Most Popular
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
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SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
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Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
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Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
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Pianist Cho Seong-Jin named Berlin Philharmonic's artist-in-residence
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[David Ignatius] A sea change in Muslim world
WASHINGTON ― Something startling is happening in the Muslim world ― and no, I don’t mean the Arab Spring or the growth of Islamic fundamentalism. According to a leading demographer, a “sea change” is producing a sharp decline in Muslim fertility rates and a “flight from marriage” among Arab women.Nicholas Eberstadt, a scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, documented these findings in two recent papers. They tell a story that contradicts the usual picture of a continuing population expl
Feb. 13, 2013
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North Korea’s nuclear game enters new phase
Kim Jong-un has just carried out North Korea’s third nuclear test and the general mood among experts is, “There they go again.”If history is any indicator, the test will make headlines and the international community’s response will crescendo, followed by near silence. Over the last two decades, alarm bells have quieted despite concerns over continued nuclear and missile testing because experts believe the North Korean nuclear threat is still in its infancy.However, this test is a pivot point. I
Feb. 13, 2013
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Honoring black soldiers who helped free Koreans
The events, during Black History Month, commemorate the 60th anniversary of the truce that ended fighting in the Korean War and the black troops who helped keep South Korea free. It was 65 years ago that Missouri’s own President Harry S. Truman did the unthinkable with an executive order, integrating U.S. armed forces.African-American soldiers had fought in every U.S. war before then ― but in segregated units ― and were never fully recognized or appreciated. It was in the Korean War from 1950 to
Feb. 13, 2013
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[Joseph E. Stiglitz] Complacency in Davos as eurozone crisis eases
DAVOS ― The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos has lost some of its pre-crisis panache. After all, before the meltdown in 2008, the captains of finance and industry could trumpet the virtues of globalization, technology and financial liberalization, which supposedly heralded a new era of relentless growth. The benefits would be shared by all, if only they would do “the right thing.”Those days are gone. But Davos remains a good place to get a sense of the global zeitgeist.It goes with
Feb. 13, 2013
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Three domestic themes for Obama’s big speech
In his second inaugural address, U.S. President Barack Obama offered a vague but appealing vision. Now it’s time for the more distinct and contentious translation. In his State of the Union address, scheduled for Feb. 12, the president is widely expected to talk about ways to improve the condition of the middle class and increase job growth. The question, given the slow-growing economy and intransigent congressional opposition, is what exactly he can say and do to advance those goals. From our s
Feb. 12, 2013
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[Daniel Fiedler] Learning how to lead in S. Korea
Recently the South Korean Ministry of Justice announced that it was considering the adoption of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law. The impetus behind this announcement was a series of recommendations by the United Nations Human Rights Council contained in the 2012 Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of South Korea adopted in October. Since that time the Ministry of Justice has been reviewing the 70 recommendations contained in the second section of that Report and
Feb. 12, 2013
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The perpetual delusions of the anti-war crowd
PARIS ― The anti-war types are unhappy with France’s foray into Mali to help that country’s troops eradicate balkanizing terrorism at the request of the Malian government. If even the French aren’t “allowed” to go to war ― and under a Socialist president, no less ― then who can?It would indeed be nice if there were no wars anywhere on Earth. It would also be great to own five BMWs and three private islands. Both are equally unlikely scenarios, yet only the first is accepted as plausible by the p
Feb. 12, 2013
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Pope Benedict’s courage and the church’s challenge
Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to step down as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church was fittingly unexpected for a man who has long defied easy categorization. It was also a brave step at a time when the Catholic Church is facing an array of global challenges. First, we applaud Benedict’s courage in recognizing that he is simply no longer up to the job. He is 85, and by his own admission in failing strength, mentally and physically. His successor, to be selected by the College of Cardinals, wil
Feb. 12, 2013
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Why man returns to Japan when others want to flee
My favorite Haruhiko Kuroda moment was on a Tokyo-bound flight on March 13, 2011, two days after a gigantic earthquake struck northeast Japan. I was in the Philippines when the quake precipitated a nuclear crisis. On the first available flight back, the president of the Manila-based Asian Development Bank sat near me on an almost-empty plane. Manila-to-Tokyo flights are rarely made with a single empty seat, but no one likes to fly into a potential Chernobyl, not with tens of thousands in Japan c
Feb. 12, 2013
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[Kim Seong-kon] Don’t look to government for aid
In his inaugural speech in 1961, John F. Kennedy fascinated the audience with a monumental line: “And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you ― ask what you can do for your country.” Perhaps the Korean people should consider what Kennedy said as well, since Koreans tend to expect their country to do everything for them. When the taxi business is slow, for example, Korean taxi companies expect, and sometimes even demand, that the government help them financially. And the
