Most Popular
-
1
Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
-
2
Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
-
3
S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
-
4
[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
-
5
Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
-
6
Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
-
7
Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
-
8
[Robert J. Fouser] AI changes rationale for learning languages
-
9
Woman dangling from power lines rescued by residents holding blanket
-
10
Ador CEO's request for exclusive right to terminate NewJeans' contract with Hybe refused in February
-
[Kim Seong-kon] Korean wave: From fast food to gourmet cuisine
A few days ago, Guy Sorman, the celebrated French economist, thinker and culture critic, visited Korea to participate in a book festival sponsored by Paju Book City. In his short lecture before the opening ceremony, Sorman assured the audience that globalization will neither harm nor eradicate Korean culture.I cannot agree with him more because, according to the co-evolution theory, cultures constantly merge and one culture is enriched by another, not endangered by it. And yet, many Koreans stil
Oct. 2, 2012
-
The fans are the victims of NFL owners’ greed
Those who lost the most Monday night in Seattle weren’t the Green Bay Packers. That was bad enough. The ones who lost the most were the fans who love the game and have made it the premier sport that it is.They lost thanks to the ineptitude of replacement referees who don’t understand the rules of the game and can’t see an interception when it’s right in front of their noses. More important, they lost to NFL owners who spout platitudes about the integrity of the game and then trade integrity for
Sept. 28, 2012
-
[Jeffrey D. Sachs] The keys to national prosperity
NEW YORK ― In many of history’s most successful economic reforms, clever countries have learned from the policy successes of others, adapting them to local conditions. In the long history of economic development, 18th century Britain learned from Holland; early 19th century Prussia learned from Britain and France; mid-19th century Meiji Japan learned from Germany; post-World War II Europe learned from the United States; and Deng Xiaoping’s China learned from Japan.Through a process of institutio
Sept. 28, 2012
-
U.S. housing market comes out of the woods
After sinking for six awful years, the U.S. housing market finally has bounced off the bedrock: Sales are up, prices have stabilized, more homeowners are keeping up with their mortgage payments. A huge weight on the economic recovery is slowly lifting.In recent days, reports have shown home prices starting to rise. On Tuesday came news that the S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index climbed in July, the fourth straight monthly improvement. Prices in the Chicago area rose 2.7 percent in July, better t
Sept. 27, 2012
-
[Liah Greenfeld] Roots of China-Japan rivalry
BOSTON ― The anti-Japan protests that continue to roil China are just another indication of the rise of a potent Chinese nationalism. After a century slowly fomenting among Chinese intellectuals, national sentiment has captured and redefined the consciousness of the Chinese people during the last two decades of China’s economic boom. This mass national consciousness launched the Chinese colossus into global competition to achieve an international status commensurate with the country’s vast capac
Sept. 27, 2012
-
Outlook for N. Korea’s economic revival uncertain
North Korea is seemingly laying the foundation for future development. But it remains to be seen what results Kim Jong-un’s reform initiatives will produce.The Supreme People’s Assembly ― North Korea’s parliament ― held a one-day session Tuesday. It was the second assembly session held since Kim Jong-un’s regime was inaugurated in April.In the latest session, the assembly decided to extend the term of compulsory education from the current 11 years to 12 years. The reform is reportedly aimed at b
Sept. 27, 2012
-
Revamp the stock market
The battle over the psychologically important threshold of 2,000 points considerably intensified as the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dipped to a three-and-half-year low of 2,005 points on Monday morning. A mild rebound in the afternoon might have temporarily saved domestic investors from panic selling, but it still looks more than likely that the Chinese stock market is yet to find a bottom given the economic weakness both at home and abroad. Chinese policymakers should listen attentively
Sept. 27, 2012
-
United Nations jamboree: Just more hot air
Every year for several weeks after the third week of September, world leaders gather at the U.N. headquarters in New York to make speeches about the state of the world and the regions they come from. It is very hard to find a good speech these days from among the 193 member countries because all leaders want to say things they have in mind, which do not necessarily reflect the reality of the world or the themes designated by the U.N.This year will be no exception. Indeed, it must be a very depre
Sept. 27, 2012
-
Racing ahead with Formula One
Singapore’s hosting of the Formula One Grand Prix until 2017 is being received differently here, fraught as it is with cost-benefit factors that do not lend themselves to precise measurement. The race’s cheerleaders point to the winning aspects of the event ― a combination of clockwork efficiency, a Singapore trademark, and thrills. Spectators, whether in the stands or around the world, see not just the sleek cars but also the brilliant Singapore night skyline. The association can heighten the i
Sept. 27, 2012
-
[Bruce Gale] Taiwan’s economy can still make a comeback
