Are we about face deflation?
Korea’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter grew only 2.4 percent on a year-on-year basis, hitting a record low since the third quarter of 2009. Private consumption, which accounts for more than half of GDP, has grown only 1.2 percent over the same period. Investment measured by total fixed capital formation is even […]
Gangnam Style, Dokdo Style
Two very different stories have been making the headlines this week in Korea. One about two bickering neighbors, and another about an aging Korean pop star’s music video going viral worldwide. But what have the two got in common? Can we draw parallels? No. Some might say that’s ludicrous. Because it is. But maybe they’ve […]
Good-bye, my Japanese friend
It may be quite provocative to bring up a story about a Japanese friend while the atmosphere between Korea and Japan is becoming increasingly more belligerent these days. Far more so if the friend is not an ordinary citizen but a diplomat, who stands at the forefront of bilateral confrontation. I know, however, he is […]
Opposition’s littleness
DUP should stand on its own feet The main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) appears nervous as public attention is shifting toward Ahn Cheol-soo, the software entrepreneur-turned-professor, in the wake of Park Geun-hye being elected the presidential candidate of the ruling Saenuri Party. The DUP launched a vitriolic attack on Park, the daughter of the […]
Korea’s 3 key challenges
Citigroup recently predicted that South Korea would have the fourth highest GDP per capita in the world by 2050 based on purchasing power parity calculations. Korea with an estimated GDP per capita of $107,752 would be among an Asian gang of four that would top the global league along with Singapore ($137,710), Hong Kong ($116,639) […]
Smartphone blues
Users top 30 mil. but side effects must be controlled The number of smartphone users in Korea, one of the world’s most wired nations, has surpassed 30 million. This feat has been achieved in just over two years and nine months since KT, one of the nation’s three mobile phone carriers, introduced Apple’s iPhone in […]
US-China rivalry over Africa
Africa has become a major theater in the global rivalry between China and the United States. This was evident during Hillary Clinton’s visit to the continent, during which she spread the message of democracy and warned Africans against unnamed “outsiders” coming to “extract the wealth of Africa for themselves, leaving nothing or very little behind.” […]
Journalism’s old order is passing
WASHINGTON ― It has been a tough couple of years for journalism, particularly for us old guys. Aside from the continuing travails of the nation’s newspapers, the “business,” as we liked to call it, has lost some of its leading lights, and the struggle for the people’s right to know is worse off because of […]
Marking 20 years of ties
Seoul, Beijing need to raise mutual understanding South Korea and China will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their diplomatic ties Friday. During this period, the bilateral relationship made epoch-making strides, especially in the field of socioeconomics. The neighboring countries witnessed their bilateral trade surge from a meager $6.4 billion in 1992 to $220 billion last […]
First woman candidate
To change nation, Park must first change herself By sweeping the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential primary Monday, Park Geun-hye set two records. She became the first female presidential candidate in Korea, and for the first time ever turned the race into a battle between the sexes. If Park wins the election in December, she will […]
Media in Tie-up with The AsiaN 
Trump, Kim, and the Three P’s of Summit Diplomacy: 
