In the US and Japan, men are not required to fulfill mandatory military duty. Therefore, both Americans and Japanese find military life irrelevant to them. In the case of America, for example, the Council on Foreign Relations has recently revealed that presently there are 1.3 million US soldiers on active duty, which consist of only 0.5 percent of the American population. In South Korea, where military service is compulsory, things are radically different. Except for teenagers, nearly all Kore

You will not believe the video that was released Friday night showing Memphis police officers beating -- ultimately to death -- a young Black man. I don’t really mean that, of course. If you live in the US, and participate in society, you likely have no difficulty believing that a gang of violent police officers fatally pummeled Tyre Nichols in what the city’s police chief accurately described as a “heinous” attack. Indeed, if you have an internet connection or a televi

Top diplomats from South Korea and Indonesia pledged to forge a closer friendship and stronger partnership during a talk held online and in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday. The year 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Korea. Speaking to attendees gathered at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who attended the event online, called for closer friendship and partnership, including in building a greener and more sustain

New Indian ambassador to Korea says evolving bilateral ties, consistent policies makes India lucrative investment destination for Korean companies

The Indian Embassy in Seoul on Thursday celebrated its 74th Republic Day with traditional dances and performances. The event commemorates the Jan. 26 anniversary on which the Indian Constitution came into effect in 1950. Delivering Indian President Droupadi Murmu’s message at the event, Indian Ambassador to Korea Amit Kumar outlined India's recent changes, development projects, achievements and future vision to the Indian diaspora in Korea. Kumar also spoke about India–Korea cul

Despite favorable indices, it is too soon to tell whether inflation has been tamed. Nonetheless, two clear lessons have emerged from the recent price surge. First, economists’ standard models -- especially the dominant one that assumes the economy always to be in equilibrium -- were effectively useless. And, second, those who confidently asserted that it would take five years of pain to wring inflation out of the system have already been refuted. Inflation has fallen dramatically, with the

Technology will save us! No, it won’t! Whenever the climate-policy debate addresses specific economic sectors, potential carbon-abatement technologies, or energy strategy, the same fundamental question always arises: How much can we rely on “simple,” preferably “cheap,” technofixes? Can climate change be addressed by counting on people to switch to lower-carbon technologies, or will it take more fundamental changes to how we live and organize ourselves as a society?

France has waged a counterterrorism campaign in the small West African country of Burkina Faso since 2018. But on Jan. 20, hundreds of protesters in the capital city of Ouagadougou waved Russian flags and demanded the French army’s ouster. Days later, the country’s military government told the French to leave within a month. Burkina Faso is just the latest African country where the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-linked mercenary organization, has become the face of Russia’s foreign po

The gusto with which Japan has embraced rearmament has surprised its allies and international partners. Last month, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled detailed plans to double defense spending over the next five years, leaving no doubt about the country’s determination to expand its military capabilities to deter China’s expansionist ambitions. Japan’s new strategic vision represents the culmination of a long-term shift that began under Kishida’s predecessor,

On a recent afternoon walk, I ran into a neighbor teaching at a nearby state university. We got to talking about work and she said that “big cuts are coming” because of “demographic crisis.” I had heard that universities in the US had suffered a drop in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic but had assumed they would recover to pre-pandemic levels soon. What my neighbor referred to as “demographic crisis” is more than just demographics. Compared to other adv

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had to beg, plead and deal to get his current job. One of the agreements struck on the House floor with the most conservative faction of the Republican caucus was a promise to keep the next spending bill at levels that were agreed to in fiscal 2022. If McCarthy keeps his word, $130 billion in federal discretionary spending would be cut from the recently passed budget package. And if defense spending were to be included, $76 billion in military expenditures would be

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s recent visit to the United Arab Emirates achieved a huge result. It was one of the best results from a state visit, with Korea gaining $30 billion in investment commitments from the UAE. However, there is little discussion about this achievement in Korea. Instead, there is a backlash over diplomatic conflicts with Iran over President Yoon’s “Iran enemy” remarks. They came during a visit to South Korean military units dispatched to the UAE on Jan.

People sometimes ask, “Does the USA more closely resemble ancient Greece or the Roman Empire?” The answer is “Both,” because America has characteristics of both Greece and Rome. Like ancient Greece, for example, America is devoted to noble ideas such as democracy and human rights. At the same time, however, like the Roman Empire, America embraces commercialism and pragmatism. As had ancient Greece, so too does America have internationally famed scholars, scientists and un

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s grand plan, this was to be the hard winter that would break Ukraine and divide its allies in the West. That hasn’t happened. Putin unleashed missile attacks on Ukraine’s cities and its electrical grid, but the Ukrainians repaired their transformers and fought on. Putin unleashed a mercenary force, the Wagner Group, which used convicts to try to take the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. They’re still trying. Putin cut natur