[Editorial] Practical alternative

Last week’s conviction of Seoul’s chief educator Cho Hee-yeon for running a smear campaign during the 2014 election has intensified calls for abolishing the popular direct election of regional education heads.The Seoul Central District Court fined Cho, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, 5 million won ($4,600), convicting him of spreading false rumors against his rival candidate. If the Supreme Court confirms the ruling, Cho will lose his job. Under the current law, ele

April 26, 2015

[Editorial] Ill-conceived proposal

The most urgent task President Park Geun-hye will address upon returning home Monday from her 12-day trip to South America is choosing the replacement for Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo, who offered to resign a week ago amid a deepening graft scandal. She may well be more cautious and considerate than ever in picking her sixth prime ministerial nominee in about two years. Three of the five nominated for the No. 2 post in the administration since Park took office in early 2013 withdrew their names ev

April 26, 2015

[Editorial] Abe disappoints

Things are as usual with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his government: Uttering vague words and phrases about Japan’s wartime past while their actions show clearly that they intend to pursue their goal of regaining the country’s honor.Abe’s speech at the Asian-African Summit in Jakarta on April 22 was closely watched for clues to what may be contained in his upcoming speech before the joint meeting of the U.S. Congress next week and his speech marking the 70th anniversary of end of Worl

April 24, 2015

[Editorial] Growing political chaos

It feels as though the country has been sucked into a black hole ― one created by the late businessman Sung Woan-jong’s memo implicating eight politicians in a growing bribery scandal.What began as a probe into the failed energy diplomacy during the Lee Myung-bak administration has now become an all-consuming affair that has resulted in Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo, whose name was on the memo, offering to resign while President Park Geun-hye is on a four-nation tour of South America. On Thursday t

April 24, 2015

[Editorial] Corporate profitability

The earnings of Samsung Group and Hyundai Motor Group, Korea’s two biggest conglomerates, accounted for 81 percent of the total profits of the country’s top 30 business groups last year, up from 47.5 percent in 2010.The increased proportion may be viewed as showing Samsung and Hyundai have continued to expand their presence in the Korean economy. However, a closer look at the data released by a local research firm Sunday suggests the real problem is the performance of other companies has been to

April 23, 2015

[Editorial] New nuclear accord

A new nuclear accord concluded between South Korea and the U.S. on Wednesday was described by the two sides as striking a balance between Seoul’s need for nuclear autonomy and Washington’s will to keep its global nonproliferation campaign uncompromised.A South Korean Foreign Ministry official called it a win-win deal based on mutual trust between Seoul and Washington. U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert said in a statement that the deal marked a “significant achievement” for both sides.T

April 23, 2015

[Editorial] Navy sex crimes

Last week a Navy lieutenant colonel was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape of a female sergeant. It is alleged that the Navy lieutenant colonel attempted to sexually assault the sergeant after forcing her to have dinner with him, over which two bottles of soju were consumed. He is accused of trying to sexually assault her in his car and again in a motel. In the process, the sergeant sustained injuries requiring two weeks of treatment. In reporting the incident to the authorities, the sergea

April 22, 2015

[Editorial] Pollution risks

In addition to the lows and highs as well as chances of precipitation, we ought to be paying attention to particle pollution forecasts as we prepare for the day. Not doing so could shorten your life.According to a recent study, air pollution, including particle pollution, is causing premature death in 1 out of 6 people among those 30 years and older living in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. In 2010, 15,346 deaths among those 30 years and older were caused by particle pollution, the study said. That

April 22, 2015

[Editorial] Prime minister’s fall

Giving in to mounting pressure, Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo tendered his resignation midnight Monday. President Park Geun-hye is expected to accept the resignation upon her return from a tour of Latin America on Monday.Given the circumstances, Lee would have had no choice but to step down. When Sung Woan-jong, the late chairman of Keangnam Enterprises, left behind voice recordings and a memo indicating that he gave him illicit money, Lee flatly denied the allegations. But evidence and testimonies

April 21, 2015

[Editorial] Not merely bribery

The Sung Woan-jong scandal is basically a case of bribery, in which a business tycoon, who was greedy enough to take a parliamentary seat as well, offered illegal money to politicians to buy their influence.For now, the scandal is focused on Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo and some other politicians close to President Park Geun-hye. This is largely because the late Sung pinpointed them in what is seen as a personal vendetta against people who were in a position to ― but did not ― help him with the co

