Opinion - The Korea Times

ED ODA needs full accountability

The recent controversy surrounding Korea’s foreign aid program has cast a troubling light on the misuse of public funds, political interference and suspected collusion with religious entities. The Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), designed as a tool of diplomacy and development, is now under fire for being used as a political instrument rather than a platform for global partnership. This is a clear warning sign that Korea’s official development assistance (ODA) system requires urgent oversight, transparency and reform. The turning point came when President Lee Jae Myung ordered the immediate suspension of a $439 million EDCF loan for a modular bridge project in the Philippines. Originally rejected by the Ministry of Economy and Finance due to feasibility and corruption concerns, the project was suddenly revived under pressure from Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, a senior political figure aligned with the previous administration. Reports suggest that Kweon personally met with finance ministry officials and pressed the Export-Import Bank of Korea, which manages the EDCF, to recon

Sep 11, 2025

ED Short-term work visas for Koreans necessary

Last week’s raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution battery plant west of Savannah, Georgia — which led to the detention of 475 workers, including more than 300 Korean nationals — has raised a key question: Would ICE have launched such a large-scale operation if Korea-U.S. relations were truly in good shape? The likely answer is “No.” If bilateral ties were as strong as some officials in Seoul claim, such an aggressive crackdown might have been handled more diplomatically, perhaps resolved behind closed doors without triggering diplomatic friction. The scale and style of the raid, complete with armed agents, military-style vehicles, surveillance drones and helicopters, shocked the Korean public, who are unfamiliar with this “U.S.-style” immigration enforcement. Photos and videos released by the Department of Homeland Security revealed the dramatic nature of the operation, which was said to be the largest single-site immigration raid in the Department of Homeland Security’s history. The incident suggests that Korea-U.S.

Sep 10, 2025

[ED] Short-term work visas for Koreans necessary

ED Restoration of dialogue

Dialogue has been restored, for now. It is not dialogue between the two Koreas, but between the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). President Lee Jae Myung, the liberal DPK chief Jung Chung-rae and the conservative PPP's recently elected leader Jang Dong-hyeok had a luncheon together ahead of Lee's 100th day in office, which falls on Thursday. Jang beat Kim Moon-soo, who was formerly the PPP candidate for the June 3 snap presidential election. The lunch meeting will hopefully reignite talks across the aisle in the National Assembly. The DPK's 166 seats make for a clear majority, while the PPP still languishes in the long-reaching shadow of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration. Coming out of the meeting, the three agreed to a joint council on people's livelihoods and the economy. Based on that agreement, the DPK and the PPP will meet on a working-level basis to discuss youth unemployment, rising prices and real estate policies — three glaring issues spanning households across the nation. It is unfortunate that jus

Sep 9, 2025

ED Don’t rush into Cabinet shake-up

The ruling camp agreed Sunday on the details of a motion to restructure Cabinet ministries, vowing to pass it in the National Assembly later this month. During a tripartite meeting, the presidential office, government officials and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) unveiled an unusually swift legislative timeline — probably because the DPK, as the majority party, can meet the quorum required to pass the motion on its own. The restructuring of Cabinet ministries is a significant issue. Once enacted, it will have far-reaching impact, not only on national governance but also on the everyday lives of the people. Because this plan reflects the administration’s policy priorities and how it intends to implement them, reorganizing the government apparatus is a matter that demands thorough review and debate to avoid potential negative consequences or dysfunction. This kind of consensus-building is an essential element of democracy — one that should not be overlooked or sacrificed. However, the announced schedule suggests that the ruling camp has no intention of engaging in dialog

Sep 8, 2025

ED Raid on Hyundai-LG plant

Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, Korea has dealt with unexpected volatility on trade issues from the United States. With Trump's second tenure, Korea remained steadfast, dealing with confidence while trade's rough seas got a little rougher. Korea rode out the waves with globetrotting diplomacy and investment. But the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) raid on Thursday (local time) on a pair of Korean conglomerates' plant in Georgia, where more than 475 people were arrested, including some 300 Korean nationals, is unprecedented in scale and lands with a thudding shock. Hyundai Motor Group manufactures electric vehicles on the site. It partnered with LG Energy Solution to build a battery factory scheduled to open in 2026. The U.S. immigration authorities worked with various regional offices for the crackdown, conducted after months of investigations, U.S. officials said. The issue at heart, according to U.S. authorities, is that the arrested people overstayed B1 visas or worked without authorization, i.e., while on a visa waiver program. It is bitte

