[Editorial] Korea-Japan summit

Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama’s call for a summit between President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to resolve the issue of sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II should be given serious consideration by both the Korean and Japanese governments. Abe’s backpedaling on the subject of Japanese wartime atrocities is a major reason for the current icy relations between the two neighboring countries. In March, Abe had said that his governmen

Aug. 24, 2014

[Editorial] Time for anti-terrorism law

A recent government report on the number of foreigners extradited from the country on suspicion of having ties with terrorist organizations is a reminder that Korea is not immune from terrorism. The report showed that the government extradited a total of 56 people from nine countries who were found suspected of having links with terrorist organizations in the last five years. The suspects had ties with international terrorist organizations such as al-Qaida and the Hezbollah. The majority of the

Aug. 24, 2014

[Editorial] Early retirement

As of August, more than 8,000 elementary and secondary school teachers were waiting for their early retirement applications to be approved by education authorities across the country. The figure represents a five-fold increase from a year earlier.A growing number of teachers have applied for early retirement in recent years. But a more fundamental reason for the buildup of applicants is that a decreasing portion have been allowed to leave school with severance pay. The education office in Seoul,

Aug. 22, 2014

[Editorial] Elusive mission

A former U.S. intelligence chief called on South Korea and Japan earlier this week to exchange emissaries to help ease strained ties between the two countries, saying their leaders need “trusted channels” to convey their true intentions. During a seminar in Washington, Dennis Blair, the ex-director of national intelligence, said trusted emissaries need to be used to gauge whether overtures would be reciprocated.In dealing with sensitive historical and territorial issues, both Seoul and Tokyo may

Aug. 22, 2014

[Editorial] Thorough safety inspections

The discovery of seven underground hollows in the vicinity of Seokchon-dong in southeastern Seoul has residents in the area fearful of the possibility that roads could cave in and buildings could collapse.The hollows were discovered while the Seoul Metropolitan Government was inspecting the underground conditions in the area following the recent appearance of sinkholes there. The city, for now, has ruled out the construction of the 555-meter-tall Lotte World Tower as the cause of the hollows and

Aug. 21, 2014

[Editorial] Lack of trust

The impasse over a special law on uncovering the truth behind the Sewol ferry disaster is another sobering example of politicians’ dismal performance. Yet, it should be noted that at the root of the debacle is a lack of trust and communication. On Wednesday night, the families of the victims of the Sewol disaster rejected the second compromise deal hammered out between the ruling Saenuri Party and the leading opposition party, the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, after weeks of wrangling. Un

Aug. 21, 2014

[Editorial] Lawmakers or moneymakers?

The sinking of the Sewol ferry has boosted public awareness of the importance not only of raising safety standards but also of fighting corruption in Korean society and reforming the public service. In tune with this, the prosecution is extending its anticorruption campaign to one more group that is prone to abusing its power to rake in dirty money: lawmakers. Currently, a total of 18 members of the National Assembly are being investigated by the prosecution for suspected graft ― three from the

Aug. 20, 2014

[Editorial] Habitual strike

Strikes by umbrella labor groups and unions of big conglomerates in Korea do not usually receive wide support from the general public. This is because the massive work stoppages are often illegal, politically motivated or aimed at protecting vested interests. The union of Hyundai Motor Group is one of those groups whose walkouts usually get little public support. The reasons for this include the fact that the Hyundai workers already get some of the fattest paychecks in the country, even though t

Aug. 20, 2014

[Editorial] Fighting inefficiency

Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan, who concurrently serves as deputy prime minister for economic affairs, has had a versatile career as an economic bureaucrat, editorial writer at a local newspaper and politician. This background certainly puts him in a strong position to accurately grasp the inefficiencies that have come about since Sejong City was launched two years ago as a new administrative hub.He chose to hold a debate with a broader group of ministry officials Sunday on how to reduce the i

Aug. 19, 2014

[Editorial] Rules of decorum

Conspicuous at the memorial service in Seoul on Monday to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of former liberal President Kim Dae-jung was a wreath sent from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The late South Korean leader held the first-ever inter-Korean summit with then-North Korean ruler Kim Jong-il in 2000 and won the Nobel Peace Prize later that year in recognition of his efforts to improve ties with Pyongyang.Opposition lawmaker Park Jie-won, who served as chief secretary to the deceased

