SEOUL -- A debate over comments by South Korea's top economic policymaker on the price of instant noodles has highlighted simmering concerns over the rising cost of essentials and the government's plans to reduce its involvement in the economy.
In a televised interview on Sunday, Choo Kyung-ho, deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance, subtly criticized producers of instant noodles, called ramyun in South Korea, for not lowering prices in line with global declines in the price of wheat.
