Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[Graphic News] More Koreans say they plan long-distance trips this year
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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[Editorial] Shameless compensation
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is pushing again a bill that will give college admission and employment benefits to children of former democracy activists. Last week, 164 of 169 Democratic Party members of the National Assembly signed a document that expressed support for the bill. In addition, 11 National Assembly members of parties allied with the Democratic Party, including six members of the Justice Party, signed it as well. The party secured a large majority to pass the bill
July 25, 2022
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[Editorial] Science-based measures
South Korea appears to be in the early stage of a sixth resurgence of coronavirus infections, with related data indicating a bigger impact on the horizon. But the government has yet to come up with stronger measures to fight highly transmissible subvariants, casting a cloud over the already worsening outlook. The country reported 71,170 new COVID-19 infections Thursday, marking the third straight day of figures above 70,000, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The wee
July 22, 2022
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[Editorial] Responsibilty for damage
Referring to a strike by unionized workers of subcontractors of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday said that the illegal situation on the industrial site must come to an end. The government said in a statement that it will deal with illegal acts strictly according to law and principles and warned that it may sue strikers for criminal punishment and damages. The state-owned Korea Development Bank holds a majority stake in the DSME. However, such war
July 21, 2022
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[Editorial] Misguided choices
President Yoon Suk-yeol’s daily in-office briefing set a fresh record for Monday, lasting for less than a minute. The main reason was that Yoon, when asked about a new personnel dispute, ignored the question and left without commenting. It is regrettable that Yoon refused to directly tackle the question during his signature morning briefing. Avoiding tough questions from reporters may not be what the public wants from Yoon’s these morning briefings, which are supposedly an open com
July 20, 2022
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[Editorial] Judicial risk
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the former presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, declared his bid for the party chairmanship on Sunday. The Democratic Party plans to hold a national convention on Aug. 28 to elect a new leader. He said that he would change the party’s politics and that the beginning of that is to make it a winning party. Lee also said that if he fails to lead the party to victory in the next general elections, his calling of the times would end, t
July 19, 2022
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[Editorial] Tackling financial fallout
The South Korean government plans to implement a set of support measures to help small businesses and financially vulnerable people hit hard by soaring debt burdens sparked by a series of interest rate hikes in recent months. But there are worries that the government will find it hard to work out thorny issues such as maintaining fairness and preventing moral hazard. The government unveiled a 125 trillion-won ($94.7 billion) support package to stabilize the private financial sector Thursday, i
July 18, 2022
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[Editorial] Thorough probe required Photos belie announcement that NK fishers did not want to defect
The photos of the repatriation of two North Korean fishers, released by the Unification Ministry, are shocking. The pictures taken by a ministry official at the truce village of Panmunjom on Nov. 7, 2019, show the North Koreans clearly refusing to return to their country. One of them strongly resisted being dragged across to the North side of the military demarcation line, with his feet against the concrete block marking the line and his waist bent backward. Apparently, in the course of resis
July 15, 2022
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[Editorial] Presidential briefing
When President Yook Suk-yeol took questions from reporters on his way to work Tuesday, his morning press briefing appeared to have resumed after being suspended for just a single day due to COVID-19 concerns. It was understandable that the press thought so. The presidential office early Monday announced Yoon’s daily in-office briefing sessions would be suspended indefinitely due to the spread of COVID-19 in the presidential press corps. On Wednesday, however, the presidential office cla
July 14, 2022
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[Editorial] Prepare for resurgence
A growing number of warning signs are popping up for a possible resurgence in COVID-19, which should be taken seriously by both health authorities and the populace here, amid concerns that infection rates may shoot up faster during the summer holiday season. The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases declined to 12,693 Monday, after the figure had stayed above 20,000 for two straight days, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Although the weekly average of 18,388 as of
July 12, 2022
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[Editorial] Internal strife
The ruling People Power Party got engulfed in internal strife about two months after the launch of its new administration under President Yoon Suk-yeol. The party’s central ethics committee decided Friday to suspend Chairman Lee Jun-seok’s membership for six months in connection with allegations that he instigated the destruction of evidence that implicates him in a scandal where a venture business owner bought sex for him, apparently as a bribe. Lee has become the first-ever incum
