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[Editorial] Ministries in the crosshairs
In democratic societies, elections are meant to usher in renewal. In South Korea, they often bring a different kind of transformation, too — the wholesale reconfiguration of government itself. With the June 3 early presidential election fast approaching, Lee Jae-myung of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea stands as the clear front-runner. He is also poised to pursue an ambitious overhaul of the government’s structure. His party’s proposed revisions to the Government Organization Act would
May 2, 2025 -
[Editorial] Anticipated setback
A state project to open a new airport early on Gadeokdo, an island in Busan, has run into a glitch. A consortium led by Hyundai Engineering & Construction, the preferred bidder for the project, submitted the basic design plan to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday. The key point of the plan is that the construction period needs to be extended to nine years from the seven years the government required in the notice of tender. It also said that the 10.5 trillion won ($7.3
May 1, 2025 -
[Editorial] Fallout of a breach
South Korea’s largest mobile carrier, SK Telecom, is facing a reckoning of its own design. Following a massive hacking incident that laid bare weaknesses in its user authentication systems, the company’s delayed and disorganized response has left its customers — and the broader public — deeply alarmed. The breach, disclosed three days after its detection on April 19, compromised sensitive universal subscriber identity module, or USIM, information. Unlike previous leaks, this attack introduced a
April 30, 2025 -
[Editorial] Give faith
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized integration and pragmatism in his acceptance speech after winning the party's presidential nomination Sunday. South Korea's early presidential election will be held June 3. While former President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial finally ended with the unanimous ruling to remove him on April 3, people were seriously divided into impeachment supporters and opponents. National unity has become indispensable. But coming
April 29, 2025 -
[Editorial] Stagnation warning
In a stark reminder of its mounting vulnerabilities, South Korea’s economy shrank in the first quarter of 2025, signaling a potential slide into long-term stagnation. Preliminary data from the Bank of Korea shows that real gross domestic product shrank by 0.2 percent from the previous quarter, missing the central bank’s forecast of 0.2 percent growth. On an on-year basis, the economy slipped 0.1 percent — its first annual decline since the Asian financial crisis more than two decades ago. The co
April 28, 2025 -
[Editorial] Data breach, trust broken
In a hyper-connected nation where smartphones function as an extension of personal identity, the recent data breach at SK Telecom — a company with over 23 million subscribers — is more than another cybersecurity mishap. It is a stark wake-up call for consumers, regulators and telecom providers alike. SK Telecom disclosed Tuesday that a hacking incident had resulted in the partial leakage of universal subscriber identity module data — critical for authenticating mobile users. The breach stemmed f
April 25, 2025 -
[Editorial] Bill to fetter businesses
Lee Jae-myung, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, vowed Monday to push again to revise the Commercial Act. He also pledged to usher in "an era of Kospi 5000" through economic recovery and growth. The front-runner in the party's presidential primary said he would introduce cumulative voting and make the "separate election method" mandatory in a new amendment bill his party will push. The two provisions were missing from the previous amendment bill, which acting President Han Duck-soo
April 24, 2025 -
[Editorial] Sputtering export engine
South Korea’s trade data for the first 20 days of April offers a sobering glimpse into the unfolding impact of the Trump administration’s aggressive tariff policies. The figures underscore the urgent need for Seoul to recalibrate its economic strategy to buffer against what could become a prolonged external shock. According to the Korea Customs Service, exports during the April 1-20 period fell to $33.9 billion, marking a 5.2 percent decline from the same period a year earlier. Imports also dipp
April 23, 2025 -
[Editorial] Brace for pressure
South Korea will hold "two plus two" trade consultations with the US in Washington on Thursday. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun will lead the Seoul negotiation team, while US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will be in charge of the US side. The possibility of US President Donald Trump choosing to get directly involved in the talks cannot be excluded. Last week, the US first held tariff talks with Japan at the White House,
April 22, 2025 -
[Editorial] Politics of justice
When South Korea's former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was ousted on April 4 by the Constitutional Court, millions watched the live broadcast of the court’s ruling — read by acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae. The verdict was not only logically rigorous but also deeply resonant: Yoon had violated his presidential duties by declaring martial law on Dec. 3, a move the court deemed an unconstitutional overreach that posed a serious threat to democracy. With that, Yoon was permanently removed from off
April 21, 2025 -
[Editorial] Holding the line
As widely anticipated, the Bank of Korea held its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.75 percent Thursday, taking a cautious pause amid economic volatility and an atmosphere of uncertainty sparked by the Trump administration’s erratic tariff maneuvers. In its official statement, the central bank said it was maintaining the current rate to allow space for assessing shifting domestic and global conditions. Central to its calculus were Washington’s capricious trade actions, Seoul’s planned fisca
April 18, 2025 -
[Editorial] Populist pledges
The conservative ruling People Power Party has adopted a 40-hour, 4.5-day workweek as one of its campaign pledges ahead of the June 3 presidential election. Under this pledge, employees would need to work one extra hour per day Monday through Thursday, increasing the workday from eight to nine hours. On Friday, employees would then work 4 hours only, according to the scheme. The current statutory minimum of 40 hours per week would be maintained, while the number of workdays could be reduced to 4
April 17, 2025 -
[Editorial] A fracture in the lecture hall
South Korea’s medical sector has been in turmoil ever since former President Yoon Suk Yeol attempted to barrel through with his controversial reform policy, which initially included a major increase in the medical school enrollment quota of 2,000 places per year for five years. Yoon's push triggered an intense backlash, leading to mass walkouts by trainee doctors and medical students. Although Yoon was removed from office after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment on April 4, the 14-m
April 16, 2025 -
[Editorial] Growing safety risks
A subway tunnel construction site in the city of Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, collapsed Friday. An excavator operator in his 20s was rescued underground 13 hours after the collapse. Another worker presumed to be located 35 to 40 meters underground has not been found yet. A section of the six-lane road above ground caved in, and several buildings were damaged. Luckily, signs of anomalies were sensed shortly before the collapse so the road could be controlled, preventing a greater loss of lif
April 15, 2025 -
[Editorial] Post-presidency pitfalls
South Korea’s unprecedented political turmoil has entered a new phase with the court’s verdict that upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed attempt to place the nation under martial law in December 2024. As the country is now set to elect a new president on June 3, presidential hopefuls are taking steps to launch their bids officially. But there is one person whom neither the ruling nor the opposition parties can afford to ignore: former President Yoon, who could still
April 14, 2025