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[Lee Byung-jong] Ishiba’s flattery diplomacy
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may be struggling with rock-bottom approval ratings at home, but abroad, he has become an overnight sensation -- one that world leaders are eager to emulate. His summit with the unpredictable and impulsive new US president, Donald Trump, demonstrated a masterclass in diplomacy, showcasing how to manage Trump’s erratic leadership style. Analysts believe Ishiba secured most of Japan’s key objectives through a strategy of “flattery diplomacy,” using warm praise
Feb. 13, 2025 -
[Tobias Bunde, Sophie Eisentraut] The age of multipolarization
It has become a truism of foreign-policy debates nowadays that the world is at the dawn of a multipolar era. Whether such an international order will ever fully emerge is debatable. But the process of “multipolarization” is already underway, as a larger number of states gain the ability to influence global developments. But a more worrisome aspect of multipolarization is that these ongoing power shifts have been accompanied by deepening polarization within and between countries. Governments’ inc
Feb. 13, 2025 -
[Wang Son-taek] Shameful story on election fraud conspiracy
According to a report from a renowned newspaper in Seoul, a Korean American in Hawaii has been orchestrating a conspiracy regarding election fraud in Korea for more than five years. The newspaper recently reported that Annie Chan, a millionaire in the US, organized the Korea Conservative Political Action Committee in 2019, which spearheaded the conspiracy that recent elections in Korea were rigged. In an interview with the paper, Chan stated that she was trying to prevent South Korea from becomi
Feb. 13, 2025 -
[Kim Seong-kon] What kind of leader does Korea need now?
Watching the large crowds gathering in Busan and Daegu to protest the current political disruptions, foreign observers agree that the Korean people seem to have finally realized the unprecedented crisis they are now facing. According to the demonstrators, the current problem of South Korea is not simply about a conflict between the Left and the Right, or Progressivism and Conservatism. Rather, South Korea is now at a crossroads where the people must decide which path to choose: “a Free World cou
Feb. 12, 2025 -
[Antara Haldar] What is MAGAnomics?
While the end of World War II 80 years ago ushered in an age of reason, Donald Trump’s return to the White House has ushered it out. His MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement promises to take a wrecking ball to the postwar global economic order, raising the question of what will replace it. “America First” seems to appeal to a wide spectrum of constituents, from blue-collar workers in the heartland to Big Tech “broligarchs.” But what does it mean in practice? At his second inauguration, Trump
Feb. 12, 2025 -
[Daron Acemoglu] A Sputnik moment for AI?
After the release of DeepSeek-R1 on Jan. 20 triggered a massive drop in chipmaker Nvidia’s share price and sharp declines in various other tech companies’ valuations, some declared this a “Sputnik moment” in the Sino-American race for supremacy in artificial intelligence. While America’s AI industry arguably needed shaking up, the episode raises some difficult questions. The US tech industry’s investments in AI have been massive, with Goldman Sachs estimating that “mega tech firms, corporations
Feb. 11, 2025 -
[Kaushik Basu] The Asian responsibility
As 2025 dawns, the world seems to be entering an age of anxiety, reminiscent of one hundred years ago, the period between the two World Wars. That period saw the German hyper-inflation of 1923, the rise of Hitler, and the Great Depression that caused jobs to vanish and incomes to plunge. As I write my first column for Herald Business, the world’s politics is polarized, democracy is witnessing a setback in many places, the share of income of workers in the GDP of most countries is falling, and ec
Feb. 10, 2025 -
[Lee Kyong-hee] A possible scenario for Trump-Kim bromance Act II
Speculation abounds over US President Donald Trump’s signaling that he hopes to restart talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. From a South Korean point of view, the unpredictability of Trump’s policies combines with the extreme volatility of domestic politics to cast an unsettling shadow over the future of the divided peninsula. The complete rupture in inter-Korean dialogue over the past few years under now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol adds to the concern that Seoul may be sidelined i
Feb. 10, 2025 -
[Robert J Fouser] GTX takes the stage
Last year marked a major turning point in the history of public transit in Seoul. The GTX-A high-speed regional transit line opened, connecting Seoul’s historic city center and Gangnam to an apartment-dense area in Gyeonggi Province. Travel time from Unjeong in Paju to Seoul Station and from Dongtan to Suseo takes about 20 minutes. The final section of Line A, which runs from Seoul Station to Suseo, will open in 2028, bringing Seoul’s two largest central business districts even closer together.
Feb. 7, 2025 -
[Wang Son-taek] The anachronism of two outsiders
People worldwide were shocked by the recent tariff announcements by US President Donald Trump. He had declared that the US would impose a 25 percent tariff on Canada and Mexico and a 10 percent tariff on China. Later Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on tariff threats against Canada and Mexico. The measure alarmed not only the three nations but also other countries. South Koreans, in particular, had another reason to be stunned. Just two months ago, South Korea experienced an absurd incident when P
Feb. 6, 2025 -
[Francis D. Kim] New admissions game and competitive advantage
The admissions game for college, particularly in the United States and elite international programs in Asia, is undergoing a swift transformation. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has largely receded and students are back on campus, shifting social and technological forces -- such as global job market uncertainties and the rise of generative AI -- are reshaping how students pursue higher education. Many students and parents find themselves wondering whether conventional admission strategies and
Feb. 6, 2025 -
[Song Jong-hwan] How to deal with Pyongyang’s nuclear threat
When US President Donald Trump took office as the 47th president on Jan. 20, he declared he would “make America great again," and started executing his “America First” priorities. He also mentioned North Korea as nuclear power on the same day. In an interview with Fox News three days later, he said he would talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. However, North Korea said it would continue to strengthen its nuclear response stance on Jan. 29. The current South Korean government has announced th
Feb. 6, 2025 -
[Ambrose Seo] A tale of two national flags
The Star-Spangled Banner, the flag of the United States, has become a frequent sight at far-right rallies in South Korea, flown alongside South Korea's Taegeukgi. These rallies support President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is currently under investigation for a self-coup attempt following his unconstitutional and illegal declaration of emergency martial law on Dec. 3. This move has not only triggered impeachment proceedings but also raised serious concerns about his alleged attempt to undermine democracy
Feb. 6, 2025 -
[Joan Flores-Villalobos] Panama Canal built at dear price
“The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts,” said President Donald Trump in his second inaugural address, on Jan. 20, as he cited his foreign policy initiatives. The Gulf of Mexico would be changed to the Gulf of America and Denali peak renamed as Mt. McKinley. But he paid special attention to the Panama Canal, which he saw as “foolishly” returned to Panama under former President Jimmy Carter. Part of his justification for American ownership of the Panama Canal is that the US “spent
Feb. 5, 2025 -
[Kim Seong-kon] What to do with the polarity in our society
We are now living in a polarized society sharply divided into two antagonizing groups, where there is no middle ground. In such a society, the two extreme factions easily become hostile monsters trying to eliminate each other. The inevitable outcome is the total annihilation of society. Recently, I watched a 2020 American film, “The Hunt.” At first, I thought that the movie was just another man-hunting thriller, evoking Richard Connell’s classic story, “The Most Dangerous Game.” Soon, however, i
Feb. 5, 2025