Aug. 19, 2014

[Editorial] Pope leads by example

Pope Francis’ five-day visit to Korea was a pastoral visit aimed at tending to Catholics here and, more broadly, throughout Asia.Yet, his visit was followed closely by Koreans looking for comfort and inspiration from a religious leader who is an advocate for the poor and the weak. And the pope did not disappoint.From the moment he landed at Seoul Air Base, where the people lined up to welcome him included family members of victims of the Sewol ferry sinking, migrant workers, North Korean refugee

Aug. 18, 2014

[Editorial] Small but practical steps

President Park Geun-hye’s Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15 included proposals to North Korea for environmental, infrastructure and cultural cooperation in line with her trustpolitik policy ― building relations with the North based on trust ― in a reiteration of her inauguration speech in February 2013.While the Liberation Day speech contained neither groundbreaking declarations nor grand proposals regarding North Korea, as was usually the practice in previous administrations, it did offer some c

Aug. 18, 2014

[Editorial] Work together

It is welcome news that the Federation of Korean Trade Unions has decided to return to the tripartite commission with government and management. It paves the way for the normalization of the commission, which has been on a hiatus for eight months. The commission will hold a full session Tuesday for the first time since the umbrella union quit the panel last December to protest against the police crackdown on a strike by railroad unionists. The normalization of the tripartite panel is encouraging

Aug. 17, 2014

[Editorial] Speed up spending

The Bank of Korea lowered the policy interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 2.25 percent last week. It was the first time that the central bank had cut the benchmark rate in 15 months. The BOK’s decision to bring down the key rate to its lowest level in three years and 10 months is well timed. Most of all, it comes on the heels of the 41 trillion won fiscal stimulus package and measures to support the service sector unveiled by the government earlier this month. With prices stabiliz

Aug. 17, 2014

[Editorial] Hyundai payout

Hyundai Motor Co.’s voluntary decision to compensate buyers for the “inflated” fuel economy of one of its midsize SUVs sets a good precedent. The automaker will be losing some money, but it will get something far more valuable in return. Hyundai said this week that it would compensate owners of one of its Santa Fe models with lump-sum payouts of up to 400,000 won in line with the government’s ruling that it exaggerated its estimated mileage. The company said it also was restating the fuel econom

Aug. 14, 2014

[Editorial] Boosting services sector

The government announced this week a set of deregulations and policy programs to support the services sector. Specifically, seven industries were targeted ― health care, tourism, content, education, finance, logistics and software.The initiative seems well timed because the Korean economy needs to turn more to the services sector and mitigate its reliance on manufacturing and exports. Moreover, the services sector is key to boosting domestic consumption, which has been held back by the Sewol fer

Aug. 14, 2014

[Editorial] Waiting for Pope Francis

When Pope Francis arrives in Korea Thursday morning, he will find a nation that is thirsting for comfort, a caring touch and words of wisdom from a leader known for walking with his flock. The pope’s five-day visit at the invitation of President Park Geun-hye and the bishops of Korea will be the first papal visit to Korea in 25 years. The last trip was made by St. John Paul II in 1989, following a 1984 trip on which he canonized 103 Korean martyrs. The highlight of the pope’s visit is the open-a

Aug. 13, 2014

[Editorial] No less guilty

The appeals court’s acquittal of Unified Progressive Party legislator Lee Seok-ki Monday of the charge of plotting an insurrection cleared the minor opposition lawmaker of a key charge against him. The court, however, stuck with the findings of the first trial, which judged him guilty of leading an incitement of insurrection and violating the National Security Law.In finding Lee not guilty of plotting an insurrection, the appeals court apparently applied a strict interpretation of the offense. T

Aug. 13, 2014

How to deal with Russian cybertheft

As you’ve likely heard by now, in a small city in south central Russia, a gang of computer criminals has amassed a huge cache of stolen Internet credentials. They’ve swiped a mind-boggling 1.2 billion username and password combinations, the New York Times reports. And more than 500 million email addresses.As of late last week, the crooks hadn’t sold many records online, the paper reported. Instead, they’re collecting fees for using the stolen information to send spam on social networks like Twit

Aug. 13, 2014

[Editorial] Guarding soldiers’ rights

The military is rushing to announce one measure after another to protect soldiers’ human rights, as public outrage is mounting over the death of an enlisted man who was the victim of torture-like violence and abuse by his senior colleagues. On Sunday, the Defense Ministry announced a set of measures to protect the human rights of soldiers. The measures are highlighted by the establishment of a military human rights council, which will be responsible for drawing up rights policies, education and

Aug. 12, 2014