Most Popular
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[H.eco Forum] H.eco Forum calls for transition to clean, carbon-free energy
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[Exclusive] LACMA admits it needs further research on donated Korean paintings
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‘Gimflation’ in S. Korea as dried seaweed prices grow on rising global demand
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Yoon to resume diplomatic activity via 3-way summit with Japan, China
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[Herald Interview] Korean adoptees embark on journeys to find roots
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[Bridge to Africa] Africa-Korea partnership: Why it matters for future
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S. Korea's gender pay gap worst in OECD
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South Korea unveils W26tr support program for chip industry
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Illit’s agency sues Ador CEO Min Hee-jin for defamation
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Revote on Marine probe bill to be held next week
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[David Ignatius] The wolf nears Egypt’s door
WASHINGTON ― As Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood government slides toward the financial cliff, what’s the right policy for the United States? That’s becoming an urgent question, as Egypt’s financial reserves decline and the country nears a new breaking point. The economic facts are stark: Egypt’s official foreign currency reserves in February were $13.5 billion, which would cover a little less than three months of imports. But U.S. officials say that accessible, liquid reserves total only $6 billion t
March 7, 2013
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Adopt ID numbers for welfare, tax systems
The government has resubmitted to the Diet a bill calling for the adoption of identification numbers for individuals to be used for the administration of social security programs and tax payments. The ruling and some opposition parties recognize the need to introduce the numbering system. Deliberations on the bill should begin as soon as possible so it can be approved by the current Diet session. Under the system, cards carrying numbers, individuals’ photos and IC chips would be issued to all ci
March 7, 2013
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Defending the nation’s honor and sovereignty
It was a defining moment whose time had come. When our men went out in full force to reclaim the ground that foreign intruders had occupied since Feb. 9, it was, as the prime minister rightly puts it, “in defense of the country’s honor and sovereignty.”We had been extremely patient in dealing with the hundred-plus followers of the Sulu Sultan encamped at Kampung Tanduo, outside Felda Sahabat 17, about 160km from Lahad Datu. It was our wish to negotiate a peaceful settlement that would have preve
March 7, 2013
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China looks to maintain control over trade route
China has executed Golden Triangle warlord Nor Kham and three accomplices after they were convicted of murdering 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River in October 2011.Thai Hsang Kham, Lao Zha Xika and Yi Lai, who was stateless, were executed along with Nor Kham after the nation’s highest court approved their death sentences.Nor Kham and his gang were found guilty of attacking two Chinese cargo ships in collusion with Thai soldiers while they kidnapped other Chinese sailors and held their ships
March 7, 2013
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[Ching Cheong] A hard nut to crack for China
The success of North Korea’s third nuclear test last month and its warning of more to come this year show that China’s policy on the Korean Peninsula has been an abject failure. While the world swiftly condemned Pyongyang’s “provocative act,” the Chinese leadership appeared deeply split over what should be Beijing’s appropriate response. The split led Xinhua news agency and the Global Times, both official mouthpieces of the Chinese government, to publish diametrically opposite editorials on hand
March 7, 2013
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Dam construction raises regional tensions
Here come those dastardly dams!In Asia, Africa and the Middle East, nations are aggressively building new hydroelectric dams, seemingly heedless of the potentially disastrous effects on the countries downstream.As examples, Laos broke ground on a new Mekong River dam that’s causing concern bordering on fury in Cambodia and Vietnam. India is enraged about a new Chinese dam going up on the Brahmaputra River. And Ethiopia’s new dam on the Nile is angering Sudan, while Egypt has threatened war.What’
March 6, 2013
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[Joseph E. Stiglitz] What is Italy’s situation saying?
NEW YORK ― The outcome of the Italian elections should send a clear message to Europe’s leaders: the austerity policies that they have pursued are being rejected by voters.The European project, as idealistic as it was, was always a top-down endeavor. But it is another matter altogether to encourage technocrats to run countries, seemingly circumventing democratic processes, and foist upon them policies that lead to widespread public misery.While Europe’s leaders shy away from the word, the realit
March 6, 2013
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Welcome the robot revolution, but beware
Robots are evoking some deep economic anxiety these days. They’re routinely mastering human tasks ― driving cars, trading securities, diagnosing diseases - - that not long ago appeared permanently beyond their capabilities. And as automated technology advances at an exponential rate, more and more jobs, in more and more fields, will be done by intelligent machines in the very near future. This transition will involve some scary trade-offs. Growth and productivity will probably accelerate, and lo
March 6, 2013
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Changing security situation in Northeast Asia
For the first time in history, the strategic objectives of the four major powers surrounding the Korean Peninsula, namely the United States, China, Russia and Japan, have converged on one concept ― domestic reform and external opening of the North Korean polity and economy. The reform agenda includes denuclearization of the North, reducing military tensions on the peninsula and improving the human rights conditions in the North, and her opening up would entail economic growth and rising internat
March 6, 2013
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[Kim Myong-sik] Yangdong Village should not be a Potemkin
Two and a half years after Yangdong Village was registered with UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage item, a casual visitor to this “gem” of Korea’s traditional community culture sees signs of negligence that give him worries about its future. The elegant “yangban (nobility)” houses, pavilions and libraries ― 17 compounds in all ― stand there well along with about 100 peasants’ cottages below and around them. And a modern structure was established last year at the entrance to the village to serve
March 6, 2013
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Specter of third ‘unfreezing’ of conflicts looms
MOSCOW ― During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and, in a milder way, the United States imposed external limits on the activities of states and societies, causing longstanding conflicts among smaller countries to be “frozen.” Following the Soviet Union’s collapse in the 1990s, those conflicts began to “unfreeze.”With interethnic tensions already on the rise, Yugoslavia was the first country to dissolve into conflict. Soon after, war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan, followed by fighting i
March 5, 2013
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[Lee Jae-min] Why spit in public places?
