The Korea Herald

[Kim Seong-kon] Seven types of abuse in our society

Abuse, sadly, comes in a wide variety of forms. Of them, the most widely known is child abuse. In advanced countries, child abuse is a serious crime subject to heavy penalties. Some classic types of child abuse include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Accordingly, corporal punishment against children hardly exists anymore in a country such as America where children are strictly protected and widely respected. Protecting children against abusive words and violent languag

ViewpointsNov. 1, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] Seven types of abuse in our society

[Doyle McManus] Russia-watcher’s view of global crisis

Fiona Hill is worried. The onetime Russia adviser to then-President Donald Trump fears that support for Ukraine is gradually eroding, encouraging Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to wait the West out. “Putin feels everything is trending in his favor,” she warns. But she’s worried about much more than that, beginning with Israel’s war in Gaza, which has made the world more dangerous. The two conflicts aren’t directly linked, but each is likely to affect the

ViewpointsNov. 1, 2023

[Doyle McManus] Russia-watcher’s view of global crisis

[Editorial] Time to heed warnings

Experts have been churning out a flurry of warnings about South Korea’s snowballing household debt. In recent days, two notable warnings have been issued: one from a top-ranked official of the presidential office and the other from the International Monetary Fund. Both warnings share the view that household debt is now at a serious level and the related risks should be kept manageable. The question is whether the government, lenders and households are willing to take the advice seriously a

EditorialNov. 1, 2023

[Editorial] Spreading drug use

Actor Lee Sun-kyun, known for his appearance in the Academy-winning Korean movie “Parasite,” and K-pop star G-Dragon of Big Bang are under police investigation on suspicion of drug use. A medical doctor was recently booked on allegations of supplying illegal drugs to Lee and others. About 10 people, including Lee, a music composer and an aspiring singer, are reportedly being investigated by the police. The two cases involving Lee and G-Dragon are causing quite a stir. The police arre

EditorialOct. 31, 2023

[Lisa Jarvis] Drop that hot dog for your health

The health case against regularly eating red meat keeps getting stronger. At what point is the data convincing enough for Americans to change their diets? One recent study found that eating red meat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes; another paper finds a diet low in meat, sugar and salt but rich in vegetables and legumes is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s. And both studies -- which followed thousands of people for decades -- show that replacing even a few servings of meat

ViewpointsOct. 31, 2023

[Lisa Jarvis] Drop that hot dog for your health

[Editorial] Speed up reform

Pension reform is one of three major reforms being pursued by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. The other two are labor and education reforms. But the pension reform proposal unveiled by the government on Friday is disappointing. The plan did not present specific figures on pension premium rates, the starting age of pension payout and payout amount. It was a proposal lacking substance. It would be difficult to persuade lawmakers and people even with figures and good grounds, but this proposal do

EditorialOct. 30, 2023

[Editorial] Korean 'Jessica’s Law'

Statistics show that sex offenders have high rates of recidivism. One of the legislations to prevent this in regard to child sex offenders is Jessica’s Law, which was passed in Florida in 2005. It mandated at least 25 years in prison for first-time child sex offenders and stricter regulations such as wearing tracking devices. The Ministry of Justice on Tuesday introduced a draft on the South Korean equivalent to Jessica’s Law, which is designed to block convicted child sex offenders

EditorialOct. 27, 2023

[Daniel DePetris] Biden‘s goals in Israel-Hamas war

As the war between Israel and Hamas enters its third week, US President Joe Biden is walking a tightrope and trying to accomplish three objectives simultaneously: ensure Israel has everything it needs to defend itself in what Israeli defense officials admit will be a long and grueling campaign; remind the Israelis that civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip should be kept to an absolute minimum; and prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from spiraling into a regional conflagration. It’s the geo

ViewpointsOct. 27, 2023

[Daniel DePetris] Biden‘s goals in Israel-Hamas war

[Joseph E. Stiglitz] Fixing global economic governance

Following the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank this month, the Middle East is teetering on the edge of a major conflict, and the rest of the world continues to fracture along new economic and geopolitical lines. Rarely have the shortcomings of world leaders and existing institutional arrangements been so glaringly obvious. The IMF’s governing body could not even agree on a final communique. True, the World Bank, under its new leadership, has committe

ViewpointsOct. 26, 2023

[Joseph E. Stiglitz] Fixing global economic governance

[Robin Abcarian] Biden’s balancing act is the only choice

President Joe Biden's voice may be more of a whisper than a roar these days, but on Thursday night, he was as loud and strong as he's ever been. "The terrorist group Hamas unleashed pure unadulterated evil in the world," Biden said. "But sadly, the Jewish people know, perhaps better than anyone, that there is no limit to the depravity of people when they want to inflict pain on others." Condemning the corrosive forces of antisemitism and Islamophobia, he said the

