[Editorial] Stricter import ban

Beginning on Monday, Korea will ban all fishery imports from eight Japanese prefectures surrounding the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. The ban, which has hitherto been limited to 50 items, is tightened to address consumers’ mounting concerns about the radiation contamination of fish and other seafood imported from Japan.A growing number of consumers are shunning marine products, be they of Korean origin or imported, apparently because they are worried about radiation contaminati

Sept. 8, 2013

[Editorial] Book launch ceremony

It is not unusual for avid readers to stand in line at a large downtown bookstore, waiting for a renowned novelist or a well-read poet to write his or her signature on the books they have just purchased. Nor is it rare for a foundation to hold a book-launching ceremony in honor of a scholar whose research program it has sponsored.Book launches may come in different styles. But one thing is common: The authors and their publishers aim at wide readership. Profit making is no less important for man

Sept. 6, 2013

[Editorial] Chun offers to pay

Former President Chun Doo-hwan reportedly offered on Wednesday to pay his outstanding fines. If he did, he undoubtedly did so to prevent his children from being sent to prison.Chun, who took power in a coup as an Army general in 1980, collected huge sums of money in bribes from businesses. He was ordered by a court in 1997 to pay 220.5 billion won ($201 million) in fines. He has since paid less than a third of that.It is not known whether he offered to pay the remaining fines, which amount to 16

Sept. 6, 2013

[Editorial] New crisis at Fukushima

To Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, hosting the 2020 Olympics must be more important than facing up to the worsening toxic water crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant.On Wednesday, just a few days ahead of the Sept. 7 announcement of the 2020 host city, Abe assured that “there will be absolutely no problem” by the time the Games were held seven years later.Abe’s assurance was based on a $500 million package his administration announced Tuesday to contain the leakage of radioactive water from

Sept. 5, 2013

[Editorial] No lenience for Lee

Prosecutors have started questioning Rep. Lee Seok-ki of the United Progressive Party after arresting him Thursday on charges of conspiring to overthrow the Seoul government and forming an anti-state underground organization.They were able to detain the leftist legislator as the National Assembly approved his arrest Wednesday. The motion passed by an overwhelming margin, 258-14, showing that lawmakers took Lee’s alleged pro-North Korean activities very seriously. Now prosecutors and investigator

Sept. 5, 2013

[Editorial] Optimal level

Recent data from the central bank showed Korea’s foreign reserves stood at an all-time high of $329.7 billion at the end of last month. The record amount, which is about 1.3 times the size recommended by the International Monetary Fund, has fueled a debate over the optimal level of foreign reserves.Some cautious experts argue that the current level may not be enough to cope with a possible steep capital outflow prompted by external impacts, proposing to increase the sum to at least $400 billion.

Sept. 4, 2013

[Editorial] Development assistance

The Knowledge Sharing Program, in which Korea hands over its experience of economic development to developing countries, has been quite successful since its inception in 2004. Jointly administered by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Korea Development Institute, the program has so far benefited 39 nations with 460 projects.What is offered through the KSP is Korea’s experience and know-how accumulated in the process of its economic growth since the 1960s, not goods or grants. Still, it

Sept. 4, 2013

[Editorial] Surreal but real

It is mind-boggling that the nation’s parliament has a member who allegedly attempted to use it as a “bridgehead for revolutionary struggle” and conspired to subvert the South Korean government through an armed revolt.Prosecutors made these allegations against Lee Seok-ki, a first-term lawmaker of the minor opposition United Progressive Party. They submitted detailed charges against Lee, 51, to the National Assembly on Tuesday as they sought parliamentary consent for his arrest. According to the

Sept. 3, 2013

[Editorial] Signs of recovery

The frozen housing market is showing early signs of thawing following the government’s stimulus package announced a week ago. According to reports, apartment sale prices in Seoul rose 0.03 percent last week, the first rise in 14 weeks. A price rise was also spotted in cities around Seoul, with the average apartment sale prices in the capital zone inching up 0.01 percent, the first gain since March 2011.These signs are encouraging. To help the budding recovery take root, it is incumbent upon the

Sept. 3, 2013

[Editorial] Urbanization retreats

The proportion of Koreans who live in cities fell for the first time in more than half a century last year, according to a report released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Friday. The figure was down by 0.08 percentage point from a year earlier to 91.04 percent in 2012. It was the first such decrease since 1960, when related data began to be compiled.About half of Koreans lived in urban areas in 1970 and the proportion continued to increase to 81.95 percent in 1990, 88.35

