It looked good on the surface -- the leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties getting together during the Chuseok holidays to strike a deal on knotty political issues like setting new rules for the next parliamentary elections. The meeting between Kim Moo-sung and Moon Jae-in led to an agreement to adopt a form of open primaries to select candidates for the elections next April. [번역] 추...

Korea showed its readiness to play a more vital role in the international community during the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit held Sept. 25-27 in New York City. [번역] 한국이 9월 25-27일 뉴욕에서 열린 유엔 개발정상회의에서 국제사회에서 더욱 중요한 역할을 수행할 준비가 되어 있음을 보여줬다. [/번역] At the plenary session of the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit on Sept. 26, President Park Geun-hye pledged $200 million toward health care se...

During a recent parliamentary audit of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, a lawmaker asked its chief to name the most prominent corruption case involving military procurement. His answer was: “Well there are so many, so I don’t know.” [번역] 최근 방위사업청 국정감사에서 한 국회의원이 방사청장에게 방산비리 문제 중 대표적 사례가 뭐냐고 묻자 그는 “글쎄요, 하도 많아서…”라고 답했다. [/번역] This comic episode illustrates how pervasive corruption...

On Sunday, the Blue House announced that President Park Geun-hye is granting all lower-ranking military servicemen two days of leave and “bestowing” special snacks for military personnel on the occasion of Chuseok. [번역] 일요일 청와대가 박근혜 대통령이 추석을 맞아 모든 국군장병에게 1박 2일의 휴가를 수여하고 특별간식을 ‘하사’한다고 발표했다. [/번역] There is no doubt that the nearly 560,000 military servicemen who will get the unprecedented extra...

The growing number of “zombie companies” -- firms that do not earn enough profit to pay tax and make interest payments -- is becoming a major risk factor for the Korean economy. [번역] 세금을 내고 이자를 낼 만큼의 이익을 내지 못하는 ‘좀비 기업’이 늘고 있어 한국 경제의 큰 위험 요인이 되고 있다. [/번역] According to recent data from Chaebul.com, an online corporate tracker, the number of listed corporations that logged pretax operating losse...

An independent panel formed by the National Election Commission is scheduled to hold a meeting this week to decide on the number of electoral districts for the forthcoming parliamentary elections. It suggested Saturday the number would be set at between 244 and 249 -- little changed from the current system, under which 246 lawmakers are elected from constituencies. [번역] 중앙선거관리위원회가 구성한 독립위원회가 이번...

The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, a major Protestant church here, has decided that its clergy will voluntarily pay income tax. It was the first time that a major Presbyterian church has made such a decision. [번역] 한국의 주요 개신교단인 한국기독교 장로회(기장)가 자발적으로 소득세를 납부하기로 결정했다. 주요 개신교단이 이런 결정을 내린 것은 처음이다. [/번역] The PROK, which has a total of 1,654 churches across the country, with its congre...

People have various perceptions and images of a country. It is the same with Japan. One of the common impressions of Japan is a bad one, which stems from its wartime past. Japan invaded its Asian neighbors in the name of building a “Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” and waged the Pacific war against the U.S. in line with its imperialistic militarism. Many, including Koreans, suffered immensel...

Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of the landmark deal in which North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for economic aid and diplomatic concessions. Yet, the agreement has yet to be fulfilled as North Korea quit the related six party talks and halted the denuclearization process. [번역] 토요일은 북한이 경제적 지원, 외교적 양보 대신 핵을 포기하기로 한 역사적 합의의 10주년이 되는 날이었다. 그러나 북한이 6자 회담을 탈퇴하고 비핵화 절...

North Korea’s recent announcement that it has restarted the Yongbyon nuclear complex and an earlier statement about its readiness to launch long-range rockets have been met with a warning of increasingly “severe consequences” for the communist state by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. [번역] 북한이 영변 핵 단지를 재가동했다고 발표하고 장거리 로켓을 발사할 준비가 됐다는 성명을 내자 존 케리 미국 국무장관이 ‘중대한 결과’가 있을 것이라고 경고했다. [/번역] Speak...

The tripartite committee’s agreement on labor reform is certainly welcome, but it does not mean that all hurdles have been cleared. Rather, it put all the concerned parties -- government, political parties, unions and employers -- on the starting line for real work. [번역] 노사정 위원회의 노동개혁 합의는 분명 환영할 일이지만 모든 장애물이 해소됐다는 의미는 아니다. 오히려 정부, 여야, 노조와 근로자 등 모든 관련 당사자들은 실제 작업의 출발선에 서게 됐다. [/번역] The disrupt...

The government`s plan to limit free child care center services to some 6 to 8 hours per day for nonworking mothers starting next year has led to a storm of protests by its opponents who cry discrimination. [번역] 내년부터 어린이집 무상 이용시간을 6-8시간으로 제한하는 정부 방침에 차별이라는 반발이 쏟아지고 있다. [/번역] Take away something one is used to having, especially something given free of charge, and anger and resentment are bound...

Hyundai Motor’s labor union has voted to strike, as negotiation with the management is making little progress. It set the stage for a walkout for the fourth consecutive year. The union said it would boycott overtime work starting Monday. It will also participate in a joint rally with the unions of the three major shipbuilders, which was already planning to stage partial strikes later this week. ...

Five hundred people were selected by computer Wednesday from some 66,000 people who had applied for a chance to meet their families living in North Korea, the first step in what must be a gut-wrenching wait for the families separated by the Korean War to see if they will be among the 100 people chosen from South Korea to meet their families in the North at next month’s reunion. [번역] 수요일 이산가족 상봉...

Only 1 out of 4 child abuse suspects is charged, as reports of the crime rise, a lawmaker’s report showed Thursday. According to Rep. Lee Sang-min of New Politics Alliance for Democracy, the number of people child abuse suspects surged to about 1,000 last year, a nearly tenfold increase from 2010. From January to July this year, the number has already exceeded 1,500. [번역] 아동학대 범죄 신고가 늘면서 아동학대 피...