[Editorial] Reform of the 52-hour workweek

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration has put out a long-awaited reform plan to reconfigure the controversial 52-hour workweek regulation in South Korean workplaces. The reform measure came in response to the growing complaints from companies which claim the 52-hour workweek system hinders their efforts to run work hours in a timely and flexible fashion to stay competitive on the global market. The Yoon administration on Monday announced a plan to introduce a new workweek rule that would allow for up

March 9, 2023

[Editorial] Turn to the future

The government announced a plan to resolve the issue of compensating Koreans who were mobilized by Japan for forced labor. Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. Japan mobilized Koreans for forced labor during World War II (1939-1945). Under the plan, compensation will be paid by the Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan, which was created in 2014 and is currently affiliated with the Interior Ministry. The foundation plans to collect "voluntary&q

March 8, 2023

[Editorial] Not-so-free market

Governments in advanced countries tend to avoid directly intervening in the private sector for fear of distorting market mechanisms. In this regard, the government’s industrial policy, such as a state-initiated guide on prices for products and services, is supposed to be used only when it is necessary. Unfortunately, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and some of the ruling party members do not follow such basic rules. It is ironic that Yoon often preaches the virtue of the free market, but

March 7, 2023

[Editorial] Polarized labor market

Hyundai Motor’s recruitment ad for 400 entry-level factory workers attracted a deluge of job seekers as soon as it launched on Thursday. The carmaker’s related web page froze due to the sudden rush of applicants. On that day alone, more than 30,000 people are said to have accessed the page. It is the first time in 10 years that the company is hiring assembly line workers. Not only are new high school graduates expected to apply, but also workers looking to change their jobs are as we

March 6, 2023

[Editorial] Stop school violence

On Feb. 25, Chung Sun-sin offered to resign one day after he was appointed the head of the National Office of Investigation over controversy surrounding his son’s bullying in high school. But the public uproar shows no sign of dying down, with people calling for drastic reforms to tackle school violence. Chung’s son not only verbally abused his classmate for eight months from May 2017, he also stayed at the school for nearly one year. This left the victim in a more traumatic state, e

March 3, 2023

[Editorial] Democratic Party's way to go

The majority opposition Democratic Party of Korea is grappling with the aftermath of the National Assembly’s vote on the prosecution’s request for consent to a pretrial detention hearing on its leader Lee Jae-myung. Before the vote, the party leadership was confident of an overwhelming rejection of the request, but the result jolted them. The request was thrown out as the number of yes votes fell short of the minimum required to hold the hearing. But unexpectedly, the secret vote spl

March 2, 2023

[Editorial] Embattled chip industry

South Korean chipmakers are likely to face not only a slowdown in demand for semiconductors but also critical restrictions from the US over production in China -- collateral damage from the intensifying friction in US-China trade. The US is reportedly planning to limit the level of advanced chips that Korean chip manufacturers can produce in China in the name of blocking the transfer of its advanced semiconductor technology to adversaries. "We are now in a world where technology is the driv

March 1, 2023

[Editorial] Fostering healthy competition

The Fair Trade Commission recently ordered the Korean Bar Association and the Seoul Bar Association to lift a ban on their member lawyers’ use of LawTalk, a legal counseling platform, and fined each association 1 billion won ($760,000). It is the largest possible fine imposed by the commission on a business association. The commission judged that the prohibition of lawyers’ advertisements on the platform restricts free competition among lawyers and consumer choice of lawyers. It al

Feb. 28, 2023

[Editorial] Pattern of shameless acts

You don’t have to be a Stoic to understand what Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius said: “Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” Some South Korean elites, however, are doing the exact opposite to defend their wayward children. A striking example is the controversy surrounding Chung Sun-sin, 57, who was appointed Friday to head the National Office of Investigation, only to resign Saturday over his son’s bullying in high school that had reportedly caused the victim t

Feb. 27, 2023

[Editorial] Population disaster

South Korea's total fertility rate fell to 0.78 last year, down from 0.81 a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. The total fertility rate is the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime. Experts believe the rate should be at least 2.1 to keep South Korea's population stable. The country's rate last year is the lowest since 1970, when the statistics agency began compiling related data. In 2018, the country’s total fertility rate dropped below 1 for t

