[Editorial] Blame game

The trading of accusations between Defense Minister Song Young-moo and the Defense Security Command are escalating over a plan prepared by the DSC to impose martial law last year if the Constitutional Court rejected the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye.On Wednesday, a day after Song and the DSC accused each other of lying over the plan at the National Assembly, the DSC submitted a document that it claims disproves Song to lawmakers. This new document contains the minutes of Song’s m

July 26, 2018

[Editorial] No letup

A satellite image released by a private US website monitoring North Korea shows that it has begun some work to dismantle a missile testing site, which its leader Kim Jong-un promised to US President Donald Trump in their June 12 summit. The announcement by 38 North said that key facilities being dismantled at the site included a rail-mounted building, which is used to assemble missiles and rockets before they are moved to the launch pad. Also being dismantled is a rocket engine test stand that h

July 25, 2018

[Editorial] What Roh left

It is shocking and sad that Rep. Roh Hoe-chan, floor leader of the far-left minor opposition Justice Party, has leapt from an apartment building to death on Monday.He faced an investigation into an allegation that he received tens of million won in illegal political funds from an associate of a power blogger who has been jailed in an online comment rigging scandal.“It is true that I accepted 40 million won in two parts in March 2016 from a community run by Druking (the blogger’s nickname),” he s

July 24, 2018

[Editorial] New clothes

New National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang has reignited the issue of amending the Constitution, asking the rival parties to write a bipartisan bill by the end of this year. The call couldn’t come from a more appropriate authority or at a better time. It is desirable for the speaker who will head the parliament for the latter half of its four-year term to call for a constitutional revision based on a bipartisan agreement. The timeline also makes sense in that the coming year would be a rare “el

July 23, 2018

[Editorial] Back to nuclear energy

With electricity demand surging due to the sweltering heat, the government, which has vowed to stop using nuclear energy, is paradoxically increasing the use of nuclear power plants.Electricity demand peaked at 86,306 megawatts on July 16, surpassing the previous high of 85,183 megawatts on Aug. 12, 2016. Power demand further peaked at 87,591 MW and 88,080 MW last week on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Both figures beat the figure of 87,523 MW, which was the maximum demand forecast for this

July 22, 2018

[Editorial] Bad cook

It looks like he wanted to make it official. US President Donald Trump made it clear he would not seek the early denuclearization of North Korea. That dashed hopes for a prompt, permanent resolution of the issue heightened by his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a little over a month ago. What’s disappointing is that the retreat comes from none other than Trump himself, since he had pledged time and again he would not repeat the mistakes of past US administrations. He accused

July 19, 2018

[Editorial] Stop shifting onus

Small business owners are strongly protesting next year’s minimum wage, which is to be raised by 10.9 percent, following a 16.4 percent hike this year.The board of the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise on Tuesday decided to form an alliance of small business owners and market vendors to stage sit-in protests against the 2019 minimum wage in central Seoul. The board demanded a government road map to apply a separate minimum wage for small businesses that hire fewer than five workers. In Korea,

July 18, 2018

[Editorial] Cold War legacy

The latest developments surrounding a group of 13 North Koreans who came to the South in 2016 after working at a restaurant in China show that the legacy of the Cold War still persists on the Korean Peninsula. South Korean officials insist that the 13 -- one male manager and 12 young women who worked at a North Korean restaurant in China’s Zhejiang province -- came to the South “on their own free will.” But some of the former restaurant workers, including the manager, have reportedly made contra

July 17, 2018

[Editorial] Achilles’ heel

The Moon Jae-in administration has clear economic policy guidelines: income-led growth, innovation-pulled growth and fair economy. What is also clear is that the guidelines are not working. Recent economic developments point to the likelihood that the economy could become an Achilles’ heel of the otherwise robust, popular government. Indeed, there are red flags in the Korean economy, which forced the Bank of Korea to revise down its growth forecast for this year to 2.9 percent from 3 percent las

July 15, 2018

[Editorial] Reveal truth

Defense Minister Song Young-moo on Wednesday appointed Col. Jeon Ik-soo, the judge advocate general, to lead an independent investigation into alleged wrongdoing by the Defense Security Command.　The appointment was made upon President Moon Jae-in’s order to launch a special independent investigation into allegations the unit drew up a document in March last year to explore the possibility of imposing martial law if public protests spiraled out of control after a court ruling on the impeachment o

