[ed] Military spending Why does defense ministry always have a blank check?The National Assembly set next year’s defense budget at 34.3 trillion won ($32.3 billion), up 4.2 percent from 2012.Yet security-related officials at Cheong..
Why does defense ministry always have a blank check?
The National Assembly set next year’s defense budget at 34.3 trillion won ($32.3 billion), up 4.2 percent from 2012.
Yet security-related officials at Cheong..
[ed] Entertainment soldier Pop idol Rain and top-actress Kim Tae-hee are two of Koreas most sought-after young talents. Its little wonder then that news theyve been dating each other over the past three months made front-page headlines. The only problem was Rain (aka Ju..
[ed] Pork and earmarks Barely half a month has passed since the Dec. 19 presidential election, in which rival candidates vowed to reform politics. Voters knew these promises wouldnt last long, and that politicians would soon return to business as usual. But they never ..
[ed] Nurturing midsize firms Owners of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often cite ``9988 when they emphasize their importance. The catchphrase refers to SMEs accounting for 99 percent of all companies and 88 percent of all employees.
[ed] Message from North The New Year message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attracts our attention more for its style than substance, and for whats been left unsaid rather than said.
[ed] Veto bill on taxis Lawmakers acted with complete irresponsibility once again on the first day of the New Year during a rare show of partisan unity.
[ed] Good corporate citizens When Koreans elected Park Geun-hye as the next president on Dec. 19, crusaders of economic justice lamented chaebol reform would be a bygone issue. President-elect Parks meetings with business leaders last week proved for now these pessimist..
[ed] Political reform aborted? Political reform, one of the main electoral themes of the Dec. 19 presidential poll, is showing signs of becoming lost. Before the election, expectations for ``new politics had been high and some ``easy agendas could be dealt with in the jus..
[ed] A year of detente Diplomacy, including inter-Korean relations, was not the most important issue of the 18th presidential election. Voters and candidates focused on the economy and welfare, as in other leadership ballots across the world.
[ed] Free childcare All families with children aged up to 5 will be entitled to free childcare from today as the ruling and opposition parties passed next years budget bill Monday under the first bipartisan agreement in five years.
[ed] Gloomy year-end for 48% Another year is passing us by, leaving more regrets and grief than pride and joy behind as always. Nowhere might this year-ends atmosphere be gloomier than in the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP), which lost an election most, incl..
[ed] Taxi is no public transport Many foreign tourists cite riding taxis as one of the most unpleasant experiences in Korea. Even for many Koreans, tax drivers here are notorious for being unkind, choosing passengers and overcharging all too frequently.
[ed] Hopes for transition team President-elect Park Geun-hye announced members of her transition committee Thursday in the first step toward forming a government and setting up a framework for the new administration.
[ed] Economic realities In the run-up to the Dec. 19 presidential election, neither of the two leading candidates, including President-elect Park Geun-hye, showed much interest in economic growth. Both primarily focused on proposals to achieve fairer economic distribution..
[ed] Japan's regressive Cabinet When Park Geun-hye was elected president last week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promptly and quite rightly sent his congratulations. Unfortunately, Park will find it hard to do the same for Abe, after seeing his Cabinet line-up unveiled Wedn..
[ed] Retooling election pledges President-elect Park Geun-hye hinted at issuing bonds to raise funds needed to support her campaign pledges during a meeting with reporters Wednesday. She stated, ``There may be a need to issue state bonds to meet promises to help improve peoples..
[ed] Bloated debt The nations government debt has swelled sharply under newly adopted accounting rules that reflect international norms, raising concern that the incoming administration may grapple with mountains of debt during its five-year term.