Sept. 2, 2013

[Editorial] By-elections in sight

With the summer heat beginning to recede, political circles are setting their sights on a round of parliamentary by-elections scheduled for this fall, the results of which could change the framework of the partisan confrontation that has intensified in recent months. The outcome will also draw attention as a litmus test of the local elections to be held in June next year.Ruling party candidates have suffered defeats in most previous by-elections, which served as occasions for voters to check or

Sept. 2, 2013

[Editorial] First-half deficit

Korea is standing its ground at a time when some Asian countries, such as India and Indonesia, and other emerging economies are taking a drubbing as the United States prepares to phase out quantitative easing. The Korean currency remains stable while stocks are rallying.No wonder Korea is now touted as one of the most attractive investment markets among the emerging economies. The Korean economy, policymakers say with confidence, will be able to fight back a financial squeeze, should it come as

Sept. 1, 2013

[Editorial] New CEO appointments

President Park Geun-hye’s administration will reportedly begin to fill the vacant CEO posts of government-invested corporations this week. Among the corporations are Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and the Korea Exchange.The appointments are long overdue, given that some of the posts have remained unfilled for six months. Moreover, the CEOs of some other corporations, who have tendered letters of resignation, are waiting to be replaced. The administration says it has taken more time than expected to

Sept. 1, 2013

[Editorial] Burden of proof

Shortly after being elected to the National Assembly on proportional representation last year, Lee Seok-ki of the minor Unified Progressive Party refused to sing South Korea’s national anthem at public ceremonies. Instead, he proposed to replace it with “Arirang,” a traditional folk song popular in both Koreas.The suggestion, though discomfiting, could have been dismissed as a condonable aberration, had it come from any guileless lawmaker. But it vexed many, who wondered in which Lee’s loyalty l

Aug. 30, 2013

[Editorial] Low-priced electricity

Officials of Korea Electric Power Corp. monitoring the daily peak-time power usage should be breathing a sigh of relief as the heat wave begins to recede. Yet, they cannot afford to lower their guard, because the possibility of rolling blackouts cannot be ruled out during the next several weeks.On the contrary, blackouts can strike the nation during off-season maintenance, as they did in September 2011. An unseasonable heat wave, when put together with a breakdown at one or two power plants, is

Aug. 30, 2013

[Editorial] Cost of conflicts

David Easton, a renowned Canadian-born political scientist and research professor at a U.S. university, defines politics as the authoritative allocation of values for society. In a democratic political system, the most widely used definition of politics may be paraphrased more colloquially as the process of coordinating and resolving conflicts between different interests.In Korea, where long-standing partisan wrangling has paralyzed parliamentary functions, the more pertinent definition appears

Aug. 29, 2013

[Editorial] Rebellion charges

The National Intelligence Service is investigating shocking allegations that a leftist lawmaker and his associates formed an anti-state underground organization and plotted an armed revolt in support of North Korea. On Wednesday, NIS agents raided the offices and homes of Rep. Lee Seok-ki from the Unified Progressive Party and nine others affiliated with the UPP or other left-leaning political and labor groups. Three members of the minor progressive party were detained.The lawmaker, who went int

Aug. 29, 2013

[Editorial] Tobacco lawsuits

The National Health Insurance Service is reportedly moving to file lawsuits against cigarette manufacturers to seek compensation for the expenses incurred by smoking. NHIS president Kim Jong-dae told a seminar Tuesday that the corporation has secured clinical data that proves the ill effects of smoking on people’s health. At the seminar, the corporation unveiled the findings of clinical research its team has conducted for the past 20 years. The team has kept track of some 1.3 million people who

Aug. 28, 2013

[Editorial] Park’s intransigence

The ongoing partisan standoff over the alleged meddling of the National Intelligence Service in the December presidential election is likely to continue into September, disrupting the imminent regular session of the National Assembly.Under the law, the Assembly is required to start its 100-day regular session on Sept. 1. But a parliamentary paralysis appears to be inevitable as the rival camps are unable to find common ground on handling the thorny issue.Political gridlock deepened after Preside

Aug. 28, 2013

[Editorial] Demographic challenges

A report released by the national statistics office Tuesday showed that the number of childbirths in Korea fell for the sixth consecutive month in June, deepening concerns over the country’s chronically low birthrate. The number of babies born in June stood at about 33,000, down 12.6 percent from the same month a year earlier.The government has been trying to push up Korea’s fertility rate, which remains the second lowest among the 34-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Aug. 27, 2013