Opinion - The Korea Times

ED Energy at risk, fragmented allies

The crisis unfolding around the Strait of Hormuz is a test of regional stability as well as global leadership. And increasingly, the United States under Donald Trump appears to act less like a stabilizing force and more as an unpredictable variable. At the center of the issue is a simple but dangerous shift in logic. Washington is no longer framing security in terms of shared responsibility, but of relative exposure. Trump’s argument — that countries more dependent on Middle Eastern oil, such as South Korea and Japan, should bear the burden of securing it — may sound pragmatic. In reality, it represents a profound unraveling of alliance principles. This is not strategic clarity. It is strategic abdication dressed up as efficiency. For decades, the global order, particularly in maritime security, has rested on the premise that the United States would act as a guarantor of stability, not because it was especially vulnerable, but because it had the most capacity. That asymmetry was the point. It allowed for coordination and predictability. Now, that logic is being reversed. Capabilit

Mar 22, 2026

ED Purple power, BTS

After a hiatus of nearly four years due to military service, the return of K-pop global sensation BTS is highly anticipated. Massive preparations — akin to gearing up for a national event — are underway for Saturday's comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square near Gyeongbok Palace, with 22,000 tickets given away and 260,000 people expected in the vicinity of the concert. The presence of foreign visitors has heightened in the past week, introducing a diverse and upbeat energy downtown. Purple lights beam out from various spots, recalling another "invasion of color." In 2002, Korean fans wore red jerseys to support the national team and express their love for soccer during the World Cup jointly hosted by South Korea and Japan. The massive scale of preparation is fitting for the septet. Since its debut in 2013, the group has grown and expanded their influence to achieve unprecedented milestones, including performing at the Grammys and speaking at the United Nations. Through their songs, which feature all seven members either writing lyrics or composing music, they forge a connection with

Mar 20, 2026

ED Widening fault lines

Korea’s latest employment data presents a paradox that should alarm policymakers. On the surface, the labor market appears to be improving: In February, the number of employed persons rose by more than 230,000 year-on-year, with total employment surpassing 28.4 million. After three months of subdued gains, job growth has rebounded above the 200,000 mark, an indicator that would ordinarily signal resilience. But beneath these encouraging figures lies a far more troubling reality. Youth employment is deteriorating at an alarming pace, exposing structural weaknesses that the headline numbers obscure. The youth employment rate has declined for 22 consecutive months, while the youth unemployment rate climbed to 7.7 percent, the highest level for February since 2021. Even as overall employment expands, young people are being left behind. The scale of the divergence is striking. Over the past year, the number of employed people aged 15 to 29 fell by roughly 140,000, despite only a 2 percent decline in their population. In other words, jobs for young people are disappearing at more than twic

Mar 19, 2026

ED Checks and balances at risk

Rep. Jung Chung-rae, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), said the National Assembly will vote on the remaining two bills of the so-called “judiciary trio” Thursday. The trio refers to the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) Act, the Public Prosecution Office (PPO) Act and an amendment to the Criminal Law, better known as the Law Distortion Act. The latter took effect March 12, following its passage at the National Assembly earlier this month. These packaged acts have sparked controversy over what critics describe as draconian measures targeting the judiciary and prosecution. The SCIA and PPO acts are intended to rebalance power within law enforcement. If enacted, they would significantly restrict prosecutorial authority in the name of preventing abuse of power, while expanding the role of nonprofessional investigators — so-called special judicial officers. Special judicial officers are government officials with expertise in specific fields, such as labor inspectors and specialists in environmental, drug and food safety issues. While they possess deep know

Mar 18, 2026

ED K-pop in full bloom

Has spring arrived early for K-culture? The animated film “KPop Demon Hunters" garnered two Oscars on Sunday (local time). One was for Best Animated Film and the other for the song "Golden," which won in the Best Original Song category. While "Golden" had already won awards at the Grammys and Golden Globes, it was the first award for the film itself. Previously, the 2019 Korean film "Parasite" won Best Picture and actor Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting Actress for "Minari" in 2020, helping to write Korea's Oscars history. The accolades for the animated film about K-pop are a belated ray of warm light in an arrested spring of cold days and conflict. It's not the only K-pop event for fans to look forward to, either, with the highly anticipated comeback of K-pop giant BTS this weekend. Korean cultural content has been enjoying a renaissance for some time now. But while the domestic industry agonizes over whether the animated film produced by Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation is truly Korean, the film has catapulted K-content to another level. The animation's success brought new and r

