Articles by Yu Kun-ha
Yu Kun-ha
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Why are the Chinese scared of American corn?
Who’s afraid of a little genetically engineered American corn?Chinese quarantine officers apparently. They’ve recently blocked at least six batches (more than 180,000 tons) of American corn from entering China, citing the presence of a genetically-modified strain of the grain that the Chinese government hasn’t (yet) approved for import. The impact has been notable: In recent days U.S. corn futures fell, in part out of fear of further Chinese enforcement action.So far there’s been little coverage
Viewpoints Dec. 23, 2013
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[Robert B. Reich] Charity begins at home
It’s charity time, and not just because the holiday season reminds us to be charitable. As the tax year draws to a close, the charitable tax deduction beckons.America’s wealthy are its largest beneficiaries. According to the Congressional Budget Office, $33 billion of last year’s $39 billion in total charitable deductions went to the richest 20 percent of Americans, of whom the richest 1 percent reaped the lion’s share.The generosity of the super-rich is sometimes proffered as evidence they’re c
Viewpoints Dec. 22, 2013
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Help Ukrainians stand up for Western values
Before Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych signed a deal to bail out our country’s economy this week, there was excitement among Western officials and analysts about the way some businessmen who have bankrolled the president’s rise to power appeared to be distancing themselves from him.Many Ukrainians weren’t fooled. The country’s so-called oligarchs still supported Yanukovych. And now they will be prime beneficiaries of the $15 billion of bail-out loans and lower natural gas prices that he se
Viewpoints Dec. 22, 2013
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The charitable Scrooge
From the earliest days of our nation, Americans have been a generous people. In 2012 alone, according to Giving USA estimates, Americans donated $316 billion to charity.At no time is this generosity more evident than during the holiday season, when nearly 60 percent of all Americans make charitable contributions, ranging from loose change dropped into Salvation Army buckets to multi-million-dollar donations.Whether it’s a child who receives a $10 Christmas toy from Toys for Tots or a college stu
Viewpoints Dec. 22, 2013
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[Cass R. Sunstein] The behavioral economist at the movies
The Oscars won’t be awarded until March, but those who hand out the annual Behavioral Economics Oscars (known as the Becons) are famously impatient, and it is time to announce this year’s winners.― Best Actress: In recent years, behavioral economists have become interested in emotions and affect. It is now widely known that human beings use an “affect heuristic” in thinking about activities and risks. Instead of carefully assessing the statistics about (say) nuclear power or genetic modification
Viewpoints Dec. 22, 2013
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[Editorial] Keep the guard up
In what has been dubbed the beginning of the end to quantitative easing, the U.S. Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it would reduce its monthly bond purchases by $10 billion to $75 billion starting in January.The impact of the Fed’s move on the Korean market was mild, with no volatility observed in the stock and foreign exchange markets Thursday. This was probably because the move had been expected for so long that much of its potential impact had already been reflected in the markets.Another
Viewpoints Dec. 20, 2013
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[Editorial] New KT chairman
Barring the unexpected, Hwang Chang-gyu, a former Samsung Electronics semiconductor veteran, will be installed as new chief executive officer of KT, the second largest mobile service operator in the nation, next month. Few would say he is unqualified, with his management skills having already been proven. Still, he will have so many obstacles to overcome during his three-year term in office.When it picked Hwang, now a university professor, as the next KT chairman on Monday, the CEO selection com
Editorial Dec. 20, 2013
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[William Pesek] TPP needs more WikiLeaking
Self-awareness often eludes U.S. officials who push American interests on Asia. John Kerry’s visit to Vietnam was a case in point as the secretary of state implored the government to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership.In his pitch earlier this week, Kerry said the U.S.-led trade deal would bring “transparency” and “accountability” to the communist nation, helping it become a more open society that supports free expression. An odd thought, considering the Big Brother-like secrecy enshrouding th
Viewpoints Dec. 20, 2013
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The utter insanity of French Socialist thinking
A new report commissioned by the French Socialist government to make recommendations on how France can better integrate its residents of foreign origin has been described by former French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet as “organizing apartheid by inciting each community to affirm its difference,” according to the French newspaper Le Figaro.I figured that had to be gross exaggeration ― until I read through the hundreds of pages myself. As a native Canadian, I couldn’t help but notice that the Fr
Viewpoints Dec. 20, 2013
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[Editorial] Lessons of 2013
One year has passed since Park Geun-hye was elected president by earning 51.6 percent of the vote against the 48 percent of her opponent, Moon Jae-in. In her acceptance speech, she promised to do many things, including achieving national reconciliation and launching a new era of happiness for all South Koreans. Throughout 2013, however, she has had difficulties delivering on her campaign pledges. The government has submitted a host of reform bills to the National Assembly to implement her promis
Editorial Dec. 19, 2013
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[Editorial] End to wage disputes
The Supreme Court has sent shockwaves through the business community by expanding the scope of “ordinary wage.”The top court has ruled that bonuses constitute ordinary wages if they have been paid “on a regular, uniform and fixed basis” ― regardless of the length of the payment intervals. This reverses the government’s rule that has been in place for the past 25 years. The rule regards bonuses as part of ordinary pay only when they are paid on a monthly basis. It excludes bonuses paid quarterly
Editorial Dec. 19, 2013
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[David Ignatius] Iran committed to nuclear deal
TEHRAN ― Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that despite hitting a “snag” in nuclear negotiations last week, Iran is committed “100 percent” to reaching a comprehensive final agreement. But he voiced tough positions on key issues and said “it’s going to be a bumpy road,” with difficult bargaining ahead.Zarif, who is Iran’s top chief negotiator, outlined his views in an hourlong interview at the foreign ministry here Sunday. He said that his country would continue the talks, despi
Viewpoints Dec. 19, 2013
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Tech giants’ belated campaign against NSA
When Edward Snowden’s revelations of National Security Agency spying shocked the world, we were immediately struck by the huge risk to Silicon Valley industry if people no longer trusted the security of American technology.Six months later, the extent of the problem is being quantified: The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation estimates the hit to U.S. cloud computing providers at $35 billion over the next three years. Forrester analyst James Staten calculates tech losses at $180 billi
Viewpoints Dec. 19, 2013
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[Scott Snyder] Kim’s reign of fear: What’s next?
When a political crisis hits Pyongyang, the leadership’s normal antidote is to hide the real drama in rumors and shadows while assuring the world that outside forces are no match for North Korea’s spirit of “single-hearted unity.” But North Korea’s real-time media coverage of the vituperative public denunciation and execution of Jang Song-thaek, the uncle by marriage of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has exposed deep divisions within the Kim family leadership and has shocked North Koreans and
Viewpoints Dec. 18, 2013
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How Pope Francis misunderstands free market
In its cover story on the “Person of the Year,” Time magazine contrasts Pope Francis’s background with that of his two most recent predecessors: “John Paul II and Benedict XVI were professors of theology. Francis is a former janitor, nightclub bouncer, chemical technician and literature teacher.”The point can be extended further. Every pope from 1914 to 1978 had Vatican diplomatic or bureaucratic experience, and so our understanding of the papacy has been shaped by diplomats, bureaucrats and sch
Viewpoints Dec. 18, 2013
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