[Voice] What is the future of religion in Korea?

Korea’s experience of religious belief is as varied as it is long. Shamanism, with a history of some 5,000 years, is the belief system with the longest presence on the peninsula. Buddhism, introduced from China in the fourth century, found favor among the rulers of the Three Kingdoms and, later, Goryeo period. Not so much a religion as a philosophy, Confucianism was to become the moral code of the Joseon era, which largely tried to suppress Buddhism. From the mid-20th century, particularly, it w

March 4, 2013

[Voice] How can food prices be lowered?

It is a common, recurring complaint within Korea’s middle class: The cost of the most essential goods, especially food, is too high. Fresh produce, particularly fruit, can be remarkably expensive, leading Koreans to spend a greater portion of their income on sustenance than people in many other rich nations. In 2010, people here spent 15 percent of their household income on food, compared to 6.6 percent in the U.S., 7.5 percent in Singapore, 9.7 percent in the U.K., and 12.1 percent in Hong Kong

Feb. 18, 2013

[Voice] How can Korea provide better child care?

Before her election and since, President-elect Park Geun-hye has pledged to make child care a priority of her government. On the campaign trail last summer, Park lamented that women, whom she called the “engine” for future growth of the country, were “abandoning their dreams” due to the lack of support for women to balance work and family life. To rectify this, Park promised to expand state support for home child care services, cover after-school child care expenses for all families and institut

Feb. 11, 2013

[Voice] Does Korea have too many lawmakers?

In the eyes of many Koreans, the nation’s lawmakers are overpaid and offered too many privileges at the public’s expense. Not only that, some would say, but they are just too great in number. Once a prominent element of the drive for “new politics,” the case for reducing the number of lawmakers at the National Assembly has retreated from the political discourse since the election victory of President-elect Park Geun-hye. PopulismFirst proposed by independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo,

Feb. 4, 2013

[Voice] How much tax can Park squeeze out of the underground economy?

President-elect Park Geun-hye has made no secret of her wish to oversee big increases in public spending, mostly to fund her vision of a more expansive welfare system. Considering South Korea’s comparatively low level of social spending and the prevailing political wind for increased welfare, Park’s welfare drive by itself could be seen as unremarkable. More notable, though, is her claim of being able to raise the more than 100 trillion won necessary without introducing new direct taxes or raisi

Jan. 28, 2013

[Voice] How can Korea reduce suicide?

A national epidemic, suicide claims almost three times as many lives as road accidents each year. More than 15,500 people here took their own lives in 2010, making suicide the leading cause of death for those under 40 and fourth-leading cause of death overall. But unlike many social ills in this ever-evolving society, most indications are that the problem is getting worse: 2010 marked the country’s highest-ever suicide rate, with 33.5 suicides per 100,000 people. The question of how to steer the

Jan. 21, 2013

[Voice] Who should welfare prioritize?

As the nation’s head for the next five years, President-elect Park Geun-hye has promised to usher in a new era of hope and happiness. A major expansion of the social welfare system is to be the means to achieve this lofty vision. Park has proposed doubling the old-age subsidy for the majority of elderly and expanding coverage to the rest, halving the cost of college tuition, and providing free treatment for four of the most serious health conditions, among a raft of other welfare pledges. Park h

Jan. 14, 2013

[Voice] How can Korea improve road safety?

In typical Korean fashion, the nation’s experience with road safety has been one of seismic change over a very short period of time. The number of people killed in traffic accidents here has almost halved since the turn of the century, when 10,236 people died on the roads, to 5,229 last year. The overall number of accidents dropped from their 2000 peak of 290,481 to 226, 878 in 2010. Yet, Korea remains one of the most dangerous places in the developed world to drive or be a pedestrian. In 2010,

Jan. 7, 2013

[Voice] What should be done about house poor?

A growing number of Korean homeowners are wealthy on paper, but poor in practice. Burdened by mortgage repayments, these so-called “house poor,” often living in upscale neighborhoods, struggle to finance their day-to-day spending. While there is no precise definition of what constitutes house poor, the Financial Services Commission and the Korea Institute of Finance estimated in October that there were some 570,000 potential loan defaulters, homeowners who spend more than 60 percent of their inc

Dec. 30, 2012

[Voice] Is the food safety system working?

It is said that you are what you eat. For some, this means sticking to a diet of only the healthiest produce. But even the biggest junk-food junkie expects what he puts in his mouth to be safe. Food scares of varying credibility in Korea in recent years, however, have often caused the public to question this basic assumption. Most recently, a number of instant noodle products manufactured by local company Nongshim were found to contain the carcinogen benzopyrene. With Korea importing about 70 pe

Dec. 24, 2012

[Voice] Should pornography be censored?