Feb. 24, 2023

[Editorial] Fighting drug crimes

South Korean prosecutors launched a special investigation unit Tuesday to fight growing drug crimes including large-scale drug trafficking and the spread of drug sales through internet channels. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said the special unit is made up of four investigation teams at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and district prosecutors' offices in Incheon, Busan and Gwangju, respectively. The special teams represent the country’s latest attempt to co

Feb. 23, 2023

[Editorial] Opaque accounting

The nation’s two largest labor groups, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, are found to have received 152 billion won ($117 million) in subsidies over the past five years from the Ministry of Employment and Labor and 17 regional governments -- eight cities including Seoul and nine provinces. According to data disclosed by Kweon Seon-dong, a People Power Party lawmaker, the groups received 17.7 billion won in subsidies from the ministry and 13

Feb. 22, 2023

[Editorial] A tricky decision

The Bank of Korea is scheduled to announce its benchmark interest rate on Thursday, following heightened attention on the market and growing concerns over their tightening monetary policy. Last month the central bank raised its interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.5 percent, a seventh straight rate increase since April last year. It also marked the 10th rate hike, totaling a combined 3 percentage points, since August 2021, when the BOK started “normalizing” the low rate. Opinions ar

Feb. 21, 2023

[Editorial] Let the court judge

The majority opposition Democratic Party of Korea declared “war” on the prosecution for requesting a warrant to arrest its leader Lee Jae-myung. It is bracing up for the battle to vote down the request for the National Assembly’s consent to Lee's arrest. If the prosecution asks for a warrant to arrest a lawmaker, the court sends a request to the prosecution to seek the National Assembly's consent to the arrest. The prosecution forwards the request to the National As

Feb. 20, 2023

[Editorial] Temporary fix

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday the government would freeze the price of public utilities, at least for the first half of the year, in a bid to ease the growing financial burden on the public following outcry over soaring heating bills and high inflation. At a meeting of economic ministers, Yoon requested the central government freeze public utility bills -- road, railroad and postal fees -- for the first half of this year. He also asked provincial governments to cooperate in stabilizing

Feb. 17, 2023

[Editorial] Salaried workers' blues

The government collected 57.4 trillion won ($45.3 billion) in earned income tax last year. The revenue increased 21.6 percent or 10.2 trillion won in a year. Compared with five years ago or 2017, it swelled 68.8 percent or 23.4 trillion won. Revenues from overall national taxation and general income tax increased 49.2 percent and 49.4 percent, respectively, over the five-year period. Total withholding income tax levied on salaried employees increased much faster than both general income tax an

Feb. 16, 2023

[Editorial] Fatal child abuse

In back-to-back incidents, two young children have been found dead in Incheon this month in connection with alleged abuse and negligence by their parents, igniting criticism over the repeated failures of child protection services to safeguard children. On Feb. 2, a 2-year-old boy was found dead. Incheon Police Station took a 24-year-old woman into custody on suspicion of leaving her son at home alone for three days. Police suspect that the boy died of starvation, though investigations are still

Feb. 15, 2023

[Editorial] Public role of banks

The top four commercial banks in South Korea posted record-breaking profits last year, greatly helped by the wide gap in deposit and lending rates following a steady rise in interest rates amid raging disputes over their “easy” profits and their public role. Shinhan Bank led the pack by posting 4.64 trillion won ($3.66 billion) in net profit last year, followed by KB Kookmin Bank with 4.41 trillion won, Woori Bank at 3.17 trillion won and Hana Bank's 3.62 trillion won. The stell

Feb. 13, 2023

[Editorial] Political abuse

The majority opposition Democratic Party of Korea and two minor parties pushed a motion to impeach Interior Minister Lee Sang-min through the National Assembly on Wednesday. It is the nation’s first-ever impeachment of a Cabinet member. He was suspended from his duties immediately. There were great concerns that the impeachment was inappropriate in many respects, but the Democratic Party shut its ears. The relationship between the ruling People Power Party and the Democratic Party will

Feb. 10, 2023

[Editorial] Dispute on start of old age

How old is old? In South Korea, there is one simple measure. If you turn 65, you are officially identified as a senior citizen and are eligible for free subway rides. But the age of 65 that delimits “old age” here might be raised to 70 in the near future, something that could force many poverty-stricken elderly people to stay home. More important, raising the eligibility age for free subway rides involves more than the perception of older adults in Korea. It is a complex matter linke

Feb. 9, 2023