[Editorial] Back to school

Government not to increase medical admissions, yet reform should go on The government will reduce the number of new students entering medical schools next year back to 3,058, which is the same as the admission quota for the 2024 academic year. Last year, as part of its medical reform agenda, the government increased the medical school admission quota for the 2025 school year by about 1,500 despite strong opposition from the medical community. The 3,058-student admission quota had been frozen for

March 11, 2025

[Editorial] Impact of Yoon’s release

Court ruling underscores importance of due process for Yoon’s impeachment case President Yoon Suk Yeol was released from jail Saturday after a court accepted his request to overturn his arrest over his short-lived imposition of martial law in early December. Yoon had been held in detention since Jan. 15 on insurrection charges related to his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law that plunged South Korea into political turmoil, national division and economic uncertainty. On Saturday, a special invest

March 10, 2025

[Editorial] Negative economic indicators

South Korea suffers ‘triple minus’ in January amid negative export outlook due to US tariffs South Korea’s economy faces pressure on multiple fronts ranging from industrial output and facility investment to the outlook for exports and consumer prices amid growing concerns about a global trade war. The country’s industrial output, retail sales and facility investment all fell in January from a month earlier, data showed Tuesday. The figures marked the first “triple minus” since October, a signal

March 7, 2025

[Editorial] Build strength

Pause of military aid to Ukraine, comment on Taiwan hint at Trump's 'deal-making' US President Donald Trump reportedly ordered a pause to all US military aid to Ukraine. The move comes just days after an argument at the Oval Office meeting in which Trump and US Vice President JD Vance upbraided Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for being insufficiently grateful for Washington's backing. Pausing aid is a step to pressure Zelenskyy into accepting Trump's plan to end the Ukraine war through pea

March 6, 2025

[Editorial] Division exacerbates crisis

Rival parties stuck with wasteful wrangling amid ongoing political turmoil, economic woes The March extraordinary session of the National Assembly is set to begin Wednesday, but concerns are mounting over whether the ruling and opposition parties can handle urgent bills including a supplementary budget due to the intensifying partisan strife that has regrettably aligned with street protests over impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. Since Yoon's Dec. 3 botched martial law declaration, South Korea h

March 5, 2025

[Editorial] Blind spot

Employment irregularities found in election commissions; inspection ruled unconstitutional The presidential audit agency said Thursday that it found irregularities in every instance of career staff recruitment conducted by Korea's election commissions for 10 years from 2013. During the 10-year period, the commissions hired experienced workers 291 times. The Board of Audit and Inspection detected 878 cases of corruption in these periodic recruitments. None of them were clean. A wide array of offi

March 4, 2025