Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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[Other view] Congo chaos: Another ‘president for life’ in this African nation?
Three recent disastrous events in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, indicate that it may be approaching another meltdown point, not at all the first in its history. The highly contagious disease Ebola, the outbreak of which in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in West Africa in 2014 became a global concern, has reappeared, not for the first time, in northeast DRC, in the region of Kisangani, formerly known as Stanleyville. The second event, potentially catastrophic in its impl
May 24, 2017
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[John. H. Cha] Unforgotten soldiers of the ‘forgotten war’
The Korean War is often characterized as the “forgotten war.” Just about all the books and articles I’ve read on the subject of Korean War contain those words, and quite frankly, I think using this kind of phrase for a war that has impacted so many lives and continue to do so to this day, is pure nonsense. Forgotten by whom, I ask? It certainly is not forgotten by the relatives of the 4 million or so people, military and civilian, who died in the war. The more than 10 million people who have lo
Feb. 15, 2016
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[Lee Jae-min] Global warming’s other casualty
The onset of the New Year has been greeted by concerning stories about a new global epidemic. The World Health Organization has warned that a new epidemic in South America is “explosively” spreading and declared it a Public Health Emergency situation. As of early February, the Zika virus has spread to as many as 33 countries in the Western Hemisphere and is now sprouting elsewhere. Countries in South America have now seen thousands of new cases of microcephaly, a brain defect syndrome presumabl
Feb. 15, 2016
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[Joseph E. Stiglitz] America in the way
NEW YORK -- The Third International Conference on Financing for Development recently convened in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. The conference came at a time when developing countries and emerging markets have demonstrated their ability to absorb huge amounts of money productively. Indeed, the tasks that these countries are undertaking -- investing in infrastructure (roads, electricity, ports, and much else), building cities that will one day be home to billions, and moving toward a green econ
Aug. 9, 2015
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[Kim Hoo-ran] German lesson on history
When Wendy Sherman, undersecretary for political affairs at the U.S. State Department, during a speech on relations between the U.S. and Korea, China, and Japan last month said, “To move ahead, we have to see beyond what was to envision what might be,” she was chiding Korea and China for not improving ties with Japan.Of course, Koreans would like to envision the future possibilities. But how do two nations ― one a former colony and the other a harsh and brutal colonizer ― begin to think about th
March 12, 2015
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[Joseph E. Stiglitz and Martin Guzman] A fair hearing for sovereign debt
NEW YORK ― Last July, when United States federal judge Thomas Griesa ruled that Argentina had to repay in full the so-called vulture funds that had bought its sovereign debt at rock-bottom prices, the country was forced into default, or “Griesafault.” The decision reverberated far and wide, affecting bonds issued in a variety of jurisdictions, suggesting that U.S. courts held sway over contracts executed in other countries. Ever since, lawyers and economists have tried to untangle the befuddling
March 8, 2015
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[Brahma Chellaney] A silk glove for China’s iron fist
NEW DELHI ― For years, China has sought to encircle South Asia with a “string of pearls”: a network of ports connecting its eastern coast to the Middle East that would boost its strategic clout and maritime access. Not surprisingly, India and others have regarded this process with serious concern.Now, however, China is attempting to disguise its strategy, claiming that it wants to create a 21st-century maritime Silk Road to improve trade and cultural exchange. But friendly rhetoric can scarcely
March 8, 2015
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[Jeffrey D. Sachs] Open sustainable development
One year ago, I was in Brazil to launch the Brazilian chapter of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, an initiative of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The main message I heard that day was that Sao Paulo was suffering from a mega-drought, but that state and local politicians were keeping it quiet. This is a reality around the world: too many political leaders are ignoring a growing environmental crisis, imperiling their own countries and others.In the case of Brazil,
March 6, 2015
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[Kwan Weng Kin] Japan can’t close the door on immigrants
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso once declared in 2005, to the considerable derision of many of his countrymen, that Japan was the only country in the world with “one culture, one civilization, one language and one ethnic group.”The communications minister at the time, Aso was, ironically, speaking at the opening of a museum which featured exhibits showing how other Asian cultures have influenced Japan’s own cultural heritage.Japan’s real or imagined cultural homogeneity ― for
March 5, 2015
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[Kim Myong-sik] Retired president may start worthy second career
Last week, former President Lee Myung-bak’s memoir, “The President’s Time,” was No. 10 on Kyobo Bookstore’s overall bestseller list and No. 1 in the politics/society division. I didn’t help its sale because an associate of the author sent me an autographed copy. The 800-page book is a record of Lee’s and his aides’ “collective memories” rather than the 73-year-old ex-president’s narrative of personal sentiments. Media reactions were less than generous as it contained few surprising revelations a
