Economic democratization
Bipartisan effort needed for fairer, more vital system As in most elections, “it’s the economy, stupid,” too, in this country’s nascent presidential campaign. What sets Korea’s 2012 polls apart from most others, however, is the direction of the debate: how to change its economy to a more just and fair system instead of just making […]
Defending coup d’état
Does Park still think it revolution to save country? Barely a day after declaring her candidacy for the Dec. 19 presidential elections, Rep. Park Geun-hye caught her critics off guard. And she did so by pre-empting the debate on her weakest point: the dark legacy of her father and mentor, general-turned-president Park Chung-hee. Offense can […]
Saju of Korean presidents
Public figures hopeful of becoming the 11th South Korean president have started to make their moves for the upcoming election on December 19th this year. Some have already declared their candidacy while others are still deliberating. The public’s attention is pulled toward various interests accordingly. The approval ratings are continuously reported based on diverse formations […]
Retooling Assembly
Parties should keep word and innovate politics The National Assembly’s failure to pass an arrest motion for Rep. Chung Doo-un of the ruling Saenuri Party Wednesday is an ominous sign that the 19th parliament will proceed in the direction of disappointing voters, rather than pleasing them. To be sure, the governing party should be criticized […]
Perils and pitfalls of Mt. Geumgang
MT. KUMKANG, North Korea ― An air of desolation hangs over this fabled resort area four years after a North Korean soldier shot and killed a middle-aged South Korean woman who had made the fatal mistake of wandering outside the tourist route to look at the sunrise over the East Sea. The great square where […]
Honest president
Presidential race has belatedly started in Korea. It is premature to predict the winner. But the winner will probably be the one who rides the spirit of the times, often called zeitgeist. Park Geun-hye officially declared her presidential candidacy Tuesday, and few question her nomination as the standard-bearer of the governing Saenuri Party. The main […]
Higgs boson and Lee Sang-deuk
Apparently shocked by the arrest of his elder brother, President Lee Myung-bak cancelled all morning meetings Wednesday, just after Lee Sang-deuk was detained on charges of bribery. It might have been all the more perplexing for both Lees because the arrest was the first such case against a brother of an incumbent head of state […]
President’s apology
Lee should feel ashamed over brother’s arrest Lee Sang-deuk, President Lee Myung-bak’s elder brother, was jailed early Wednesday morning after a Seoul court issued an arrest warrant on bribery charges. He has become the first brother of a sitting president to be arrested in Korean history. Lee is suspected of receiving 600 million won from […]
Park joins race, formally
Key lies in whether she can change herself Park Geun-hye has been called the politician closest to Cheong Wa Dae during the past five years or even longer. On Tuesday, the de facto leader of the ruling Saenuri Party formally embarked on her second attempt to open the gate of the presidential mansion ― with […]
Can Korea solve household debt woes?
Korea remains one of the best-performing advanced industrial economies this year despite the eurozone debt crisis and economic slowdowns in the U.S. and China. Its weak currency is preventing exports from falling further than they probably should have as demand dries up in Europe, the U.S. and China. Consumer spending remains firm because of a […]
Media in Tie-up with The AsiaN 
Trump, Kim, and the Three P’s of Summit Diplomacy: 
