Most Popular
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
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US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
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[Photo News] Seoul seeks 'best sleeper'
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US expert says N. Korea might ignore Trump if he returns to White House
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[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
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Noda must pursue diplomacy that will enhance nation’s presence
It has been pointed out for years that Japan’s diplomatic standing is deteriorating, a condition likened to “ground subsidence.” With the prime minister being changed annually for six years in a row, international awareness of this country’s existence has further declined.Last year, we received heartwarming help from all over the world after the country suffered the disastrous Great East Japan Earthquake. This international bond made us recognize afresh the importance of diplomacy.This year, Jap
ViewpointsJan. 13, 2012
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Let Musharraf stand in court of public opinion
That Pervez Musharraf’s rally in Karachi on Sunday wasn’t much of a success goes without saying. Television showed the reality, and flags and buntings failed to hide the lack of popular enthusiasm. Coming after Imran Khan’s much larger rally last month, the small crowd must have been embarrassing for the former president-general. But this was his first Karachi rally, so let us wait for more such episodes of “enlightened moderation.” Addressing the people from Dubai via telephone, the former pres
ViewpointsJan. 13, 2012
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A well-timed visit by President Lee Myung-bak
The ongoing visit to China by the president of the Republic of Korea, Lee Myung-bak, has come at an important time. In a few months, the two countries will mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and they have designated this year one of friendly exchanges. Flourishing trade and people-to-people exchanges have been the most impressive areas of Sino-ROK cooperation. The Sino-ROK trade volume now exceeds the ROK’s trade volume with the United States and Japan combine
ViewpointsJan. 13, 2012
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[Brahma Chellaney] Asia’s new tripartite entente
NEW DELHI ― The launch of trilateral strategic consultations among the United States, India, and Japan, and their decision to hold joint naval exercises this year, signals efforts to form an entente among the Asia-Pacific region’s three leading democracies. These efforts ― in the world’s most economically dynamic region, where the specter of a power imbalance looms large ― also have been underscored by the Obama administration’s new strategic guidance for the Pentagon. The new strategy calls for
ViewpointsJan. 13, 2012
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[Editorial] Reforming work practices
One major policy goal of the Ministry of Employment and Labor for this year is to reform shift work practices at domestic companies. The reform drive is intended to shorten Korea’s notoriously long working hours, which is essential to improving workers’ quality of life, creating jobs and enhancing productivity.The ministry’s reform initiative is belated but welcome as it can benefit workers, their companies and the national economy. Yet the benefits don’t materialize automatically. As shift work
EditorialJan. 13, 2012
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[Editorial] Child care leave
The Ministry of Legislation has drawn fire from women’s organizations by interpreting child care leave in a way that could justify discrimination against female workers for taking leave to take care of their infants.The controversy was sparked by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which sought the Legislation Ministry’s authoritative view on the eligibility of a second-grade female librarian, who took child care leave during her six years in the office, for promotion to a first-grade p
EditorialJan. 13, 2012
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Verdict on Anwar takes both sides by surprise
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim arrived at the Jalan Duta High Court Monday morning convinced he was going to be found guilty of committing sodomy.Two hours later, he left the court cleared of the charge of sodomizing his former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan.The judgment left both sides of the political divide stunned as the two opposing sides had been equally convinced that Anwar would be pronounced guilty.The Pakatan Rakyat side could hardly believe their ears after years of slamming the
ViewpointsJan. 13, 2012
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[David Ignatius] Getting the Taliban to the table
WASHINGTON ― For some real-life intrigue at the start of this new year, take a look at the secret diplomacy that’s under way between the U.S. and the Taliban. Most observers are skeptical the process will produce any breakthroughs, but it’s interesting that the talks are taking place at all. The path toward negotiations was charted publicly last Feb. 18, when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton laid out a framework for a political settlement of the Afghanistan War. Though it wasn’t widely noticed
ViewpointsJan. 13, 2012
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[Editorial] Prodigal municipalities
The moratorium declared by a fiscally strained Seongnam City in June 2010 prompted the Board of Audit and Inspection to look into the books of 49 local administrations. Its findings, made public earlier this week, showed that Seongnam was not the only spendthrift municipality. Some of the municipalities, if no action were to be taken, would undoubtedly follow the footsteps of Seongnam in the near future. No less alarming is that officials cooked the books to produce non-existent surpluses. A cas
EditorialJan. 12, 2012
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[Editorial] Speaker’s choice
Like everybody else, National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae deserves to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. This basic right should hold even though a prosecutor raided the home of one of his erstwhile aides for search and seizure as part of a criminal investigation into an allegation that he bought votes for his 2008 election to the chairmanship of the ruling Grand National Party.But it does not mean that he should allow himself to retain the top post of the legislature. Instead, he shoul