Having spent some time in foreign countries and still having frequent business trips to other countries, I have come to realize that there is one peculiar thing that can be observed on the streets in Seoul. It is interesting, to say the least, to note that walking down the streets of Seoul we frequently encounter people who spit on the sidewalk. Some drivers do this while their cars are waiting for the green signal and gentlemen in nice suits clear their throat on the pavement without the slight
March 5, 2013
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Korea: Cosmetic surgery capital of the world
Where is most cosmetic surgery performed? If you answered the USA, you are correct. When it comes to sheer numbers, more cosmetic surgery procedures are carried out in America than anywhere else, with over 3 million performed in 2011. However, according to new figures, when population is accounted for, Korea leads the world, followed by Greece and Italy. The figures, from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, show that Korea has the highest proportion of its population undergoi
March 5, 2013
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Same-sex marriage and the long arc of history
It is too soon to predict how the U.S. Supreme Court will deal with the issue of same-sex marriage, but history has already been made. The Department of Justice argued last week that in the context of marriage (and everywhere else), courts should treat discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation with essentially the same hostility they apply to discrimination on the basis of race and sex. To understand the importance of that argument, detailed in a brief opposing a 2008 California law bann
March 5, 2013
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[Kim Seong-kon] Proper English names for government ministries
With the newly inaugurated Park administration beginning to reshuffle and rename government ministries, many major newspapers are discussing the rather odd ministry names used by the previous administration. Perhaps the most outstanding name in dispute is the “Ministry of Knowledge Economy.” One may wonder, “How exactly does ‘knowledge’ relate to ‘economy’?” Judging by the title alone, it is hard to grasp what the ministry does. Although the term “knowledge economy” has been used by Peter Drucke
March 5, 2013
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Italy’s post-election chaos isn’t what you think
No parliament, no government, no president of the republic. And now not even a pope. The situation in Italy resembles a house of cards in a perfect storm. It’s not just a matter of politicians, scenarios and furniture flying all over the place until the storm subsides. The problem is deeper than that. The new Italian Parliament has three minorities that are unable to form a majority. It is a power game in which Pier Luigi Bersani, the electoral winner, is the political loser, and the electoral l
March 4, 2013
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[David Ignatius] Can we close the ‘power gap’?
WASHINGTON ― Imagine that you’re sitting at the table as the National Security Council debates the deteriorating political and security situation in a North African country (take your pick). The president asks how the U.S. can prevent conflict there without sending in the military. Various Cabinet members and agency directors look awkwardly at each other ― because nobody has a good answer. Here lies one of the biggest unresolved problems for U.S. national-security planners today: How can America
March 4, 2013
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Voting for women, and against violence
After more than a year of bitter partisan fighting, Congress on Thursday finally reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, including new provisions that will extend the law’s protections for gay, lesbian, transgender and Native American victims of domestic violence. It’s about time.There is no rational explanation for why lawmakers took so long to reauthorize this legislation, which was first enacted in 1994 and had been renewed twice with broad bipartisan support. Admittedly, the revised law
March 4, 2013
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Yahoo’s work-at-home force back to the office
If you burrowed into the home office earlier this week instead of braving the snow and sleet to get to your cubicle, you might have paused to give thanks that you don’t work for Marissa Mayer.The Yahoo CEO, America’s most famous working mom, became America’s most famous monster boss after issuing a no-more-telecommuting edict. Starting in June, employees who have been allowed to work from home will be required to report to Yahoo’s offices instead. So much for that 21st century no-walls workplace
March 4, 2013
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Half a century after ‘The Feminine Mystique,’ women should look ahead
“Housewives.” “Homemakers.” They don’t look like four-letter words, do they?But that’s what they became in the aftermath of the publication of Betty Friedan’s book about the “problem that has no name,” which gave a voice to the female yearning to be someone who was more than married to a house.It’s been 50 years since the late Ms. Friedan’s book, “The Feminine Mystique,” ignited a wave of bra-burning and contempt for men and domesticity. The women’s movement has ebbed and flowed over the decades
March 4, 2013