The Improper Solicitation and Graft Act had already been a target of public criticism when it passed the National Assembly last March. Some of the criticisms were so well grounded -- to the degree that the Korea Bar Association has petitioned the Constitutional Court to review its constitutionality.　Without some defects, the act, commonly called Kim Young-ran Act after its original author, should be hailed as the toughest law ever regarding punishment of public officials accepting bribes. 　The a

Good leaders aren’t necessarily good speakers, but it is important for them to deliver the right message at the right time if they want to rally people behind their leadership. 　From that aspect, neither President Park Geun-hye nor Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe can hardly be called good communicators. We could ascertain this in the past few days as both leaders addressed their countries to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. 　Especially, we had no high expectation of the s

In an abrupt move not unusual for the isolated North Korean regime, its official news agency said Friday that the communist state would push back its standard time by 30 minutes starting on Aug. 15.　“The wicked Japanese imperialists committed such unpardonable crimes as depriving Korea of even its standard time,” the Korean Central News Agency said in announcing the measure to take effect on the 70th anniversary of the end of Japan’s colonial rule over the peninsula.　　Currently, South and North

President Park Geun-hye is expected to convene a Cabinet meeting Thursday to finalize the scope of the special pardons to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan’s colonial rule. A committee under the Justice Ministry is to draw up a preliminary list of people to be granted the presidential pardon during its meeting Monday.　Park has said this year’s Aug. 15 Liberation Day should serve as an occasion for the nation to be proud of what it has accomplished over the past decades a

The Korean Veterans Association has been embroiled in a corruption scandal, plunging it into its biggest crisis since its establishment in 1952 in the midst of the Korean War. 　The scandal surrounds its chairman Cho Nam-poong, a retired four-star Army general who was elected in April. A special audit conducted by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs disclosed various irregularities. 　Cho was found to have handpicked -- in total violation of the association’s personnel rules -- 25 execut

As the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II draws closer, international pressure is mounting on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over his stance on the country’s wartime wrongdoings. This rightful pressure should be kept up until he comes to his senses and does what he ought to do.　This past week saw a flurry of events regarding Abe’s plan to issue a statement commemorating Japan’s Aug. 15, 1945, surrender that ended the war. 　In Seoul, a group of 524 intellectuals from Korea, Japan and

The nuclear agreement between Iran, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany, and the EU, comes at a historically propitious moment. Seventy years ago next month, the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki opened the darkest chapter in the long history of humanity’s wartime horrors. Fire, bullets, and bayonets were now joined by nuclear radiation – a silent, invisible killer like gas and biological agents.　After World War I, the international commun

Life. Be in it. That’s a slogan I remember from my childhood in the U.S. I heard it in a commercial and for some reason, it stuck. It’s such a simple phrase, but so hard to live by. 　We were all raised with certain values that govern our lives. Most of the time, these values hold society together. So whether the individual is happy or not, or if there are other things that may make his or her life more fulfilling is many times not a real priority.　However, have you asked yourself how much of an

It certainly feels good to hear the government announcing that Korea is free from the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak that had kept the whole nation fretting for two months.　Needless to say, it would have been better had authorities dealt with the contagious disease promptly in its initial stage, but it still is fortunate that we could stop the deadly virus after minimizing its impact.　The nation lost so much in its fight with the outbreak. A total of 186 people were hit by the disease

The main opposition party’s proposal to increase the number of lawmakers has come under strong public criticism. It deserves scolding for, among other things, ignoring the prevailing public belief that the National Assembly is not doing its job well.　The proposal, made by the New Politics Alliance for Democracy’s self-reform committee, suggested that the parliament have seats for 369 lawmakers, including 123 to be elected under the proportional representation system. The current comparable figur

President Park Geun-hye hosted a luncheon Friday for the heads of the 17 major conglomerates which are each supporting her signature project for promoting start-ups and venture firms in an equal number of major provinces and metropolises.The Blue House luncheon came two days after Park visited Incheon to open the 17th and last center there. Like in other centers, Hanjin Group, in tandem with the Incheon Metropolitan Government, will spend 159 billion won ($138 million) to foster local start-ups

President Park Geun-hye has nominated senior judge Lee Seong-ho as chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission. If Lee goes through the parliamentary confirmation hearing, he will take helm of the nation’s top human rights watchdog next month.Park’s spokesperson said that the president chose Lee, head of the Seoul Central District Court, because he had a firm belief in the protection of human rights.Lee may have such a belief, but it does not mean that he fulfills the requirement that th

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton appears to be making progress toward regaining control of her campaign after three months in which questions about the past have sometimes overshadowed her focus on the future.But only success in next year’s primaries and caucuses can validate those efforts and ease underlying concerns about her candidacy.In a broad-ranging economic speech, she countered positions of both Republican and Democratic rivals and outlined her own policies, following up with wel