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[Editorial] Embrace Oh policies

EditorialApr 15, 2021

The principal concern about the municipal administration under Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition party is the clash between his policies and those of the central government. Particularly striking are real estate issues, which were the biggest point of contention in the April 7 Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections. Regarding housing supply plans, the two sides take different approaches. The government focuses on public rental housing, while Oh seeks to activate private redevelopmen
SK Telecom spinoff to carve out holding company for non-mobile affiliates

TechnologyApr 14, 2021

SK Telecom, South Korea‘s largest mobile carrier, said Wednesday it will set up a new holding company for its non-mobile subsidiaries to boost shareholder value and accelerate growth in its businesses. The telecom operator said in a regulatory filing that it will conduct a spinoff to form the holding company, which will oversee operations of its tech affiliates and subsidiaries, such as memory chip giant SK hynix, e-commerce firm 11Street and ride-hailing company T Map Mobility, among o
Hyundai Motor rolls out rapid EV chargers at 12 rest stops

TransportApr 14, 2021

Hyundai Motor has installed its E-pit high-speed electric vehicle charging system at 12 rest stops on major expressways, as part of its efforts to expand their EV infrastructure, the company said Wednesday. The 350-kilowatt rapid chargers can charge up to 80 percent of an EV battery equipped with 800-volt system as quick as in 18 minutes. A total of 72 units, the first of its kind, have been installed on the country’s highway network, the automaker said. The stations will accommodate
Chubb launches Chubb LifeBalance, a 360-degree health and well-being app

TechnologyApr 14, 2021

Chubb has released Chubb LifeBalance in Korea, a 360-degree personalized and well-being application that encourages people to incorporate healthy routines into their lifestyle. Chubb LifeBalance comprehensively assesses the lifestyle of users and provides a holistic view of health to help them to objectively measure and manage their own health condition. It tracks and records over 115 different activities, including yoga, swimming, boxing and meditation, and lets users invite their friends an
KIS Jeju students to advance to top-tier universities globally as school enters 10th year

EducationApr 14, 2021

Korea International School, Jeju Campus, has achieved a high level of excellence in its 10th year with the vast majority of its senior students earning admission to prestigious global universities. The school announced Wednesday that students from this year’s graduating class -- KIS Jeju’s sixth -- had been admitted to top-tier universities in the United States, including Ivy League schools such as Columbia University and Cornell University, as well as Johns Hopkins University, Wash
[Kim Seong-kon] The vain dream of eternal power

ViewpointsApr 14, 2021

Anyone who has seized political power wants to remain in power for good. Some have illusions that they can wield power forever, and others do whatever it takes not to lose power. Eventually, however, that dream of eternal power will be shattered and rulers will realize that power is evanescent in essence, after all. Indeed, no power on earth lasts forever. Not realizing this basic fact, our arrogant political leaders frequently harangue that they could and would remain in power for at least tw
[Editorial] No more ambiguity

EditorialApr 14, 2021

South Korean officials have repeatedly said Seoul has not been officially invited by Washington to join the US-led Quad group also involving Australia, India and Japan. The line was repeated once again Sunday when the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae denied a report by a Japanese daily newspaper that US national security adviser Jake Sullivan had strongly requested Seoul join the quadrilateral framework during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Suh Hoon early this month. Speaking
[Lee Hyuk] ASEAN and Korea amid mounting US-China rivalry

ViewpointsApr 13, 2021

The bitter war of words at the US-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Alaska last March portended the rough waves of the new Cold War between the US and China with profound implications for this region and the world. Geopolitically, ASEAN and Korea lie on the frontlines of US-China competition. Southeast Asia is particularly important to China because the region is a crucial gateway for China to access major sea routes to the rest of Asia and the world. And to gain greater leverage,
[Achim Steiner] Myanmar’s young demand their future

ViewpointsApr 13, 2021

Half of Myanmar’s population is under the age of 30, and many of these young people have benefited from their country’s fragile, imperfect democratic transition over the past decade. They know the military’s return to power could reverse hard-won gains in human development and fundamental freedoms. Their future is at stake. So are their lives. On March 27, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing used the occasion of Armed Forces Day to claim that the military would protect the people and promote
[Editorial] Go all out for vaccines　

EditorialApr 13, 2021

The use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine against COVID-19 resumed for the under-60s Monday, except for those aged 30 and below. South Korea suspended providing the AstraZeneca shot to people under 60 on Wednesday as Europe reviewed cases of blood clotting. It is an inevitable decision for the authorities to resume the rollout of administering AstraZeneca vaccines, considering South Korea’s shortage of vaccine supply in the first half of this year. The nation faces an emergency situation.
[Elizabeth Drew] Why would anyone want to be president?

ViewpointsApr 12, 2021

More often than anyone might think, ample grounds exist for wondering why anyone would want to be president of the United States. Yes, there’s the glory of being elected to occupy the country’s most powerful office, hearing “Hail to the Chief,” receiving military salutes, and being called “Mr. President.” One presides over elegant state dinners. One never has to wait in line for a tee time. Still, time and again, we see presidential hair turn white (Joe Biden&
[Peter Singer] Extending the right to die

ViewpointsApr 12, 2021

The right to assistance in dying continues to gain ground. Last month, the Spanish parliament passed legislation, expected to come into effect in June, permitting doctors to assist adult patients to die if they have a “serious and incurable” disease that causes “unbearable suffering.” The doctor may either prescribe a lethal dose of a drug that patients can take themselves -- a mode known by various terms, including medical aid in dying, voluntary assisted dying, and phys
[Editorial] Self-inflicted disgrace

EditorialApr 12, 2021

A bipartisan caucus of the US House of Representatives is to hold a hearing this week on South Korea’s controversial legislation to ban the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the inter-Korean border into the North. Five witnesses, including Suzanne Scholte, a US activist devoted to shedding light on the dire human rights situation in North Korea, will testify at the hearing scheduled for Thursday. The caucus, known as the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, said concerns had been e
Samsung invited to White House meeting on chip shortage

TechnologyApr 11, 2021

Samsung Electronics, South Korea’s top tech giant, is among 19 global semiconductor manufacturers invited to a White House meeting to be held virtually on Monday. The CEO summit, according to US officials, will discuss a chip supply shortage, especially for those used in vehicles. “On Monday afternoon, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and NEC Director Brian Deese, joined by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, will host a virtual CEO Summit on Semiconductor and Supply Chai
[Editorial] Stern judgment

EditorialApr 9, 2021

The April 7 by-elections, regarded as a barometer for the presidential election about a year later, ended with a landslide win by an opposition party. Candidates of the conservative People Power Party won the posts of Seoul and Busan mayors at the same time. Choices facing voters focused on the judgment of the current regime, and they gave the ruling party a crushing defeat. The by-elections were similar to the April 15 general elections a year ago in view of issues and political situations. L