[Editorial] Food aid

The South Korean government is poised to send food aid to North Korea at a time when denuclearization talks between the North and the US need a fresh boost. It is doubtful, however, that the donation alone would be able to draw Pyongyang back to the disarmament talks. Last week’s announcement in Seoul to provide the North with $8 million worth of food aid came as no surprise. The government of President Moon Jae-in has repeatedly expressed its intention to offer humanitarian aid and promote inte

May 19, 2019

[Editorial] Unemployment woes

Speaking at a meeting of local small business owners Tuesday, President Moon Jae-in insisted the South Korean economy “is moving toward success,” defending his income-led growth policy, which critics say has led to sagging corporate activity and worsening unemployment.Government data released a day after his remarks showed the country’s unemployment woes continuing to deepen.According to figures from Statistics Korea, the unemployment rate rose 0.3 percentage point from a year earlier to 4.4 per

May 16, 2019

[Editorial] Not bureaucrats’ fault

A recent private conversation between presidential policy chief and floor leader of the ruling party was accidentally disclosed to media outlets.They talked in a meeting of the party, government and presidential office, without knowing their microphones were switched on. Their conversation revealed how Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party perceive bureaucrats.“Government officials are not as obedient as before,” said Lee In-young, floor leader of the Democratic Party, “Let me handle this problem.”

May 15, 2019

[Editorial] Little change

The latest developments involving North Korea show how little the regime has changed as far as its handling of the nuclear issue is concerned. This means the international community -- not least the US and South Korea -- may have to rethink its approach toward the country and its leader. North Korea is apparently using what former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called a “revolving door.” He used the term in a recent interview to refer to the fact that the North “opened and closed so many t

May 14, 2019

[Editorial] Unnecessary cost

If unionized bus drivers around the country go on strike Wednesday as planned, it would mark yet another case of unnecessary social and economic costs being caused by ill-conceived policies implemented under President Moon Jae-in’s administration.Nearly 38,000 drivers from 10 metropolitan cities and provinces have voted overwhelmingly to strike to demand a pay increase in time for the implementation of a mandatory 52-hour workweek in the bus industry this summer.They complain that the shorter wo

May 13, 2019

[Editorial] Face realities

President Moon Jae-in had an interview with KBS on Thursday to mark the second anniversary of his inauguration. In most cases, his answers were discrepant from his previous words and behavior or far removed from reality. “Investigations and trials to eliminate evils of our society were not started by us but by the previous government,” Moon said in the interview, “We did not plan nor intervene in them.” “Investigations progress independently, so they are out of our control,” he added.He is right

May 12, 2019

[Editorial] Clean up the mess

The ongoing petition race between supporters of the ruling party and the main opposition party should serve as yet another wake-up call for Cheong Wa Dae and prompt the overhaul of its civil petition site. The race began with a petition calling for the disbandment of the Liberty Korea Party, which had at one point physically blocked the ruling Democratic Party and its allied minor opposition parties from going through with a recent move to railroad four fast-track bills through two parliamentary

May 9, 2019

[Editorial] Better system

Rising unemployment illustrates a major policy failure of President Moon Jae-in’s administration, which has put top priority on job creation since its launch in May 2017.Moon, who enters the third year of his five-year term Friday, conceded in a recent Cabinet meeting that his government “has failed to prevent employment uncertainty from growing.”Given the figures, that remark was euphemistic.According to data from Statistics Korea, the number of workers hired in the country’s manufacturing sect

May 8, 2019

[Editorial] No compensating bad act

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced Saturday that North Korea had fired “missiles,” and 40 minutes later changed the announcement, calling them “short-range projectiles.” The National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that it did not view them as missiles and that their launches were not provocation.A spokesperson of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said that the projectiles were not presumed to be ballistic missiles.A day later, however, North Korea disclosed photos showing p

May 7, 2019

[Editorial] Two years on

President Moon Jae-in marks two years in office Thursday, and his presidency faces daunting challenges on many fronts -- from North Korea to the economy to political and social polarization. Indeed, South Koreans are giving Moon relatively poor grades for his performance as chief executive. The latest public opinion survey conducted by Gallup Korea provides insight into the decline of the Moon presidency since he took office at the peak of the public’s outrage against ousted former President Par

