Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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[Editorial] Dispute over Kentech
It is rare for a single university to generate a slew of critical talking points. But the Korea Institute of Energy Technology, known as Kentech, is not a normal university that can bypass relentless media spotlight. Kentech, established in March last year in the southwestern city of Naju, South Jeolla Province, as part of the energy policy pushed by the former Moon Jae-in administration, is now in hot water over alleged irregularities regarding administrative expenses and other regulations, acc
EditorialJuly 31, 2023
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[Lucrezia Reichlin] Europe’s monetary over-tightening trap
Headline inflation is falling fast in the United States and the eurozone, following a succession of sharp interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank. But monetary policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic have made it clear that they are not done yet. Are they going to go too far? Core inflation, which is still running at around 5 percent in the US and the eurozone, remains a major cause for concern. Central bankers fear that, given a resilient labor market, hig
ViewpointsJuly 28, 2023
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[Editorial] Revitalize economy
South Korea's gross domestic product increased 0.6 percent in the second quarter from the previous quarter. It is fortunate that it increased two straight quarters after seeing negative growth in the fourth quarter last year due to a slump in exports. But Korea's GDP grew in the second quarter because imports decreased more than exports did. Exports shrank by 1.8 percent and imports by 4.2 percent. It is worrying that exports, which have propelled South Korea‘s economic growth, a
EditorialJuly 28, 2023
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Pakistan eyes Korean investments, suggests potential sectors
Officials and representatives from Pakistan showcased trade and investment potential at the Pakistan-Korea trade and investment conference seeking Korean investments at the Ambassador Hotel in Seoul, Thursday. Attendees shared diverse ideas and business solutions in energy, construction, minerals, agriculture, food processing, textiles, automobiles, information technology and telecommunications to reach out to investors and key figures taking the lead. Underscoring Pakistan’s economic outl
Foreign AffairsJuly 27, 2023
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[Wang Son-taek] USS Kentucky and the security dilemma
South Korea was hit by torrential rain last week. The flood killed 47 people and left three missing. All the news was focused on flood damage, and other stories were not the matter of attention. However, many headlines significantly impacted the security situation on the Korean Peninsula as much as heavy rain. The inaugural Nuclear Consultative Group meeting, USS Kentucky‘s visit to Busan Port, a US soldier’s defection to North Korea, and North Korea’s missile launches, all t
ViewpointsJuly 27, 2023
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[Jonathan Bernstein] Third party ‘No Labels’ unhelpful
A group called “No Labels” is moving ahead with the possibility of running a third-party candidate for president next year -- at least if Donald Trump and Joe Biden are the major party nominees. Democrats are livid at the prospect, concerned that such an effort is more likely to help Trump. Some Democrats are even convinced that it’s a deliberate plot to deliver the election to Republicans. Polling shows that neither Biden nor Trump is especially popular -- and that many voters
ViewpointsJuly 27, 2023
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[Editorial] Crypto dispute deepens
In mid-May, Rep. Kim Nam-kuk left the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea after revelations that he had been engaged in suspicious cryptocurrency transactions. But the dispute over the crypto investment is still playing out at the National Assembly -- in an ugly way. There are two interconnected developments that can significantly affect public opinion. First, 11 lawmakers were found to have held virtual assets amid mounting speculation that some of their trades might have caused a conflic
EditorialJuly 27, 2023
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[Editorial] Recurrent random attacks
Few situations would cause more anxiety to the general public than one in which anyone can be attacked suddenly in a defenseless state by a total stranger -- for no reason and regardless of time and place. Such a horrible crime recently occurred on a Seoul street in broad daylight. A 33-year-old man surnamed Cho stabbed one pedestrian to death and injured three others in an alley in a shopping district near Sillim Station in Seoul at around 2 p.m. on July 21. The rampage happened for three or fo
EditorialJuly 26, 2023
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[Kim Seong-kon] Teachers change the world and our children
Recently in Seoul, an elementary school teacher died by apparent suicide in her classroom, with claims emerging since that she had been dealing with a belligerent parent. The deceased teacher was a 23-year-old young woman who had just begun her career as an educator. In another elementary school in Seoul, a sixth grader beat up his female homeroom teacher, whose injuries will likely take weeks to heal. Embarrassingly, violent assaults on teachers by students and parents are becoming common these
ViewpointsJuly 26, 2023
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[Gearoid Reidy] Fukushima water opposition is steeped in anti-science
Hong Kong is so opposed to Japan’s plan to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant that it’s banning seafood products -- from four of the country’s landlocked prefectures. That sounds a bit off, yes? Tochigi, Gunma, Nagano and Saitama, which have a combined zero kilometers of coastline between them, are among the 10 regions whose aquatic produce will no longer be welcome in Hong Kong’s restaurants once Japan proceeds with its aim to begin releasing the more
