[Editorial] Readiness before politics

The annual US defense bill recently submitted to the full Senate by the Senate Armed Services Committee includes a provision to strengthen congressional oversight of the transfer of wartime operational control to South Korea. The new provision in the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act requires the US defense secretary, beginning in March next year and every 90 days thereafter through 2030, to submit reports to the relevant congressional committees on the progress of the wartime OPCON

2026-06-23 05:30:00:00

[Editorial] Falling housing ladder

Jeonse is a unique South Korean rental system under which tenants make a large lump-sum deposit — generally 60 to 70 percent of a property's market value — in lieu of monthly rent. The standard lease term is two years and is renewable. Landlords are legally obligated to return the full deposit when the lease ends. Jeonse prices for apartments in Seoul rose 1.15 percent from a month earlier in May, posting their biggest month-on-month increase since April 2015 (1.25 percent), according to the Kor

2026-06-18 05:30:00:00

Lionel Messi ties Klose's World Cup goals record with his first hat trick as Argentina tops Algeria

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) -- Lionel Messi delivered his first World Cup hat trick while matching Miroslav Klose's career tournament scoring record Tuesday night, giving thousands of Argentina fans packed inside of Arrowhead Stadium for a match against Algeria a moment they will never forget. Messi scored his first goal in the opening minutes off a nifty feed from Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, the second off an opportunistic rebound early in the second half, and the third on a crisp stri

2026-06-17 13:30:42:00

[Editorial] Generation shut out

Statistics confirm the grim reality facing the younger generation. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' May 2026 Employment Trends report released on June 11, employment among young people ages 15-29 shrank by 255,000 from a year earlier. It was the sharpest decrease since January 2021, when the country was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and marked the 43rd consecutive month of decline. The job-market woes facing young people, who will lead our society in the future, are bec

2026-06-16 05:30:00:00

[Editorial] Predetermined verdict

At a press conference marking the first anniversary of his inauguration on Monday, President Lee Jae Myung said there was no choice but to pursue the "special counsel bill on manipulated indictments." He added, "I could direct the prosecution and police to establish a large-scale special investigative task force. That would be the normal and customary course of action." He spoke as though he had made a concession to the opposition and public opinion by agreeing to the special counsel bill on man

2026-06-11 05:30:00:00

[Editorial] Time for reform

The National Election Commission is facing intense backlash over the ballot shortage that occurred during the June 3 local elections. Protest rallies condemning the incident that disrupted voting continued across the country on Sunday, including outside the Jamsil vote-counting center at Olympic Park in Seoul's Songpa-gu. The repercussions of this incident are far-reaching, since it has helped fuel the spread of election fraud conspiracy theories. At a polling station in Jamsil, voting hours wer

2026-06-09 05:30:07:00

[Editorial] Inflation reignites

Domestic consumer prices continue to rise amid the fallout from the Middle East war, now in its fourth month. The consumer price index rose 3.1 percent in May from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Tuesday. It was the highest increase in 26 months. The overall upward trend of consumer inflation was largely driven by a steep 24 percent jump in petroleum prices. The feared effects of a prolonged war have begun to show up in the real economy. Unless international o

2026-06-04 05:30:00:00

[Editorial] Right use of profits

Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon said at a press briefing on May 27 that the ministry would convene a forum to explore the feasibility of a "Korean-style social solidarity wage" aimed at identifying ways to socially redistribute the "excess profits" of large corporations. Minister Kim’s comments came two weeks after Kim Yong-beom, the presidential chief policy secretary, proposed a “citizen dividend” program to give corporate gains back to the public, saying that “the fruits of th

2026-06-02 05:30:05:00

[Editorial] Ballots cast in the dark

In South Korea, elections for superintendents of education are held at the same time as local elections, but it is very common for voters to cast their ballots without even knowing what kind of people the superintendent candidates are. The upcoming June 3 election is no different. A total of 58 people are running as candidates for superintendent in 16 metropolitan and provincial offices of education. They took part in TV debates, but almost no one paid attention. In Seoul in particular, a record

2026-05-28 05:30:00:00

[Editorial] Fake AI evidence

Police recently filed for an arrest warrant against a YouTuber on charges of spreading false information after broadcasting AI-generated voice recordings and manipulated messenger conversations. Kim Se-ui, head of the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute, released an audio recording purported to be of the late actor Kim Sae-ron in May last year. He claimed it had been provided by her bereaved family and that it was evidence she had been in a relationship with actor Kim Soo-hyun since her middle s

2026-05-26 05:30:06:00