Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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[Meghan Daum] Downfall of Hostess and the Republican Party
Just two weeks after the election all but declared an end to white male dominance, yet another nail was driven into the wood-paneled coffin of old-fashioned America. Hostess Brands, maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, announced that even after eleventh-hour talks with union leaders, it would permanently cease operations.In other words, it’s not just white males of a certain age that are on the endangered list but the delicious if strangely sealant-tasting white bread (and snacks) that once upon
Nov. 26, 2012
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[Jeffrey Frankel] Time to lift Cuban embargo
HAVANA ― For a United States citizen, the short trip to Havana requires navigating an obstacle course, owing to the trade and travel embargo that the U.S. maintains against Cuba. It also turns out to be a trip to the past ― specifically, to 1959.Signs of this time warp are instantly apparent: the American automotive behemoths of the 1950s stand out among the few cars on the streets in Havana. Most, obviously maintained with loving care, run well and look magnificent.Unfortunately, the rest of Cu
Nov. 26, 2012
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[Robert B. Reich] BP not criminal, its execs are
The Justice Department has entered into the largest criminal settlement in U.S. history with the giant oil company BP, in connection with the 2010 disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 people and caused the worst oil spill in American history. BP pleaded guilty to 14 criminal counts, including manslaughter, and agreed to pay $4 billion over the next five years.This is nonsensical. BP isn’t a criminal. Corporations aren’t people. They can’t know right from wrong. They’re incapable of crim
Nov. 25, 2012
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U.S. BioWatch program has many bugs
It’s possible that not every problem has a technological solution. That will come as a shock to U.S. policymakers, who since the 9/11 terrorist attacks have invested in multiple technologies to protect us from evildoers. Some have been a success, while others ― such as enhanced surveillance techniques or airport scanners that can peer through clothing ― are often seen as unacceptable invasions of privacy. And then there are ideas that simply don’t work or are impractical, such as scanning every
Nov. 25, 2012
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[Eli Park Sorensen] The experience of continuity in an episodic age
Among the still existing Greek tragedies, Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex” (ca. 429 BCE) is generally singled out as the quintessential example of ancient dramatic art. While celebrating the poetic power and originality of “Oedipus Rex,” it is often forgotten that Sophocles wrote well over hundred plays ― of which only seven exist today. It is reasonable to assume that Oedipus Rex was one of Sophocles’ more accomplished plays, since the Greek philosopher Aristotle characterizes it as an exemplary litera
Nov. 25, 2012
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Taking Korean global: start with dictionaries
One needs to look no further than the Korean-English and English-Korean dictionary to see where we must start if we want to truly internationalize the teaching of Korean language. Most English-Korean and Korean-English dictionaries (all dictionaries that I have ever seen) are written in a manner that discourages foreigners from learning Korean. I think that it would be easy to create truly foreigner-friendly dictionaries and the investment could revolutionize the status of Korean language around
Nov. 25, 2012
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Weeding out system-wrecking psychopaths
PARIS ― A colleague mentioned earlier this week how thankful he is that he can tell anyone who deserves it to go take a flying leap. (Actually, his precise words are unprintable, but you get the idea.) At first glance, such uninhibited opinion-sharing might seem rude and unacceptable, but upon further reflection, it becomes clear how individuals rising up and courageously telling off the creeps who deserve it would benefit society as a whole, and how capitalism in particular is the perfect vehic
Nov. 23, 2012
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[David Ignatius] Never-ending war in Mideast
WASHINGTON ― An Israeli official was listening a few days ago to the familiar critique that Israel doesn’t have any strategy in Gaza, just periodic tactical assaults on Hamas. The official finally exploded: “That is our strategy. Don’t you understand? We don’t have any other choice except to punch our adversary in the face every few years.” The most depressing aspect about the latest Gaza war is that it dramatizes this “no exit” aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Wars recur every four o
Nov. 23, 2012
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Gaza clash reveals Morsi’s true colors
The chameleon is finally showing his true colors.Since taking office in June, Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s not-so-new president, has been equivocating, trying to balance Egypt’s longstanding diplomatic and financial relationship with the West with his true self: a Muslim Brotherhood fundamentalist who is contemptuous of the West, hates Israel and wants to turn Egypt into a fully Islamic state.“He speaks of moderation for the West,” Perihan Abou-Zeid, a 28-year-old Egyptian officer for a media-producti
Nov. 22, 2012
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[Han Seung-soo] Heeding history in East Asia
SEOUL ― Chinese, South Korean, and Japanese diplomats recently took to the podium of the United Nations General Assembly to reassert their countries’ positions on the territorial issues surrounding several small islands in the seas of East Asia. But the composed manner in which they delivered their remarks belied their countries’ long-simmering tensions over the islands, which have come to a near boil in the last few months.At the center of one heated dispute, between China and Japan, are the Se