Mar 17, 2026

ED Seoul's Hormuz dilemma

Korea is facing repeated calls from the U.S. to send warships to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open and safe for cargo ships. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright urged all nations affected by Iran’s blockade of the strait to join U.S. efforts to reopen it. “All nations of the world depend on products that come from the Strait of Hormuz. China is at the top of that list. Japan, Korea and all the Asian nations rely on the energy that flows out of the Strait of Hormuz,” he said Sunday on the ABC News program “This Week.” Therefore, Wright said, it is logical to build a broad coalition of nations to reopen the strait. His remarks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump tried to rally support from allies and other affected countries to send warships to the area. “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated,” he wrote. No official U.S. request has been received in Korea so far. Kor

Mar 16, 2026

ED Danger of conspiracy politics

The recent controversy sparked by broadcaster Kim Ou-joon has once again thrown Korea’s political discourse into needless turmoil. His platform recently aired claims insinuating that President Lee Jae Myung and the prosecution struck a covert deal: that certain past prosecutions might be canceled in exchange for advancing prosecutorial reform. The allegation, dramatic enough to shake the foundations of the nation’s constitutional order, was presented without concrete evidence, corroborated sources or verifiable documentation. Instead, the public was offered a familiar mix of speculation, insinuation and narrative conjecture. Such claims carry enormous weight. To suggest that a sitting president and a constitutional institution secretly negotiated over the administration of justice is not a minor political jab; it is an accusation of profound institutional corruption. When raised without substantiation, it ceases to be investigative journalism and becomes something far more reckless: a destabilizing rumor presented as a revelation. Predictably, the political consequences were immedia

Mar 15, 2026

ED Diplomatic courtesy matters for Iran

In recent days, a large banner displayed on the outer wall of the Embassy of Iran in Seoul has stirred controversy. The banner features the image of killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, alongside the English phrase, “When will the world hold war criminals accountable?” It also includes photographs of women and children placed over a map of Iran, accompanied by the message: “The massacre of women and children cannot be forgiven or forgotten.” The message appears intended to highlight an attack on an Iranian elementary school that reportedly killed at least 175 people and to place responsibility on the United States and Israel. Amid the continuing military tensions in the Middle East, the banner reflects a position that Iranian officials have repeatedly voiced in international forums. It is not difficult to understand the impulse behind such a display. When a country believes its people have been attacked and innocent lives were lost, it naturally seeks to draw the attention of the international community. Governments often attempt to shape global opinion by highlighting c

Mar 12, 2026

[ED] Diplomatic courtesy matters for Iran

ED Oil price caps and emergency spending

As the escalating conflict in the Middle East drives up oil prices, the government is preparing to activate a price ceiling for petroleum products at domestic gas stations. The measure, intended to stabilize fuel prices through direct intervention, underscores how seriously officials consider the current situation. If implemented, it would mark the first time since the full liberalization of oil prices in 1997 that the government has imposed direct price controls on petroleum products. Under the Petroleum Business Act, authorities are permitted to set price caps for oil products when international prices spike sharply. Yet while the policy may appear to offer quick relief to consumers, history shows that price controls often come with significant side effects. The challenge for policymakers is to mitigate those unintended consequences while addressing the immediate pressure of rising energy costs. One concern is market distortion. Artificially suppressing prices can lead to hoarding, supply shortages and inefficient consumption. During the oil shocks of the 1970s, gasoline stations sto

Mar 11, 2026

[ED] Oil price caps and emergency spending

ED Can PPP go forward?

Spurred into action by an unprecedented lack of bids from hopefuls seeking the People Power Party (PPP) ticket for the June 3 local elections, the main opposition party moved to distance itself from former President Yoon Suk Yeol. In a resolution adopted unanimously, the party said it "opposed any calls for the return of Yoon" and again apologized for his martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024. The resolution from Yoon’s former party comes more than a year after the start of the political crisis. The time the conservative party took to respond suggests entrenched interests within its ranks. By responding to calls for a change in party leadership that emerged during Monday’s discussion, the PPP could signal that its effort to redefine its relevance to voters is genuine. Incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who opted out of the PPP nomination race for the mayoralty, assessed the resolution as the start of a “meaningful change.” He added that a baseline had now been set for the elections. A four-term mayor, Oh is considered a strong contender despite the PPP’s relatively low approv

Mar 10, 2026

Editorial