[Editorial] Dealing with China

Security experts from South Korea and China held a heated debate last week on the possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system on South Korean soil.At a forum in Shanghai, a Chinese participant voiced his objection to the move that he said would pose a threat to China’s security interests.A South Korean scholar refuted the Chinese stance, saying Seoul “cannot help but deploy” the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery to deter growing threat from North Korea’s ballistic mi

Dec. 2, 2014

[Editorial] Change for the worse

Since its introduction in 2000, parliamentary confirmation hearings have become a key means of screening candidates for senior government posts. Their importance cannot be overemphasized, especially given the still-prevalent spoils system, cronyism and low ethical standards of the elite in society. There have been some downsides as well, however. One of the common problems has been that the usually harsh parliamentary vetting process, coupled with the equally relentless media scrutiny, often del

Dec. 1, 2014

[Editorial] Humane shelter

The recent court ruling that granted refugee status to a Congolese dissident should serve as an occasion for the nation to review its system for accommodating people who have been displaced because of persecution in their home countries. The ruling by a Seoul court overrode a previous decision by immigration authorities that denied asylum for the 34-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Immigration officials rejected the man’s application for asylum because his accounts of what he

Dec. 1, 2014

[Editorial] Blue House drama

It reads like a sordid medieval court intrigue. Yet it allegedly took place this year at the Blue House.On Nov. 28, the local daily the Segye Ilbo ran a story on an internal Blue House report it had obtained. The document, dated Jan. 6, describes how President Park Geun-hye’s former aide, Chung Yoon-hoi, regularly met in secret with a group of Blue House officials, including three of Park’s closest secretaries. Chung instructed the group to circulate stories about plans to replace Blue House Chi

Nov. 30, 2014

[Editorial] Russian coal arrives via N.K.

The first shipment of Russian coal to arrive in Korea through the North Korean port of Rajin docked in Pohang on Saturday, possibly ushering in a new era of logistics for Korea.Some 45,000 tons of coal from Russia made its way to Rajin on the newly restored Rajin-Khasan railroad, which connects Russia and North Korea. From there, via the Rajin rail transshipment terminal, it was taken to Pohang on a Chinese-registered vessel. If the pilot project proves successful and efficient, a consortium of

Nov. 30, 2014

[Editorial] Grand compromise

One of the biggest problems in the Korean economy is that its labor market is not flexible by global standards. This problem stems from, among other things, the overprotection of permanent workers, especially those at well-unionized conglomerates. This ironically results in an increase in nonpermanent workers like temporaries, part-timers, daily workers and so on. Now, nonpermanent workers make up about one-third of all salaried workers, and they manage to earn only about 55 percent of what thei

Nov. 28, 2014

[Editorial] Already overdue

It is common for the National Assembly to hold up key legislative bills because of a partisan standoff, the vested interests of lawmakers or even laziness. But the lack of progress on the legislative work for a landmark anticorruption bill is unsettling, all the more so because corruption, which was part of the Sewol ferry disaster, continues to batter Korean society, as seen in the currently unfolding graft scandals involving weapons procurement programs. A subcommittee of the National Assembly

Nov. 28, 2014

[Editorial] Welcome to the 21st century

Samsung Group has decided on a path that allows it to focus on its core businesses with the sales of its chemical and defense units to Hanwha Group announced Wednesday.The conglomerate is selling its chemical unit Samsung General Chemicals and its defense unit Samsung Techwin as well as selling Samsung General Chemicals’ 50 percent stake in Samsung Total, a joint venture with the French energy firm Total, and Samsung Techwin’s 50 percent stake in a joint venture with French defense firm Thales.

Nov. 27, 2014

[Editorial] Plight of security guards

An apartment complex in the wealthy neighborhood of Apgujeong-dong in Seoul has apparently given termination notices to its security guards, technicians and supervisors. A total of 106 people stand to lose their jobs.This is the same apartment complex where a security guard recently set himself on fire in an apparent suicide. The guard’s colleagues said that the man, who was taken to hospital but later died from his injuries, had been verbally abused and badly treated by one particular resident.

