Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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[Kim Seong-kon] Democracy and the future of South Korea
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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Twitter a reason for optimism on North Korea
May Day 1979. Kim Il-sung Square, Pyongyang, North Korea.Some 50,000 of my closest Korean friends and I thronged the plaza as dancers of all ages, dressed in traditional joseon-ot of many colors, swayed and swung to ancient Korean folk tunes.The international holiday for workers was celebrated in what was then ― and today even more so ― one of the last bastions of communism in the world.In one circle of 50 or so people, I clung to the hand of a pretty young woman as we spun round like Ferris whe
Dec. 20, 2011
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A wrong turn in terror fight
The White House said last week that President Obama will sign a controversial $662 billion defense authorization that permits indefinite detention without trial for some terrorism suspects and broadens the authorization for the use of force against people and groups “associated” with al-Qaida anywhere in the world. It’s the wrong choice.The bill, which passed the House Wednesday and the Senate on Thursday, is being advertised as a compromise with the administration, and indeed it includes provis
Dec. 20, 2011
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Engaging the new North Korean hermit-in-chief
With the death of Kim Jong-il, the world is both a better and a more dangerous place. Better, because over his nearly two-decade rule of North Korea, Kim Jong-il killed or brutalized millions of his countrymen, illicitly spread nuclear technology and stoked regional tension and conflict. More dangerous, because Kim’s heir apparent, his son Kim Jong-un, is untested and unknown. Rumor has it that Kim Jong-un likes American basketball and expensive sneakers. He may be 28, or he may be 29. He may sp
Dec. 20, 2011
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[Kim Seong-kon] One exam decides your future
Recently, a high school student’s parents made newspaper headlines by appealing to Seoul National University to cancel their son’s admission, granted through the early decision program, so that he could apply to other universities. Newspaper reports said that the student’s teacher had urged him to apply for admission to SNU to boost the high school’s reputation. But the student encountered a problem: According to rules and regulations, those who are admitted to a university by an early decision
Dec. 20, 2011
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Kim makes world scary place even in death
If there is a reason famous people die in threes, imagine the lively debates Vaclav Havel, Kim Jong-il and Christopher Hitchens are having in eternity’s waiting room. Havel had long been on the Nobel Peace Prize short list for his role in bringing democracy to Czechoslovakia and central Europe. Were there an award for the opposite feat, destabilizing the world and playing a role in the deaths of millions, North Korean leader Kim would win easily. And the indefatigable Hitchens would be there to
Dec. 20, 2011
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America Inc. must fight and live with China hackers
Chinese hackers have redefined the concept of room service: In one recent attack, they infiltrated an Internet service provider to some of the world’s leading hotels, potentially gaining access to millions of confidential messages of traveling executives, as well as to the victims’ corporate networks. The electronic theft of proprietary information from U.S. companies has reached the level of grand larceny on a national scale. One declassified government estimate put the value of information sto
Dec. 19, 2011
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[Yoo Byung-chang] Encounter of two great patriots
In memory of Park Tae-joon, founder and former chairman of POSCOThere are no coincidences when something is desperately needed. Some supernatural force decides what must be done and designs the path for achieving it. This higher power knows who is prepared to sacrifice his life for the greater good and what is needed for him to accomplish his goal.Nothing is free, nor does it come easy.The encounter between late President Park Chung-hee and late POSCO chairman Park Tae-joon 65 years ago was one
Dec. 19, 2011
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Bank reform needs unlimited liability for owners
Any discussion of financial regulation and its chronic failures should start with a simple, jarring truth: It’s impossible to outregulate a banker. Each crisis in the financial sector brings calls for new rules, which take hold after much political jostling. Then we are supposed to sleep easier, certain that this time we are protected. We never are. Fresh rules are like antibodies, and banking ― much like viruses ― keeps evolving to outwit the regulations. Financial incentives tilt hugely in ban
Dec. 19, 2011
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Punish overspending European leaders
I’ve had it with this useless, ongoing charade to “save Europe.” It’s time to get serious and consider jailing and impeaching some of these European Union member leaders for requisite incentive.Last week’s EU show was pathetic. It made me throw a pack of gummy bears at my television screen. You’d think these European leaders were actually in a position to save others when they can’t even save themselves as their own countries drown in debt.As every trained water rescuer knows, when faced with a
Dec. 19, 2011
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[Vaclav Havel] The role intellectuals need to play in political sphere
Vaclav Havel, who died on Sunday, was a rare intellectual who, rather than forcing his way into politics, had politics forced upon him. In 1998, while serving as president of the Czech Republic, he offered the following reflection on the benefits and dangers of his career path. ― Ed.PRAGUE ― Does an intellectual ― by virtue of his efforts to get beneath the surface of things, to grasp relations, causes and effects to recognize individual items as part of larger entities and thus to derive a deep
Dec. 19, 2011
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A United States of Europe emerging?
