Most Popular
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
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Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
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Ador CEO's request for exclusive right to terminate NewJeans' contract with Hybe refused in February
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Naver will consider company benefits in deciding on selling Line shares: CEO
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Woman dangling from power lines rescued by residents holding blanket
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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[Kim Seong-kon] Living in an affluent but socially poor society
With South Korea’s growing affluence, the Korean people are now more concerned with public etiquette and aiding others than ever before. For instance, people honk less frequently than before on the streets, stand in line for the subway and buses in an orderly fashion, and behave politely in everyday life. Koreans have even begun to help less developed countries through various programs administered by the Korea International Cooperation Agency, recognizing the favors their country once received
Feb. 26, 2013
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In sports and life, impulse to cheat is strong
“Cheat, cheat, never beat.” Remember that catchy, foreboding maxim drilled into us as kids?It’s comforting to believe cheaters never win and winners never cheat. Unfortunately, there’s ample evidence that cheating is rampant in almost every sphere of American life. And for every reported story of cheaters getting busted ― be they professional athletes who use banned substances or those who illegally manipulate markets for profit ― you can bet there’s at least one case of somebody who escaped det
Feb. 25, 2013
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[Howard Davies] Models of financial regulation
PARIS ― In the early phases of the financial crisis, it was fashionable to argue that the United States’ system of regulation needed a fundamental structural overhaul. Differences of opinion between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) had obstructed effective oversight of investment banks and derivatives trading (only the U.S. believes that it makes sense to regulate securities and derivatives separately).Indeed, the plethora of separa
Feb. 25, 2013
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When presidents can’t wait and act on their own
Quiz question: Of the last seven U.S. presidents, which one issued, by a large margin, the most executive orders per year? Answer: Jimmy Carter. Gerald Ford is second, Ronald Reagan is third, Bill Clinton is fourth, and George H.W. Bush is fifth. George W. Bush and Barack Obama bring up the rear and are essentially tied. The numbers are revealing, because executive orders are the most formal steps that presidents can take to make policy on their own, and yet no one would rank Carter as the most
Feb. 25, 2013
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Time to reduce dangers of nuclear weapons
President Obama devoted only one sentence to U.S. nuclear weapons in his recent State of the Union speech, which was filled with a long list of proposals for his second term. While he has a lot on his plate for the next four years, the time has come for a major overhaul of U.S. nuclear weapons policy.The Cold War ended more than 20 years ago, but the United States still maintains some 5,000 nuclear weapons in its arsenal, with roughly 2,000 of these deployed on missiles or bombers. These weapons
Feb. 25, 2013
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[Gary Milhollin] North Korea shows dangers of half-deal with Iran
Negotiators from the world’s major powers sit down with Iran this week for more talks on its nuclear program, just weeks after North Korea tested another nuclear weapon. If the connection between these two events isn’t obvious, it should be: North Korea’s nuclear saga is a cautionary tale for anyone attempting to bargain with the Islamic Republic. Back in the 1980s, when suspicions were first raised about North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, the country’s leadership was keen to distract attention wi
Feb. 25, 2013
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Russian meteor kicks up cloud of mistrust
If I had to choose a single word to describe the dominant attitude in Russian society, it would be “mistrust.” The meteor, or possibly small asteroid, that exploded over the Ural Mountains city of Chelyabinsk on Feb. 15 illustrated this as few other events could. The world saw the meteor thanks to the dashboard cameras that are so common in Russian cars. U.S. publications from the New Yorker to Wired delighted in writing about the dash cam phenomenon, unheard of in the U.S. or Europe. Russians u
Feb. 24, 2013
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[David Ignatius] Obama’s team of loyalists
WASHINGTON ― During President Obama’s first term, there was hidden friction between powerful Cabinet secretaries and a White House that wanted control over the foreign-policy process. Now Obama has assembled a new team that, for better or worse, seems more likely to follow the White House lead. The first term featured the famous “team of rivals,” people with heavyweight egos and ambitions who could buck the White House and get away with it. Hillary Clinton and Bob Gates were strong secretaries o
Feb. 24, 2013
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The strange history of corporate sex scandals
Americans are on familiar terms with the sex scandal. Liaisons in business and politics are regularly reported in sordid detail, and typically explained as the boneheaded decisions of smart and successful men under the influence of power and libido. In the 1950s, such scandals briefly provided an opportunity for a larger national conversation, one that questioned the ethics of corporate America’s focus on the bottom line and generated the first systematic advice regarding how to keep sex from hu
Feb. 24, 2013
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Illegal adoption or kidnapping?