Sep 7, 2025

ED True labor-management harmony

President Lee Jae Myung recently reaffirmed a core principle in governance: Neither labor nor capital should dominate the national agenda. “We must not kill the cow to fix a crooked horn,” he said during a Cabinet meeting, urging restraint and balance as Korea’s industrial relations face a period of growing tension. The government’s recent passage of the “yellow envelope law” and a second round of amendments to the Commercial Act sparked wide-ranging debate and, more worryingly, escalating labor action. Though intended to improve protections for vulnerable workers, the new legislation has introduced broad and, in some cases, ambiguous changes. It expands the scope of legal strike actions to include managerial decisions, previously considered off limits, and permits subcontractor unions to hold parent companies liable for collective bargaining. As a result, labor unions across major sectors have quickly moved to test these boundaries, threatening to destabilize an already fragile industrial environment. The impact is already being felt. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HD Hyu

Sep 4, 2025

ED New 'axis' or performative front?

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended his first multilateral diplomatic event since taking office in 2011, standing shoulder to shoulder with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on a rostrum for a military parade in Tiananmen Square marking 80 years since the end of World War II. The gathering of the three leaders was the first of its kind in 66 years. In 1959, the then-leaders of China, North Korea and Russia stood together in the same place to watch a Chinese military parade, in a show of unity for the socialist bloc. The North Korean leader was Kim's grandfather, Kim Il-sung. The highly symbolic optics of Wednesday's event signaled a response among non-Western nations to U.S. President Donald Trump's aggressive "America First" policy and the imposition of tariffs. Particularly noticeable was the attendance of the reclusive Kim Jong-un, who has not traveled out of his country since the botched summit meeting with Trump in Hanoi in 2019. Kim's attendance and travel to China suggests, particularly after the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Tru

Sep 3, 2025

ED Expansionary fiscal policy

The nation's proposed 2026 budget, totaling 728 trillion won ($523 billion), reflects a sharp pivot toward an expansionary fiscal policy. Representing an 8.1 percent increase over the previous year, it is the steepest rise in four years and the first full budget under the Lee Jae Myung administration. The plan highlights significant investment in future-oriented sectors, with artificial intelligence (AI) funding nearly tripling to 10.1 trillion won and R&D spending rising 19.3 percent to 35.3 trillion won. The commitment to innovation is laudable. As global economies race to harness AI, Korea’s substantial investment may provide much-needed momentum to transition from a manufacturing-heavy, export-reliant model to a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy. Lee has framed this strategy as “borrowing seeds to sow for the future,” emphasizing the need for forward-looking investments even in tight fiscal times. However, this ambition must be tempered by fiscal realism. The budget’s aggressive expansion comes amid deteriorating public finances. Government revenue is projected to

Sep 2, 2025

ED Worst drought

The eastern coastal city of Gangneung, located in Gangwon Province, is grappling with harsh realities resulting from climate change. Once celebrated as an Olympic host city, Gangneung now faces an unprecedented drought, triggered by scant rainfall this year. On Sunday, the city was officially declared a disaster area after the water storage rate at Obong Reservoir — the primary source of domestic water for 53,000 households — plummeted to just 14 percent. The reservoir supplies 87 percent of the city’s household water. In response, local authorities have implemented strict water supply measures. Gangneung has become the latest victim of extreme weather. While many counties across Gangwon Province have been inundated by torrential rain and flash floods this summer, Gangneung has suffered the opposite: a prolonged and severe drought. With the water supply dwindling, concerns over drinking water shortages are mounting among residents. To conserve water, some restaurant owners have resorted to using disposable plastic dishes to avoid washing, while others are contemplating temporarily

Sep 1, 2025

ED Kim Jong-un’s Beijing visit

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s upcoming trip to Beijing marks his first official appearance on a multilateral diplomatic stage. Attending China’s 80th Victory Day military parade on Sept. 3, his first visit to China in nearly seven years, Kim will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Chinese President Xi Jinping and, quite possibly, Russian President Vladimir Putin. This tableau is far more than ceremonial. It is a deliberate geopolitical signal that the North Korea-China-Russia axis is back, stronger and more visible than ever. For Pyongyang, the move is both strategic and symbolic. After years of self-imposed isolation and international sanctions, Kim is reemerging to project strength and legitimacy. His alignment with Beijing and Moscow underscores that North Korea is no longer content to be an isolated state pleading for attention; it now seeks to appear as a partner in a broader northern coalition. If the three leaders appear together on the Tiananmen rostrum, the image alone will speak louder than any communiques: East Asia’s power map is being redrawn. This development has p

Aug 31, 2025

Editorial