Nov. 22, 2012
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Japan’s parties must spell out their visions
Japan stands at a crossroads. The direction it takes will be critical to determining whether Japan can remain one of the world’s leading nations.As political gridlock continues and the economy staggers along, the people’s sense that the country is stagnating has been growing. How can the nation overcome this situation?During the upcoming House of Representatives election campaign, we urge each party to present the course they want Japan to pursue and a new “vision” for this nation. Each party th
Nov. 22, 2012
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Obama’s trip to Myanmar a long-term move
Even though the reelected U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Myanmar this week will be brief, it will have a series of significant outcomes for Myanmar and the region. Make no mistake, his visit is part of a long-term strategic plan by U.S. decision-makers, who view the once most condemned nation in the world as a key future ally.The U.S. knows this is the best time to approach Myanmar because the Thein Sein government has demonstrated its willingness to engage with the West, especially the
Nov. 22, 2012
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[Michael Boskin] Watching China’s new leaders
STANFORD ― Political leadership transitions typically signal either a change in direction or continuity. But the mere prospect of such a transition usually postpones some important political decisions and freezes some economic activity, pending the resolution of the accompanying uncertainty.China’s decennial leadership transition, culminating at the Chinese Communist Party’s 18th Congress, is a case in point. And, while many will remember when a Chinese leadership transition was a political and
Nov. 22, 2012
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Good use of ‘Big Data’ can change the world
The Israeli company Seculert offers a service that identifies malware-infected computers without requiring its customers to install any new equipment or software. According to Aviv Raff, the company’s co-founder, Seculert deliberately exposes its own computers to malware in order to become part of the chain of virus-infected computers that cyber criminals are assembling around the Internet. By analyzing the communications on these “botnets,” Seculert can identify computers on its customers’ netw
Nov. 21, 2012
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[Dominique Moisi] China and the American dream
PARIS ― China may be just a few years away from becoming the world’s leading economic power, and America’s strategic centrality may be on the wane (certainly, no one speaks of the United States today as the world’s “hyperpower”). But America still makes people dream, and its emotional hold on the world remains unique.In this sense, last week brought two victories: not just Barack Obama’s over Republican challenger Mitt Romney in the presidential election, but also the victory of America’s democr
Nov. 21, 2012
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Korea must act to stop parental kidnapping
A week ago Saturday I traveled to my former residence in Namwon to pick up my two children, Richard and Andrew. As usual the children were not waiting for me and I knew that once again my ex-wife was violating the court agreement. This two week pattern of violation has been an unfortunate part of my life since the divorce became final in May of 2011. In that time I have grown very accustomed to her repeated violations of the court agreement on visitation and custody. I had also grown very used t
Nov. 21, 2012
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Attacks on reporters show need to improve journalists’ safety
Well over 100 journalists have been killed so far this year ― the highest number since the International Press Institute began keeping count of journalists’ deaths in 1997. All across the world ― from Africa, Asia and Europe, to the Middle East and Latin America ― journalists continue to be systematically and brutally targeted because of their work. Some are caught in the crossfire while reporting on conflict, but most are targeted by criminal groups and individuals who want to prevent informati
Nov. 21, 2012
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[Shashi Tharoor] The emerging world’s education imperative
NEW DELHI ― Official delegations from the world’s nine most populous developing countries just met in New Delhi to discuss a subject vital for their countries’ futures: education. The meeting of ministers and others from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan, known as the E-9, is the latest in a series of encounters held every two years to fulfill the pledge of “education for all” by 2015.The E-9 account for 54 percent of the world’s population, 42.3 pe
Nov. 21, 2012
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[Harold Brown] America’s trouble with China
WASHINGTON ― Xi Jinping, China’s newly anointed president, made his first visit to the United States in May 1980. He was a 27-year-old junior officer accompanying Geng Biao, then a vice premier and China’s leading military official. Geng had been my host the previous January, when I was the first U.S. defense secretary to visit China, acting as an interlocutor for President Jimmy Carter’s administration.Americans had little reason to notice Xi back then, but his superiors clearly saw his potenti
Nov. 20, 2012
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Housing agency woes offer chance to fix market
For the first time in its 78-year history, the U.S. Federal Housing Administration might need a government bailout. The agency’s most recent audit, released last week, reveals it is burdened by a $16.3 billion deficit in the value of its insurance fund, primarily on loans it backed ahead of the housing market’s collapse. The audit also reveals ― or should remind us ― that the federal government’s role in the mortgage market is outsized and should be reduced. The FHA’s troubles are largely a resu
Nov. 20, 2012