April 21, 2015

[Editorial] Dealing with Pyongyang

Seoul’s Defense Ministry on Friday came out strongly against North Korea for its renewed pledge to cling to its nuclear weapons program. A ministry spokesman said in a statement that Pyongyang’s possession of any nuclear arms cannot be accepted and South Korea’s military will respond sternly if the North continues to be provocative.This warning came after Hyon Yong-chol, the chief of North Korea’s People’s Armed Forces, argued a day earlier at an international security conference in Moscow that

April 20, 2015

[Editorial] Conscientious voices

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other right-wing Japanese figures seem to think time is on the side of their historical revisionism. While glossing over Japan’s militarist past and making no clear apology for its wartime atrocities, they may hope that the troubled history shared with neighboring countries will be put into oblivion as remaining victims and witnesses dwindle away.Recent remarks by two Japanese conscientious intellectuals should be a reminder that this attitude is not what is needed

April 20, 2015

[Editorial] All those lies

Politicians tend to lie. It is a common belief that one cannot become a successful politician without telling lies, which makes politics one of the professions that the public trusts least. The Sung Woan-jong scandal that has been pounding the political community confirms this public belief. Many of those whose names have come up so far had denied Sung’s claims that they were close to the late tycoon and received illicit money from him. One after another, they changed their words as evidence and

April 19, 2015

[Editorial] Business as usual

It seems that there are only two things in Korean politics these days ― the Sung Woan-jong scandal and the rest. Given that the scandal surrounds people close to President Park Geun-hye and that it contains some interesting elements ― politicians, money, death, lies, conspiracies and finger pointing ― it is hardly surprising that the case has become the hottest political issue in Korea. Moreover, no one knows where the prosecution’s investigation will end up. There is already talk of possible pr

April 19, 2015

[Editorial] A two-track approach

South Korea seems to be moving to decouple disputes over territorial and historical issues from security and economic cooperation in handling its strained ties with Japan. The burgeoning shift in Seoul’s stance may be an inevitable response to the U.S. administration’s push to bolster trilateral security cooperation with its two key Asian allies, which is partly aimed at keeping a rising China in check. This two-track approach can also be a wise strategic decision to allow South Korea to avoid f

April 17, 2015

[Editorial] Hanging in balance

Until April 27, Koreans will see their president on an overseas trip while the official in the position to work on her behalf at home during the period is fighting off growing suspicion that he received illicit funds.Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo is at the center of a snowballing scandal surrounding allegations by Sung Woan-jong, a former construction company owner who died in an apparent suicide last week, that he gave large sums of money to Lee and other key figures close to President Park Geun-h

April 17, 2015

[Editorial] Self-serving strike

It seems that radical unions will ignore public calls for restraint and go ahead with a general strike next week, which, in all regards, is not only illegal but also self-serving.The general strike, set for April 24, is to be led by the militant umbrella group Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. It said it was calling for the strike in opposition to the government’s push for labor market reform and overhaul of government workers’ pension system. It also demands to raise the minimum wage to 10,

April 16, 2015

[Editorial] Do you sleep well?

As expected, the storm generated by Sung Woan-jong’s claims of illegal political donations is buffeting the political community very hard. It is gathering force so fast and dynamically that no one knows how powerful it will be.For now, the scandal is focused on allegations surrounding Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo, South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Jun-pyo and a group of senior officials and politicians close to President Park Geun-hye. This is largely because allegations made so far are based on

April 16, 2015

[Editorial] Remembering Sewol

Most of us in Korea remember the Sewol ferry sinking on April 16 last year as if it had happened only yesterday. Many of us remember where we were when we first saw regular television programming interrupted for breaking news. We remember thinking that the passengers would probably be rescued as the ferry lay on its side. What weighs most heavily on our collective memory today, as we mark the first anniversary of that tragedy, is that more than 300 perished instead.In the days and weeks that fol

April 15, 2015

[Editorial] Country must come first

With President Park Geun-hye embarking on a 12-day South American tour, Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo will be in charge of state affairs as the acting president during Park’s absence. Normally, this would not be newsworthy, except we now have an unprecedented situation where the sitting prime minister is facing an investigation for allegations of accepting illicit money from a businessman.The late Sung Woan-jong, former chairman of Keangnam Enterprises, claimed in a telephone interview conducted be

April 15, 2015