[Editorial] Mixed outlook

For South Korea, a nation heavily dependent on exports, the continued slump in key export items such as semiconductors casts a dark cloud over its economic prospects for the second half of this year. Attention is now turning to the second-half economic plans and projections the government will announce next week. Ahead of the crucial announcement, Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho hinted at the government’s policy focus. The country will strive to revive exports, stimulate investment and main

June 30, 2023

[Editorial] Flip side of minimum wage

The purpose of minimum wage is to protect vulnerable workers by preventing employers from exploiting employees. But the current minimum wage, a result of excessive hikes under the government of President Moon Jae-in, has done serious harm to both employers and workers. A lot of financially distressed small business owners were driven into firing employees or closing down their stores as they could not afford minimum wage any longer. Minimum wage put vulnerable workers in danger of job loss rath

June 29, 2023

[Editorial] Tackling private education

South Korea’s Education Ministry unveiled new plans aimed at reducing students’ excessive reliance on private education in preparing for the country’s college scholastic ability test, known as the Suneung. At the heart of the plans is setting up a ministry-level committee made up of public school teachers, which will adjust the difficulty level of the Suneung by excluding so-called “killer questions” -- usually the most difficult test questions covering topics often

June 28, 2023

[Editorial] Disclose merits

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs recently requested from the National Archives of Korea records on those who are to be recognized as meritorious persons under the opposition Democratic Party of Korea's "bill on the honorable treatment of persons of distinguished service to democracy of Korea," but the request was turned down. In a session of the bill review subcommittee of the National Policy Committee of the National Assembly on Tuesday, the ministry said that it had

June 27, 2023

[Editorial] Protect unregistered babies

In South Korea, where the fertility rate remains at a record low, each and every newborn baby deserves proper care and attention. Unfortunately, some unregistered babies are exposed to fatal risks and horrendous crimes, due largely to irresponsible parents and the absence of a policy to protect babies. The Board of Audit and Inspection found that a total of 2,236 babies born between 2015 and 2022 were undocumented after birth, and conducted a sample investigation into 1 percent, or 23 unregister

June 26, 2023

[Editorial] Follow reciprocity

Kim Gi-hyeon, leader of the ruling People Power Party, said in an address to the National Assembly on Tuesday: “China grants no suffrage to our people. It is fair to give no voting rights to foreigners from such country.” Kim also said, “Compared with the range of those dependents of our people residing in China who can be registered as beneficiaries of its health insurance system, that of dependents of Chinese residents in South Korea on its health insurance plan is much wider

June 23, 2023

[Editorial] Sluggish competitiveness

The annual report on world competitiveness ranking issued by the International Institute for Management Development, or IMD, tends to draw keen attention from media and policymakers here. While some critics question the report’s accuracy, it nonetheless serves as a valuable yardstick for assessing a country’s global competitiveness. The IMD has been putting out the report since 1989, reflecting four factors that determine a nation‘s competitiveness: economic achievements, gover

June 22, 2023

[Editorial] Natural step

In a speech at the plenary session of the National Assembly Monday, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, vowed to give up his privilege as a lawmaker of being able to avoid a pre-trial detention hearing. In Korea, the prosecution is required to seek consent from the National Assembly on the detention of its members when the Assembly is in session. Consent is given if the majority of Assembly members attend the voting session and the majority of those members pr

June 21, 2023

[Editorial] Hasty policy shift

In South Korea, education policy is often stressed as an endeavor spanning 100 years. But education policymakers appear to be driven by short-term political calculations. A recent episode involving President Yoon Suk Yeol and the country's college scholastic ability test, known as Suneung, presents a striking example. Last Thursday, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho outlined education reform plans to Yoon and said in a media briefing that the president ordered him to exclude any material not cov

June 20, 2023

[Editorial] Politics of fear

The sales of sea salt are said to have surged at many supermarket chains this month. Salt sales reportedly increased 55.6 percent while sun-dried salt sales rose 118.5 percent on-year at Emart June 1-14. Salt sales at Lotte Mart rose 30 percent over the same span from a year earlier. Sun-dried salt sales at an online shopping mall increased sixfold on-year June 1-14. Some shoppers joined wholesalers in stockpiling salt out of fear that Japan’s planned release of treated wastewater from the

