As the political parties wind up their selection of candidates for the parliamentary district elections, they have started the process of nominating candidates for election through proportional representation. The ruling Saenuri Party announced its list of 549 applicants. The main opposition Democratic United Party is accepting applications.Here again, there are do’s and don’ts the parties will have to keep in mind if they are to live up to the spirit of proportional representation and avoid rep

A nuclear power plant, whose operation had been suspended for an inspection, experienced a temporary cutoff in the power supply, an accident which, if prolonged, could have caused a horrendous disaster. No less serious was that the accident had been covered up for more than a month.The power failure at the Busan-based Gori-1 nuclear power plant happened at 8:34 p.m. on Feb. 9, reportedly because the procedure of safety checks on the power supply was not followed as directed by the manual.During

The Korea-U.S. free trade agreement went into effect today, nearly five years after the two countries concluded their negotiations in April 2007. It is an essential component of the FTA web that Korea has been weaving to become a hub of trade and investment.The trade pact will undoubtedly benefit Korea by enabling it to access the world’s largest economy more freely. Research institutes forecast that the free trade deal would boost Korea’s gross domestic product by 5.7 percent and create 350,000

The primary role of outside directors is to act as a check and balance against inside directors. They are expected to monitor their company’s overall management activities, assess the performance of management and prevent its majority shareholder or chief executive officer from always having his own way. To carry out these responsibilities, an outside director needs to have expertise and experience in corporate management. Hence, in the United States, outside directors are usually chosen from am

With regard to the renewed controversy over Ieodo in the East China Sea, both Korea and China share the position that it is not a matter of territorial dispute. President Lee Myung-bak made this point clear during a roundtable with newspaper and broadcaster editors Monday. In Beijing, the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said on the same day that neither China nor Korea regards Ieodo, which Chinese call Suyan Rock, as part of their territory, hence there is no territorial dispute.President Lee

The Seoul Grand Park and Zoo in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, outside the Seoul proper, remains under the control of Seoul City government since it was established 1984, when animals were moved there from the Changgyeong Palace compound. Still it is rare for the busy Seoul mayor to make an official visit to the zoo far from his office. Records show that former Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon visited it just once in 2009.Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon took time out Monday to go to Seoul Zoo where he held a pres

Internal unity and national consensus should be greatly emphasized in the Republic of Korea which, as one half of a divided nation, confronts a most bellicose adversary across a volatile border. But South Korea is torn apart by too many social and political conflicts in which extremist attitudes defy reasonable solution. Elections escalate the differences, with parties making the incorrect assumption that only criticism can help them collect more votes.The central administration, local autonomou

The Internet is all agog these days to speak about the “racist” behavior of some K-Pop stars. Those comments, ranging from outright denunciation to admonition, reflect the rapidly increasing popularity of Korean entertainers, but warn of possible repercussions that could affect their popularity itself.Setting off the recent controversy was Jenny Hyun, a co-songwriter for Girls’ Generation and Chocolat, who made a series of racist tweets about black people. In her blog, she said she was incensed

March 11 marked the first anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. During the weekend, protests and rallies took place throughout the world to commemorate the catastrophe and call for a nuclear-free world. In Seoul, some 80 civic groups, including the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, held a rally at the plaza in front of Seoul City Hall, urging the government to shift away from nuclear power. The Fukushima disaster, which is still playing out, has energized the anti-nuclear mo

The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party are renewing their bids to reform the prosecution. Last year, they promoted a comprehensive overhaul of the powerful organization but their campaign bore little fruit due to strong resistance from prosecutors and lack of support from the government. On Tuesday, the DUP unveiled a 10-point reform plan aimed at ensuring the political neutrality of prosecutors, curbing their power, and strengthening the protection of suspects’ rights

Two terrestrial broadcasting networks, KBS and MBC, are embroiled in strikes by unionized reporters and other employees. A strike has just started at YTN, a 24-hour cable news channel. What the three broadcasters have in common is that their management is under the direct or indirect control of the government.Their chief executive officers are replaced each time presidential power switches hands from one political party to another. The change of management tends to put a spin, sometimes subtle a

The main opposition Democratic United Party and the minor United Progressive Party are moving to forge an alliance in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Watching their negotiations, one may wonder if the powerful, resurgent, center-left party is playing second fiddle to the smaller, more left-wing party.Before the talks started in February, it was widely anticipated that the UPP’s demand for concessions in nominations would be a major stumbling block to the proposed electoral alliance. But th

Protests against China’s forced repatriation of North Korean defectors are spreading in South Korea and abroad. The problem has been around for a long time but has never attracted as much domestic and global attention as it does now. Now that the ball has started rolling, it is incumbent on government officials, politicians, civic groups and celebrities participating in the protest movement to keep up the momentum. Especially, politicians on both sides of the aisle need to pull their weight to w

Tensions are mounting on Jeju Island as the Navy has started preparatory work for the construction of a naval base on the island amid vehement protests from the local government and environmentalists.On Wednesday, builders began demolition work on the construction site, removing parts of a rocky outcrop that environmental activists claim to have high geological value and therefore deserves preservation.Jeju Governor Woo Keun-min and other leading politicians of the island requested that the Navy

The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party are speeding up their processes of parliamentary nomination ― including the selection of nominees in certain electoral districts and the designation of certain other districts for primaries. Several more days will be needed to finalize the processes.Both parties have a set of criteria for nomination. They include loyalty to the party and popularity in electoral districts. No less important are connections to party leaders a