The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning is tasked to design the future of the Korean economy and lead Korea’s transition to a creative economy. Yet the powerful ministry has a more urgent task to do: to improve the moral fiber of its officials.Recently, there has been a series of misconduct involving the ministry’s officials. The latest case involves a section chief of the ministry who is suspected of having attempted to purchase sex. The official was caught by undercover police officer

Editorial July 7, 2016

The Fair Trade Commission has unexpectedly put the brakes on mobile giant SK Telecom’s plan to acquire CJ HelloVision, a leading cable TV operator. The decision was ill-advised as it deters the development of the nation’s broadcast industry.Last November, SKT agreed to acquire a 53.9-percent stake in CJ HelloVision from CJ Group for 1 trillion won ($870 million). It planned to merge the cable TV operator with SK Broadband, an affiliate that provides Internet TV services.The deal was expected to

Editorial July 7, 2016

The nearly simultaneous and highly coordinated series of bombings in divergent points in the world indicate an alarming expansion in the Islamic State group’s capability to inflict bloodbath and mayhem far outside the Middle East.In the aftermath of the terror attacks in Paris in November 2015, the French tricolor bloomed on Facebook as millions of people worldwide expressed sympathy for the 129 people who died, and for a universally beloved city scarred by violence. Five months later, similar a

Viewpoints July 7, 2016

Media providers across the world are struggling with challenges posed by the mobile platform and everybody is looking for the best solution.Most of us in the news industry know that not only is readership in print media declining, but Internet news is also in a crisis as people nowadays, especially the young generation, rely on smartphones or the so-called “second screen” for updates.These mobile-centric consumers of news were the highlight of a News Lab Summit held by Google in Tokyo late last

Viewpoints July 7, 2016

The tectonic plates of American politics are no longer moving along the old fault lines of “left vs. right” or even Democrat vs. Republican.As we’ve seen this bizarre political year, the biggest force welling up is rage against insider elites in both parties and against the American establishment as a whole -- including the denizens of Wall Street, large corporations and the mainstream media.Now, with Bernie Sanders essentially out of the race, Donald Trump wants Americans to believe he’s the re

Viewpoints July 7, 2016

The Article 45 of the Constitution says: No member of the National Assembly shall be held responsible outside the National Assembly for opinions officially expressed or votes cast in the Assembly.It is under this clause that legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for statements they make in the National Assembly. The privilege includes legal immunity even from libel or slander. In a sense, legislators need such immunity because they should be given freedom and aut

Editorial July 6, 2016

The government has proclaimed “Creative Korea” as the nation’s new slogan. This, like many of its predecessors, is another brainchild of the stupidity of the Korean bureaucracy. Officials said they collected ideas and suggestions from the public and experts to find words best represent the country. Three words came up in the shortlist: “creativity,” “passion” and “harmony.”But few would agree that the three words best portray the most unique and distinctive image of Korea and its people. Even fe

Editorial July 6, 2016

The outcome of the United Kingdom’s Brexit referendum shocked populations across Europe. But watching the response in Lviv, in western Ukraine — a hub of enthusiasm about the European Union — was particularly jarring.At a time when irresponsible opportunists and populists in the U.K. are taking a wrecking ball to their country’s own institutions, and those of Europe, Ukrainian reformers are trying to build something new. Whereas the U.K.’s “Leave” campaign peddled trumped-up dangers from immigra

Viewpoints July 6, 2016

Shortly before the Brexit vote, Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine ran a cover story that urged the Brits: “Please don’t go.” For Germans, long the most loyal supporters of the European Union, it was unthinkable that the British would leave them.　After the Brexit shock, Der Spiegel has a new plea: “If we don’t become more passionate about the European Union, we will lose it,” writes columnist Stefan Kuzmany.　There is widespread agreement that the future of a united Europe will be decided more by emo

Viewpoints July 6, 2016

The week of July 4 is a good moment to salute an unlikely champion of saving energy and switching to alternative fuels -- the U.S. Navy. Once a supreme fuel-guzzler whose energy needs sometimes dictated foreign policy, the Navy has become a model for how the country can curb its appetite for fossil fuels. The Navy’s energy diet began seven years ago with an edict from newly appointed Secretary Ray Mabus, who issued five goals for radically changing how the Navy bought and consumed fuel. A former

Viewpoints July 6, 2016

Fear of terror attacks is shrouding the globe in the wake of successive assaults in Turkey, Bangladesh and Iraq. A week ago, a bombing at the Istanbul airport killed 44, a hostage-taking incident at a restaurant in Dhaka left 22 dead over the weekend and a massive car bomb attack in Baghdad has killed at least 150 people. The jihadist militant Islamic State group claimed accountability for the massacres in Baghdad and Dhaka. IS is also suspected of committing the terrorist attack in Istanbul.Fol

Editorial July 5, 2016