Nov. 27, 2014

[Editorial] Seeds for new politics

Korean politics is associated more with words like defiance, confrontation and deadlock than with negotiation, concession and compromise. This is one of the reasons the public has little confidence in politicians. One recent case that exposed the deep illness of Korean politics was the partisan standoff over the special Sewol bill, which paralyzed the National Assembly for more than five months.While politics at the national level is still defined by partisan fighting and all-or-nothing ― rather

Nov. 26, 2014

[Editorial] No more delay

It is distressing that the National Assembly keeps dragging its feet on passing the bill to levy income tax on clergy members. The National Assembly Finance Committee’s tax subcommittee held a meeting with representatives of leading religious groups early this week. The subcommittee is working on the government-authored bill to revise the income tax law to pave the way for taxes on the clergy starting next year. What we heard from lawmakers who participated in the meeting was something we were a

Nov. 26, 2014

[Editorial] Ethical dilemmas

It is a welcome development that a growing number of Korean individuals and corporations are choosing to donate to charities. As the year comes to an end, more donations will be made to help those in need.A particular form of donation preferred by Koreans is to be twinned with a certain recipient ― usually a child. It is not rare for a group of Korean salaried workers to visit a village in Africa during their vacations to meet children they have supported. Sometimes at schools here a teacher sho

Nov. 25, 2014

[Editorial] China’s rate cuts

China’s rate cuts aimed at propping up its flagging economic growth are likely to prove a double-edged sword for Korea’s exporters. Shipments to China may rebound from a declining trend while competition with Chinese products will probably intensify in the global market.China’s central bank last week slashed its one-year rate for deposits by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent and its one-year lending rate by 40 basis points to 5.6 percent. Speculation is growing that the unexpected measure will be

Nov. 25, 2014

[Editorial] The wind of change

The Ministry of Personnel Management, launched last week, kicked off its operations by announcing that it would fill 10 of its top positions with experts from the civilian sector. The ministry was established to eradicate the type of collusion between the bureaucracy and the private sector blamed for the irregularities and mismanagement that resulted in the Sewol ferry disaster of April that claimed more than 300 lives.Headed by Lee Geun-myeon, who managed human resources at Samsung Electronics,

Nov. 24, 2014

[Editorial] Funeral fraudsters

The passing of a family member is a time of great grief and distress. Families are usually unprepared for the funeral, making them easy prey for overcharging by funeral directors.It is common knowledge that catering businesses overcharge for the meals served at wakes, as do florists who sell three-tiered floral wreaths that are sent by acquaintances to be displayed prominently at the entrance to the funeral hall. The expensive hemp burial garments that are ostensibly Korean often turn out to be

Nov. 24, 2014

[Editorial] Lessons from Japan

The number of foreign tourists to Japan has been on a sharp increase this year, helping boost the world’s third-largest economy at a time when it is struggling with sluggish domestic consumption.In the first 10 months of the year, more than 11 million foreign travelers visited Japan, breaking the record high of 10.36 million set last year. The number is expected to exceed 13 million by year-end, according to Japan’s state-run tourism agency.This steep increase is mainly attributable to a rising

Nov. 23, 2014

[Editorial] N.K. rights act

The two main political parties are to submit their separate bills aimed at helping improve North Korea’s dire human rights conditions to a parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and unification Monday. The committee chairman, Rep. Yu Ki-jun from the conservative ruling Saenuri Party, last week expressed hope that the envisioned law on the North’s human rights would be enacted by the end of this year.The latest signals from the liberal main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy have

Nov. 23, 2014

[Editorial] Illegal Chinese fishing

The reorganization of the Korea Coast Guard should be the start of a more rigorous policing of our waters against illegal fishing by the Chinese.Illegal fishing in the West Sea is at its height ahead of the December to March ban on catching blue crabs. According to the Korea Coast Guard in charge of the West Coast, some 2,000 to 3,000 unlicensed Chinese boats are illegally fishing within our Exclusive Economic Zone. Using banned fine dragnets, they are virtually wiping out the fry as well. Korea

Nov. 21, 2014

[Editorial] Act honorably

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe still does not get it: The best way to regain the country’s honor is to own up to its history and sincerely apologize for its past wrongdoings.In an interview with the conservative daily Sankei Shimbun published Thursday, Abe noted that Japan’s honor has been greatly damaged because of groundless testimony by Seiji Yoshida that was spread abroad. Yoshida is a former Japanese soldier who claimed to have rounded up women from Jejudo Island to work as sex slaves f

Nov. 21, 2014

[Editorial] Milestone resolution

North Korea’s isolated and impoverished regime has sought to secure its survival by building a nuclear arsenal and placing its people under harsh control.Its adherence to nuclear and ballistic missile programs has led to international economic sanctions, deepening the predicament of the rogue state’s 24 million people. Its oppressive rule has also caused international criticism of dire human rights conditions in the North. The rights issue is proving to be the regime’s weakest and most sensitive

Nov. 20, 2014