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East Asia
[Book Review] President Duterte: How and Why?
Easy answers came fast on the heels of his May 2016 election, most putting him down for a fool or a tool. Two new books take a closer look at both Rodrigo Duterte the man and the initial phase of his presidency. In A Duterte Reader, sociologist Nicole Curato gathered…
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Culture
Improvisation extends possibilities of Korean music
At the Yeowoorak Festival, which celebrates unlimited possibilities of Korean music, there is something new and unique every year. This year, the festival set stages for reunions of legendary Korean music performers such as master pansori singer Ahn Sook-sun and her friends for “Ahn Sook-sun & Jieum” and the return…
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East Asia
[Book Review] Charting China’s Contradictions
The vote by the Chinese National People’s Congress in March to abolish presidential term limits marked a dramatic, if unsurprising, step along President Xi Jinping’s path toward centralizing power. As he moves to entrench his authority at home as the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, he also seeks…
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East Asia
Asia and Europe in a New Era of Great-Power Rivalry
In the post-Cold War era, economic growth, multilateralism and increased connectivity have marginalized the security agenda in both Asia and Europe. In 1994, Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong launched the idea of an Asia-Europe Meeting as a platform for dialogue between Asia and Europe, and it was only fitting…
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East Asia
South Korea: Primary Textbooks Show Racial Biases
Some textbooks for primary and secondary students contain racial biases at the risk of implanting stereotypes at an early age and perpetuating them for life. This conclusion was made at the July 20-21 Conference for Racial Discrimination in Korean Society, with the participation of 47 NGOs. In the “Guidebook for…
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Culture
Buddhist nun Wookwan publishes English cookbook
From a Westerner’s perspective, Jeong Kwan would probably come to mind as the leading authority in temple food, as she featured in the Netflix series “Chef’s Table.” Within Korea, however, Buddhist nun Wookwan is even better known as a temple food guru. She has published two temple food cookbooks, and…
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East Asia
Baffled by Bitcoin: Asia Takes On Virtual Currencies
Within a decade, the world’s first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, which was launched in 2009, has amassed a cult-like following around the world — and nowhere more so than in Asia. It has also spawned dozens of other digital currencies and the creation of exchanges to trade in them. It has even…
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East Asia
Samsung agrees to accept arbitration over leukemia cases
The long-lasting dispute over Samsung Electronics’ alleged unsafe working conditions that may have caused over hundreds of its employees to contract incurable diseases such as leukemia has come to an end as the company decided to accept arbitration proposals unconditionally, Samsung said Sunday. A Samsung Electronics spokesman said it notified…
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East Asia
Trade Trap: China and the US Must Avoid a ‘New Cold War’
US President Donald Trump’s trade war against China and the world is subverting the global open trade order and effectively dismantling the World Trade Organization as the universal authority for the resolution of trade disputes. This trade friction, which is not limited to China and the US, has deep…
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East Asia
Trump’s Trade Wars Are Incoherent, Angry and Misguided
The US Constitution vests authority in Congress to collect duties and to “regulate commerce with foreign nations.” But over the course of the 20th century, Congress delegated some of that authority to the president through legislation. Although the purpose was, ultimately, to facilitate the process of reducing tariffs, President Donald Trump has…
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