[Editorial] Get the truth

The scandal involving a former member of the special investigation unit of the presidential office is snowballing. Independent investigation, either by the National Assembly or a special prosecutor, seems inevitable. The root of the scandal dates to 2009 when Ambassador to Russia Woo Yoon-keun, then a lawmaker of the current ruling party, allegedly received 10 million won ($8,800) from a businessman who sought Woo’s help for getting his relative a job. Kim Tae-woo, a prosecution investigator who

Dec. 19, 2018

[Editorial] Pension reform

None of the four proposals announced by the government last week goes far enough to ensure the long-term sustainability of the national pension plan, which is under increasing strain. In August, the National Pension Service projected that its fund would be depleted by 2057 under the current system.Indeed, the first proposal is to leave the pension arrangement intact, with the income replacement rate set at 40 percent while insurance premiums would continue to account for 9 percent of wages. The

Dec. 18, 2018

[Editorial] Keep politics out of science

The scientific community is engulfed in a controversy over what appears to be a politically motivated purge of scientists.　On Friday, the board of trustees of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology put off a decision over whether to suspend KAIST President Shin Sung-chul, whom the government accuses of embezzlement and breach of trust.The Ministry of Science and ICT alleges that Shin made illegal payments to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California while serving as

Dec. 17, 2018

[Editorial] Balanced approach

Recent developments show how complicated and painstaking dealing with North Korea is. They also attest to the need for the international community, especially key players like South Korea and the US, to renew the determination to disarm the North. One big barometer of the development of the denuclearization work was the abortion of the plan of the North Korean leader to visit South Korea within this year. It further darkened the prospects for an early solution of the denuclearization issue. Pres

Dec. 16, 2018

[Editorial] Not all new jobs are equal

The number of people in work rose 165,000 in November from a year ago, according to Statistics Korea.The on-year job growth was the highest in 10 months. It was the first time in five months that the figure topped 100,000.But it seems difficult to see this as the beginning of a full-fledged recovery in labor market conditions. The November figure fell far short of last year’s monthly average of 325,000 and still failed to meet the government’s outlook of 180,000.A careful analysis of the job gro

Dec. 13, 2018

[Editorial] Time for a real shift

Alarm bells are sounding all over for the Korean economy. One might even think now is a good time for a change of command for the government’s economic policy team. But Tuesday’s change of command from Kim Dong-yeon to Hong Nam-ki, both career bureaucrats, still leaves the question open: Will the presence of a new deputy prime minister responsible for the economy be enough to redress the long list of problems -- from the low growth trap to the job crunch to a worsening slump affecting mom and po

Dec. 12, 2018

[Editorial] Attention to safety

The derailment of a KTX train on Saturday revealed the easygoing attitude of its operator Korail and the Moon Jae-in administration.　An investigation panel of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said after its initial inspection that the derailment was likely caused by an improper connection of circuit cables to railroad switches, which send go or stop signals to trains, like traffic lights.　Experts say the error could have been discovered quickly if the switches had been tested a

Dec. 11, 2018

[Editorial] Not all bright

Korea’s per capita income is expected to exceed $30,000 for the first time this year. That’s good news, but not all Koreans can welcome it with open arms. Various data sets show that Korea’s gross national income for 2018 will surpass the mark. The International Monetary Fund estimated that Korea’s GNI in 2018 will reach $32,000 per capita, and local wire service Yonhap News Agency, citing data from the Bank of Korea and other financial institutions, predicted it will stand at $31,243. It is har

Dec. 10, 2018

[Editorial] Do not rush arrest

The prosecution has been driving investigations into suspected power abuses in past administrations too quickly. It rushes requests for arrest warrants.Last week, the court rejected the prosecution’s requests for arrest warrants for retired Supreme Court Justices Ko Young-han and Park Byong-dae, suspected of abusing their power as chief judicial administrators during the days of President Park Geun-hye’s rule.Throwing out the request, the judges cited that there were no concerns about destructio

Dec. 9, 2018

[Editorial] Good precedent

Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong should be lauded for giving the final go-ahead to the nation’s first foreign-invested medical institution in the country. The decision will have many positive impacts on health care services, deregulation and the local economy. Won deserves praise because he needed courage to override the verdict of a public deliberation committee he commissioned. As a politician who has a presidential ambition, it would have never been easy to go against a decision of a panel that repres