ViewpointsJuly 25, 2023
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[Pankaj Mishra] Europe's far right in the ascendant
A global upheaval looms as Donald Trump strengthens his candidacy for the next US presidential elections. Ukraine and its European allies need to start considering the prospect that by the end of next year, they could face a US no longer invested in resisting Russia’s aggression. We should also start bracing ourselves for a geopolitical earthquake in Europe itself. In Spain, which holds national elections on July 23, and across the continent, far-right demagogues are in the ascendant. Prim
ViewpointsJuly 25, 2023
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[Editorial] Protect teachers' rights
South Korean teachers have been confronting a growing number of unruly students and overprotective parents resorting to frivolous lawsuits over legitimate classroom interactions. No wonder, then, many teachers feel overstressed and under extreme pressure, some even reconsidering their choice of profession. Against this backdrop, some 5,000 teachers and education university students took to the streets Saturday, calling for a set of measures to guarantee teachers’ rights and protect them fr
EditorialJuly 25, 2023
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[Gordon Brown] For whom Spain polls: a test for democracy in Europe
Spain’s general election Sunday matters not just for the country’s future but also for the future of Europe. A defeat for socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez would likely propel the extreme right-wing Vox party from back street demagogues to parliamentary power, and if, as is widely expected, Vox and the Popular Party (PP) enter into a coalition government, it will mark the end of Spain’s long aversion to far-right politicians, which has endured since the death of Generaliss
ViewpointsJuly 24, 2023
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[Editorial] Foregone conclusion
The state audit agency announced inspection results last week showing that the previous Moon Jae-in administration's decision to dismantle three weirs and keep two open indefinitely on the Geum and Yeongsan rivers was made in an irrational and biased fashion following a foregone conclusion. From the beginning, there was no room for the possibility of weir management or maintenance. In May 2017, the Environment Ministry formed a four-river project evaluation group under the pretext of restor
EditorialJuly 24, 2023
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[Robert J. Fouser] Korea and global competition for labor
On my recent visit to South Korea and Japan, the topic of foreign migrant labor came up more than on any previous visit. An architect friend in South Korea said that construction would be almost impossible without foreign labor. A Japanese friend in Tokyo said that the service industry would face a severe shortage of workers without foreign labor. As the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, interest in other long-standing issues has reasserted itself. In 2021, South Korea joined Japan as one of the few na
ViewpointsJuly 21, 2023
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[Editorial] Seek a new option
A tripartite commission representing labor, business and the general public finally set the hourly minimum wage for next year at 9,860 won ($7.8) Wednesday, up 2.5 percent from this year. It is equivalent to a monthly wage of nearly 2.07 million won. The process for determining the minimum wage is always a painful process, but this year proved to be extremely tough. From the outset, representatives from labor and the general public clashed with each other, resulting in the cancellation of the fi
EditorialJuly 21, 2023
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[Lee Kyong-hee] Gyeongju: archaeology, myths and memories
Summer 1973. The sights and sounds of excavations descended on Gyeongju, turning the entire city into a massive archaeological project. If a Korean movie studio ever decides to make its own version of “Indiana Jones,” they would not have to search much for opening-scene inspiration. The “comprehensive tourist development” of the ancient royal capital of Silla, a pet project of then President Park Chung-hee, triggered the cacophony. Famously called “the museum withou
ViewpointsJuly 20, 2023
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[Editorial] Don't pass the buck
The causes and background of the Osong underpass flooding accident in North Chungcheong Province are coming to light in dribs and drabs. Further details will emerge now that the government has launched its inspection, but facts revealed so far show that the anti-disaster response system was not working properly due to insensitivity to safety and complacency. The flooding of the Gungpyeong-2 underpass tunnel in Osong-eup in the Heungdeok district of Cheongju was a fatal accident that could have b
EditorialJuly 20, 2023
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[Kim Seong-kon] Demagogy ruins our friendship with neighbors
John F. Kennedy once said, “Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. Those whom God has so joined together, let no man put asunder.” Indeed, no one can force us to change such a God-given situation. Having a good neighbor is crucial for having a peaceful life. On the contrary, a bad neighbor is like a recurring nightmare that you have to suffer and endure every day. Therefore, what kind of a neigh
ViewpointsJuly 19, 2023
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[Chris Edelson] Surreal prospect of Trump's reelection
In the wake of Donald Trump’s federal indictment, the former president remains legally eligible to run again -- even if he is convicted, and even (bizarrely) if he is incarcerated, which is unlikely to occur before the election. In a functioning, healthy democracy, Trump would be denied the Republican Party’s nomination. GOP elites would stand together to reject his candidacy and rally behind a nominee who is not facing criminal prosecution related to willful retention of classified
ViewpointsJuly 19, 2023