The leadership race of the ruling Saenuri Party is heating up. On Sunday, two candidates threw their hats into the ring, boosting the number of candidates who have said they will run for the Aug. 9 election to five. The candidate list could still be extended before it is finalized around the end of this month.The leadership contest offers the party an opportunity to take significant strides toward reform based on an accurate and thorough analysis of its humiliating defeat in the April general el

Editorial July 11, 2016

Farmers are strongly resisting a plan by LG Group to invest 380 billion won ($309 million) to develop smart farm technology. They view the investment as another attempt by a chaebol to engage in large-scale fruit cultivation, which would threaten the livelihoods of many small fruit growers.Yet the farmers’ resistance is short-sighted and goes against the government’s push to revolutionize Korea’s agriculture with smart farm technology.A smart farm refers to an automated, remotely controlled gree

Editorial July 11, 2016

These days, there is one overriding issue on the minds of the French. It isn’t “Brexit.”Nor is it whether France will copy Britain and “Frexit” the European Union. Pas du tout.What is fixating the French is whether their national soccer team will beat Portugal in the final of the Euro 2016 championship tournament. Raucous celebrations for France’s semifinal win over Germany went on most of Thursday night outside the Paris apartment where I’m staying.The national team, with its “Black, Blanc, Beu

Viewpoints July 11, 2016

Be despondent, America. Acknowledge your humanity. Surrender to the nagging instinct to feel hopeless about the level of anger and violence in the country, and the number of guns in our midst that allow one man to instantly cause the death of others -- numerous others, or one at a time; a police officer shooting a civilian, a civilian shooting a police officer; a disturbed man shooting children and their teachers, or churchgoers, or sheriff deputies, or a wife or girlfriend; a woman killing her

Viewpoints July 11, 2016

Ambush is the coward’s tool: Only in bloodlust fiction and declared war does surprise assassination run the chance of improving a situation. But on Thursday night in Dallas, ambush was the way to start a skirmish or settle a score.Before America’s computer and television screens came alive with news of the slaughter, the evening had been peaceful. Dallas police officers had tweeted photos of themselves alongside demonstrators marching to protest the police shooting deaths of two black men in Lou

Viewpoints July 11, 2016

Dallas Police Chief David Brown said something on Friday that needed saying. After updating the public on a sniper attack that targeted white police officers -- killing five officers and injuring at least six -- Brown spoke about the heroism of police who ran toward gunfire “with no chance to protect themselves, to put themselves in harm’s way, to make sure citizens can get to a place of security.”　Police officers all over the country take such selfless risks every day. They are not especially w

Viewpoints July 11, 2016

A special law for vitalization of the corporate sector and the economy is drawing attention as to whether it would be an efficient remedy for South Korea, which has been saddled with external and domestic uncertainties.Both policymakers and ailing industries are pinning hopes on the Corporate Vitality Enhancement Act, which will take effect in about a month. The law, which was legislated in February, is designed to revitalize major industries, such as shipbuilding and steelmaking, which have bee

Editorial July 10, 2016

Early this year, a consensus on sanctions on Pyongyang by Washington and Beijing was regarded as a benefit and relief to Seoul. China’s participation in the U.N.-led sanctions might be a substitute for the U.S.’s plan to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system on the Korean Peninsula.Apart from possible geopolitical tension from the isolation of North Korea, the U.S. and China-led reprimand of the wayward North was assumed to help South Korea avoid clashing with China on the trade

Editorial July 10, 2016

Last year, roughly 1 of every 6 fish sold around the world was caught illegally. That number is now poised to drop precipitously, thanks to the Port State Measures Agreement, the world’s first international treaty designed specifically to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.Under this new agreement, parties are obliged to ensure that any fishing vessel that comes to its port, even for refueling, must announce that it is doing so and submit to an inspection of their log book, licen

Viewpoints July 10, 2016

What role should referenda play in a democracy? That question has become more relevant than ever, following the United Kingdom’s “Brexit” referendum, which resulted in a 52 percent to 48 percent vote to leave the European Union -- and brought an abrupt end to British Prime Minister David Cameron’s political career.Brexit opponents have since suggested that, because referenda have no constitutional status in Britain, and Parliament must make the final decision, the result should be ignored. Are t

Viewpoints July 10, 2016

Since its unfortunate Brexit vote to leave the European Union, Britain has experienced a tragi-comic round of backstabbing, foot-dragging and second-guessing. Europe, meanwhile has mostly behaved with admirable good sense. The Europeans seem to understand that the Brexit vote is a wake-up call about dissatisfaction with the EU that’s nearly as widespread on the continent as it is in Britain. Germany, in particular, recognizes that unless the EU can quickly show a readiness to reform and streamli

Viewpoints July 10, 2016