March 4, 2015
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[Robert J. Fouser] Isolating revisionists in Japan
Every March 1 brings out flags and speeches in honor of the Korean Independence Movement in 1919. This year, the holiday coincided with renewed tension over Japanese responsibility for the “comfort women,” a euphemism for women who were forced into sexual slavery before and during World War II. Since it emerged in the 1990s, the issue has caused stress in relations between Korea and Japan, which increased greatly after Shinto Abe became prime minister in 2012. Historians estimate that as many as
March 3, 2015
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[Kim Seong-kon] Korea’s fling with scarlet letter
Recently, the Constitutional Court abolished the controversial adultery law because it violates people’s privacy and constitutional rights. The conservative camp immediately cried out, “Who’s going to protect our homes if the government doesn’t?” Once again, we expect the government to be responsible for everything, including the fidelity of husbands and wives.The innate problem is that Korean husbands, who are not required to wear a wedding ring, can easily cheat on their wives. In pre-modern K
March 3, 2015
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[Howard Davies] Europe’s capital-markets union
LONDON ― The eurozone’s survival is in doubt again, as Greece demands debt forgiveness and an end to austerity ― or else. But, though Europe’s currency union is at risk, and its banking union remains at an early stage of development, the endlessly creative European Commission is embarking on another adventure: a so-called “capital-markets union.”That “so-called” is appropriate, because the project, despite being only vaguely defined at this point, is most certainly not intended to create a singl
March 2, 2015
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[Trudy Rubin] Jeb Bush, Iraq and the rise of the Islamic State
As the Islamic State’s barbarities make headlines, Republican presidential candidates are scrambling to outdo each other’s hawkish pronouncements on foreign policy.That makes political sense. With the economy improving, polls show that voters now consider terrorism to be as important a campaign issue for 2016 as economic issues. And Obama’s incoherent efforts to degrade the Islamic State make him an easy target.But when Jeb Bush, in a major foreign policy speech last week, tried to pin the blame
March 2, 2015
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[Shashi Tharoor] Trouble in Nepali paradise
NEW DELHI ― Away from the glare of global headlines, Nepal is grappling with a constitutional crisis that could once again propel the tourist mecca, sensitively situated between India and China, into full-fledged conflict.From 1996 to 2006, Nepal was wracked by a brutal civil war that pitted a Maoist insurgency against the long-ruling monarchy, whose powerful army initially enjoyed the support of the country’s democratic political parties. Peace (brokered by India, with active United Nations sup
Feb. 15, 2015
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What happened to the Chinese shopper?
At Davos last month, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told a room full of fretting executives and policymakers not to worry about his country’s slowing economy. China, he argued, had a foolproof means of maintaining rapid growth: an urbanization boom that is creating millions of new consumers.“China has much room for urban, suburban, and regional development and domestic demand has huge potential,” Li said on Jan. 21. “Domestic demand will keep improving and bring even greater development for the worl
Feb. 15, 2015
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Economic freedom can alleviate energy poverty
Almost every activity that improves our quality of live requires energy. We don’t question how the lights stay on, or how groceries get to the stores where we need them. But it happens.Without a doubt, the adage, “You don’t know what ya got ‘til it’s gone” applies to energy. We get upset when our power goes out for an hour and we can’t get on the Internet or watch TV. Or, much worse, we realize the importance of reliable energy when a major natural disaster hits and we can’t power our schools an
Feb. 15, 2015
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[John Kass] Brian Williams, Hillary Clinton should swap war stories
If this NBC news anchor thing doesn’t work out for Brian Williams, I’ve got the perfect job for the guy:Hillary Clinton’s press secretary.Or better yet, as the New Commander McBragg.The problem is that Commander McBragg is a cartoon character from the old Tennessee Tuxedo cartoon show that no one remembers. Tennessee was a penguin. Chumley was the big, fat, stupid walrus.And McBragg was a British colonel, who would brag and brag about his war exploits, making this a perfect character for William
Feb. 15, 2015
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‘Lead from behind’ security strategy will plague U.S.
Any administration’s national security strategy written for public consumption inevitably involves platitudes, vacuous rhetoric and self-congratulation. But the strategy announced last week for President Barack Obama’s final two years in office sets new records in all these categories. As a sleep aid, it cannot be underestimated. Indeed, diverting attention from America’s rapidly deteriorating global strategic posture was likely a prime objective, as were his answers at Monday’s news conference
Feb. 13, 2015
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[Robert B. Reich] Back to the 19th century
My recent column about the growth of on-demand jobs like Uber making life less predictable and secure for workers unleashed a small barrage of criticism from people who contend that workers get what they’re worth in the market.A Forbes Magazine contributor, for example, writes that jobs exist only “when both employer and employee are happy with the deal being made.” So if the new jobs are low-paying and irregular, too bad.Much the same argument was voiced in the late 19th century over alleged “f
Feb. 13, 2015