Most Popular
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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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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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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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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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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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
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[Andrew Sheng] Is a currency war coming?
When Shinzo Abe became Japan’s prime minister on Boxing Day last year, he promised to deliver change. Very shortly thereafter, he announced a 10.3 trillion yen ($116 billion, or 2.2 percent of GDP) stimulus package to end deflation and pressured the Bank of Japan to adopt a 2 percent inflation target. As a result, the stock market index Nikkei jumped 28.3 percent from mid-November to current levels and the yen weakened by 20.1 percent from 75.7 to 90.9, its lowest level in over two years.Such ac
Feb. 7, 2013
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Endless U.S.-style campaigns go bad overseas
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is going American in a big way by setting the next national election seven months from now. The record length of the campaign is bad news for her opponent, Tony Abbott, and may be even worse for the nation’s 23 million people. Turning to a permanent campaign like that of the U.S. is shrewd politics. It puts opposition leader Abbott on the defensive, forcing him to offer more than tired conservative nostrums about the magic of lower taxes, less regulation a
Feb. 6, 2013
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[Park Sang-seek] Multicultural strategy for Korea
The world was alarmed by German Prime Minister Angela Merkel’s remarks against multiculturalism in 2010. The whole world was shocked when a Norwegian committed mass murder and declared war against multiculturalism in 2011. South Korea is rapidly becoming a multicultural society and it is officially committed to a multicultural policy. It is time for the South Korean government and people to discuss the implications of multiculturalism for the future Korea.The debate should first begin with the d
Feb. 6, 2013
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The Boy Scouts vs. the Supreme Court
Can the Defense Department overrule the U.S. Supreme Court? Can the Boy Scouts of America? The short answer is: Of course not. But a full response turns out to be more complicated, and it offers a lesson for thinking about the relationship between constitutional law and the evolving nature of rights. Here’s the lesson. We often think that our rights are established by the Constitution and by the Supreme Court, interpreting that document. True, the Constitution is fundamental, but some of our mos
Feb. 6, 2013
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Clear the smog
The unrelenting smog that is still shrouding central and northern China requires the nation to take more consistent and down-to-earth measures to combat the problem.Policymakers, in particular, must make a thorough assessment of the problem before devising targeted measures to reduce the pollution.The smog, which has repeatedly hit northern cities, such as Beijing, has caused growing concern. Facing growing public complaints, the government has vowed to take measures to solve the problem.We do h
Feb. 6, 2013
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A case for limiting details about killer flu virus
Americans are still in the grip of a scary flu season. Who can forget the alarming headlines about the swift spread and virulence of this year’s bug? Everyone’s still on high alert should someone sneeze or cough on the bus, train, restaurant or office. Violators are dealt with harshly.Now imagine a flu strain exponentially more contagious and more deadly. Fiction? Hardly. In late 2011, a Dutch scientist announced that he had genetically tweaked one of the world’s most deadly bird flu viruses to
Feb. 6, 2013
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[Kim Myong-sik] Park and Suu Kyi: A contrast
It was impressive to watch the two most famous women in Asia meet in Seoul last week. Aung San Suu Kyi, the top opposition leader of Myanmar (Burma), paid a visit to President-elect Park Geun-hye and they exchanged words on freedom and democracy and cooperation between their countries. Beyond their commonness as daughters of great national leaders, however, they shared little with regard to the political path that brought them to where they are today. Logging a total of 15 years under house arre
Feb. 6, 2013
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U.S. immigration reform plan is a farce
PARIS ― A bipartisan group of senators has just lit a soggy fuse under the immigration debate. The statement of principles tabled by four senators from each party is such an impotent byproduct of compromise that calling it bipartisan is redundant. This manifesto of mediocrity fails to address the biggest immigration problems facing America ― starting with the question of “Why?”Does anyone ever ask WHY there are so many illegal immigrants in America? While it’s understandable that foreign citizen
Feb. 5, 2013
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[Lee Jae-min] Protectionism by currency war
Economic recovery at the expense of your neighbors? The wave of competitive currency devaluation further intensified in the month of January while pessimism grew that the year 2013 would be remembered as the year of a global exchange rates war. In many countries, quantitative easing and the ensuing currency depreciations are touted as the final prescription to boost exports and re-energize sagging domestic economies. Forget about the detrimental fallout for other countries. A blame game has alre
Feb. 5, 2013
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In the year of the snake, shed your skins
As people around the world prepare to ring in the Year of the Snake, here’s a simple way to honor these mysterious, misunderstood animals: Keep them out of your wardrobe. Snakes and other reptiles should not have to suffer and die just for our cold-blooded vanity.According to a recent International Trade Center report, the global trade in python skins ― which is poorly regulated and often illegal ― is threatening these animals’ survival. Half a million python skins are exported each year from So
Feb. 5, 2013
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[Naomi Wolf] Inequality a growing scourge in America
PARK CITY, Utah ― The last documentary film that used dry charts and statistics to make an abstract argument about a global issue and nonetheless became a pop-culture hit was Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” But the hit of this year’s Sundance Film Festival was a low-key affair called “Inequality for All,” in which Robert Reich, a labor secretary in the Clinton administration, explains how rising income inequality and the demise of the middle class is causing so many Americans to suffer.With P
Feb. 5, 2013