May 6, 2019

[Editorial] Heed to Japan ties

New Japanese Emperor Naruhito formally ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne Wednesday a day after the abdication of his father Akihito. Japan bid the Heisi (achieving peace) era adieu and hailed the Reiwa (beautiful) era.However, a new era has not dawned yet on South Korea-Japan ties. They are not free from the yoke of their history issues. Rather, they appear to be worse than ever. Japan has passed over South Korea and is focusing its diplomacy on the US and China. South Korea constantly raises is

May 2, 2019

[Editorial] Four vs. one

The railroading of four fast-track bills by two parliamentary panels early Tuesday morning -- and the five days of fierce political fighting that preceded it -- exposed all the ugly aspects of South Korean politics.These include collusion of parties across political and ideological lines in pursuit of short-term gains; use of illegal and irregular means to ram through bills instead of seeking compromise with opponents; and turning the parliament into a battleground with shouts, curses and physic

May 1, 2019

[Editorial] Politicized labor disputes

Labor disputes are looming large over local carmakers, except for Ssangyong Motor.　At Renault Samsung Motors, the labor union has staged 62 partial strikes since October last year. At GM Korea’s R&D firm, the union has resolved to strike. At Hyundai Motor, the union has vowed to launch a general strike if the National Assembly discusses a bill to amend the country’s labor law. South Korean carmakers’ unions strike almost every year ahead of wage negotiations or collective bargaining to set worki

April 30, 2019

[Editorial] Contracting economy

When the Bank of Korea announced last week the country’s economy contracted an estimated 0.3 percent on-quarter in the first three months of this year, a presidential aide was quick to attribute the poor performance mostly to unfavorable external conditions.But BOK Gov. Lee Ju-yeol struck a different tone, citing a sharp fall in corporate investment as a main factor behind the poorest growth record since the fourth quarter of 2008, when the global financial crisis was still underway.In a meeting

April 29, 2019

[Editorial] No end in sight

It is almost certain that denuclearizing North Korea will take a long time. Two recent events support this gloomy outlook. The first is North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia last week. The other is the somber first anniversary on Saturday of the summit between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, which helped set the stage for Kim’s historic meeting with US President Donald Trump. It is not hard to guess why Kim visited the Russian city of Vladivostok to meet Russian President

April 28, 2019

[Editorial] Reckless spending

It is hard to understand the reasoning behind the additional fiscal spending planned by the government for the rest of this year, more than half of which would have to be covered by issuing national bonds.A 6.7 trillion won ($5.78 billion) extra budget bill was submitted to the parliament for approval Thursday, a day after it was endorsed by the Cabinet. This is on top of a record-high 470 trillion won budget set for 2019, up 9.5 percent from last year.At a Cabinet meeting in March, President Mo

April 25, 2019

[Editorial] Burdensome inheritance

According to a recent report from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Federation of Middle Market Enterprise of Korea, 84.4 percent of respondents to a 2018 survey of major shareholders in midsize businesses had no plans to hand their shares down to their children. Heavy inheritance and gift taxes were the main reason, cited by 69.5 percent of respondents not planning to bequeath shares.A local mergers and acquisitions brokerage and consulting firm reportedly estimated that 118 of

April 24, 2019

[Editorial] Kim in Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s impending visit to Russia reflects the fast-changing dynamics of geopolitics in the region. A cause for concern is that South Korea seems to have been sidelined in the brisk diplomatic maneuvers, related in part to the goal of denuclearizing North Korea. News reports said Kim will visit the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok soon for his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is the first visit to Russia by a North Korean leader since the la

April 23, 2019

[Editorial] Unrealistic plan

The third energy master plan drafted by the government sets unrealistic goals, which could severely undermine the stability and efficiency of the electricity supply here.It seems tailored to be in accord with President Moon Jae-in’s election pledge to phase out nuclear power generation and replace it with renewable sources. The draft plan calls for expanding renewables’ portion of Korea’s electricity mix, which is now at around 7 percent, to 30 to 35 percent by 2040. The target range marked a sh

April 22, 2019

[Editorial] Too biased

President Moon Jae-in has pressed ahead with the controversial appointments of Lee Mi-sun and Moon Hyung-bae as Constitutional Court justices.　During confirmation hearings, lawmakers raised issues with Lee’s ethics and qualifications. She was discredited for her and her husband’s 3.5 billion won ($3.07 million) stock investment in firms involving cases she ruled on. She did not clarify her positions on touchy issues such as abortion, refugees and alternative military service. Moon Hyung-bae head

April 21, 2019