July 12, 2018

[Editorial] Old playbook

Despite spin from US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike on the progress of denuclearization talks with North Korea, optimism is fast giving way to skepticism. The biggest problem is that the North is seen turning to what an expert called its old playbook.Commenting on what is believed to be an “empty-handed” return from a visit to Pyongyang by Pompeo last week, Trump tweeted that he had confidence that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would honor the agreement they signed in Singa

July 11, 2018

[Editorial] Don’t repeat mistake

Three days remain until the July 14 deadline for setting next year’s minimum wage, which will be applied nationally.Labor groups demanded a 43.3 percent increase over this year to 10,790 won ($9.70) per hour. Even if that is just their initial offer for negotiation, it is exorbitant. They say that the “net” increase amounts to 32.6 percent because of a revised related law which requires the inclusion of bonuses and welfare benefits in the minimum wage. Still, it is steep. Employers demanded a fr

July 10, 2018

[Editorial] Long road

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Pyongyang left one thing clear: There will be long and arduous work ahead to completely remove the threat of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and other weapons of mass destruction. The only agreements the top US diplomat officially made during his two-day visit to Pyongyang last weekend was the establishment of working groups to discuss a denuclearization plan; working-level contacts on the shutdown of a missile engine test site; and talks on the repatri

July 9, 2018

[Editorial] Trade war is on

The US imposed 25-percent tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods on Friday. Another $16 billion are expected to go into effect in two weeks. China retaliated immediately with the same tariffs on $34 billion worth of US goods. US President Donald Trump said he would consider imposing additional tariffs on $500 billion -- $200 billion first and $300 billion next -- in Chinese goods, should Beijing retaliate. Finally, a trade war kicked off. Trade conflict between the two superpowers threate

July 8, 2018

[Editorial] Coordination missing

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance, which is in charge of making a tax code revision, essentially dismissed tax hike suggestions by a special presidential commission on fiscal reform a day after the panel had announced them. And the presidential office effectively confirmed the ministry’s position.It is absurd and irresponsible for the commission to have announced policy proposals that were not properly coordinated with the relevant authorities.The panel Tuesday suggested simultaneously increa

July 6, 2018

[Editorial] Pompeo’s mission

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Pyongyang for a three-day visit. His mission is clear: Persuading or pressuring North Korea to dispel growing skepticism about its commitment to full denuclearization. The most essential element of the mission should be getting the North to come up with a road map and timeline for removal of its nuclear arsenal and other weapons of mass destruction, including missiles and bio-chemical weapons. Pompeo’s visit -- his third, but the first after the June 12 Si

July 5, 2018

[Editorial] Clear up confusion

The 52-hour ceiling on workweek went into force from Monday. Under the Labor Standards Act revised in late February, chief executives of businesses with 300 or more employees will be punished if their employees work more than 52 hours a week.President Moon Jae-in said in a meeting with Cheong Wa Dae senior secretaries Monday, held for the first time after he returned from his sick leave, “the 52-hour workweek will be an occasion to cast off a culture of overwork.” He highlighted advantages of th

July 4, 2018

[Editorial] Risky concessions

There are both positive and negative developments regarding efforts to reduce military tension between the two Koreas. The problem is that negatives outnumber and outsize the positives. To speak of the most recent positive development first, the two Koreas’ navies resumed ship-to-ship radio communications in the West Sea on Sunday. It was the first time in 10 years that the two sides conducted such maritime communication. The radio link could help the two sides avoid accidental clashes that had

July 3, 2018

[Editorial] Emissions mess

The government Thursday announced a revised plan focused on a sharp reduction of domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.Under the 2015 Paris climate change agreement, South Korea in 2016 estimated its 2030 business-as-usual carbon emissions level at 851 million metric tons and promised to the international community to cut it by 315 million tons or 37 percent. The previous government planned to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at home by 25.7 percent or 219 million tons and abroad by 11.3 perc

July 2, 2018

[Editorial] Farewell & welcome

The US forces Korea opened its new headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. Its relocation from Yongsan, central Seoul, has historical and security implications. Historically, the relocation means Yongsan, which has been a garrison for foreign forces, starting as early as in the early 19th century when Japan stationed its forces as part of its efforts to colonize Korea, has ended its chapter with the shameful history. It was after the end of World War II in 1945 when the US mili

July 1, 2018