[Editorial] Unreasonable claims

North Korea claimed Friday that South Korean drones infiltrated its airspace over Pyongyang on three occasions this month to drop leaflets criticizing its leader Kim Jong-un. The North showed what it said were photos of a drone scattering leaflets over Pyongyang at night as well as photos of those purported leaflets. Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of the North's leader Kim Jong-un, said that a horrible catastrophe would happen without fail at the moment of a South Korean drone being spotte

Oct. 15, 2024

[Editorial] Han Kang honored

It was more than a pleasant surprise for South Koreans that the Swedish Academy's Nobel Committee announced this year’s Nobel Prize in literature winner on Thursday in Stockholm: Han Kang. Han, who has won a number of fans outside of South Korea with translated works including “The Vegetarian,” has become the first South Korean honored with the world’s most prestigious literary award. It was the second Nobel Prize for the country after then-South Korean President Kim

Oct. 14, 2024

[Editorial] No-phone policy in school

It is widely known that teachers have trouble drawing attention from students with mobile phones in their hands during classes. Smartphones can be addictive in a way that hinders a variety of activities, works as a distraction and negatively affects mental well-being. In South Korea, there has been a heated dispute about whether schools should restrict the use of phones during school hours to help students focus more on what they are supposed to learn and protect them from overusing social media

Oct. 11, 2024

[Editorial] Cloud over economy

South Korea maintains a current account surplus, driven by robust exports, but the surplus is declining. The country racked up a current account surplus of $6.6 billion in August, according to data compiled by the Bank of Korea on Tuesday. It was the fourth consecutive month in the black. But the August surplus was nearly $2.4 billion smaller than the July surplus ($8.97 billion) and about half of the June figure ($12.56 billion). The central bank expected the current account surplus to continue

Oct. 10, 2024

[Editorial] Stop-gap measure

The Ministry of Education has unveiled an emergency plan to “normalize” medical school operations to deal with the inevitable gap in education for medical students who have refused to attend classes in protest against the government’s medical reform initiatives, including the increase in medical school enrollment quotas. The ministry said Sunday it will temporarily allow medical students to take a leave of absence on condition that they return to school for the spring semester

Oct. 9, 2024

[Editorial] Strange job change

Kim Dae-nam, a former administrative official at the presidential office who caused controversy by asking an online media outlet to criticize Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the ruling People Power Party, resigned Monday as standing auditor of Seoul Guarantee Insurance. He is said to have tendered resignation because he does not want to be a burden on SGI, the party and the government. He was criticized for staying on in the job even after an audio recording of his phone conversation with a liberal

Oct. 8, 2024

[Editorial] Make a decision

The dispute over the introduction of the financial investment income tax has intensified after the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea failed to work out an agreement about its legislative schedule on Friday. The new tax scheme is scheduled to be implemented from January next year, a plan that puts local investors on edge since it could have a sizable impact on their asset management as well as the domestic financial market performances. The consensus is that the tax scheme, which has been

Oct. 7, 2024

[Editorial] Brace for trouble

South Korea is set to confront fast-paced changes in economic conditions stemming from the heightened tensions in the Middle East, as Iran on Tuesday launched direct missile attacks on Israel. Iran’s attack -- a barrage of 180 ballistic missiles -- was intended as retaliation for the killings of top Hezbollah and Hamas officials, Tehran said. The surprise move came after Israel carried out a ground invasion of Lebanon. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a strong warning, o

Oct. 4, 2024

[Editorial] Follow custom

Three justices of the Constitutional Court -- Justice Lee Jong-seok, who heads the court, Justice Lee Young-jin and Justice Kim Ki-young -- will retire on Oct. 17. The court is comprised of nine justices. Three are nominated by the president, three by the chief justice of the Supreme Court and three by the National Assembly. All three justices to step down this time were picked by the Assembly, so their successors should be elected by its vote. However, the main opposition Democratic Party of Ko

Oct. 3, 2024

[Editorial] Help self-employed workers

The proportion of self-employed people in South Korea’s workforce is expected to fall below 20 percent this year, amid signs of ballooning credit troubles, a mix that calls for prompt policy measures by the government and financial regulators. If the trend continues, it will mark the first time that the share of self-employed people in the country falls below 20 percent since authorities began to compile related data in 1963. According to Statistics Korea, the number of self-employed peopl

