of wage earners pay no income tax. According to data from the National Tax Service, the proportion of employed workers exempt from income tax payment increased from 31.3 percent in 2013 to 48.0 percent in

May 3, 2015

[Editorial] Abe falls short

In his historic speech before a joint session of the U.S. Congress, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fell short of apologizing for Japan’s role in World War II and kept mum on the issue of Japanese Imperial Army’s military sexual slavery during the war.Mindful of the fact that he was primarily addressing the U.S. audience, he devoted a few sentences in the 45-minute-long speech to specific incidents involving the U.S. military during the war. Recalling his earlier visit to the World War II Memorial, he

April 30, 2015

[Editorial] Seoul’s conundrum

A former American ambassador to Seoul said this week that ties with South Korea and Japan were both very important for the U.S., dismissing views that Washington is prioritizing its alliance with Tokyo. In an interview with a local news agency here, Stephen Bosworth said the strength of the U.S.-South Korea relationship “is very much a part of our assessment of our future strategy in all of East Asia.”His remarks might have been nothing new, but appeared to draw some reassurance ― or skepticism

April 29, 2015

[Editorial] Amnesty excess

Sung Woan-jong, a construction company owner who died in an apparent suicide early this month, is posthumously rocking the nation with a list of powerful figures, who he alleged had received large sums of money from him. The snowballing graft scandal is pushing President Park Geun-hye into a corner, as most people on the list are close to her.The prosecution’s investigation, prompted by Sung’s allegations, however, is expanding beyond the list to look into his dubious deals with a wider range of

April 29, 2015

[Editorial] A little patience

Politicians tend to ignore common sense when they pursue their own partisan interests. This attitude gets more serious when they quarrel over highly sensitive political issues. One good example is the ongoing dispute over the possible appointment of an independent counsel for the Sung Woan-jong scandal. There is no reason to oppose the idea if it is purely intended to ensure an independent, fair and thorough investigation into the case, which involves ― among other things ― the former prime mini

April 28, 2015

[Editorial] Signs of thaw

It seems that the two Koreas ― especially the South ― are trying to break the years-long impasse in their bilateral relations. The first sign of a possible thaw has come from the Unification Ministry in Seoul, which authorized a local civilian group’s plan to send 15 tons of fertilizer to North Korea. It is the first time in five years the Seoul government has approved a shipment of fertilizer aid. The second development came from Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, who is di

April 28, 2015

[Editorial] Earthquake in Nepal

More than 3,600 people have died in a massive earthquake that struck near Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, Saturday and officials warn that the figure could reach up to 5,000.The 7.8 magnitude earthquake is the worst such disaster to hit the Himalayan nation in more than 80 years ― some 8,500 people died in an earthquake that measured 8.1 on the Richter scale in 1934. Reports of people digging among the ruins with their bare hands to find survivors in the absence of heavy equipment shows the utter de

April 27, 2015

[Editorial] Complete bed rest

Upon returning from a 12-day four-nation South American tour Monday, President Park Geun-hye accepted Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo’s resignation, offered on April 20 amid a growing bribery scandal in which he is implicated.Earlier in the day, the Blue House announced that the doctors had diagnosed Park with gastric spasm and pharyngitis and prescribed complete bed rest for 1-2 days. However, acting on Lee’s resignation was a pressing matter that could not be delayed much longer, especially in ligh

April 27, 2015