The Korea Herald

[Robert J. Fouser] Politics in age of hysteria

ViewpointsSept 10, 2019

On my way to Seoul in late August, I was looking forward to a break from the Trump-induced hysteria of American politics. My hopes were dashed, however, as the hysteria over Cho Kuk, President Moon J...
[Robert J. Fouser] The importance of local news

ViewpointsAug 27, 2019

Below the Washington Post’s masthead sits the phrase “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” The phrase appeared shortly after Donald Trump became president in 2017 in response to his attacks on the press. Cri...
[Robert J. Fouser] Why boycotting Japan won’t work

ViewpointsAug 13, 2019

As expected, tensions between South Korea and Japan have continued to worsen. On Aug. 2, Japan followed through with its threat to remove Korea from the “whitelist” of countries that Japan designates...
[Robert J. Fouser] An effective response to the global populist wave

ViewpointsJul 30, 2019

Last spring, a Korean friend used the phrase “things people can still do” in broad conversation about business and current events. Last week, I was reminded of the phrase when I took a ride in a driv...
[Robert J. Fouser] Improving relations between South Korea and Japan

ViewpointsJul 16, 2019

South Korea and Japan are at it again. On July 1, the Japanese government decided to restrict exports to South Korea of three products used in semiconductor and smartphone manufacturing. It argued th...
[Robert J. Fouser] After the surprise meeting in Panmunjom

ViewpointsJul 2, 2019

The sight of a US president shaking hands with a North Korean leader at the border in Panmunjom and then briefly stepping into North Korea would have been unimaginable just one year ago. With this sy...
[Robert J. Fouser] Japan’s quiet moves toward accepting immigrants

ViewpointsJun 18, 2019

The Olympics are no longer the big global moment that they were in the late 20th century, but, as events surrounding the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang showed, they still have symbolic power. The Sum...
[Robert J. Fouser] Trump’s chances for re-election dim

ViewpointsJun 4, 2019

During a short visit to Kyoto, Japan, on my way to Korea, a taxi driver told me that US President Donald Trump made him nervous because he is so unpredictable. I reassured him that many, if not most,...
[Robert J. Fouser] Changes in “street economy”

ViewpointsMay 21, 2019

When I visited South Korea in the spring of 2018, everybody was talking about the breakthrough with North Korea. A year later, everybody is talking about the economy. Small business owners, in parti...
[Robert J. Fouser] Reducing abandoned houses in old neighborhoods

ViewpointsMay 7, 2019

Last week, I visited a friend living on top of a steep hill in Seongbuk-dong. The house had a sweeping view of the entire center of the city and of the rest of the neighborhood below. As we talked ab...
[Robert J. Fouser] Making the most of the renewable energy boom

ViewpointsApr 9, 2019

A few weeks ago, somebody asked me the secret to South Korea’s success. Not being an economist, I couldn’t give an authoritative answer, so I replied by saying simply that Korea invests in its people...
[Robert J. Fouser] Looking at mayors for future leaders

ViewpointsMar 26, 2019

The race for Democratic nomination for president in 2020 is almost full. Only the front runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, has yet to declare his candidacy. The race has more women and African-...
[Robert J. Fouser] After the Hanoi summit

ViewpointsMar 12, 2019

Expectations were low going into the recent summit in Hanoi between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but nobody expected that the two leaders would end up saying goodbye...
[Robert J. Fouser] South Korea as No. 1?

ViewpointsFeb 12, 2019

Last week, a BBC article from 2017 stating that life expectancy in South Korea would become the longest in the world by 2030 popped up on a social media feed. The article noted that life expectancy f...
[Robert J. Fouser] Dangers in the upcoming US-North Korea summit

ViewpointsJan 29, 2019

The first month of the New Year has been busy in Washington, DC. A 35-day government shutdown over funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border ended with President Donald Trump caving to a united D...