Building Blogs of ASEAN Social Bonding
Abroad, my sentimental friend Abdul Razak, a fair-skinned Indonesian, liked to quip that he is an Asean Man. He says: “When I am in Singapore I passed for a Chinese; in Vietnam as a Vietnamese, in Philippines as a Filipino, in Laos as a Laotian; in Thailand as a Thai and in Malaysia as a […]
Korea-India business ties get strengthen
Few countries can match the Republic of Korea’s grit when it comes to the show of the will to win over what it would normally appear to be insurmountable odds. If the history of the country’s successive war defeats against neighbours in the last century, the split of the nation after the last world war, […]
Seoul-Tokyo chicken game
Seoul-Tokyo relations are at a historic low. Both governments have become hostages to the past. Things might even become worse before getting better unless they take remedial steps. The latest episode is a condensation of the deep-rooted simmering blind nationalism engulfing the two countries. South Korea cancelled its signing of the military information exchange pact […]
Free childcare system
Confusion mirrors policy disunity, poor preparation Despite attacks from deficit hawks and welfare minimalists, the ruling Saenuri Party has decided to push ahead with a free daycare system for all toddlers. And to help ease funding crises at local administrations, it will likely draw about 620 billion won from the government’s contingency funds. All these […]
Shatter glass ceiling
Firms need to sharply increase female executives Women have come a long way to almost equal men in schools and entry- level job markets in male-dominated Korea. But female executives are still a novelty in corporate boardrooms here, meaning they have even a longer way to go to make the most of their own ― […]
Did foreign minister know it?
On the front page of our Tuesday edition, we ran a story about a mix-up inside the government over its handling of a military information-sharing pact with Japan. The headline ― Rebellion against lame duck ― concisely summarized the situation, one that couldn’t even be imagined, say, six months ago. President Lee is scheduled to […]
Talks with NK won’t come until after U.S. presidential election
Perhaps the biggest news out of Pyongyang in the last month or two is actually about a non-event. In early June, a North Korean spokesperson said that North Korea has no intention of staging a nuclear test in the near future. And indeed, a nuclear test was almost universally expected to take place soon after […]
Capitalism or feudalism?
Time to ponder how to rectify chaebol system The Fair Trade Commission released a chart Monday, which illustrates the shareholding structure of 63 family-controlled conglomerates and their subsidiaries. The diagram, which appears even more complicated than the Seoul subway map, drew attention to two things: how these families dominate huge corporate empires with limited equity, […]
Raise minimum wage
People who work full time shouldn’t incur debt A trilateral panel of government, labor and management has set next year’s minimum wage at 4,860 won ($4.2) an hour. This is not enough to buy a bowl of cold noodles, or even a Big Mac set, including a coke and French fries. Yet business associations complain […]
Moscow supports Kim Jong-un
Russia claims it is willing to link divided Korea with energy pipelines and electricity grids. But its economic relations with North Korea indicate a return to the Cold War politics of the past. In 1948, Stalin sponsored the creation of the DPRK in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. The following year, Prime Minister […]
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