[Editorial] Deja vu

Two days after Lee Myung-bak was sworn in as president on Feb. 25, 2008, the Cabinet was called into a weekly session. But none of Lee’s appointees for the Cabinet posts had been approved by the National Assembly. As a stopgap measure, the Cabinet members of the previous administration were summoned to the session.The second conference, held on March 3, was presided over by Han Seung-soo, Lee’s first prime minister, whose appointment had been approved on Feb. 29. But the meeting was still abnorm

Feb. 18, 2013

[Editorial] Self-employed quandary

In yet another effect of the prolonged economic downturn, the number of self-employed people in the country has continued to decline in recent years. Recent figures from the national statistics office showed the number, which peaked at 5.86 million in July, decreased to 5.77 million in October and further to 5.45 million last month. Compared to a year earlier, the number of self-employed people fell by 21,000 in January, marking the first year-on-year decrease in 18 months.As the economy is fore

Feb. 17, 2013

[Editorial] Strategic approach

A diversity of views and suggestions have been put forward by local officials, politicians and academics on how to respond to escalating nuclear threat from North Korea following its third atomic detonation earlier this month.This diversified discourse now needs to converge into an effective, sophisticated and comprehensive strategy to solve the prolonged nuclear tension and ensure peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. Such a strategic scheme should be based on national consensus and pursu

Feb. 17, 2013

[Editorial] Delay in setting sail

With less than 10 days left before President-elect Park Geun-hye is sworn in, the shape of the administration she will run still remains undecided due to a partisan gridlock over the government reorganization bill.The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party had agreed to pass the bill through the National Assembly by Feb. 14 to give Park time to finalize the Cabinet lineup before her inauguration on Feb. 25.But they simply let the deadline pass without making any pro

Feb. 15, 2013

[Editorial] Punishing tax evaders

A Seoul court has meted out a heavy punishment to an entrepreneur charged with offshore tax evasion. It sentenced Kwon Hyuk, chairman of Cido Shipping, to four years in jail and 234 billion won in fines for hiding money offshore to evade taxes. He was imprisoned immediately after the verdict.The ruling, although not final, carries much significance as it comes amid a move by the National Tax Service to crack down on offshore tax evasion as part of its campaign to increase tax revenue. Kwon, a re

Feb. 15, 2013

[Editorial] Dispute over noise

Recent neighbor disputes over noise traveling between floors left two people dead and several others injured. The incidents, which took place in Seoul during the Lunar New Year holidays, raised the need for fundamental and institutional measures to solve the deteriorating problem. Also shown by them, as noted by some psychological experts, was Koreans’ hot-tempered personality.In a country where more than 65 percent of its population lives in apartments, the combination of the noisy living envir

Feb. 14, 2013

[Editorial] Bipartisan cooperation

It is encouraging that the main opposition Democratic United Party has been in step with President-elect Park Geun-hye and the government in coping with North Korea’s nuclear threat.In a departure from its past reluctance to denounce the North’s provocative acts, the DUP issued a statement strongly condemning Pyongyang’s third nuclear test Tuesday. Its interim leader joined talks with Park and the head of the ruling Saenuri Party last week to adopt a rare joint statement, which urged Pyongyang t

Feb. 14, 2013

[Editorial] Road to implosion?

North Korea angered its neighbors ― South Korea, Japan and its ally China ― and the United States when it conducted another nuclear test Tuesday in defiance of U.N. resolutions. The beleaguered communist state did so apparently in the misguided belief that nuclear armament would provide protection for its regime headed by the young leader Kim Jong-un.Contrary to its wishes, however, North Korea may hasten its implosion by making a costly attempt to arm itself with nuclear bombs and long-range mi

Feb. 13, 2013

[Editorial] Tax-revenue shortfall

The nation sustained a shortfall in its 2012 tax revenue, the first since 2004 when the nation had to control the damage from a credit card crisis. Tax collections fell short of the target by as much as 2.8 trillion won as consumers, among others, tightened their purse strings, imports declined and the property market tanked.Moreover, President Lee Myung-bak’s outgoing administration outspent the total revenue for the first time since the government was established in 1948. The amount, 148.4 bil

Feb. 13, 2013

[Editorial] Labor reform

Under the incoming government, big business groups engaged in unfair labor practices are likely to face mounting pressure to clean up their act. Thus far, some of their old practices have been tolerated, but not anymore.In her Lunar New Year message, President-elect Park Geun-hye renewed her resolve to change the “wrong” practices of the past to usher in a new era. Although she did not mention any specific field where such corrective action was needed, she repeatedly stressed on the campaign tra

