Coming out on Psy
I have a confession to make about Psy, the Korean rapper whose “Gangam Style” is taking the world by storm, the most viewed video clip on YouTube this year, capturing No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Chart (when the paper went to press), topping the British music chart and having Britney Spears do a horse-riding […]
Animal rights group claims Anipang is animal abuse
Picture the scene: a frightened, lonely rabbit is unwittingly pushed into a large, black, rectangular opening, crammed ear-to-ear with other confused-looking animals; crushed together like terminally ill battery hens or calves, separated from their mothers. Scared and alone, the doe-eyed bunny finds momentary peace when reunited with its family yet, moments later, is mercilessly banished […]
No more coups in Turkey
In my trade you get used to it after a while, but the first time you wake up to find a military coup has happened overnight where you live is quite alarming. That was in Turkey back in 1971, when the army seized control of the country after months of political turmoil. It was not […]
Print media will never die
Print media will not and cannot die. This is not my argument but that of a much more qualified individual. I don’t have the expertise to make this declaration but he does. I remember attending a lecture by Bill Gates, the billionaire philanthropist who dropped out of Harvard to establish Microsoft, about 15 years ago […]
Ominous signs from the north
Kim’s attention should turn inside, not southward There has always been the so-called North Korean factor or risk in major economic and political moments in South Korea. The upcoming presidential election seems to be no exception. President Lee Myung-bak held an emergency national security meeting at Cheong Wa Dae Wednesday to discuss two issues: the […]
Ahn, Psy and rise of the outsider
Two things happened last week that captured the zeitgeist in Korea. One was the announcement by Ahn Cheol-soo, the software entrepreneur, that he was running for president and the other was rapper Psy’s “Gangnam Style’’ breaking the world record for the most liked YouTube video. What connects these two seemingly unrelated events is that both […]
Psy way
I remember watching “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” in a theater near Broadway in New York more than a decade ago, bowling over with laughter whenever Mike Myers would go “shagadelic.” He was strange, yet a fun character. Far from the average Hollywood looker, there was something endearing about the guy. Is that […]
To adopt a Canadian name
English names taken by ethnic minorities in Canada are not only for the purpose of making one feel more comfortable; it is also with a view to subconsciously lead the white Canadian into thinking an Anglicized name means Western business etiquette is a natural consequence. “Benny” is a popular name in Hong Kong and likewise […]
Reset ties with Japan
Korea needs longer-term, cooler-headed approach Japanese anti-Korea protests, though mainly led by a few ultra-rightist groups, are going way too far by insulting and trampling on Korea’s national flag. Many ordinary Japanese do not hide their contempt and dislikes of their former colony, either. Koreans can’t help wondering what made them decide to stop being […]
Imelda’s shoes: one of great symbols of excess
An alert dictator always keeps one eye on the nearest exit in case, as so often happens with autocrats, a speedy departure suddenly becomes in order. Such a fate befell Philippines strongman Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda, in 1986 after 20 years in which they and their cronies looted the country. The government has […]
Media in Tie-up with The AsiaN 
Trump, Kim, and the Three P’s of Summit Diplomacy: 
