[Editorial] Economic crosswinds

South Korea needs a well-calibrated response to tackle growth woes, US tariff-related shocks South Korea confronts a growing list of economic challenges, as demonstrated by a series of warning signs about its growth outlook that reflect the intensifying trade war triggered by the US Trump administration. One of the main factors that darkens the country’s economic outlook is the Trump administration's plan to impose country-by-country "reciprocal tariffs" next month, which is feared to deal a blo

March 21, 2025

[Editorial] Tighten discipline

UAV-helicopter collision comes after accidental fighter bombing A South Korean military drone crashed into a helicopter parked at an airfield in Gyeonggi Province. This accident occurred 11 days after Korean fighter jets accidentally bombed civilian homes in a village in Pocheon, near the inter-Korean border, on March 6. An Israeli-made Heron reconnaissance uncrewed aerial vehicle belonging to an Army aviation group collided with the parked helicopter while landing on a military airfield in Yang

March 20, 2025

[Editorial] Beef up crypto security

Cryptocurrency theft at Wemix underscores need to step up security for virtual assets Wemade, a Kosdaq-listed gaming company in South Korea, has suffered a major cryptocurrency theft targeting its Singapore-based subsidiary, Wemix Foundation, amid criticism about delaying publicly disclosing the hacking incident. Kim Seok-hwan, CEO of Wemix Foundation, apologized for the hacking incident at a press conference on Monday, pledging to get to the bottom of the cryptocurrency theft and setting up pre

March 19, 2025

[Editorial] Sensitive trade issue

Lifting US beef import restrictions could awaken anxiety about health The Trump administration is likely to put pressure on South Korea to further open its import market to US beef. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association is said to have recently submitted an opinion letter on unfair trade practices by US trading partners to the Office of the US Trade Representative. In the letter, the US livestock lobby proposed that South Korea should start importing US beef regardless of what age the cattle

March 18, 2025

[Editorial] Diplomatic lapse

US designation of South Korea as ‘sensitive country’ feared to hit bilateral cooperation The US Department of Energy’s decision to list South Korea as a “sensitive country” has belatedly been confirmed, sparking controversy about the Korean government’s diplomatic failure and concerns about repercussions for bilateral US cooperation in the science and technology sector. The US Department of Energy put South Korea in the lowest category of its “sensitive and other designated countries list” (SCL)

March 17, 2025

[Editorial] Stop divisive protests

Ahead of verdict on Yoon’s impeachment, Korea’s political tensions hit fever pitch Since Dec. 3 of last year when President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, South Korea has suffered an extended period of political confrontation and economic uncertainties. Regrettably, the chaotic situation shows no sign of abating amid concerns about deepening fractures within Korean society. All eyes are now on the Constitutional Court’s imminent verdict on Yoon’s fate, as more than two weeks have passed sin

March 14, 2025

[Editorial] Recession fears

Trump's tariffs cloud US economy, while Korea is mired in political turmoil Recession fears escalated as US President Donald Trump declined to explicitly rule out a recession in the US economy this year. "I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition, because what we're doing is very big," he said, responding to question about whether he was expecting a recession in the US this year in a Fox News interview Sunday, "And there are always periods of, it takes a little time." T

March 13, 2025

[Editorial] Red-hot real estate

Seoul’s property market heats up, raising fears of a debt-fueled bubble At a time when South Korea’s economy faces downside risks on multiple fronts, policymakers are now required to deal with two, interrelated challenges — a spike in property prices in Seoul and the ballooning of household debt. The resurgence of Seoul’s housing market is prompting renewed concerns over financial stability. Since the Seoul Metropolitan Government eased land transaction restrictions in key districts last month,

March 12, 2025

[Editorial] Back to school

Government not to increase medical admissions, yet reform should go on The government will reduce the number of new students entering medical schools next year back to 3,058, which is the same as the admission quota for the 2024 academic year. Last year, as part of its medical reform agenda, the government increased the medical school admission quota for the 2025 school year by about 1,500 despite strong opposition from the medical community. The 3,058-student admission quota had been frozen for

March 11, 2025

[Editorial] Impact of Yoon’s release

Court ruling underscores importance of due process for Yoon’s impeachment case President Yoon Suk Yeol was released from jail Saturday after a court accepted his request to overturn his arrest over his short-lived imposition of martial law in early December. Yoon had been held in detention since Jan. 15 on insurrection charges related to his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law that plunged South Korea into political turmoil, national division and economic uncertainty. On Saturday, a special invest

March 10, 2025

[Editorial] Negative economic indicators

South Korea suffers ‘triple minus’ in January amid negative export outlook due to US tariffs South Korea’s economy faces pressure on multiple fronts ranging from industrial output and facility investment to the outlook for exports and consumer prices amid growing concerns about a global trade war. The country’s industrial output, retail sales and facility investment all fell in January from a month earlier, data showed Tuesday. The figures marked the first “triple minus” since October, a signal

March 7, 2025

[Editorial] Build strength

Pause of military aid to Ukraine, comment on Taiwan hint at Trump's 'deal-making' US President Donald Trump reportedly ordered a pause to all US military aid to Ukraine. The move comes just days after an argument at the Oval Office meeting in which Trump and US Vice President JD Vance upbraided Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for being insufficiently grateful for Washington's backing. Pausing aid is a step to pressure Zelenskyy into accepting Trump's plan to end the Ukraine war through pea

March 6, 2025

[Editorial] Division exacerbates crisis

Rival parties stuck with wasteful wrangling amid ongoing political turmoil, economic woes The March extraordinary session of the National Assembly is set to begin Wednesday, but concerns are mounting over whether the ruling and opposition parties can handle urgent bills including a supplementary budget due to the intensifying partisan strife that has regrettably aligned with street protests over impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. Since Yoon's Dec. 3 botched martial law declaration, South Korea h

March 5, 2025

[Editorial] Blind spot

Employment irregularities found in election commissions; inspection ruled unconstitutional The presidential audit agency said Thursday that it found irregularities in every instance of career staff recruitment conducted by Korea's election commissions for 10 years from 2013. During the 10-year period, the commissions hired experienced workers 291 times. The Board of Audit and Inspection detected 878 cases of corruption in these periodic recruitments. None of them were clean. A wide array of offi

March 4, 2025

[Editorial] Fix safety loopholes

A collapsed bridge and other disasters show the cost of inaction for Korea's safety oversight A bridge collapse at a highway construction site in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, has once again exposed the nation’s persistent safety failures. On Tuesday morning, several slabs fell from a bridge under construction on the Seoul-Sejong expressway, killing four workers and injuring six others. Emergency personnel rushed to the scene within minutes, mobilizing helicopters, fire trucks and more than 140 fi

Feb. 28, 2025