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The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Opinion

Editorial

Sun, December 3, 2023 | 20:58

Paralysis of politics

On Friday, President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed two bills sponsored by the majority opposition party. One was to protect striking workers from what unionists perceive as extreme demands by employers for compensation. The other was to shield public broadcasters from excessive government interference. It was Yoon’s third exercise of his veto privilege since taking office 18 months ag...

2023-12-03 16:20

On migrant workers

Koreans might have to be more aware of potential language barriers when ordering in restaurants starting next year. On Monday, the government said it would expand the industries where foreign workers with non-professional employment visas (E-9) can work, including hospitality, mining, and forestry.

2023-11-30 16:20

Time for nuclear buildup

Time for nuclear buildup

Earlier this month, Admiral Kim Myung-soo, the new chairman of the Joint Chief of Staffs, called for South Korea’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, reviving a debate about their inclusion in the country’s submarine fleet.

2023-11-29 16:40

Spy agency in disarray

NIS mired in power struggle amid security crisisPresident Yoon Suk Yeol sacked National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Kim Kyou-hyun and his two deputies last Friday. It was unprecedented for a president to simultaneously dismiss the top three officials of the nation’s spy agency. He has since filled the two deputy director posts but left the top NIS position vacant. Tha...

2023-11-28 16:22

FM meeting, partial success

The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan met in Busan, Saturday to discuss a diverse range of issues of mutual concern, such as the potential trilateral summit, among others. The three-way meeting drew special attention, because it was the first one to take place since a gathering of foreign ministers in Chengdu, China, in August 2019. In a preliminary meeting be...

2023-11-27 16:40

Compensating ex-sex slaves

The judiciary branch has unified its opinion on the abuses of Koreans' human rights during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation. On Thursday, the Seoul High Court reaffirmed the Japanese government is responsible for compensating former victims of sex slavery forced to work in its military brothels during World War II.

2023-11-26 16:00

Fighting fire with fire

Koreas should calm down, seek exit strategyThe situation on the Korean Peninsula is about to come to a head.On Thursday, North Korea said it would immediately resume all military measures halted under a 2018 inter-Korean agreement. Pyongyang’s move came hours after Seoul suspended part of the tension reduction deal following the North’s launch of a military spy satellite, eff...

2023-11-23 16:40

Seoul-Warsaw axis

Seoul-Warsaw axis

Much attention is being paid to North Korea’s arms deals with Russia, including the supply of artillery shells and other equipment to support Moscow’s offensive against Ukraine. But South Korea’s sizable arms sales overseas have drawn less scrutiny.

2023-11-22 16:40

Digital disaster

The government's central computer system was up and running again on Monday following a debilitating three-day outage. Last Friday, the Korean public was unable to obtain official documents or conduct other duties requiring certification as the system outage crippled the government’s civil service capabilities. People could not make real estate deals or receive bank loans, as...

2023-11-21 16:40

Too rosy a prospect

The Ministry of Economy and Finance is painting a rosy outlook for the national economy. “There have been signs of a gradual economic recovery,” the ministry said in a report released on Friday. That assessment is even more positive than a previous one that said, “The economic downturn trend has been slowing.” This time, the word “recovery’’ was used. As the ministry put it, ...

2023-11-20 16:40

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