Opinion - The Korea Times

ED Uproot dishonest, unfair practices

Cho Kuk's daughter faces nullification of admission to medical schoolPusan National University (PNU) announced Tuesday that it will nullify its admission of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's daughter in 2015 to its medical school, following her mother's conviction on multiple counts of academic fraud in an appeals court.PNU Vice President Kim Hong-won told reporters that the decision to cancel Cho Min's admission to PNU's Graduate School of Medicine was made after an internal panel investigated the admissions process for her and analyzed the appeals court's ruling that her mother, Chung Kyung-shim, had committed multiple counts of academic fraud that affected her daughter's admission to the school. PNU based its decision on the school's admissions guidelines at the time, which stated that an applicant will be rejected if any material submitted is dishonest or untrue.On Aug. 11, the Seoul High Court upheld the lower court's ruling that Chung, herself a professor of Dongyang University, fabricated her daughter's internship certificates from prestigious institutions such as the Center f

Aug 25, 2021

ED No tolerance on speculation

More lawmakers suspected of illegal property dealsTwelve lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) are suspected of having engaged in illegal real estate transactions, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced Monday. It also said a lawmaker of the Open Democratic Party, a minor liberal party aligned with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), faces similar allegations. The announcement was based on the commission's probe into opposition lawmakers and their families' property transactions taking place over the past seven years. It came after the state anti-corruption watchdog discovered in June that 12 lawmakers of the DPK were involved in irregular real estate dealings. These findings followed a land speculation scandal involving employees of the state-run Korea Land & Housing Corp. that erupted in March amid soaring housing prices.The results of the commission's investigations show that opposition lawmakers are no different from the ruling party members. All the legislators suspected of illicit real estate deals are under severe criticism fo

Aug 24, 2021

ED Pandemic's dark side

COVID-19 relief should focus on low-income groupsThe share of households in debt stood at 24.4 percent during the second quarter, up 4.4 percentage points from a year earlier, according to the Korea Statistical Information Service (KOSIS), a portal of Statistics Korea. This figure means that a quarter of Korean households saw their spending exceed their disposable income ― or their income minus their non-consumption expenses, such as taxes and insurance fees. In particular, the ratio of households in debt in the bottom 20 percent of the income bracket jumped to 55.3 percent, up from 47.1 percent a year before. The reason for this situation is simple: Income has declined, but spending has increased, mainly due to surging consumer prices. Although the poorest 20 percent of households spent less money on food and non-alcoholic beverages, these costs account for a greater proportion of their income than that of wealthier households, as they have borne the brunt of growing inflationary pressure. Small business owners also have been trudging onwards through hardship. The number of the self

Aug 24, 2021

ED Help fleeing Afghans

Korea needs to join global humanitarian effortsA series of heartbreaking news updates are pouring out from the chaotic scenes of Afghanistan after the Taliban's rapid takeover of the war-torn country. One of the most tragic is the footage showing some Afghan parents tossing their babies to American soldiers over a high wall topped with barbed wire at Kabul's airport, desperately asking for the safety of their loved ones. There are also reports about the Taliban's brutal retaliations and human rights abuses. Sadly enough, women have become most vulnerable to those misdeeds.The international community should make concerted efforts to prevent such mishaps. In this regard, we expect much from the special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), scheduled for Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the Afghan issue. Participants should endeavor to present practical and feasible measures from a humanitarian perspective, regardless of the interests of each nation.The Taliban promised to refrain from retaliating against opponents, ensure human rights of women and mainta

Aug 23, 2021

ED Better protect patients

Time to speed up legislation on installing cameras in operating roomsLegislation on mandating surveillance cameras in hospital operating rooms has gained momentum since the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee on Monday approved an amendment to the Medical Service Act.The move is welcome as the broader populace supports the installation of cameras in operating rooms. According to a survey conducted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission in May and June, nearly 98 percent of 13,959 respondents were in favor of requiring cameras.Lawmakers have submitted similar revision bills to the Assembly several times since 2016 to include a mandate on surveillance cameras in operating rooms. But the legislation process has been delayed due to sharply divided views between patients and medical practitioners.Groups representing patients have called for the installation of cameras to prevent medical accidents as well as ethical misconduct by surgeons, such as “ghost surgery” by unqualified hospital staff and sexual assault on patients under anesthesia. Patients and t

