Sejong City and decentralization
July 1, 2012 marked a major change in Korean geography: Sejong City became the first “special autonomous city” in Korean history and the 17th province-level administrative division. This gives it equal status to Seoul and other provinces and cities. Sejong City’s new status is important because it is the first planned city to obtain the […]
Geneva talks on Syria produce no effective results
The nine-hour talks held in Geneva on Saturday with the intention of tackling the Syrian crisis produced “significant” decisions that are unlikely to be “effective.” These decisions are significant in that Russia and China, who have so far not refrained from backing the Assad regime, have, for the first time, signaled a change in their […]
Remembering South Korea’s “Hoop Boy” in 1988 Seoul Olympics
SEOUL, July 2 (Xinhua) — Without doubt, one of the most unforgettable moments in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics was created by a young South Korean boy who rolled a hoop across the grass infield of Olympic Stadium in front of a huge crowd during the opening ceremony. The whole world watched with breathless attention […]
Military pact with Japan
Scrap ill-advised accord; sack relevant ministers To the relief of most Koreans, the foreign ministry postponed the signing of its first military pact with Japan, Friday. Now that the government has avoided the worst with the last-minute turnaround, it should bring the matter to the National Assembly for discussion from the ground up. Yet it […]
Five million drug addicts in Bangladesh
DHAKA– While Bangladesh has been facing a worst form of drug menace, a senior official of the government disclosed that the number of drug addicts in the country would be around five million at this moment. Khandaker Mohammed Ali, Director General (DG) of Narcotics Control Directorate of the government revealed the alarming figure of […]
Rains wreak havoc on Bangladesh
Torrential rains over the week have triggered flooding, landslide and river erosion leaving at least 110 persons killed in Bangladesh. A huge population in the eastern and northern part of the country have been marooned as flood situation continued to worsen due to the rains and the onrush of waters from the hills beyond the borders. […]
Military ties with Japan
President must persuade National Assembly first When an administration has what it thinks are necessary but unpopular things to do, it usually explains them to the people and seeks their consent. But the Lee Myung-bak administration pushes ahead with them stealthily and keeps them secret until someone else exposes what is happening. A case in […]
Leaks of key technologies
Int’l cooperation needed to uproot industrial spying Alarm bells are ringing again in our corporate security system after the prosecution announced that key technologies to manufacture advanced flat-panel displays were leaked overseas through a local unit of an Israeli company. We regard this latest leak as a grave matter and urge the government to make […]
Korean embassy visa official in Phnom Penh criticized for being too rigid
View over the Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh Seoul — It was surprising last week when I went to the South Korean embassy in Phnom Penh to ask for a visa to Seoul for my participation in an international media conference co-organized by the Singapore-based Konrad Adenauer Stiftung/Foundation (KAS) of Germany and the Hawaii-based East West […]
Park Geun-hye’s way
Arrogant, egotistical image is last thing she needs Unless something major comes up, the governing Saenuri Party will likely pick its presidential candidate at a national convention Aug. 20. And, unless some new sensation appears, Park Geun-hye will be the standard-bearer of the conservative majority party. Despite ― or because of ― this seemingly unalterable […]
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