Lame-duck session
This is no way to conduct nation’s business The 18th National Assembly, which has shown neither dignity nor productivity in legislation, is disappointing voters even in its final days. Political parties failed to open a one-day plenary session Tuesday, aimed at passing dozens of vital bills for people’s livelihoods, over their differences on the proposed […]
Bicycle, A Necessicity Of Life In Pakistan
Bicycle, the cheapest mode of transport for the poor around the globe, has a very different usage in Pakistan. The people here, especially in rural areas, not only travel on bicycle to and from workplace but use it as cargo-carrier. In this picture, a man carries four heavy wooden cots, the traditional beds with four […]
Where is the father?
Until hundreds of years ago, the father was symbolic of power, authority and prop of a society as well as of a family. He was responsible for all the details of managing a state and running a family. He was the head of state and of family, consequently the final decision-maker. He was the object […]
Letter from Guagua Bo
Guagua Bo, the son of dismissed Chinese Politburo member Bo Xilai, sent an exclusive statement to Harvard Kennedy School. In his statement, the 24-year-old Harvard student attempts to clarify some facts regarding to his scholarship, his grades and lifestyle in UK and his business. It is the first time that Bo’s family member gave a […]
Death from being rich grows in India
A young Indian girl prepares meal at a slum in Jammu, India, Monday, March 26, 2012. <AP/Newsis> Man is not immortal. As we know it, there are two kinds of deaths. One that comes naturally due to terminal disease or old age and the other that is inflicted by economic factors like poverty and hunger. […]
Authenticity of alleged Kim Jong-un’s reform-mindedness
In this Sunday, April 15, 2012 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a mass military parade in Kim Il Sung Square to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea. <AP/Newsis> North Korea is currently undergoing its third-generation dynastic succession, and this produced a great […]
Realistic multiculturalism
The recent National Assembly election produced an unexpected result: a national discussion on multiculturalism. Jasmine Lee, a Filipina immigrant, became the first foreign born Korean to join the National Assembly. Her election through proportional representation drew a number of anti-immigrant comments and criticism of the ruling Saenuri Party on the Internet. Surprised by the negative […]
Colors of political parties
When the Saenuri Party selected red for the party’s color code I thought Park Geun-hye’s team was very smart, though I wasn’t impressed by its logo that looks like a giant tooth. The Democratic United Party (DUP), formerly led by Han Myeong-sook, had no choice but to dye their jackets pure yellow for the party’s […]
Is N. Korea really intervening in elections here?
This year, North Korea celebrates the centennial of Kim Il-sung’s birth. For this reason, North Korea declared 2012 as the first year of building a “strong and prosperous nation,” and it has been carrying out propaganda on a massive scale. For North Korea, a “strong and prosperous nation” means a nation of strong military might […]
Missing of oppostion leader sparks general strike
Bangladesh economy held hostage Opposition warns of accelerating anti-government movement Bangladesh economy is being held hostage with the country’s politics getting volatile amidst street agitation spearheaded against the government by the opposition alliance led by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The opposition alliance enforced two days’ of general strike on Sunday and Monday threatening a continued […]