Oct. 2, 2024

[Editorial] Japan’s new prime minister

South Korea voiced optimism Friday when Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected Shigeru Ishiba, a former defense minister, as its new leader, a move that will make him the next prime minister. Ishiba, known for his dovish stance on historical issues between South Korea and Japan, secured the party leadership on his fifth attempt by defeating Sanae Takaichi, a conservative candidate, in a runoff vote. He will take over as prime minister from Tuesday, replacing Fumio Kishida. A senio

Sept. 30, 2024

[Editorial] Big tech, small taxes

As with other countries, major US-based tech giants such as Google, Apple and Meta have set up local subsidiaries in South Korea, a nation known for a large pool of active users and well-established online infrastructure. But some critics claim that there are problems with the way such overseas-based tech firms do business and pay taxes here. Among such problems, two topics stand out: lofty in-app purchase commissions and lower-than-expected tax payments to local authorities. The controversy ove

Sept. 27, 2024

[Editorial] Prove it in court

A lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea proposed a criminal law revision bill with a clause introducing a new crime dubbed “legal distortion.” The main point of the clause is that a prosecutor would face up to 10 years in prison if he is found to have distorted the interpretation of evidence or the application of law. The bill seems to target the prosecutor who decided not to indict first lady Kim Keon Hee in connection with her acceptance of a luxury-brand handba

Sept. 26, 2024

[Editorial] Regulating social media

South Korea has nurtured tightly interconnected broadband and mobile networks, a technological environment ideal for new digital and social media platforms. But the country’s record on online privacy protection has a long way to go, with companies big and small often hit by massive user data leaks and hacking incidents. Korea is also slow to regulate platforms like YouTube, Facebook and X in connection with privacy protection. One reason is that their headquarters and key operations are ba

Sept. 25, 2024

[Editorial] Extreme weather

The scorching summer heat wave persisted until the end of Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) holidays Sept. 16-18, usually a time when the weather stars to cool. Just two days after the holidays ended, record heavy rains began to batter the nation, particularly its southern regions. Daily precipitation records for September were broken in many sites. Hourly rainfall rose to a high of 112.2 millimeters in Jindo, South Jeolla Province. Precipitation at the Yeosu Industrial Complex in the province Sept.

Sept. 24, 2024

[Editorial] Aging workforce

The number of South Korean workers aged 65 and older has overtaken that of those aged 15 to 29 for the first time, pointing to a host of troubling issues for the country where the fast-aging population confronts a lack of post-retirement support. According to Statistics Korea, the average number of employed elderly workers reached 3.94 million in the second quarter of this year, surpassing the 3.8 million employed young adults during the same period. Those aged 65 and older secured 231,000 jobs

Sept. 23, 2024

[Editorial] ER crisis averted

South Korea’s government officials will have been duly relieved to see the result of the five-day Chuseok holiday. Defying dire predictions, the country’s emergency care services continued without massive and paralyzing disruptions. The Health Ministry said the average number of patients who visited emergency rooms across the nation stood at 27,505 per day, down 31 percent from 39,911 last year. In addition, the latest figure is 25 percent down from the lunar New Year holiday period.

Sept. 20, 2024

[Editorial] Nuclear comeback

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration has ushered in a nuclear energy renaissance as it permitted the long-suspended construction of two nuclear reactors last week. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved the building of Shin Hanul reactors No. 3 and 4 in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, Thursday. They are the first new nuclear power plants to be authorized in the country since the Saeul (formerly Shin Kori) Units 5 and 6 in June 2016, even though Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., the

Sept. 19, 2024

[Editorial] Prepare against threats

North Korea has been ratcheting up its threatening moves in recent weeks, a development that should alarm South Korea’s officials in charge of security, defense and inter-Korean relations. On Thursday, the North fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The missiles were launched from the Pyongyang area at 7:10 a.m., but other details were not disclosed. South Korea’s military condemned the latest launch, which tested m

Sept. 13, 2024

[Editorial] Outdated custom

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Tuesday the interim results of its ongoing investigation into the operation of the Badminton Korea Association. The probe was prompted by a severe criticism by An Se-young in an interview with reporters after winning a gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Some management practices and regulations of the association are found to be outdated or opaque. Many regulation violations were also uncovered. A regulation bans players from partici

Sept. 12, 2024