The recent case involving an American couple from Illinois and a Korean baby highlights the importance of words, especially in a legal context. The Duquets and mainstream media outlets have referred to the case as an adoption. The question, however, is whether this case primarily concerns adoption, legal or illegal.The United Nations says, “Adoption is the legal and voluntary taking and treating of the child of other parents as one’s own in so far as provided by the laws of the country.” It adds
Feb. 24, 2013
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[Anders Fogh Rasmussen] Defense dividend and NATO
BRUSSELS ― On a hillside overlooking the Turkish city of Gaziantep, Patriot missile launchers are keeping watch under NATO command and control. This is just one of six Patriot batteries from three Allied countries ― Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States ― providing protection for millions of people along Turkey’s southeastern border with Syria. The deployment shows NATO’s enduring commitment to its core task: safeguarding its members’ security. It also shows that, when a crisis erupts,
Feb. 24, 2013
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The U.S. seeks to curb Chinese cyberattacks
Although the word China doesn’t appear in the title of the “Strategy to Mitigate the Theft of U.S. Trade Secrets” that the White House introduced Feb. 20, it was written between the lines in bold type. And that’s a good thing: The recent escalation in Chinese cyberattacks against U.S. targets is a threat to businesses and to the stability of diplomatic relations. It illustrates why Congress must take stronger action to bolster defenses against digital intrusions, and why the rules of cyberwarfar
Feb. 22, 2013
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[Hans-Werner Sinn] The price of Europe’s rescue
MUNICH ― The eurozone is now in its sixth year of crisis ― and of efforts by the European Central Bank and the international community to end it. Policymakers are becoming ensnared in a creeping interventionism that, as British Prime Minister David Cameron has put it, may alter the eurozone “beyond recognition” and violates Europe’s basic economic and political rules.The newest demand, loudly voiced by French President Franois Hollande, is for the ECB to manipulate the exchange rate. Hollande is
Feb. 22, 2013
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Partisan leaders bring chaos in Middle East
Sen. Lindsey Graham said it best.Talking about the challenges the next secretary of defense will confront, Graham, a South Carolina Republican, warned that he will face “a world on fire.”So true, and the Middle East along with the larger Islamic world are the perfect demonstration. When have we ever seen such widespread turmoil, destruction and death as we are witnessing right now?Every day we hear about the continuing violence in Syria, Pakistan, Mali, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Nigeria
Feb. 21, 2013
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[Robert Reich] The meaning of decent society
Raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 should be a no-brainer.Republicans say it will cause employers to shed jobs, but that’s baloney. Employers won’t outsource the jobs abroad or substitute machines for them because jobs at this low level of pay are all in the local personal-service sector (retail, restaurant, hotel and so on), where employers pass on small wage hikes to customers as pennies more on their bills.States that have set their minimum wage closer to $9 than the current federal mi
Feb. 21, 2013
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Myanmar’s gas supply suspension is a wakeup call
Energy Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal will today call an urgent meeting to consider emergency measures to cope with a possible electricity supply shortage in April, when Myanmar temporarily suspends its natural gas supply to Thailand during the Songkran festival.Pongsak warned that a shortage may result in power cuts in some areas, since Myanmar supplies roughly 20 percent of the natural gas consumed in Thailand. However, some energy experts say the suspension of the natural gas supply from Mya
Feb. 21, 2013
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Taiwan must focus on high-end tourism market
Around 2.6 million Chinese people visited Taiwan last year, including just over 220,000 travelers on self-guided tours, according to figures from the Tourism Bureau.While tourism officials must be pleased about the healthy growth of tourism in Taiwan, any further influx of visitors might not be so healthy for the country’s main attractions ― Sun Moon Lake, Alishan National Scenic Area, Taroko National Park and the National Palace Museum.There have been complaints about visitors chatting loudly a
Feb. 21, 2013
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G20 meeting failed to resolve cause of conflict
Industrialized nations ― including Japan, the United States and European countries ― and China and other emerging nations have agreed to avoid “currency competition” in which currencies are guided lower.It is laudable that the Group of 20 meeting in Moscow avoided naming Japan in connection with recent weakening of the yen, but it did not quench the underlying fire that could blaze up again into a new confrontation.The meeting was attended by finance ministers and central bank chiefs from 20 pri
Feb. 21, 2013
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[Haruhiko Kuroda] India faces growth crossroads
MANILA ― As the slowdown in the world’s major industrial economies drags on, growth in developing Asia is being affected. A serious burden will likely be placed on the region’s major economies, particularly its two giants, India and China. Both countries’ external sectors have clearly been hit hard, while domestic consumption is stagnating. Fixed-asset investment in India rose by only 2.3 percent in the first half of 2012, compared to 9 percent in the year-earlier period.Unlike China, which has
Feb. 21, 2013
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[David Ignatius] Sizing up Russia’s big shoulders
WASHINGTON ― A sign of Russia’s defensiveness, bordering on paranoia, is that some senior Russian officials regard the recent buzz about shale gas and oil as American propaganda designed to undermine Moscow’s clout as an energy producer. Vladimir Putin’s Russia has a chip on its shoulder, for sure. It’s a big weight of resentment, reflecting the crushed ambitions of a fallen superpower. But Russia still has big shoulders, too. It’s a country that, for all its ills, has the ability to assist or o
Feb. 20, 2013