Feb. 12, 2013
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Drone war needs clear rules instead of more leaks
Well, isn’t it remarkable that the White House’s legal justification for its drone war against terrorists was leaked just days before the Senate hearing of John O. Brennan as director of the Central Intelligence Agency? Whether or not the passing to NBC News of the 16-page “white paper” ― based on a still-unreleased memo from the Justice Department on the September 2011 killing of the U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen ― was intended to help or hurt Brennan, it will certainly make for a more
Feb. 11, 2013
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[David Ignatius] U.S. is back, looking forward
MUNICH, Germany ― Every movie buff remembers the conclusion of “The Wizard of Oz,” when Dorothy wishes herself back from a head-spinning foreign travail by repeating the phrase, “There’s no place like home.” Well, there was a bit of that sentimental homecoming on display last weekend at the Munich Security Conference, whose theme might have been “Back to the Future.”Vice President Joe Biden was positively gushing about the good old trans-Atlantic alliance in his speech to the conference. Only a
Feb. 11, 2013
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KAMS countries are pushing aside BRICs
Acronyms often signal a cul de sac of communication. Acceptability of a proposition seems to increase once a clever acronym is created to define it.One such dexterous acronym is BRIC ― standing for Brazil, Russia, India and China ― representing a proposition that these are emerging economies, the engine of the global growth, and the next fertile ground for market and investment opportunities, bar none.That’s not a simple proposition. Its complication has different dimensions, each requiring fast
Feb. 11, 2013
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Psy fires up political battle in Malaysia
The political battle in Malaysia has given K-pop stars a money-earning opportunity. They might think that it is so easy to earn money here.Psy of “Gangnam Style” has been invited to perform at BN’s Chinese New Year open house in Penang. How much does he charge for the performance? Some said $500,000, while some others said $1 million and 5 million ringgit ($1.6 million). Penang BN leaders, however, said they spend not even a penny.Business is business. Do you believe that a global celebrity will
Feb. 11, 2013
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[Mkhaimar Abusada] Hamas heightening regional stature significantly
GAZA CITY ― Hamas, the militant political movement that has ruled Gaza since 2007, has emerged from the latest round of fighting with Israel with its regional status significantly enhanced. At the same time, the movement faces new questions about its ability to take advantage of the diplomatic opportunities that it has gained.Hamas’s forceful response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza in November, which included landing rockets near Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, demonstrated its commitment to its
Feb. 11, 2013
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North Korea may have finally gone too far
It seems North Korea has finally gone too far ― even for China, its patron state and only true friend. For the first time, Chinese leaders seem to be taking modest steps intended to punish their southern neighbor for threatening to conduct a third nuclear-weapons test.After a year in office, North Korea’s chubby, naif supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, has remade himself into a belligerent bully, openly threatening South Korea ― and the United States.My question is: With what?North Korea has already c
Feb. 7, 2013
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[J. Bradford DeLong] Return of grand mal economics
BERKELEY ― Across the North Atlantic region, central bankers and governments seem, for the most part, helpless in restoring full employment to their economies. Europe has slipped back into recession without ever really recovering from the financial/sovereign-debt crisis that began in 2008. The United States’ economy is currently growing at 1.5 percent per year (about a full percentage point less than potential), and growth may slow, owing to a small fiscal contraction this year.Industrial market
Feb. 7, 2013
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China’s maritime strategy may threaten regional stability
China’s expansion of its maritime interests has been heightening tensions with neighboring countries. All possible measures must be taken to ensure Japan does not crack under coercive Chinese pressure.The Chinese government led by Xi Jinping has set this year as the first year in China’s bid to become a strong maritime power. As China’s military might grows, its expansionist strategy calls for enclosing the East China Sea and the South China Sea and making it a “China Sea.”China has set the goal
Feb. 7, 2013
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Avoid beggar-thy-neighbor approach to exchange rates
Japan’s new government has curiously been put on the defensive for attempting to reflate an inert economy. People talk of Japan’s lost decade but the dip has lasted a generation, dating from the asset crash of the late 1980s. Now Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cash-pumping to weaken the yen and raise exports has been likened by European and some Asian central bankers to the beggar-thy-neighbor currency mania of the 1930s. It is conceded an inflationary contagion across borders is real as the Bank o
Feb. 7, 2013
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Pension reform necessary, but hurts Kuomintang
Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou is a courageous man. He has tackled the nation’s soon-to-go-bankrupt pension system, which his predecessor Chen Shui-bian dared not tinker with for fear he would bankrupt his Democratic Progressive Party.One week ago today, after months of growing public fears of the bankruptcy of Taiwan’s pension system, Ma unveiled his pension reform plan to the nation, promising that the system would be safe for 30 years. He said that there should be no more worries thanks to his
Feb. 7, 2013