Opinion - The Korea Times

ED Prepare for long haul

In the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, there is now a U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that channels about 20 percent of the world's oil supplies. About 70 percent of Korea's oil and 20 percent of its natural gas come from the Middle East through this passage. This strategic waterway is being held hostage, increasing the risk of energy prices soaring even higher, heavily affecting the global economy. Following the news that the U.S. is now enforcing its own blockade of Iranian ports, in addition to Iran's ongoing blockade of the strait, oil prices immediately went above $100 a barrel and some forecast that they could reach as high as $150. "The impact of this shock is already baked in," International Monetary Fund (IMF) Director Kristalina Georgieva said in an interview with AFP. "Even if the war stops today, this five-plus weeks of missing supplies of oil and gas, they are already disturbing economies." She also added that the IMF would downgrade its growth forecasts globally for the year. The U.S. blockade went into effect at 11 p.m. Monday Korea time, after U.S. Pr

Apr 14, 2026

ED Universal value of human rights

The recent controversy surrounding President Lee Jae Myung’s social media comments on Israel offers a revealing case study in the evolving responsibilities of leadership in the digital age. At its core, Lee’s commentary was grounded in a principle that remains both rare and significant among sitting heads of state: an explicit willingness to invoke universal human rights standards in response to alleged violations. His suggestion that, if verified, the mistreatment of a civilian — particularly a child — could amount to a war crime comparable to some of history’s gravest atrocities reflects a broader moral stance that prioritizes the protection of human dignity regardless of geography or political alignment. In an international system often constrained by strategic ambiguity, such language signals an effort to foreground ethical accountability alongside national interest. Yet the episode also highlights the risks that arise when such principled intentions are not matched by sufficient factual verification and diplomatic calibration. The controversy began when Lee shared a 2024

Apr 13, 2026

ED No deal, no time

The collapse of peacemaking efforts after a marathon 21 hours of talks in Islamabad between the United States and Iran is a sobering reminder of how fragile the path to peace remains. Despite the significance of the meeting — the first high-level, face-to-face engagement between the two sides in nearly half a century — the negotiations ended without an agreement. What had been cautiously viewed as a potential turning point has instead deepened uncertainty. At the heart of the deadlock lies a familiar but formidable divide: Washington insists on an explicit and verifiable commitment from Tehran to abandon not only its nuclear weapons ambitions but also any capability to quickly develop such weapons. For the United States, this is a nonnegotiable red line, central to both its security doctrine and the justification for its recent military actions. Iran, however, views such demands as an infringement on its sovereignty and strategic autonomy. The dispute over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has only compounded tensions, with each side unwilling to yield ground on an issue of im

Apr 12, 2026

ED NK's emboldened military posture

One act of aggression after another — is this the new global norm? While the news broke Wednesday of a tenuous two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, North Korea fired ballistic missiles twice on the same day. North Korea fired two missiles on Wednesday, one in the morning that flew 240 kilometers and another in the afternoon that went 700 kilometers. The day before, it had also fired a ballistic missile, something Seoul officials reportedly only learned belatedly through U.S. intelligence. President Lee Jae Myung on Monday made a rare apology to North Korea for drone incursions into the North's airspace. Instead of castigating the president, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, responded by saying the president's apology was "very fortunate and wise behavior." Jolted by the positive language, Cheong Wa Dae and the unification ministry found meaning in the fast affirmation of respective opinions, albeit indirectly. However, Jang Kum-chol, a senior diplomat in North Korea's foreign ministry, blasted Seoul's hopes as "ridiculous." There is

Apr 9, 2026

ED End the war completely

The world breathed a sigh of relief after a two-week ceasefire was reached in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran on Wednesday (local time). Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced via X (formerly Twitter) that an immediate ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was reached and invited them to Islamabad on Friday to negotiate a conclusive end. The war, which began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, had become a test of wills between the U.S., Israel and Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to halt planned strikes less than two hours before his deadline — paired with Iran’s willingness to allow limited passage through the Strait of Hormuz and a 10-point proposal — offers a hard-won opening for de-escalation and renewed diplomacy. The negotiations are unlikely to proceed smoothly as both the U.S. and Iran have declared victory. Issues are laid out in both Iran's 10-point plan and the vital matter of reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The White House and Iran have both said that the ceasefire would go into effect once the strait reopens. Yet their positions remained ambiguo

