[Editorial] Not what Lippert wanted

U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert was discharged from the hospital Tuesday, much to the relief of the Korean people who have been expressing support and sympathy for the envoy, who was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant on March 5.Much to the chagrin of the public, however, political parties are attempting to exploit the incident for their own political gain ahead of next month’s by-elections. The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy were united in cond

March 10, 2015

[Editorial] Full commitment required

Saenuri Party Rep. Yoo Ki-june, the nominee for oceans and fisheries minister, and Rep. Yoo Il-ho, the minister-designate for land, infrastructure and transport, showed during their confirmation hearings Monday that they do not intend to give up running for reelection in next year’s general election.Grilled by the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy legislators over whether they plan to seek reelection, the two ministers-designate dodged the question, refusing to give a straightforwar

March 10, 2015

[Editorial] Rate cut dilemma

The country’s central bank is facing a deepening dilemma on whether to cut its key interest rate, which has remained at a record low of 2 percent since October.In recent months, the Bank of Korea has continued to send negative signals, cautioning that any further rate cut would result in increased household debt and capital outflow. But the BOK is under growing pressure from government officials and independent economists that it should no longer hesitate to reduce the rate to help spur the econ

March 9, 2015

[Editorial] China-N.K. summit

China sent a signal on the weekend that its leader Xi Jinping might meet North Korea’s young ruler Kim Jong-un later this year. In a news conference Sunday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi suggested they might hold their first meeting “when it is convenient for both parties.”Kim, who took his hereditary power in 2011 following the sudden death of his father, has yet to make his debut on the international stage. Russia has said that Kim will attend a ceremony in Moscow in May to mark the 70th an

March 9, 2015

[Editorial] Time to act

South Korea has a relatively high level of public safety, to the degree that few feel uneasy about riding a subway train in the late hours. But this should not let authorities and the public loosen their vigilance against possible terrorist attacks or other threats to society. In fact, string of recent cases has raised questions about the nation’s ability to deal with terrorism and threats to public safety ― a teenager joined the Islamic State militant group and two men went on separate shooting

March 8, 2015

[Editorial] Foot-dragging

The ruling and opposition parties agreed late last year to overhaul the deficit-ridden pension plans for government workers. The accord led to the launch of a special parliamentary committee and an ad-hoc panel for pulling off a “grand social compromise” on the issue. Under the agreement, the ad-hoc panel is to prepare its proposals on how to reform the pension system by March 28, and hand them over to the special parliamentary committee, which would be tasked with writing necessary bills by the

March 8, 2015

[Editorial] No scar on alliance

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert kept his upbeat tone in the hours after a shocking knife attack on him by a leftist activist during an event in Seoul on Thursday morning.Lippert posted on his Twitter account after undergoing surgery that he was “doing well and in good spirits” and that he was “deeply moved by the support” he received from his acquaintances here. “Will be back ASAP (as soon as possible) to advance U.S.-ROK (South Korea) alliance!” he further wrote.Even considering his

March 6, 2015

[Editorial] Irresponsible lawmakers

Parents’ anger has been growing over parliament’s failure to pass a bill designed to oblige all day care centers across the country to install surveillance cameras to help prevent child abuse.Their resentment is amplified by the memory of promises repeated by the main political parties since closed-circuit TV footage showing a 4-year-old girl being beaten to the floor by her nanny for not finishing her meal sparked public outrage in January.The ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung des

March 6, 2015

[Editorial] Ill-conceived strike

The Korea Confederation of Trade Unions has called for a general strike April 24, which the umbrella labor group said would be followed by sporadic, smaller-scale walkouts by its member unions.The KCTU said it would launch the protests unless the government ― specifically President Park Geun-hye ― accepts their demands for, among other things, scrapping plans to reform the labor market and the government workers’ pension scheme. It set the end of March as the deadline for government answers. It

March 5, 2015

[Editorial] Looming crisis

Korea faces serious demographic challenges owing to its low birthrate and rapidly aging population. This week, another set of data illustrating the gravity of the problems was released by the government: The number of elderly people that every 100 working-age people have to support has reached 18.12. This represents a threefold surge over the past 40 years. This is because the growth in the number of people aged 65 or older is outpacing the growth in the number of economically active people ― th