To some, it’s a harmless pleasure. To others, it’s a societal ill. Pornography, for better or worse, is a prevalent reality in Korea. Yet, unusually for a developed democracy, it remains largely illegal here. While possessing or viewing porn is not a crime, the production, selling or displaying of materials deemed obscene is a jailable offense. The Constitutional Court has ruled that the Constitution protects “indecent” sexual expression that does not reach the level of “obscenity,” holding that

Dec. 17, 2012

[Voice] How should Korea tackle homelessness?

For most, the arrival of Korea’s long, freezing winter is merely an inconvenience. But for the nation’s homeless population, the seasonal chill can be nothing short of life-threatening. Relatively rare prior to the 1997 IMF Financial Crisis, homelessness has grown steadily in recent years, according to government figures. The Ministry of Health and Welfare classified 4,921 people nationwide as homeless in 2012, up from 4,403 last year and 4,187 in 2010. Many working to fight the problem say thos

Dec. 10, 2012

[Voice] Is self-defense properly recognized?

As an idea, the right to defend oneself from attack would appear uncontroversial. But in its framing in law and interpretation by legal authorities, the concept has at times been highly contentious, both here and abroad.One of the most controversial cases involving self-defense in Korean legal history occurred in 1992, when a man who had habitually raped his step-daughter was killed by her boyfriend. The Supreme Court accepted that there had been a “threat of imminent harm” required for a plea o

Dec. 3, 2012

[Voice] How can Korea boost its software industry?

Korea may be known as an IT powerhouse, but its place in the global software industry remains decidedly modest. Korean software took up less than 2 percent of the global market last year. Even in the domestic market, more than 80 percent of software originates from abroad. In the view of the government, the monopolization of the market by chaebol affiliates, crowding out smaller players, is one of the main reasons for the relatively weak position of the local industry.“We do not have a very heal

Nov. 26, 2012

[Voice] Should for-profit hospitals be allowed?

To many, profit is something to be regarded with suspicion. But it’s rarely more controversial than when associated with health care. Unsurprisingly, then, a decision by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to introduce regulations for the operation of foreign, for-profit hospitals in the country’s six Free Economic Zones at the start of the month has polarized opinion. To its supporters, the move gave long-overdue effect to the government’s aims to increase investment and competition in the healt

Nov. 19, 2012

[Voice] How can Korea end corruption?

South Korea, by many criteria, increasingly fits the mold of an advanced nation. But, despite the country’s growing role in international affairs and its status as the world’s 13th-biggest economy, one black spot, at least, challenges that definition: pervasive corruption.Korea’s public sector ranked just 43rd out of 182 countries in last year’s Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. The ranking was a drop of four places from the previous year. Meanwhile, a survey released by t

Nov. 12, 2012

[Voice] How will U.S. election affect Korea?

Billed as the choice to select the world’s most powerful man, the race for the White House captures the world’s attention like no other election. South Korea, whose relations with the U.S. are among the closest it has with any nation, has a particular interest in the outcome of the race. The two countries’ military alliance spans six decades, while bilateral trade last year topped $100 billion, making the U.S. Korea’s third-largest trade partner. With President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt R

Nov. 5, 2012

[Voice] Is consumer nationalism relevant today?

Like so much of its history, Korea’s economic development from the mid-20th century onward was heavily entwined with nationalism. The Park Chung-hee regime regularly invoked national pride in mobilizing its citizenry to build the nation’s industries from the ground up. Park, a staunch nationalist, sheltered local businesses from foreign competition and shunned foreign direct investment.Times, of course, have changed, and Korea’s markets have seen continual liberalization since democratization. L

Oct. 29, 2012

[Voice] Can Psy start a new Korean Wave?

It’s a Korean music success story few saw coming. But 500 million hits on YouTube later, Psy, worlds away from K-pop’s typical cutesy affections or unabashed sex appeal, has achieved international exposure previously unseen in Korean pop culture. While Korean pop, drama and film have enjoyed major success in Asia since the 1990s, “hallyu” has yet to rise above niche status in the U.S. and Europe. Before Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” which peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. billboard Top 100, Wonder Girls had

Oct. 22, 2012

[Voice] Does the president have too much power?

With the role of Cheong Wa Dae becoming a campaign issue ...Does the president have too much power?Constrained by low approval ratings, political estrangement from his party and a series of corruption scandals involving his family and aides, President Lee Myung-bak is firmly in lame-duck status.The label has been applied since mid-way into the fourth year of his presidency, mirroring the fate of all of Korea’s democratically elected heads of state in the latter stages of their administrations. Y

Oct. 15, 2012