중앙데일리

Beginning of a Greater Mission

President Kim Dae-jung received the Nobel Peace Prize on Sunday. As we watched him have the "Peace Medal" hung around his neck, to a standing ovation from an audience of over 1,100, including the king of Norway and envoys from many countries, our hearts were full of deep and complicated feelings. Just as President Kim stated in his Nobel Lecture, the prize is an honor not only for himself, but for the whole Korean nation. It is compensation, …

Dec 10,2000
Horse Racing Fight Is Over Money

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism are in the midst of a tug-of-war over the Korea Racing Association, which takes in about 4 trillion won ($3.3 billion) annually. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry says it is going to take the association back under its wing, while the Ministry of Culture and Tourism scoffs at the attempt. We believe it is better to keep the association under the Ministry of…

Dec 08,2000
Let's Bully the Board of Education

It is shocking that a 6th-grade girl''s parents found it necessary to hire bodyguards to protect their daughter from school bullies. And while it may not console those students who still suffer the brutality of school bullying daily, there was a court case involving school violence, which held the school, teachers, the sadistic students and their parents responsible. Of course, the problem of bullying in schools is nothing new, but it is unpr…

Dec 08,2000
Cultivate a Realistic Farming Policy

Farmers around the country continue their protests, demanding partial debt write-offs. A rally planned for Thursday in Youido was thwarted by a police blockade, but in other places police clashed with farmers, some of whom blocked roads. There was also trouble on Wednesday as protesters turned in farm machinery to local cooperatives and staged all-night sit-ins. The government deserves a big share of the blame for the farmers'' plight, which is d…

Dec 08,2000
A New SOFA Is Overdue

It is said that the talks between the United States and Korea on the revision of the Status of Forces Agreement, a topic that is of great interest to the public here, are on the verge of breaking down. The negotiations began on Dec. 1 with the goal of completing an accord while President Bill Clinton is still in office, but so far the two sides have not been able to agree on any of the core points of dispute and the scheduled ending date has alre…

Dec 08,2000
Split In Ruling Camp Long Overdue

With calls for Kwon Roh-kap, a member of the Supreme Council of the Millennium Democratic Party, to step down from his position in the party leadership, the ruling camp is showing signs of internal strife. Dissension within the party is apparent as questions are raised about who is behind the move to oust Mr. Kwon and what motives are involved. In a situation that demands reflection, the party members are playing power games, and in the process l…

Dec 06,2000
What Businessmen Want Done

A few days ago, five heads of business organizations issued a statement on the current domestic situation. It is rare for business representatives to join forces and criticize the labor sector, the government and political circles as one, urging self-reflection and self-restraint. This indicates business people''s fear of lurking doom. Business circles expressed concern over the labor sector''s move toward a hard-line struggle and made its stance…

Dec 06,2000
Restructuring Has Gone Astray

Financial sector restructuring is losing its direction. The government seemed set to push ahead with its restructuring plans by putting such financially unhealthy banks as Hanvit Bank and Peace Bank under the control of a single holding company. It is now said to be mulling over a plan to merge them with healthy banks as their subsidiaries. The names of the banks that look likely to be partners under this merger plan are already being circulated …

Dec 06,2000
White Paper Is Toned Down a Bit

It was both realistic and reasonable that the Ministry of National Defense maintained the existing view of North Korea as the nation''s principal military threat in the 2000 National Defense White Paper published Monday. Reconciliation and cooperation on the one hand, and a steadfast security posture on the other, are the two pillars of our North Korea policy. Given that hasty assumptions and blind optimism are unwise where national security …

Dec 04,2000
Winter With Some Content

Sighs of great relief will greet the news that the Korea Electric Power Corporation and its labor union have managed to avert a catastrophe by reaching agreement at the last moment. Most praiseworthy of all was the labor union''s decision to call off the planned strike, already twice deferred, and practically to accept the principle of privatization. While the immediate effect of its decision is likely to be the accelerated privatization of …

Dec 04,2000

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