ViewpointsOct. 26, 2023

[Editorial] Back to basics

Kakao, an internet company that has grown from a mobile messenger to Korea's 15th largest business group in asset terms, is facing a crisis. Kim Beom-soo, its founder, largest shareholder and former chairman, was summoned and questioned Monday by the Financial Supervisory Service in connection with alleged stock price manipulation. He is suspected of conspiring to artificially boost the price of SM Entertainment shares to frustrate Hybe's tender offer for SM stocks. Earlier, the FSS in

EditorialOct. 26, 2023

[Lisa Jarvis] Telehealth should stick around

The COVID pandemic seemed to worsen teens’ and adolescents’ mental health, according to several recent studies. But now, new research shows a reason for hope: Telehealth seems to be giving many more kids access to support. That’s a win worth celebrating. And it should push us to ensure virtual care is more permanently and equitably integrated into mental health services for minors. The worrisome gap between kids who need help and those who get it predates the pandemic. For exam

ViewpointsOct. 25, 2023

[Lisa Jarvis] Telehealth should stick around

[Editorial] Carry out real reforms

In the conflict-laden arena of South Korean politics, reform is a much-abused word that often rings hollow and invokes skepticism. Politicians from both ruling and main opposition parties have long disappointed the public by only talking up the need for reforms without taking the real steps necessary to overhaul their parties. The ruling People Power Party appointed Ihn Yo-han, also known as John Linton, as the chair of its innovation committee on Monday. Ihn, a professor at Yonsei University Co

EditorialOct. 25, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] Three movies our politicians must watch

Three futuristic Hollywood thrillers, “Doom,” “Dune” and “Heart of Stone,” illuminate compelling issues we are now facing due to our problematic politicians. In “Doom,” which is set in 2046, an unknown creature attacks researchers at the Union Aerospace Corporation on Mars. Eight marines, including team leader, Sergeant “Sarge” Mahonin, and John “Reaper” Grimm, arrive at the research facility to eliminate the unidentified as

ViewpointsOct. 24, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] Three movies our politicians must watch

[Lili Yan Ing] G7’s anti-coercion campaign against China

On Oct. 28-29, Japan will host the G7 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Osaka. The primary focus of the gathering will be improving supply-chain resilience and strengthening export controls on critical minerals and technologies. But China’s “economic coercion,” particularly the widespread disruption caused by its non-transparent and market-distorting industrial policies, is also expected to be high on the agenda. Since joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, China has rep

ViewpointsOct. 24, 2023

[Lili Yan Ing] G7’s anti-coercion campaign against China

[Editorial] Graphite this time

China on Friday unveiled plans to restrict exports of graphite, a material crucial to the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles. The plans follow Beijing's export curbs that took effect from Aug. 1 on gallium and germanium products used to manufacture advanced semiconductors. According to the notice jointly issued by China’s Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs, the graphite export controls are for the sake of the national security and interests and effe

EditorialOct. 24, 2023

[Peter Mansoor] 9/11 lessons for a Gaza invasion

After the invasion of southern Israel by Hamas militants, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday vowed to destroy Hamas. “We are fighting a cruel enemy, worse than ISIS,” Netanyahu said, comparing Hamas with the Islamic State group, which was largely defeated by US, Iraqi and Kurdish forces in 2017. On the same day, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant went further, stating, “We will wipe this thing called Hamas, ISIS-Gaza, off the face of the Earth. It will ce

ViewpointsOct. 23, 2023

[Peter Mansoor] 9/11 lessons for a Gaza invasion

[Jeffrey Frankel] China's Great Leap Backward

Ten years ago this November, the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held its Third Plenum, outlining a series of far-reaching reforms designed to sustain China’s rapid economic growth. Around that time, a naive extrapolation based on the difference in growth rates between China and the United States suggested that China’s GDP would overtake America’s by 2021. Some speculated that this could happen as early as 2019. These predictions have been far off t

ViewpointsOct. 23, 2023

[Jeffrey Frankel] China's Great Leap Backward

[Editorial] Deepening uncertainties

The South Korean economy is expected to face an extended period of turbulence in its markets following a spike in the benchmark US Treasury yield. The likely mix of elevated interest rates and an economic slump is now feared to hit Korean companies, individuals and the government. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury briefly surpassed 5 percent for the first time in 16 years on Thursday, sparking concerns that its ripple effect could be considerable across various sectors, including not o

EditorialOct. 23, 2023

[Robert J. Fouser] Yes, deterrence is the best defense

In October 2020, the world was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. The more contagious delta strain was spreading, and fear was ever-present. Positive news from vaccine trials offered some hope that illness and death would be reduced and that the world would soon return to normal. By 2022, the pandemic had subsided, but normal did not return as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, igniting the bloodiest war in Europe since the end of World War II in 1945. A series of surprise

ViewpointsOct. 20, 2023

[Robert J. Fouser] Yes, deterrence is the best defense