Leadership races at the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea are in full swing. But their campaigning, which could have helped invigorate each party, is highly likely to turn out to be a mediocre event. Saenuri’s five candidates have begun a joint stump tour of the country, which will end in Seoul on Saturday, three days before the party elects its new leader at a national convention. At the Minjoo Party, four candidates have thrown their hats into the ring, and one of

Editorial Aug. 2, 2016

The dispute over Ewha Womans University’s plan to open a new lifelong education college for working women shows that all parties involved -- university officials and students, as well as government officials -- need to search their own souls. First, school authorities need to explain why they let the students and professors know about the plan just days before the announcement. Such a decision requires understanding -- if not active support and agreement -- from the students. Students -- especia

Editorial Aug. 2, 2016

Child protection agencies in the nation are too short-staffed. A special law for children has come into force, but effective implementation appears difficult due to the lack of counsellors, budget and infrastructure.The number of child protection agencies stands at 56, with all facilities run by private child advocacy organizations. The number of staff members is 522 and the number of shelters for children is 46. Each shelter can house just seven children.According to a civic group, a counsellor

Editorial Aug. 1, 2016

South Korea is facing greater volatility in the U.S. dollar-won exchange rate, with uncertainty aggravating the overall economy.Following the Brexit vote in June, the Korean currency posted a weak position against the dollar, with the greenback closing at 1,182.3 won on June 27 -- the trading session that followed the results of the referendum. Many traders were expecting the won to further depreciate.However, the local currency reached 1,120.2 won against the dollar on July 29, which is its str

Editorial Aug. 1, 2016

When future historians ponder the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, they’ll probably puzzle over the decisions made on two topics and the media attention devoted to them.They might wonder how concerns over a Zika virus outbreak in Brazil — about which health care authorities have issued dire warnings — could be so easily dismissed in the interest of keeping the Games on track.The historians will likely also be baffled at the International Olympic Committee’s ruling allowing Russia to send athlete

Viewpoints Aug. 1, 2016

A growing number of affluent North Koreans are defecting, suggesting the country’s elite are increasingly shaken up by the tightening global sanctions imposed on it.　Most recently, a North Korean teenage mathematics genius sought refuge at the South Korean consulate in Hong Kong. The defector was a member of a North Korean delegation to the annual International Mathematical Olympiad, which was held in Hong Kong from July 6 to 16.　The 18-year-old student is reportedly part of the privileged class

Editorial July 31, 2016

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office is set to launch a reform drive to strengthen the moral fiber and integrity of prosecutors and overhaul its top-down organizational culture.　The prosecution has created a reform council under instructions from Prosecutor General Kim Soo-nam. The council consists of four task forces that would address such problems as corruption among prosecutors, a military-style command culture, abuse of prosecutorial powers and unreasonable division of labor.  　The push for refo

Editorial July 31, 2016

When President Barack Obama is trying to persuade Americans not to do something, he has a go-to line: “That’s not who we are.” Whether the issue involves discrimination, immigration, torture, criminal violence or health care, he invokes the nation’s very identity. And he likes to follow it by adding, “We are better than that.”　In this way, throughout his political career, Obama has embraced the American tradition of rugged individualism, while arguing that it has always been bound by “an endurin

Viewpoints July 31, 2016

The aftermath of Turkey’s failed military coup raises a fundamental question: Will President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continue to pursue his authoritarian path, perhaps with a vengeance, or will he reach out to his opponents and attempt to bridge the deep fissures in Turkish society?The jury is still out, but judging from previous historical examples, serious challenges to authoritarian or semi-authoritarian leaders usually lead to a hardening of the regime, not greater moderation. And Erdogan’s mov

Viewpoints July 31, 2016

The government’s campaign to raise the nation’s low fertility rate is not working, based on data for May released by Statistics Korea. 　During the six months since December, the number of newborns fell each month compared to a year ago. In May, 34,400 babies were born, a drop of 5.8 percent from a year earlier. Other months saw a similar decline. The Ministry of Health and Welfare estimates that Korea’s fertility rate in the first half of the year would remain below 1.2.The data suggests that th

Editorial July 28, 2016