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East Asia
Moon expands communication with chaebol
Approval ratings of President Moon Jae-in remained relatively high in the first week of this year on the back of public approval for his signature “engagement-focused” North Korea policy. But his lackluster and not-that-impressive domestic policy, particularly the apparent failure of its economic policies after its decision to hike the…
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East Asia
South Korea soon to take back trash from Philippines
South Korea will soon take back thousands of tons of trash that were illegally exported to the Philippines, the environment ministry here said Friday. “We’re now consulting with the Philippine government on schedules to bring back 6,300 tons of plastic garbage illegally shipped to the country,” Lee Byung-wha, a senior…
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East Asia
“Young, old generations do not understand each other”
Complaints and conflicts are piling up between the young and old as Korea is rapidly becoming an aging society, which leaves the young working class with a heavier economic burden to take care of elderly citizens. “The rapidly ageing population and low birthrate have put our society at risk, inevitably…
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East Asia
North Korean leader’s speech shows international sanctions working
Although much of the media focus was placed on his warning he would find a “new way” if the U.S. sticks to the sanctions, experts here argued that the New Year address of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un was mainly about the economy. It could indicate the sanctions by the…
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East Asia
Confusing ‘Korean age’ system dies hard
The year 2019 has arrived. This means all Koreans have just become a year older. Welcome to the “Korean age” system, in which everyone becomes a year old at birth and gains an additional year every New Year’s Day. This method originated in China centuries ago and was once used…
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East Asia
After Singapore, Can Sizzle Be Replaced With Steak?
WHAT can face-to-face diplomacy between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un achieve? It is wisest not to expect a revolutionary change in Trump’s approach and instead for him to play to his strengths: ceremony and personal relationships. On substance, the South Korean-led process should be…
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East Asia
Talking at the Top: Past, Present and Future Summit Diplomacy in Asia
As the metaphor suggests, summitry sits at the pinnacle of international politics; indeed, the term was first introduced by none other than Winston Churchill.1Defined most broadly as face-to-face meetings of heads of state, summits have on occasion proven to be defining historical moments: Neville Chamberlain at Munich, John F. Kennedy…
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East Asia
Can Abe Get Japan Back on the Korea Bus?
At the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 20, 2017, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe outlined his hardline approach to North Korea in no uncertain terms. “Again and again, attempts to resolve issues through dialogue have all come to naught. In what hope of success are we now repeating the…
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East Asia
South Korea: minimum wage stirs up controversy again
The government’s ordinance to revise the calculation method for the minimum wage is stirring up controversy and fueling conflict between businesses and workers. They have been locking horns over a particular issue concerning the inclusion of wages employers need to pay their employees for days off. Basically, companies will have…
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East Asia
Shavkat Mirziyoyev becomes ‘2018 Asian of the Year’
On December 19, The Asia Journalist Association (AJA) announced ‘2018 Asians of the Year’: South Korean football coach Park Hang-seo, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, LG group’s former Chairman Koo Bon-moo, and Egypt’s heart surgeon Magdi Habib Yacoub. The awards ceremony will be held in AJA General Meeting 2019. Shavkat…
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