EditorialJan. 12, 2012
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Obama turns attention to where the money is
Of all the realizations Barack Obama has made in three years in the White House, this may be the most crucial: The U.S. is a Pacific nation. Odd as it sounds, the U.S. spent the past decade forgetting a fact that’s obvious from consulting a map or tracking container ships. When George W. Bush’s administration bothered with Asia, it was all terrorism all the time. Quite odd, considering how reliant the largest economy became on Asia’s money during his tenure. The region became America’s banker. O
ViewpointsJan. 12, 2012
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[Joel Brinkley] The Ralph Nader of Taiwan
Taiwan is holding presidential elections this week, and viewed from the United States it almost seems as if Ralph Nader has moved to the island.For Americans, the Taiwanese vote is not merely an interesting, distant piece of news. China remains fixated, even obsessed, with the island, determined to take it back one day. And while the United States is not obligated to fight on behalf of the Taiwanese, successive administrations for half a century have made it clear they would not tolerate a Chine
Jan. 12, 2012
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Nuclear arms charge against Iran is no slam dunk
The conflict between Iran and the West just keeps heating up, with the Iranians announcing over the weekend that they have begun to enrich uranium at a second major facility, a well-defended site outside the city of Qom. Given the high stakes, it’s valuable to take another look at the main source of the tension: Iran’s nuclear-weapons program. That this enterprise is active is widely considered a given in the U.S. In fact, the evidence, contained in a November report of the International Atomic
Jan. 12, 2012
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A tale of two Israeli cities
Last week, Israelis had one more reason to be proud of themselves ― one of their cities was singled out for a rare honor. The Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail selected the “most creative cities” of the world.Leaning on the Global Creativity Index, devised at the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, the newspaper looked at the three T’s (technology, talent and tolerance) that have made cities shine.The Globe and Mail even went a step further, in
Jan. 12, 2012
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[Robert Reich] Why 2012 will be Obama-Clinton vs. Romney-Rubio
My political prediction for 2012: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton versus Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio.Joe Biden has been a good and energetic vice president, but Obama will need to stir the passions of the Democratic base and Biden won’t suffice. (Biden will swap places with Clinton, becoming secretary of state ― a position he’s apparently coveted for years.)A highly disciplined and unified Republican opposition has taken a toll. While the president delivered health care, it’s not as bold as man
ViewpointsJan. 12, 2012
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[Editorial] Voting by mobile phone
The main opposition Democratic Unified Party is undertaking an important experiment that could reshape the election culture in Korea. It has opened its leadership election process to ordinary citizens and allowed them to vote through their mobile phones. The party’s unprecedented move is being closely watched by rival parties as well as political analysts as it could also affect the outcomes of the coming parliamentary and presidential elections.According to the DUP, more than 643,000 citizens h
EditorialJan. 11, 2012
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[Editorial] Jobs for seniors
Lotte Mart has joined a small but growing number of companies that help people continue to work beyond its mandatory retirement age, which is set at 55. The discount store chain announced Monday it would hire 1,000 senior employees aged between 56 and 60 under indefinite-term contracts this year. According to the company, the senior workers will be treated the same as regular employees. They will be entitled to the four social insurance benefits ― national pension, health insurance, employment i
EditorialJan. 11, 2012
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No heroes in the fight over a consumer czar
President Barack Obama has established that he’s done with Congress for the rest of his term. Feeling chumped after Republicans wouldn’t reach agreement with him on a broad deficit-reduction agreement, Obama has decided it’s time to campaign against GOP leadership of the House and Senate.Thus the dubious move to ignore the law and appoint a head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau without the consent of the Senate.We can’t really blame Obama. Republicans have been playing gotcha with
ViewpointsJan. 11, 2012
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[Lee Byong-chul] South Korea’s political springtime
SEOUL ― The ascension to power of the pudgy 29-year-old Kim Jong-un in North Korea has grabbed headlines around the world, but the most important story involving Korean young people and politics is taking place in the South. There, young voters are becoming angrier, more politically active, and increasingly hostile to the old established parties. This demographic challenge to South Korea’s status quo suggests a “liberal” awakening that could completely alter the country’s political landscape.The
ViewpointsJan. 11, 2012
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Obama’s modest proposal on defense budget
As he unveiled his administration’s new blueprint for U.S. defense strategy last week, President Obama sought to vaccinate himself against charges that he was gutting the nation’s military.Even after the strategy is fully implemented, he said, “the defense budget will still be larger than it was at the end of the Bush administration.”So it seemed a little odd when, an hour later, the second-ranking official in Obama’s Pentagon presented what sounded like a rebuttal.“You have, over the next four
ViewpointsJan. 11, 2012