Aug 23, 2021

ED Loss of growth potential

Time to push for structural economic reformSouth Korea's potential growth rate has continued to fall over the decades, clouding its future economic prospects. The fall was the direct result of a decline in labor productivity, capital accumulation and working hours.According to a report by the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI), the potential growth rate decreased to 2.1 in the 2010s from 3.8 percent in the 2000s, 5.3 percent in the 1990s and 7.6 percent in the 1980s. No one can rule out the possibility of the rate dropping further in this decade or next.Potential growth rate refers to the growth capacity of an economy. A dip in this rate bodes ill for economic growth from a long-term perspective. The rate's drop means a loss of the basic strength of the economy.In order to reverse the downward trend, the country needs to improve labor productivity and replenish capital. Increasing working hours is, however, a remote possibility as the country has introduced a shortened five-day workweek.As things stand, concern is growing that the country could suffer an economic contraction un

Aug 22, 2021

ED Curbing household debt

Don't demand sacrifices of vulnerable working classKorea's household debt has surpassed 1,700 trillion won ($1.44 trillion), recording the biggest monthly increase of nearly 10 trillion won in July. Financial authorities have begun to tighten the liquidity supply, and market interest rates are climbing steeply. Banks are reducing credit limits and even blocking loans for rent deposits. May individuals who have nothing to do with housing speculation are struggling under swelling interest burdens. Stabilizing household debt is urgent, but policymakers should not demand the sacrifices of only the working poor and vulnerable.Koh Seung-beom, the nominee for the Financial Services Commission (FSC) chief, said recently, “The top priority should be on controlling household debt.” Koh also stressed that, if confirmed, he would curb new loans using all means available. It is natural for monetary authorities to rein in debt amid global trends toward higher interests. The problem is that it will hit ordinary people the hardest. Large commercial banks, such as NH Bank and Woori Bank,

Aug 22, 2021

ED Scrap ill-conceived bill

Ruling camp should stop bid to suppress press freedom The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has come under strong criticism as it pushed ahead with a bill Thursday that would impose a five-fold increase in penalties on media outlets sued for producing “fake news.” It approved the amendment to the current Press Arbitration Act during a meeting of the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee.Despite growing protests from opposition parties and media organizations, the party is poised to approve it in a plenary session scheduled for Aug. 25. The party has been pressing for the bill unilaterally and in a very authoritarian way without respecting the rules of procedures.Once the bill passes the Assembly, it is feared to seriously undermine the role of the mass media toward critical coverage. The International Press Institute (IPI) expressed grave concern over the bill. “This bill could be used to silence critical press coverage, especially prior to the March elections next year, and thus could jeopardize press freedom,” IPI said in a report, Tue

Aug 20, 2021

ED Doubts over alliance

Afghan turmoil undercuts US global leadershipThe U.S.'s chaotic exit from Afghanistan is casting a dark cloud over President Joe Biden's pledge to reinforce alliances with other countries and restore his country's global leadership. Biden now faces criticism for abandoning his much-touted “America is back” catchphrase and returning to his predecessor's “America first” agenda.Criticism came after Biden defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan and put the blame for the Taliban's rapid takeover of the war-torn country on the corrupt and incompetent Afghanistan government. On Monday he said, “I will not repeat the mistakes we’ve made in the past — the mistake of staying and fighting indefinitely in a conflict that is not in the national interest of the United States, of doubling down on a civil war in a foreign country, of attempting to remake a country through the endless military deployments of U.S. forces."The remark was seen as affirming his position that the U.S. would not engage in any war which does not serve the U.S.

Aug 19, 2021

ED Dwindling real wages

Workers bear growing burden of income tax, social insuranceThe amount of money Korean companies paid to workers, including wages, grew by 28.1 percent over the past decade. In contrast, income taxes and social insurance fees that businesses and employees paid to the government shot up by 52.1 percent in the same period. Accordingly, after taxes, workers' real income rose by only 21.8 percent, the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) said Wednesday, based on its analysis of wages at companies hiring 300 or more workers between 2010 and 2020.During the cited period, businesses' average monthly payment per worker amounted to 4.49 million won ($3,830). However, an average worker received only 3.57 million won after deducting 670,000 won as social insurance fees and 250,000 won as income taxes. The gap is due to increase more quickly, as wage gains are outpaced by the rises in income tax, national pension, health and employment insurance fees. The gulf between corporate payment and real income is likely to widen in years to come. Although the government keeps delaying pension reforms,