March 5, 2015

[Editorial] Toeing Japan's line

As countries around the world mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, three countries in Northeast Asia ― Korea, China and Japan ― face a unique and continuing conundrum: how to resolve disputes over history so they can talk about the future.With the conservative government of Shinzo Abe in Japan on a path to revising history in its favor, relations between Seoul and Tokyo remain icy. President Park Geun-hye, in her speech marking the 96th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Mo

March 4, 2015

[Editorial] Imperfect antigraft law

The antigraft bill that passed Tuesday, after much wrangling over the constitutionality of parts of it, is nevertheless a step forward in the country’s fight against corruption. As originally proposed in June 2011 by Kim Young-ran, the former Supreme Court Justice and former Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission chief, the “Kim Young-ran bill” sought to prosecute public officials for receiving bribes. The bill was intended to close the loophole in the existing anticorruption law by prosecu

March 4, 2015

[Editorial] Second Middle East boom

President Park Geun-hye is in the middle of a tour of four Middle East nations, hoping to lay the ground for what she calls a “second Middle East boom” for the Korean economy. Park’s nine-day visit to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar is timely in that it comes as Korea and the region seek a closer relationship, especially in the economy. Bilateral ties between Korea and the Middle East used to be limited to energy and construction, as Korea depends on imports for most of its

March 3, 2015

[Editorial] Averting crisis

Household debts are casting stormy clouds over the Korean economy as their size and pace of growth are reaching dangerous levels. The Bank of Korea said that household credit hit a new record high and expanded at record pace in the fourth quarter of 2014, mainly due to a surge in household borrowing that capitalized on a relaxation of lending rules and rate cuts. Household credit totaled 1,089 trillion won ($990 billion) as of end-December, up 29.8 trillion won from 1,059.2 trillion won from thr

March 3, 2015

[Editorial] Corporate tax hike

Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan last week reiterated his cautious stance against raising the country’s corporate tax rate, which currently ranges from 10 to 22 percent.In a parliamentary interpellation session, he warned that levying heavier taxes on corporations could hold them back from increasing investment and thus further hamper economic recovery. Choi has argued that slower growth would lead to a decrease in tax revenue, making it harder for the government to cover increasing welfare expe

March 2, 2015

[Editorial] Merkel in Tokyo

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may hope German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s upcoming visit to Tokyo will serve his efforts to put his country on what he views as a normal track seven decades after the end of World War II. Merkel will make a two-day working visit to Japan next week. At a press conference Friday following the announcement of her visit, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga hoped it would serve as an opportunity for the two countries to express their intentions to make

March 2, 2015

[Editorial] Settling history

In a speech marking the 96th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, President Park Geun-hye urged Japan to resolve the issue of its military sexual slavery during World War II.Reminding Japan of the Korean government’s position that future bilateral relations must be based on a correct perception of history, Park noted that the conflicts over the past have prevented the two countries from becoming closer, despite their geographical proximity.Park maintained her repeated position that

March 1, 2015

[Editorial] No longer safe

Two killing sprees in a week involving hunting rifles have raised alarm about the dangers of firearms in Korea, where people have so far felt safe from guns. On Wednesday, a man in Sejong City killed three people before shooting himself, apparently over a dispute about money with his ex-lover. On Friday, a 75-year-old man in Hwangseong, Gyeonggi Province, killed his older brother and the older brother’s wife, as well as the police officer who responded to the crime, before turning the rifle on h

March 1, 2015

[Editorial] Revolving door

President Park Geun-hye appointed Lee Byung-kee, head of the National Intelligence Service, as the new Blue House chief of staff, inviting criticism for yet another revolving door appointment. Known as a close associate of Park who was part of her 2007 presidential campaign team, Lee was chosen to head the NIS last July amid calls for a complete overhaul of the spy agency. Previous to that appointment, he served as Korea’s ambassador to Japan. The appointment completes the personnel reshuffle th

Feb. 27, 2015

[Editorial] Commitment to reform

The allegation that the National Intelligence Service manipulated the press during the 2009 investigation of former President Roh Moo-hyun on suspicion of receiving bribes is yet another reminder of the NIS’ predilection for meddling in politics.Earlier this week, Lee In-kyu, a former director of the central investigation division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, who led the 2009 investigation, told a local newspaper that the NIS leaked information about the ongoing investigation and manipula

Feb. 27, 2015