Just when it seemed Taiwan’s economy could hardly get worse, it did. After five straight months of decline, exports tumbled yet again last month, defying predictions that the fall would bottom out.According to Bloomberg, the consensus among economists was for a drop of around 2.7 percent last month compared to the same time last year. The actual decline, however, was 4.2 percent.Indeed, the performance underscored just how dismal the island’s economic situation has really become. Gross domestic
Sept. 27, 2012
-
[Robert Shiller] Stories about global weakening
NEW HAVEN ― Recent indications of a weakening global economy have led many people to wonder how pervasive poor economic performance will be in the coming years. Are we facing a long global slump, or possibly even a depression?A fundamental problem in forecasting nowadays is that the ultimate causes of the slowdown are really psychological and sociological, and relate to fluctuating confidence and changing “animal spirits,” about which George Akerlof and I have written. We argue that such shifts
Sept. 26, 2012
-
Apple’s scorched-earth iPhone fight with Google
In the article “Easter Island’s End,” Jared Diamond described the steps that led to the deforestation of a subtropical, fertile paradise. Over a few hundred years, inhabitants used the gigantic palm trees around them as rolling surfaces on which to haul stones; they then used more trees to lever the stones into place on platforms. Competing chieftains built larger statues on larger platforms. Eventually, the last tree was gone and the island was covered only in grasses and shrubs, leading to sta
Sept. 26, 2012
-
Hidden hands behind the Muslim movie outrage
You don’t have to be an Islamophobe to say, “Enough already.”It’s time for U.S. officials to stop apologizing for the YouTube video that supposedly sparked recent riots in Islamic countries. The video is merely a convenient pretext for religious radicals and irresponsible politicians to stir up anti-Western anger; they would have found another excuse if it hadn’t surfaced.In an effort to avoid violence in Pakistan, the U.S. embassy in Islamabad broadcast ads on local TV showing American leaders
Sept. 26, 2012
-
[Park Sang-seek] Korea must find balance between big powers
Recently three separate bilateral disputes ― between South Korea and China, South Korea and Japan, and Japan and China ― have exposed another aspect of the security environment in Northeast Asia. These recent events have compelled Korea to review its traditional four-power strategy.More specifically, what do “the strategic cooperative partnership” between South Korea and China and “the more mature partnership” between South Korea and Japan mean in real terms? The same question can be raised abou
Sept. 26, 2012
-
Lesson about confronting child abuse allegations
Records coming to light as a result of litigation against Irving-based Boy Scouts of America demonstrate yet again the fundamental lesson about handling child molestation allegations: The interests of institutions can’t override the obligation to protect the most vulnerable.Time and again, it’s been shown that when adults ignored or covered up or denied or simply failed to follow through, abusers were enabled, children got hurt and justice wasn’t served.The Catholic Church, Penn State University
Sept. 25, 2012
-
[Daniel Fiedler] Should the mob rule in Korea?
Scenes of angry mobs in the Middle East and China fill the newspapers, internet and television these days. The raw emotion and irrationality that is driven by nationalism and religious fervor oozes out of the pictures. Ochlocracy, or rule by mob, is a dangerous and scary phenomenon. And yet that is exactly what calls for the resumption of the death penalty, or the institution of forced physical castration, in South Korea. Detailed descriptions of the horrors of crime merely add fuel to the fire
Sept. 25, 2012
-
iTune world is no place for scratchy 45’s
Director Ridley Scott found a new muse for his next thriller: Japan’s earthquake-devastated northeast. “Japan in a Day” opens the Tokyo International Film Festival next month, and many anticipate that the documentary charting Japan’s recovery from natural disaster will lift spirits and revive a sense of purpose among the nation’s 127 million people. Hollywood disaster flicks have nothing on March 11, 2011. Tsunami waves as high as 133 feet left more than 19,000 dead or missing, wiped out whole t
Sept. 25, 2012
-
‘Innocence of Muslims’ skews free speech
In one of the most famous First Amendment cases in U.S. history, Schenck vs. United States, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. established that the right to free speech in the United States is not unlimited. “The most stringent protection,” he wrote on behalf of a unanimous court, “would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.”Holmes’ test ― that words are not protected if their nature and circumstances create a “clear and present danger” of harm
Sept. 25, 2012
-
[Kim Seong-kon] Is dependence on Google making us stupid?
Is Google making us stupid? I am toying with the sarcastic title of James Bowman’s essay, “Is Stupid Making Us Google?” The celebrated essay begins with the following: “Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy. My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore.” Then the essay continues: “Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages.
Sept. 25, 2012
-
[Shailendra Raj Mehta] The secret of Harvard’s success
AHMEDABAD, INDIA ― No country dominates any industry as much as the United States dominates higher education. According to Shanghai Jiao-Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities, for example, 17 of the world’s 20 best universities are American, with Harvard topping the list by a substantial margin.The traditional explanation for this phenomenon ― America’s wealth, large population, generous research funding, widespread private philanthropy, and ability to attract scholars from ar
Sept. 24, 2012