Most Popular
-
1
Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
-
2
[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
-
3
Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
-
4
Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
-
5
Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
-
6
'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
-
7
Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
-
8
Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
-
9
'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
-
10
Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
-
[J. Bradford DeLong] Utopia or bust -- the politics of economic governance
My book on the economic history of the 20th century, published last fall, did not include a chapter on the question of the future or “what we should do next,” because my frequent co-author, Stephen S. Cohen, convinced me that whatever I wrote would come to look outdated and silly within six months. He was right: Such arguments are better left to commentaries like this one. So, if I had written a final chapter looking to the future, what should I have said? Prior to the phantom text,
Feb. 6, 2023
-
[Song Young-gil] There is no Planet B!
Winter is coming! It’s a famous line often cited from US fantasy series “Game of Thrones.” Russia was able to defeat Napoleon’s invasion in 1812 and to stop Hitler’s advance in 1941 thanks to the cold weather. Perhaps, Russian President Vladimir Putin might have expected such a weather chance when he decided to invade Ukraine. But, his attempt to block the EU’s intervention by threatening to cut Russia's supply of natural gas to Europe turned out to be a
Feb. 6, 2023
-
[William D. Hartung] Risks of continuing military aid to Ukraine
The Biden administration announced last week that the US will provide 31 Abrams M-1 tanks to Ukraine, and Germany said it will send 14 of its Leopard tanks to Kyiv. The tank deal and the first anniversary of the start of the war in February offer an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness and future direction of US military aid to Ukraine, which has been authorized at more than $27 billion in the last year alone -- an annual amount not seen since the height of the Vietnam War. American arms an
Feb. 3, 2023
-
Uzbek-Kyrgyz summit, indicator of new trends in Central Asia
The state visit of the Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Kyrgyzstan ended Jan. 27. Undoubtedly, the significance of its results will go down in the history of bilateral relations. Moreover, they mark a new stage in the process of regional cooperation. I would even say that the significance of the results of the visit goes beyond the region and may even play an important role in stabilizing the entire system of international relations. There are good reasons for such an assertion. Duri
Feb. 2, 2023
-
[Lee Kyong-hee] Reconciliation to overcome sordid history
The Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s rush to mend fences with Japan stokes both hopes and concerns. The hopes are for a modest achievement -- a certain degree of amity after years of bitter feuds. The concerns constitute a minefield. They defy the administration’s contention that its predecessors were “driven by short-sighted anti-Japanism” and the results will be different this time. Frankly, concerns override hopes. The first hurdle to rapprochement is the long-festering
Feb. 2, 2023
-
[Antara Haldar] Davos Man has a people problem
One of the most iconic images of our time shows a polar bear marooned and adrift on an ice floe. Few other images capture the reality of climate change so viscerally. And now, ironically, Davos Man finds himself in a similar metaphorical position. His natural habitat, the hyper-globalized world of the past half-century, is shrinking, and he has gone from skiing in the Swiss Alps to skating on thin ice. Of course, globalization long predates Davos Man. Ever since the dawn of industrialization in
Feb. 2, 2023
-
[Kim Seong-kon] South Korea: A country of veterans
In the US and Japan, men are not required to fulfill mandatory military duty. Therefore, both Americans and Japanese find military life irrelevant to them. In the case of America, for example, the Council on Foreign Relations has recently revealed that presently there are 1.3 million US soldiers on active duty, which consist of only 0.5 percent of the American population. In South Korea, where military service is compulsory, things are radically different. Except for teenagers, nearly all Kore
Feb. 1, 2023
-
[Francis Wilkinson] The persistence of US police problem
You will not believe the video that was released Friday night showing Memphis police officers beating -- ultimately to death -- a young Black man. I don’t really mean that, of course. If you live in the US, and participate in society, you likely have no difficulty believing that a gang of violent police officers fatally pummeled Tyre Nichols in what the city’s police chief accurately described as a “heinous” attack. Indeed, if you have an internet connection or a televi
Feb. 1, 2023
-
Portuguese embassy to hold exhibition on 'Journey of an Architect'
The Portuguese Embassy in Seoul will hold an exhibition on Portuguese modern and contemporary architecture, titled "Journey of an Architect," beginning Thursday at the Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture. Eduardo Souto de Moura, a Portuguese architect and a crucial figure of the Porto School, is celebrated in this exhibition, it added. He was the recipient of the Pritzker Prize in 2011, the Wolf Prize for Architecture in 2013, and the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2018. &qu
Jan. 31, 2023
-
Indonesia pledges closer friendship, stronger partnership with Korea