Dec. 6, 2018

[Editorial] Don’t point the finger

Rep. Park Young-sun of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance nominee Hong Nam-ki should review the economic policies of his predecessor and the previous administration if he is appointed.Ruling party lawmakers reportedly said at Hong’s confirmation hearing Tuesday that the economic team led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Kim Dong-yeon had failed substantially, though they also blamed the current economic

Dec. 5, 2018

[Editorial] Preconditions for Kim’s visit

There is no doubt that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to South Korea would be a historic milestone. But what is also certain is that simply making history would be meaningless unless it contributes to the Korean peace process, including denuclearization. Given what President Moon Jae-in and Seoul officials said recently, an announcement on Kim’s visit to South Korea -- the first by a North Korean leader since the division of the peninsula -- may come at any time. Moon said, during a joi

Dec. 4, 2018

[Editorial] Clarify irregularities

Misconduct in the presidential staff has reached a dangerous level.A special inspector belonging to the office of the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs was reported by news media to have asked the police privately for information on an ongoing investigation into a bribery case implicating his acquaintance, a construction developer.An internal probe of the incident reportedly found that he had played golf with other inspectors on weekdays, apparently with the expenses paid for by a

Dec. 3, 2018

Editorial

What’s urgent Moon-Trump talks fall short of creating fresh momentum for US-NK denuclearization talks The latest talks between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump showed that the two have -- for now -- few means to accelerate the US-North Korea negotiations on denuclearization. In other words, the future developments of international efforts to disarm the rogue regime will depend on what course of action its young leader Kim Jong-un takes in the weeks or months to come. The M

Dec. 2, 2018

[Editorial] Revision, but for whom?

The government and the ruling party are seeking a swift legislative passage of revised bills on commercial law and the Fair Trade Act.The bills have clauses that will tighten regulations on Korean companies.Under the revised bill on commercial law, cumulative voting will be compulsory and an auditing member of the board of directors must be elected separately from other members who are elected by major shareholders.　Cumulative voting enables minority shareholders or speculative capital to elect

Nov. 29, 2018

[Editorial] Before it’s too late

Approval ratings for politicians, including presidents, tend to fluctuate. But the recent downward trend in President Moon Jae-in’s popularity should sound alarm bells. The results of the latest public opinion survey, released by the pollster Realmeter last week, showed that Moon’s approval rating fell to 52 percent -- the lowest level since he took office in May last year. It was the eighth consecutive week that it declined. A combination of factors must have worked together to bring down the p

Nov. 28, 2018

[Editorial] Learn from Taiwan

Taiwanese voters’ rejection of the government’s phase-out of nuclear power have much to teach South Korea.Taiwan has been regarded by South Korea as a role model for its government policy to wean the nation off nuclear energy.Before the 2016 presidential election, Tsai Ing-won pledged to make Taiwan a “nuclear-free homeland” and after her election, Taiwan sought to phase out nuclear power.　In January 2017, the Amendment of the Electricity Act passed the parliament, with a new clause stating that

Nov. 27, 2018

[Editorial] One year on

A year ago Thursday, North Korea test-fired the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile, claiming its success completed the country’s endeavors to become a “nuclear state.” Its young dictator, the North boasted, had acquired the capabilities to hit targets as far as the US mainland with a nuclear-tipped missile. The world was put on alert. In a little more than a month, however, Kim Jong-un offered an olive branch to South Korea and the international community. North Korean athletes partic

Nov. 26, 2018

[Editorial] Misguided view

Kim Hyun-chul, the presidential adviser on economic affairs, said in a seminar Thursday that economic circles and the media are trying to nip reforms in the bud by talking about crisis when no economic crisis exists.He then said, “It is more deplorable for them to talk about crisis repetitively to keep demanding that businesses must be encouraged.”These words were his responses to suggestions that businesses should be encouraged and employment increased to overcome signs of crisis which have app

Nov. 25, 2018

[Editorial] Wayward unions

Tension is rising between the government of President Moon Jae-in and a major umbrella group that had been a strong support base for the liberal president. The situation does not benefit both sides, further straining the economy, which is already suffering from a slowdown and the tightest-ever job market. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ absence at the inaugural meeting Thursday of a new social dialogue body that replaced the tripartite committee is one example of growing tension betwee

Nov. 22, 2018