A Distant Neighbor: Russia’s Search to Find Its Place in East Asia
*Author, Tsuneo Akaha is Professor of International Policy Studies and Director of the Center for East Asian Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California. HISTORICALLY, EAST ASIAN countries have tended to see Russia as a “distant neighbor” with a distinct civilization — neither European nor Asian — and political and strategic interests […]
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 […]
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 […]
Bangladesh braces early monsoon disaster
Bangladesh flood situation has improved in the northern districts and the north-eastern Sylhet region but the tidal surge in the coastal belt and erosion along the major river system have rendered thousand of people homeless and road communication disrupted in the affected areas. Meanwhile, waterborne diseases coupled with poor relief efforts, lack of jobs , […]
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 […]
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