Top diplomats from South Korea and Indonesia pledged to forge a closer friendship and stronger partnership during a talk held online and in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday. The year 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Korea. Speaking to attendees gathered at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who attended the event online, called for closer friendship and partnership, including in building a greener and more sustain
Jan. 31, 2023
-
In face of supply disruptions, Korea, India must work together
India is willing to collaborate with South Korea to resolve supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other geopolitical conflicts, said Amit Kumar, Indian ambassador to Korea, on Friday, stressing the 50 years of bilateral ties and deep trust building towards the future. Global geopolitical conflicts have exposed the acute vulnerability of supply chains and the risks of dependency on one country, Kumar told The Korea Herald, noting that "India and Korea must work togethe
Jan. 31, 2023
-
Indian Embassy celebrates 74th Republic Day
The Indian Embassy in Seoul on Thursday celebrated its 74th Republic Day with traditional dances and performances. The event commemorates the Jan. 26 anniversary on which the Indian Constitution came into effect in 1950. Delivering Indian President Droupadi Murmu’s message at the event, Indian Ambassador to Korea Amit Kumar outlined India's recent changes, development projects, achievements and future vision to the Indian diaspora in Korea. Kumar also spoke about India–Korea cul
Jan. 31, 2023
-
[Joseph E. Stiglitz] How not to fight inflation
Despite favorable indices, it is too soon to tell whether inflation has been tamed. Nonetheless, two clear lessons have emerged from the recent price surge. First, economists’ standard models -- especially the dominant one that assumes the economy always to be in equilibrium -- were effectively useless. And, second, those who confidently asserted that it would take five years of pain to wring inflation out of the system have already been refuted. Inflation has fallen dramatically, with the
Jan. 31, 2023
-
[Gernot Wagner] Realism about techno-optimism
Technology will save us! No, it won’t! Whenever the climate-policy debate addresses specific economic sectors, potential carbon-abatement technologies, or energy strategy, the same fundamental question always arises: How much can we rely on “simple,” preferably “cheap,” technofixes? Can climate change be addressed by counting on people to switch to lower-carbon technologies, or will it take more fundamental changes to how we live and organize ourselves as a society?
Jan. 31, 2023
-
[Elizabeth Shackelford] Why Wagner Group’s influence in West Africa is growing
France has waged a counterterrorism campaign in the small West African country of Burkina Faso since 2018. But on Jan. 20, hundreds of protesters in the capital city of Ouagadougou waved Russian flags and demanded the French army’s ouster. Days later, the country’s military government told the French to leave within a month. Burkina Faso is just the latest African country where the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-linked mercenary organization, has become the face of Russia’s foreign po
Jan. 30, 2023
-
[Taniguchi Tomohiko] Japan's security vision is Abe's legacy
The gusto with which Japan has embraced rearmament has surprised its allies and international partners. Last month, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled detailed plans to double defense spending over the next five years, leaving no doubt about the country’s determination to expand its military capabilities to deter China’s expansionist ambitions. Japan’s new strategic vision represents the culmination of a long-term shift that began under Kishida’s predecessor,
Jan. 30, 2023
-
[Robert J. Fouser] Universities need deep reform
On a recent afternoon walk, I ran into a neighbor teaching at a nearby state university. We got to talking about work and she said that “big cuts are coming” because of “demographic crisis.” I had heard that universities in the US had suffered a drop in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic but had assumed they would recover to pre-pandemic levels soon. What my neighbor referred to as “demographic crisis” is more than just demographics. Compared to other adv
Jan. 27, 2023
-
[Daniel DePetris] US can afford defense budget cut
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had to beg, plead and deal to get his current job. One of the agreements struck on the House floor with the most conservative faction of the Republican caucus was a promise to keep the next spending bill at levels that were agreed to in fiscal 2022. If McCarthy keeps his word, $130 billion in federal discretionary spending would be cut from the recently passed budget package. And if defense spending were to be included, $76 billion in military expenditures would be
Jan. 26, 2023
-
[Wang Son-taek] The ‘Iran enemy’ remarks and iron rules of diplomacy
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s recent visit to the United Arab Emirates achieved a huge result. It was one of the best results from a state visit, with Korea gaining $30 billion in investment commitments from the UAE. However, there is little discussion about this achievement in Korea. Instead, there is a backlash over diplomatic conflicts with Iran over President Yoon’s “Iran enemy” remarks. They came during a visit to South Korean military units dispatched to the UAE on Jan.
Jan. 26, 2023
-
[Kim Seong-kon] Does USA resemble ancient Greece or Rome?
People sometimes ask, “Does the USA more closely resemble ancient Greece or the Roman Empire?” The answer is “Both,” because America has characteristics of both Greece and Rome. Like ancient Greece, for example, America is devoted to noble ideas such as democracy and human rights. At the same time, however, like the Roman Empire, America embraces commercialism and pragmatism. As had ancient Greece, so too does America have internationally famed scholars, scientists and un
Jan. 25, 2023