-
Column
Romney on North Korea
Despite U.S. concerns of proliferation and security threats, North Korea is not a critical issue that will affect the outcome of the American presidential election in November. The North is not likely to provoke military trouble serious enough to make a difference during the rest of this presidential election year…
Read More » -
War against rough drunks
Treatment should go together with punishment “To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.” ― Confucius (B.C. 551-B.C. 479) Since it declared a war against violent drunkards a month ago, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) has arrested more than 100 violators. That is an impressive performance, even…
Read More » -
Column
Beautiful island, sad history
JEJU – Schoolchildren here sing a mournful song about a gigantic rock about 90 miles southwest of the island where the souls of fishermen lost at sea find their final repose. The rock cannot really be called an outcropping since it’s actually submerged several meters, but South Korea has set…
Read More » -
Column
‘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…
Read More » -
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…
Read More » -
Column
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…
Read More » -
Column
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…
Read More » -
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…
Read More » -
Column
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…
Read More » -
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…
Read More »