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East Asia
China’s leadership change
When Hu Jintao became China’s leader a decade ago, many hoped that the quiet, taciturn 59-year-old would turn out to be a closet liberal who would launch political reforms. They were disappointed. On Nov. 15, when he stepped down as general secretary of the Communist Party in favor of Xi…
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Nuclear madness
After the loss of 10 million American lives in the Three-Mile Island calamity in 1979, the death of two billion in the Chernobyl holocaust in 1986, and now the abandonment of all of northern Japan following the death of millions in last year’s Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, it is hardly surprising…
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East Asia
Koreans’ strange love of chicken
My old neighborhood in Yongsan, Seoul, is famous for quaint patisseries, specialty coffee shops and authentic, hole-in-the-wall Japanese bistros. Oddly enough, a modest diner that sells good old casual Korean food is a rarity on this narrow strip that likes things lush. But last month, in came two new businesses…
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Koreans fall victim to racist attacks in Australia
A Korean man was assaulted in Australia, Sunday, in what appears to be another racially motivated attack, according to the victim and local police, Monday. This is possibly the third racist attack against Koreans in Australia in just three months. The 28-year-old man, surnamed Cho, was attacked by two white…
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East Asia
Seoul, Beijing hold first talks since Xi’s takeover
Seoul officials were in Beijing Monday for their first high-level meeting since the official appointment of China’s new leader Xi Jinping. Vice Foreign Minister Ahn Ho-young and his Chinese counterpart Zhang Zhijun were slated to discuss security and other matters of mutual concern during the fifth Strategic Dialogue between the…
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East Asia
‘Korea, pivotal to new US-China order’
Washington expected to use Seoul in axis against Beijing Following leadership changes in the two dominant powers ― the United States and China ― nations are seeking to adjust their foreign policies between the two, and South Korea is not an exception. Many experts say the politics of the two…
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East Asia
Xi’s policy toward Korea remains to be seen
Experts here forecast the new Chinese leadership, with Xi Jinping elected new general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will maintain the previous policy of seeking peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, while exerting efforts to induce North Korea to denounce its nuclear program and…
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East Asia
‘Korea needs shift in multicultural policy’
The number of foreign residents who have stayed in Korea for more than three months has reached more than 1.25 million, about 2.5 percent of the country’s population. Given that one in 10 Koreans tie the knot with a foreigner and the number of children from such marriages has surpassed…
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East Asia
Why is discipline so strong in restaurant kitchens?
Edward Kwon, famous as former head chef at the luxurious Burj al Arab Hotel in Dubai, was no nice guy in a number of TV programs including “Yes Chef,” which aired on a local cable TV network. He hurled invectives at seemingly innocent contestants to the extent he was compared…
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East Asia
Apple’s patent suit is ‘negotiation by other means’
Asymco’s Dediu predicts out-of-court settlement in Samsung dispute Samsung Electronics has successfully switched its phone portfolio to smart devices making a commitment that Nokia couldn’t, according to a Harvard-educated analyst. “Samsung went from having 3 percent to 50 percent in the smartphones’ portion in two years. This switch was very…
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