“Broken Arrow,” a court drama film depicting a laid-off professor’s unsuccessful challenge to what he believed were unjust legal proceedings, was a box office leader during the lunar New Year holiday. It can be taken as yet another testimonial to the dwindling public trust in the nation’s justice system, although some attribute its success to the popularity of the two top actors Ahn Sung-ki and Moon Sung-keun.It was only last autumn that another court film, “Dogani (Melting Pot),” stirred contro

Changes are happening fast in Korea, even in such tradition-bound areas as funeral culture. In 2000, only about one-third of the dead were cremated; now more than 70 percent of families choose not to bury the dead in tombs. They extend their funeral period by one or two days to secure a slot in the crematorium operated at full capacity.High expenses for burial with limited availability of cemetery spaces and the posterity’s uncertain prospect for properly taking care of the ancestors’ tombs are

The passage of the Korea-U.S. free trade deal two months ago should have put an end to the time-consuming, rancorous debate on it, though its railroading by the ruling party could have a lingering ill effect on domestic politics. Yet, the bitter conflict has raised its ugly head again.Held primarily responsible is the opposition Democratic United Party. Its newly elected leadership pledges to have the treaty abrogated. But the responsibility must be shared by an ill-prepared administration, whic

A prosecutor shamed National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae, speaker of the National Assembly, when he raided the offices of his secretaries for search and seizure on Thursday. None of his predecessors had faced such mortification since the Assembly was inaugurated in 1948.But the problem is not just that he deserved the shame, as he was suspected of buying votes for his election to the chairmanship of the ruling party four years ago. More humiliation is yet to come if he tries to hide behind wha

The Korean economy will face greater risks this year as the Seoul government has agreed to reduce its oil imports from Iran gradually in response to a U.S. request to participate in global sanctions against the Middle East country. Washington has officially asked Seoul to cut its purchases of oil from Iran and unwind financial dealings with the Central Bank of Iran as part of its campaign to drive the Tehran government toward more serious negotiations over its nuclear program.Given its close rel

The government keeps saying it would resist any attempts by political parties to introduce populist welfare programs. Yet at the same time, it keeps contradicting itself by continuing to expand politically motivated welfare measures. A case in point is its haphazard expansion of the child care subsidy program.Last year, the government abruptly announced it would provide a child care subsidy to all families with a 5-year-old starting this year, regardless of their income, if they send their child

Securing steady supplies of energy and natural resources is a matter of grave concern that is not limited to individual business enterprises. It is vital to the entire nation to ensure them, as it depends on them to generate sustained growth. It goes without saying that diplomatic efforts must be made to this end, with the upsurge in their prices posing a formidable threat to the Korean economy. Since its inauguration four years ago, President Lee Myung-bak’s administration has been mounting a f

Last year, Korea’s exports jumped almost 20 percent to $556.5 billion. The upsurge should have meant a sharp increase in Korea’s trade deficit with Japan, if past trends had been any guide. But Korea reduced its deficit with Japan, by a large margin. That was no small achievement for a nation that had strived to break the pattern in which it had to import more parts and components from Japan if it wanted to ship more products to the rest of the world.Yet the Korean government should be cautioned

Few countries in the world must have as perfect a law for supporting interracial or multicultural homes as Korea. The Law on Supporting Multicultural Families was enacted in 2010 with the purpose of contributing to “improving the quality of life of multicultural families and their integration into Korean society by ensuring that they lead stable family lives.” The statute orders the state and local governments to take measures necessary to ensure stable lives for those multicultural families. Th

“Chamsuri,” meaning sea eagle, is the nickname of Navy’s high-speed patrol craft responsible for guarding the coast of the republic. A standard 170-ton Chamsuri attack craft with 20 personnel on board is equipped with a 40 mm gun, two Vulcan cannons, two 12.7 mm machine guns and anti-aircraft missiles. In incessant naval clashes with North Korean forces, Chamsuri patrol craft have demonstrated their superior combat abilities.The Navy appointed two female officers as skippers of Chamsuri craft pa

The Republic of Korea and the Republic of China on Taiwan have taken similar courses of political and economic development since the division of their countries after World War II. Civil wars in early years of the Cold War hardened the division. After democracy movements ended authoritarian rule in both nations, conservative and progressive governments took power by turns.These historical similarities prompt analysts to make comparisons between what takes place in the domestic politics of the tw

For the first time, Korean partisan politics came under female leadership in both ruling and opposition camps. Han Myeong-sook, who was prime minister under President Roh Moo-hyun, took the helm of the newly reassembled main opposition Democratic United Party to lead it through the National Assembly elections in April and possibly until the presidential vote in December. She will take on the Grand National Party’s Park Geun-hye, who now heads an emergency committee to overhaul the ruling party a

The ruling Grand National Party is in the process of redefining its ideological guidelines, which will be contained in a new official platform. A similar procedure will soon start at the main opposition Democratic United Party, which has now completed the process of establishing a new leadership to manage the April general elections. What is emerging at this early stage of electoral preparations provides a glimpse into, if not a whole picture of, the nation’s future political landscape: There is

The prosecutors’ office is often accused of political bias in its criminal investigations. Such accusations have gained greater credence from recent court decisions on two politically fraught cases. One case involved Han Myeong-sook, who was prime minister for President Roh Moo-hyun’s administration in 2006-07. The other involved Chung Yeon-ju, who was forced out of the post of president of the Korea Broadcasting System, the country’s most powerful radio and TV network, shortly after President L

One major policy goal of the Ministry of Employment and Labor for this year is to reform shift work practices at domestic companies. The reform drive is intended to shorten Korea’s notoriously long working hours, which is essential to improving workers’ quality of life, creating jobs and enhancing productivity.The ministry’s reform initiative is belated but welcome as it can benefit workers, their companies and the national economy. Yet the benefits don’t materialize automatically. As shift work