Kowtow or cooperation in Asia?
TOKYO ― When an American president’s first overseas trip following his re-election is to Asia, one can be sure that something big is afoot in the region. Indeed, Barack Obama’s decision to go first to impoverished and long-isolated Myanmar (Burma) attests to the potency of the changes underway in that country ― and to U.S. […]
Fear about assertive China
China’s new leader Xi Jinping has issued a call for action to realize “the cause of national rejuvenation, which he called “the greatest dream for the Chinese nation in modern history.” Xi held up two goals: the achievement of a moderately prosperous society by about 2020 (when Xi will in all likelihood still be the […]
Why we must change
“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution,” wrote Theodosius Dobzhansky, (1900–1975), a prominent geneticist and evolutionary biologist. Then what is evolution? Simply in layman’s terms, it’s the gradual development of living things over time or change, i.e. a process of something passing from one state into another. The living thing is […]
Panic over power shortage
Time to make conservation a part of daily life The ghost of a possible power blackout is haunting the nation prematurely as a cold wave hit the peninsula earlier than expected. It’s lamentable to see our power authorities and businesses get panicky over fears of shortages. The Korea Power Exchange issued an “attention’’ alert at […]
Candidates, don’t bore us!
As she may be our next president, it is germane to now ask: Has Park Geun-hye had charisma-bypass surgery? If you have not noticed, it is election season. Hence, we members of the foreign press corps are privileged to meet the candidates at press conferences. What normally happens at these events is this: You, the […]
Freedom of speech in different climate
Freedom of speech has spread its wings with the advent of social media. Thoughts, blogs and tweets now flood cyberspace. The Arab Spring gave the world hope and a sea of change while social media had a big part to play in it. But sometimes, social media can stir up a hornet’s nest: It can […]
New Middle East’s new problems
BERLIN ― When hostilities flared in Gaza last month, it seemed like the same old story was repeating itself. The world again witnessed a bloody and senseless surge of violence between Israel and Hamas, in which the main victims were innocent civilians maimed and killed on both sides. This time, however, things were not what […]
The best, oldest K-pop
When Kim Ki-duk, winning director of this year’s Venice Film Festival Golden Lion award, sang “Arirang” instead of giving a thank-you speech, he showed what the song means to most Koreans. “I just wanted to tell the world that this song is ours by singing it on the international stage whenever possible,” Kim said. If […]
Time to ask lawmakers stop playing games with ‘fiscal cliff’
Washington’s Democratic and Republican leaders seem strangely lacking in fright as they are a mere three weeks away from plunging America off the much-feared Fiscal Cliff. And we’ve finally figured out why. They figure they are merely heading toward a Fiscal Bungee Jump. They seem to believe that, yes, they’ll take the plunge and plummet […]
Personal branding ― how to be more successful
Over the past 14 years of mentoring students, the number one question I have been asked has been in relation to how to position oneself when going for job interviews. The general misconception is that it would be a human resources management (HRM) exercise, which it is from the potential employer’s perspective. But from the […]
Media in Tie-up with The AsiaN 
Trump, Kim, and the Three P’s of Summit Diplomacy: 