Are we witnessing the birth of the United States of Europe?There are uncanny similarities between the current round of wheeling and dealing and the founding of the United States of America. The Philadelphia Convention of 1787 represented America’s second try at continental union. In 1781, the 13 states had come together behind a treaty-constitution that broadly resembles present European arrangements.America’s first effort was the Articles of Confederation. Like the European Union treaties, it g
Dec. 18, 2011
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[David Ignatius] Time to unveil the vision thing
WASHINGTON ― It’s telling that nearly three years into the Obama presidency, so many conversations with administration officials still begin with a litany of how bad things were under George W. Bush, to wit: The Obama team faced two foreign wars, an aggressive al-Qaida, a deep mistrust among allies, a shaken U.S. economy. They inherited a world of woe. And now? Obama officials recite their catechism of successes. Osama bin Laden is dead and al-Qaida is on the run; the troops are back from Iraq a
Dec. 18, 2011
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Whale hunts matter more than saving people
Want to know why Japan’s earthquake recovery efforts are moving in slow motion? Ask the whales. Tokyoites have grown accustomed to shocking news items since the earth shook and the oceans rose: the nuclear meltdown has proven far worse than the government admitted; radioactive cesium made its way into baby food; more leaks were found in the damaged Fukushima reactor; warnings by seismologists still go unheeded. Yet the tale of the whales and the $30 million is what proved most disturbing ― and s
Dec. 18, 2011
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Why can’t lawmakers see what we all see: corporate contributions corrupt?
It was one of those uncomfortable moments when you suddenly realize you’re in the wrong place, that you’re a rube from the sticks in a sophisticated city whose customs you don’t quite understand.Politico was recently sponsoring a “Washington Year in Review” symposium, and they’d invited me to be part of the energy panel. So even though I’d spent barely three weeks in Washington this year (and the most memorable nights were spent in its central cellblock for protesting outside the White House to
Dec. 18, 2011
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[Joel Brinkley] It’s time for the U.S. and Europe to act on Iran
The world is closing in on Iran, but not aggressively enough. It’s time for Europe to deal the final blow.The Iranian attack on the British embassy in Tehran was close to an act of war ― as was the attempt to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington. Given the collection of recent provocations from this rogue state, the West’s extremely slow-motion campaign to end Iran’s nuclear-weapons program needs to be pushed to its denouement.In recent days, the United States and Europe have been impo
Dec. 18, 2011
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Coda: Code for a Chinese Trojan horse
A Los Angeles firm has quietly assembled a Trojan horse electric car designed to carry the Chinese military-industrial complex deep into America’s auto market. Detroit should be afraid, very afraid. And anyone in the U.S. unemployment line ― along with American taxpayers, who are subsidizing this sham ― should be outraged.The car is branded Coda and debuted at the L.A. Auto Show. While Coda Automotive salespeople were eager to portray it as “All American” ― we got one of them bragging about it o
Dec. 16, 2011
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[Philippe Legrain] For ECB, now is the time to act
BRUSSELS ― Panic is beginning to overwhelm the eurozone. Italy and Spain are caught in the maelstrom. Belgium is slipping into the danger zone. As France is dragged down, the widening gap between its bond yields and Germany’s is severely testing the political partnership that has driven six decades of European integration.Even strong swimmers such as Finland and the Netherlands are straining against the undertow. Banks are struggling to stay afloat ― their capital providing little buoyancy as fu
Dec. 16, 2011
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Tokyo must break impasse on the Futenma issue
It has become even more difficult to implement visible steps that would lessen Okinawa Prefecture’s burdens as the host of many U.S. military bases. The government must recognize that this situation is extremely serious.The armed services committees of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives have agreed on revisions to a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2012, which includes a freeze on the entire $156 million budget for shifting U.S. marines stationed in Okinaw
Dec. 16, 2011
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Voters must think and act more strategically
Representatives for Taiwan’s three presidential candidates chose their “election numbers” last week. Tsai Ing-wen and Su Jia-chyuan of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ticket got number one. The Kuomintang (KMT) ticket of Ma Ying-jeou and Wu Den-yih drew number two while the People First Party’s (PFP) nominees James Soong and Lin Ruey-shiung ended up with number three. While no one takes the numbers too seriously, staff members for the respective candidates did put their spin on the numeri
Dec. 16, 2011
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Four nations launch joint Mekong patrols
The launching of joint patrols on the Mekong River by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand over the weekend is the initial result of the quartet’s efforts to increase security and stability along the waterway. The joint patrols have set a precedent for more transnational cooperation in security issues in the region. On Saturday, five patrol boats equipped with heavy machine guns and carrying hundreds of armed police and military personnel from the four nations, acted as escorts to 10 Chinese cargo
Dec. 16, 2011