Articles by 류근하
류근하
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ASEAN is living dangerously in South China Sea
The South China Sea’s benign environment of the past has effectively been destroyed. In the past few months, it is clear that the tension has increased manyfold. If the temperature continues to rise, it could reach boiling point. It is possible that there will be armed conflict in the area as never before seen. After all, the territorial claimants have acted in such ways that other claimants can n
Viewpoints June 24, 2011
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[Editorial] Devil is in the details
The prosecution and the police have struck a deal to end an unedifying dispute on the right to investigate crimes. The agreement, struck Monday between Justice Minister Lee Kwi-nam and National Police Agency chief Cho Hyun-oh, is a compromise that balances the key demands of the two sides.Specifically, they agreed to empower police officers to launch an investigation if there is reasonable suspici
Editorial June 22, 2011
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[Editorial] Woori privatization
The government’s renewed plan to privatize Woori Finance Holdings appears to have collapsed in the face of lawmakers’ opposition to the possible emergence of a mega bank. Last month, the Public Fund Oversight Committee resumed the process of selling off the government’s 57 percent stake in the nation’s second-largest financial group. The process was stalled in December following an aborted attempt
Editorial June 22, 2011
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[Guy Verhofstadt] EU must unite for the economic governance it needs
BRUSSELS ― Two lessons have emerged from Europe’s financial crisis. First, there is no substitute for timely and coordinated action when the single currency is under pressure. Second, all eurozone countries are effectively in the same boat. If the boat springs a leak, everyone sinks.A quicker and more concerted response might have limited the fall-out from the crisis, and thus its cost. The Europe
Viewpoints June 22, 2011
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America’s life expectancy starts to decline
In large swaths of the nation, life expectancy has stopped increasing and even declined slightly over the decade that ended in 2007, particularly among women. This historic reversal of a long-time trend toward longer life expectancies in the world’s richest nation is virtually unique in the developed world and appears largely due to the growing inequality of American society.To be sure, this week’
Viewpoints June 21, 2011
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[Simon Tilford] Europe’s competitiveness trap
LONDON ― A flawed understanding of what drives economic growth has emerged as the gravest threat to recovery in Europe. European policymakers are obsessed with national “competitiveness,” and genuinely appear to think that prosperity is synonymous with trade surpluses. This largely explains why Germany is routinely cited as an example of a strong, “competitive” economy.But economic growth, even in
Viewpoints June 21, 2011
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[Rachel Marsden] How to survive a political sex scandal in the U.S.
Democratic New York Congressman Anthony Weiner decided to take some photos of himself minimally burdened by cloth, send them to a few girls he met online, then complain that his phone was hacked when the details dribbled out in the press. After a few days of strident denial, he called a press conference to confess to everything. Weiner has reportedly decided to undertake a treatment program ― pres
Viewpoints June 21, 2011
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A cautionary tale of three fiscal crises: The U.S., Britain and Greece
In today’s world, there are three kinds of fiscal crises brought on by too much government spending, and three kinds of responses. We can call them the nightmare scenario, the preemptive experiment and the head-in- the-sand model. In the nightmare scenario, a country runs large deficits for a decade or more ― and the financial markets are happy to buy its debt at low interest rates. But then the m
Viewpoints June 21, 2011
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[Editorial] Ban Ki-moon’s U.N. job
With the U.N. Security Council’s unanimous approval of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s second term Friday, the General Assembly is expected to confirm his appointment with a vote this week, probably on Tuesday. Thus, for the next five-and-a-half years, the world will see a South Korean preside over the United Nations as it deals with major global issues ranging from wars and disarmament to poverty
Editorial June 20, 2011
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[Editorial] Shooting at airliner
The incident last week at Gyodong Island in which two Marines watching the North Korean coast fired their rifles at an Asiana airliner approaching Incheon International Airport revealed how our soldiers guarding the northwestern-most territory have increased their alertness since the deadly North Korean attacks last year. Yet, it also exposed how poorly trained our front line guards are about what
Editorial June 20, 2011
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Help bio-designed cassava save the world
The human population, now approaching 7 billion, may top 10 billion by 2100. Agronomists predict food shortages in our future, and it doesn’t take an advanced degree to understand why: When food production fails to keep pace with population growth, billions go hungry, including many Americans. To avert disaster, we must find a way to squeeze more grains, fruits and vegetables from ever less farmla
Viewpoints June 20, 2011
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[David Ignatius] End of U.S.-Pakistan love affair?
WASHINGTON ― It’s always painful to watch a love affair go sour, as the unrealistic expectations and secret betrayals come crashing down in a chorus of recrimination. That’s what’s happening now between the U.S. and Pakistan, and it has a soap-operatic quality, in Washington and Islamabad alike. “How could they treat us so badly?” is the tone of political debate in both capitals. If this were a fe
Viewpoints June 20, 2011
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[Kim Jin-guk] New subcontracting law will damage the economy
It has been more than a year since the government introduced the “fair society” concept as its governing philosophy. One major aspect of it has been encouraging “joint growth” between small and medium-sized enterprises and big business groups ahead of major elections next year. The revised bill on fair subcontracting transactions allows SME industry associations the right of collective negotiation
Viewpoints June 20, 2011
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Philippines Independence Day under a Chinese cloud
What an irony that as the Philippines celebrates two historic moments, part of its territory is coveted by the most powerful nation in Asia, and its sovereignty and territorial integrity have to be guaranteed by yet another power which happens to be the most powerful in the world today.This week began with the 113th anniversary of the day first Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo cast off the co
Viewpoints June 20, 2011
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[Albert R. Hunt] Voters want Obama to put winning the present first
White House strategist David Plouffe says all President Barack Obama’s messages should be directed to a middle-aged, white woman in Ohio. When a person in this target audience considers the economy and the administration, which of the following is her first thought: a.) There are “signs of real strength.” b.) The top priority is jobs. c.) There are “bumps on the road to recovery.” d.) The chief ch
Viewpoints June 20, 2011
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