Feb. 12, 2013

[Editorial] Unjust bail decision

It’s not just corrupt prosecutors who make a mockery of the nation’s legal system. Corrupt judges do so as well.The latest example is a judge in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, who granted bail to an unscrupulous university founder charged with embezzling 104 billion won from the 10 schools under his control.According to reports, the judge released Lee Hong-ha, chairman of Seonam University in Namwon, North Jeolla Province, and three other people who helped him, on health grounds Friday, saying

Feb. 12, 2013

[Editorial] Savings campaign

Officials from banking and other financial institutions were at stations and bus terminals across Seoul over the weekend to hand out brochures promoting various savings products to citizens heading for their hometowns to spend the Lunar New Year holidays.It was the first savings campaign in more than three decades. Considering the country’s savings rate has remained at the lowest level among the world’s major economies, the campaign should have come earlier. But most of the people approached by

Feb. 11, 2013

[Editorial] Amending Constitution

Momentum is building for discussing changes in the Constitution, which was last amended in 1987. In his parliamentary speech last week, the floor leader of the main opposition Democratic United Party called for a bipartisan committee to handle the issue of rewriting the basic law. A spokesman for the ruling Saenuri Party responded positively to the proposal.Rep. Park Ki-choon, the DUP whip, suggested changing the Constitution to disperse powers concentrated on the president, which he said were “

Feb. 11, 2013

[Editorial] Meddling in politics

Shortly before the Dec. 19 presidential election, the main opposition Democratic United Party claimed that the National Intelligence Service had been running a clandestine campaign against its candidate, Moon Jae-in. The allegation was based on suspicions that an intelligence official had been slandering Moon on the Internet.In denying the charges, the spy agency denounced the opposition party for engaging in what it called “malicious propaganda.” It claimed it was mistakenly accused of breachin

Feb. 7, 2013

[Editorial] Franchise regulations

Mom-and-pop stores in front of elementary schools, small eateries in rundown residential areas and other types of family-run businesses in back alleys are under the constant threat of being wiped out by large enterprises expanding into their traditional territory. Their only recourse for survival may lie in the deep nostalgia the general public holds for them.Self-employed people and those running small- and medium-sized enterprises are appealing to this public sentiment when they put pressure o

Feb. 7, 2013

[Editorial] Government reform

The National Assembly has started deliberation on President-elect Park Geun-hye’s proposal for a sweeping government overhaul. The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party have agreed to handle the government reorganization bill by Feb. 14. The proposal is of vital importance for Park as it is much more than a simple plan for government rearrangement. It embodies her grand vision for reshaping the nation by reforming Korean society and restructuring the polarized econ

Feb. 6, 2013

[Editorial] Doctors’ pledge

Physicians have declared for the first time that they will not accept any money, directly or indirectly, from pharmaceutical companies. In a joint news conference on Monday, the Korean Medical Association and the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences said they would stamp out the deeply entrenched practice of doctors taking kickbacks from drug companies in return for prescribing their products.The two organizations pledged to create a code of ethics to strengthen disciplinary measures against membe

Feb. 6, 2013

[Editorial] Running against time

The possibility looms large that President-elect Park Geun-hye will be unable to set up her Cabinet well into the opening days of her presidency. With less than three weeks to go until her inauguration on Feb. 25, she has yet to make personnel selections for all key posts in the Cabinet and the presidential secretariat.The resignation of her first prime minister nominee amid allegations of ethical lapses last week has derailed her timetable for forming the incoming administration, which would ot

Feb. 5, 2013

[Editorial] Deviant lawyers

Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee won a high-profile inheritance lawsuit last week against his siblings demanding more than 4 trillion won ($3.6 billion) in stakes in key companies of the country’s largest conglomerate. A Seoul court allowed him to keep his holdings in question, which his elder brother and sister claimed were hidden from them after the death of their father and group founder Lee Byung-chull.The practical winners of the legal battle, however, may be the lawyers involved in the l

Feb. 5, 2013

[Editorial] Degrading the court

The Constitutional Court, together with the Supreme Court, constitutes one of the three branches of government that are required to maintain checks and balances among themselves. But the Constitutional Court has been degraded by a series of ill-advised actions by its incumbent and former justices.One case in point involves Ahn Chang-ho, a Constitutional Court justice, who recently allowed his background to be checked for potential selection as a prosecutor-general nominee. He has turned himself

Feb. 4, 2013