Apr 8, 2026

ED Samsung's historic surge and challenges to sustain it

Samsung Electronics has delivered a quarterly performance that will be remembered as a watershed in corporate history. It posted its highest-ever quarterly performance, with 133 trillion won ($98.5 billion) in revenue and 57.2 trillion won ($42.4 billion) in operating profit for the first quarter, up 755 percent from a year earlier. Posting an operating profit that exceeds its entire earnings from the previous year in just one quarter has not only shattered domestic records but also entered the ranks of the world’s top five most profitable firms on a quarterly basis. In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), this is more than a financial milestone — it is a statement of technological relevance. The scale of the achievement is striking, but its underlying drivers are even more significant. Samsung’s resurgence has been powered by its dominance in memory semiconductors, now the backbone of the AI revolution. As demand for high-performance computing accelerates, particularly in data centers and generative AI systems, memory has become indispensable infrastructure. Samsung’s adv

Apr 7, 2026

[ED] Samsung's historic surge and challenges to sustain it

ED Brinkmanship only deepens Hormuz standoff

The Strait of Hormuz crisis shows no signs of ending. Washington and Tehran continue to exchange barbs, with neither side signaling a willingness to back down. Their confrontation is taking a toll on the global economy. Oil prices have skyrocketed, sending shockwaves across industries and stoking fears of rising inflation worldwide. As long as the current standoff persists, no country stands to gain. In an interconnected global economy, every nation — including the United States and Iran — will bear the consequences of the Middle East conflict if a ceasefire is not reached soon. U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Iran in an obscenity-filled social media post, demanding that Tehran reopen the crucial waterway through which nearly 20 percent of global crude oil shipments pass. “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” he wrote. He warned that if Iran failed to meet the Tuesday deadline, the U.S. would destroy Iran’s power plants and bridges and they would "be living in Hell." Iran dismissed Trump’s

Apr 6, 2026

[ED] Brinkmanship only deepens Hormuz standoff

ED People Power Party in free fall

The latest polling from Gallup Korea offers more than a snapshot of shifting public opinion. It delivers a stark warning about the structural health of Korea’s democracy. While the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has surged to 48 percent support, the main opposition People Power Party has fallen to a historic low of 18 percent. The 30 percentage point gap is not merely a political setback; it signals a crisis of viability for the country’s main conservative party and raises broader concerns about the erosion of democratic balance. At the center of this collapse lies a failure of leadership. Party chairman Jang Dong-hyeok and his inner circle have consistently failed to make a decisive break from former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Rhetorical gestures toward severing ties have not been matched by meaningful action. Instead, the party appears hesitant and calculating, caught between appeasing a shrinking base and reclaiming broader public trust. This indecision has had predictable consequences. Moderate voters, who often determine electoral outcomes, have drifted away in large num

Apr 5, 2026

ED Tightening pressure on Korea

U.S. President Donald Trump extinguished hopes for a swift end to the war in Iran in his national address, sending oil prices soaring and asset markets tumbling Thursday. Korea, heavily reliant on energy from the Middle East, is riding rougher waves than most, with President Lee Jae Myung likening the current Korean economy to a "war-like situation" as he asked for swift approval of a 26 trillion won ($17.2 billion) supplementary budget. As the domestic economy declines, snippets of comments Trump put forth Wednesday (local time) tighten the pressure on Seoul regarding energy, security and trade. Trump expressed his frustration with nations including Korea for not dispatching ships and personnel to jointly manage the Strait of Hormuz, effectively closed due to the war in Iran. With the case of NATO, Trump has threatened to exit the group. “You know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there, right next to a nuclear force — let South Korea do it,” he said during a speech at the White House. While he once again got the troop size wrong — there are around 28,500 U.S. t

Apr 3, 2026

ED Energy supply shortage hits home

The Korean government for the first time raised the crisis level for crude oil supply to "alert" on Thursday. "Alert" is the third-highest level in the government's four-tiered warning system — attention, caution, alert and serious. The level for natural gas was also elevated to "caution." In line with this, the government tightened the public sector's vehicle rotation system from not driving one in five days to a two-day odd-even schedule. Starting April 8, public parking lots will also implement a separate five-day rotation system. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment assessed that with the two-day driving rotation system, 17,000 to 87,000 barrels of crude oil can be saved each month. The limit on public parking can also save around 5,000 to 27,000 barrels a month. These measures seem minimal, as Korea uses about 2.4 million barrels a day, according to 2011 data. At best, they should have been implemented earlier. It takes time to rebuild disrupted energy supply channels and available bootstrap measures should be embraced more aggressively for an energy-dependent Korea. W

Apr 2, 2026

Editorial