July 11, 2022
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[Editorial] Effective policies needed
South Korea’s economy faces a growing list of challenges, such as soaring inflation, higher interest rates and a weakening currency. It is an encouraging sign that President Yoon Suk-yeol is now taking the situation seriously. However, there are some doubts as to whether he will produce effective policies to tame inflation. Yoon said Tuesday that he will go out and listen to the challenges people are facing and preside over an emergency economic and public livelihood meeting each week. Y
July 8, 2022
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[Editorial] Wrong instruction
The South Korean military captured a North Korean boat on July 27, 2019, after it crossed the Northern Limit Line into South Korean waters in the East Sea. About 10 days after it was seized, an administrative official at President Moon Jae-in’s Cheong Wa Dae was found to have summoned Park Han-ki, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to question him about why he refused to follow an instruction to release the boat back to the North. At the time, Kim You-geun, the first deputy chief of
July 7, 2022
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[Editorial] Time for self-reflection
It is rare for a top leader to downplay public approval ratings, whose key function is to send out a warning when things go awry. President Yoon Suk-yeol took a step further, saying he “pays no attention” to approval ratings and calling them “meaningless” -- to the bewilderment of the public. That is the controversial comment Yoon made Monday when asked by reporters about the decline in his approval ratings. According to a survey by Realmeter released Monday, 50.2 per
July 6, 2022
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[Editorial] Louder warning sound
South Korea posted a record-high trade deficit of $10.3 billion during the first half of this year. The figure exceeds the former record of $9.1 billion in 1997 when the Asian currency crisis hit the nation. The nation recorded trade deficits for three consecutive months from April. It is the first time since the 2008 financial crisis that a three-month streak of trade deficits has occurred. Compared with the same period last year, export increase rates fell to 5.4 percent in June, dipping b
July 5, 2022
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[Editorial] Minimize side effect
South Korea’s minimum hourly wage for 2023 has been set at 9,620 won ($7.41), a 5 percent increase from this year. The new rate translates to a monthly wage of 2.02 million won, surpassing the 2 million won mark for the first time. But neither the labor nor business side were satisfied with the outcome, posing a problem for the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, amid concerns about deepening economic woes including surging inflation. Made up of 27 representatives -- nine each from labor, bu
July 4, 2022
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[Editorial] Pain-sharing
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho has requested large companies refrain from raising wages excessively. Choo said in a breakfast meeting with leaders of the Korea Enterprises Federation on Tuesday that wages have recently increased sharply among large companies and some IT firms. He said that this trend shows signs of spreading to other industries and companies. He was concerned that an excessive wage rise among large companies may aggravate high inflation. He said he wan
July 1, 2022
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[Editorial] Sustainable energy policy
South Korea’s electricity rate is now set to rise by 5 won (0.4 cent) per kWh, starting from July, to grapple with soaring fuel costs and snowballing losses at state-run utility Korea Electric Power Corp. But it is doubtful whether this type of intermittent electricity rate hike could solve the fundamental energy problem facing the nation, much less the long-distorted pricing structure of Kepco. At the same time, the rate increase is feared to accelerate the buildup of inflationary press
June 30, 2022
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[Editorial] Indispensable control
Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min said on Monday that he will create a “police bureau” within the ministry as early as possible. If the bureau is established, it would mark the first time in 31 years for the Interior Ministry to exercise direct control over police since the law enforcement agency was spun off as an outside organization of the ministry in 1991 as part of efforts to ensure its independence and neutrality. Lee also said in a press conference that he wi
June 29, 2022
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[Editorial] NATO summit
President Yoon Suk-yeol departed Seoul on Monday to participate in the upcoming NATO summit scheduled from Tuesday to Thursday in Madrid, amid a mix of hopes for and concerns about Korea’s diplomatic relations. It is hoped that Yoon will not only make his in-person debut on the multilateral stage through 14 meetings during the summit, but also explore ways to improve South Korea’s relations with other nations at a critical juncture related to the war in Ukraine. The trip marks th
June 28, 2022
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[Editorial] Imperative reform
Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik announced “directions for labor market reform” on Thursday. The most significant innovation concerned the country‘s 52-hour workweek. The ministry will review an option of allowing employers to calculate overtime on a monthly basis. Currently, it is calculated by the week. This scheme is not mandatory, but premised on labor agreements at individual places of work. The existing Labor Standards Act stipulates a workweek cannot
June 27, 2022