[Robert J. Fouser] 2025, a challenging year ahead

The end of 2024 also marks the beginning of the second half of the 2020s. Decades often develop a distinct image that reflects historical events and cultural trends. After two decades that are hard to classify, the 2020s have so far been the decade of rotating crises. The decade opened with the worst pandemic in a hundred years. That was followed in 2022 by the first major war in Europe since World War II as Russia invaded Ukraine. Then, in 2023, the Middle East exploded after Hamas’ attack on I

Dec. 27, 2024

[Career Compass] Expectation-setting meeting to jump-start work relationship

How do you jump-start working with your new team members and become an effective manager? One of my mentees working in Singapore is getting promoted in January, leading a team of five people. She was determined to become “the best boss on earth,” but, as this was her first time managing others, she sought my advice on crafting a thoughtful and effective approach. A suggestion I offered was to hold an “expectation-setting meeting” within the first month with each of her direct reports. It is stra

Dec. 26, 2024

[Wang Son-taek] Misconception of People Power Party

Three weeks have passed since the insurrection by President Yoon Suk Yeol in the name of martial law declaration. Many things have happened and are happening. President Yoon was impeached at the National Assembly, and the Constitutional Court began deliberation on Yoon’s impeachment. Law enforcement is investigating the insurrection charge. However, people do not feel comfortable watching the impeachment trial or investigations. The international community is also paying close attention to Korea

Dec. 26, 2024

[Park In-jo] Discover, develop science talent early

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, South Korea ranked eighth in the world. The outstanding achievements of Korean athletes can be attributed in some part to the athletic specialist system established in the 1960s and to corporate support for athletes since the 1980s. Why not apply the early discovery and training system for athletic talent and corporate support for athletes to develop scientific talent? Individuals make career decisions based on their interests and on expectations of wealth a

Dec. 26, 2024

[Kim Seong-kon] I am dreaming of a colorful Christmas

Every Christmas Day, I like to reminisce about the fabulous, colorful Christmas trees I saw on Michigan Avenue in Chicago in 1978. The sparkling electric light bulbs and multicolored ornaments on the trees in the streets and inside shop windows were dazzling and fabulous. If you have ever had the experience of looking down upon Los Angeles from a descending airplane at night, you must have felt the same awe and adoration that I felt when I saw those Christmas trees. LA’s colorful night scenery i

Dec. 25, 2024

[Wondong Lee, Joseph Yi] South Korea’s democracy at a crossroads: Rhetoric, polarization and institutional erosion.

South Korea’s impeachment votes against President Yoon Suk Yeol, unsuccessfully on Dec. 7 and successfully on Dec. 14, following his Dec. 3 martial law declaration, highlight the deep fractures within the country’s political landscape and the erosion of democratic norms that have long underpinned its institutions. Rather than serving as a moment of democratic reaffirmation, the impeachment attempts devolved into another proxy battlefield in the polarized war between progressives and conservative

Dec. 24, 2024

[Lim Woong] Democracy in crisis: A test of true citizenship

South Korea’s democracy has faced an extraordinary test. President Yoon Suk Yeol has been impeached by the National Assembly following his abrupt and short-lived declaration of martial law -- an act that was withdrawn within hours. The justifications for this extreme measure were dubious at best, failing to meet constitutional conditions and drawing accusations of treasonous overreach. However, this event, though shocking, did not occur in isolation. It was the culmination of a series of misstep

Dec. 24, 2024

[Joey S. Kim] South Korea, the United States and the fragility of democracy

On Dec 3, when President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law in South Korea, I was stunned. I recalled the last time martial law was declared in South Korea in 1980 in an attempted coup by military dictator Chun Doo-hwan. On May 18, 1980, over 200,000 South Koreans led by students went out into the streets and protested Chun’s attempt in the famous Gwangju Democratic Uprising. Civilians were shot, beaten, stabbed, tear-gassed and killed, and the country entered 8 years under Chun’s brut

Dec. 24, 2024

[Yoo Choon-sik] Warnings on South Korea’s plunging potential growth

South Korea’s political landscape has plunged into one of its worst crises in years following the sitting president’s sudden declaration of martial law and attempt to incapacitate the National Assembly. His efforts have all failed, resulting in his impeachment by the parliament and likely removal from power before the natural end of his term. The severe political deadlock has pushed the country’s economy, already under pressure from various domestic and external challenges, deeper into a tailspi

Dec. 23, 2024

[Karishma Vaswani] Trump-Xi bromance has a chance

Xi Jinping and Donald Trump's bromance could be rekindled in 2025, if both sides play their cards right. This is positive and would help create the right environment for an improvement in ties between the two superpowers, but timing and tone are everything. The economic rivals will need to give and take to prevent the relationship from getting worse. There are potential signs of a rapprochement. It was a smart move by the US president-elect to invite Xi to his inauguration in January (the Chines

Dec. 23, 2024

[Editorial] Stabilize volatile won

Financial authorities need to step up policy measures to bolster value of Korean currency The South Korean currency stayed around its lowest level in 15 years Friday, reflecting heightened worry among investors about the 2025 outlook for US interest rates and the continued political turmoil sparked by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law order and subsequent impeachment. The Korean won closed at 1,451.4 per dollar Friday, up 0.5 won from 1,451.9 the previous session -- the lowest level since Ma

Dec. 23, 2024

[Lee Byung-jong] The perils of political leadership

Following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s recent declaration of martial law and subsequent impeachment, many South Koreans find themselves in a state of profound shock and sorrow. Their pride in being citizens of a young yet vibrant democracy has been shattered, replaced by a deep sense of shame. However, they may draw some consolation by looking beyond their borders, where democracies -- whether old or seemingly robust -- are being challenged and undermined one by one. Across the globe, a ser

Dec. 20, 2024

[Jiyoung Moon] Clash of traumas: Generational divides behind impeachment

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, their eyes fixed on a large screen showing Woo Won-shik, speaker of the National Assembly. It was the moment he was about to announce the results of the impeachment vote against President Yoon Suk Yeol. When Woo finally declared that the impeachment vote had passed, the crowd burst into jubilant cheers, hugging one another, waving banners and K-pop glow sticks in celebration. At the same time, a con

Dec. 19, 2024

[Wang Son-taek] Why did we elect him as president?

In December 2024, the Republic of Korea is experiencing an embarrassing absurdity. A person who rose to the presidency, the pinnacle of political power, declared emergency martial law, an act that constituted political suicide. Although the situation is being settled as the National Assembly adopted a resolution demanding the immediate lifting of martial law and passed a presidential impeachment motion, people are still shocked by the unexpected massive disturbance. In particular, President Yoon

Dec. 19, 2024

[Kim Seong-kon] The yo-yo phenomenon in Korea's political climate

On Saturday, the National Assembly of South Korea passed a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 martial law declaration. Supporters of his impeachment cheered in front of the National Assembly, while those who opposed it were despondent at Gwanghwamun Square. The world is now anxiously watching for signs of South Korea’s future, wondering, “What’s next?” According to foreign press, Korea will have to face “uncertainty” for a while. The pro

Dec. 18, 2024