June 19, 2023

[Editorial] Corrupt energy projects

The previous Moon Jae-in administration launched an ambitious policy initiative to shift the country’s energy policy toward clean and renewable sources while phasing out nuclear power generation. As with other past large-scale government projects, however, many of President Moon’s renewable energy projects fell into a trap of insider collusion and corruption, involving not only those at private companies, but also government officials including those in charge of energy policy. Rampa

June 16, 2023

[Editorial] Punish tech theft sternly

Semiconductor technology and industry are a field where the United States and China are vying fiercely for hegemony. They also account for the largest portion of South Korea’s exports. Semiconductor technology is expected to prop up its economy for decades to come. Then its semiconductor technology got almost stolen altogether. A former senior executive of Samsung Electronics was recently arrested and indicted for stealing its trade secrets to build a copycat chip plant in China. Six other

June 15, 2023

[Editorial] Shortage of pediatric doctors

A medical conference was held at a hotel in Seoul on Sunday, drawing some 800 participants. But the conference was not a usual one, as the topic focused on “ways to get out of the pediatric department.” At the conference, participants, including pediatric doctors, listened to lectures on popular medical services such as Botox injections, beauty treatments and tips on handling adult patients with chronic diseases. The conference reflects the sad reality of South Korea’s distorte

June 14, 2023

[Editorial] Dwindling momentum

Japan's economy expanded 0.7 percent in the January-March quarter from the previous quarter. On an annualized basis the country expanded 2.7 percent, significantly higher than economists forecasted. Its growth was more than twice as high as South Korea’s 0.3 percent. If this trend continues all year around, Japan's growth is likely to outstrip South Korea’s for the first time in 25 years after the foreign exchange crisis of 1998. The Organization for Economic Cooperation an

June 13, 2023

[Editorial] China’s distorted view

In a photo taken on Thursday, Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming and Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung shake hands with big smiles on their faces at the envoy’s residence in Seoul, as if reaffirming friendly diplomatic relations between South Korea and China. What happened was far from a “diplomatic” gesture, as their meeting touched off a firestorm of criticism from the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and political circles here, while the Chinese government joined the d

June 12, 2023

[Editorial] Role of a public broadcaster

A dispute over the license fee for state broadcaster KBS took a strange turn Thursday following the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s recommendation that broadcasting authorities change the fee collection method in favor of a separate billing system. The presidential office said Monday it sent the recommendation to the Korea Communications Commission and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, asking them to revise related laws so that the license fee could be separated from electricity b

June 9, 2023

[Editorial] Clarify position

President Yoon Suk Yeol said in his Memorial Day address on Tuesday that it is the government's duty to remember and honor the uniformed heroes who sacrificed their lives to defend South Korea's liberal democracy. He awarded certificates to five surviving soldiers of the Cheonan corvette. This is the fair treatment that heroes who defended the country deserve. Recognizing and rewarding their patriotism is a value that should be respected and carried out regardless of partisanship. But

June 8, 2023

[Editorial] Misuse of state subsidies

“Finders, keepers” is an English adage that usually refers to a situation where whoever finds something by chance is entitled to keep it. As far as South Korea is concerned, the “whoever” in question are some civic organizations and the “something” is state subsidies. More importantly, those civic groups have not only kept the subsidies but also allegedly misused them by exploiting lax oversight and engaging in dirty embezzlement practices. According to a repo

June 7, 2023

[Editorial] Trilateral cooperation

South Korea, the United States and Japan are accelerating military cooperation in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada met on Sunday on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's top defense meeting, in Singapore, and agreed to activate a missile data sharing mechanism before the end of the year. Presently, South Korea and Japan each share

June 6, 2023

[Editorial] Election watchdog audit

Public criticism is mounting against the country’s election watchdog mired in nepotism allegations, especially after it refused the state auditor’s inspection, citing a Constitutional practice. The National Election Commission held a commissioners meeting Friday and decided to refuse the proposed audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection. The nine commission members, including its chief Roh Tae-ak, unanimously rejected the audit despite growing calls for a full investigation into th

June 5, 2023