‘Taegeuk spirit’ for next president
Few know the hidden meaning and symbolism in Korea’s national flag Taegeukgi. Is it a tennis ball? Does the red and blue in the center circle reflect the division of the Koreas? Does the red in the upper half of the circle mean the Communist North; the blue in the bottom half, the capitalist South […]
Idle National Assembly
Was ‘politics for the people’ just campaign rhetoric? The 19th National Assembly, which began its official term on May 30, was supposed to open for business by June 5. Yet the 300 elected lawmakers hadn’t even taken their oaths of office Wednesday, 15 days after the legal deadline, because rival parties remain locked in a […]
Positive developments in Asia
“The most economically vibrant region in the world,” is how China Premier Wen Jiabao immodestly but accurately described Northeast Asia at the recent Beijing summit. Financial fixation on Europe has led to shortchanging positive developments in Asia. Businesslike Beijing discussions last month are useful for enervated Europeans in need of inspiration as well as investment, […]
Korean lessons for eurozone
Looking at Europe’s stumbling efforts to deal with the eurozone’s sovereign debt crisis, I can’t help but make comparisons with how Korea dealt with its severe economic woes during the 1997 Asian financial crisis. And I think Korea’s response then offers important lessons now to Greece and Europe’s other debt-ridden countries. It is important though […]
Pakistani PM disqualified by Supreme Court
ISLAMABAD — The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan disqualified Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani as the prime minister in its short order of the NA Speaker ruling case on Tuesday. “Yousuf Raza Gilani is disqualified from membership of parliament from April 26, the date of his conviction. He has also ceased to be the prime minister […]
Conquering Mt. Everest’s impossible without Sherpas ②
*This is the second of two-part story about the role of Sherpas they have played for the successful climbing of the Mt. Everest. According to Ang Chhiring Sherpa, of the total 3700 individuals who climbed the peak, some 1900 are Sherpas. Eight of them were women Sherpa. This year too these people of the high Himalayan region continued their […]
Chosen Soren, a state for leftist Koreans in Japan
Recently I was interviewing a North Korean refugee, a woman in her 50s. In passing she mentioned that she saw her first US movie in 1987 or 1988 while living in a North Korean countryside. I was surprised and asked how that could possibly be case. In those days in North Korea, Western movies would […]
Bangladesh fears fresh militancy with unrest in Myanmar
DHAKA, June 16 — The outbreak of sectarian violence in neighbouring Myanmar’s bordering Rakhine state apparently exposed frontier south-eastern region of Bangladesh to threats of militancy afresh, security officials and public representatives said. A report released today by Bangladesh National News Agency BSS said the government is very much concerned about fresh activities of militant Rohingya […]
Tens of thousands suffer inhuman life in Bangladesh-India border
About 50,000 people are living inhuman life, almost stateless, in the enclaves along the Bangladesh-India border since the great partition of India by the British colonial ruler in 1947. The residents of the enclaves live in abysmal conditions, with a lack of water, roads, electricity, schools and medicines. Crime also is rampant, as complaining […]
Conquering Mt. Everest’s impossible without Sherpas ①
*This is the first of two-part story about the role of Sherpas they have played for the successful climbing of the Mt. Everest. Kathmandu, June 14: Sherpas have been synonymous to mountaineering since the first Mt. Everest expedition of 1921. “The first Everest Expedition of 1921 had seven to eight Sherpas including my grandfather,” said Ang […]
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