The Korea Herald

[Kim Seong-kon] “The odd couple” in our time

Aug 18, 2021

“The Odd Couple” is a 1968 American comedy film, starring Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau, based on Neil Simon’s 1965 play. It is a comic story of two divorced men, Felix Unger and Oscar Madison, who d...
[Charles A. Kupchan] Afghan pullout a right decision

Aug 18, 2021

It has been excruciating to watch the Taliban roll across Afghanistan, undoing in a matter of months two decades of efforts by the Afghan people and the international community to build a decent, sec...
[Tyler Cowen] Three reasons to be worried about Africa’s progress

Aug 17, 2021

One of the saddest stories of the year has gone largely unreported: the slowdown of political and economic progress in sub-Saharan Africa. There is no longer a clear path to be seen, or a simple stor...
[Clara Ferreira Marques] Reality is dragging Russia toward climate acceptance

Aug 17, 2021

Could climate alarm bells be ringing in the Kremlin? Official pronouncements and a newfound urgency suggest the reality of greener global demand may finally force a fossil fuel behemoth to accept the...
[J. Bradford DeLong] The summer of disaster

Aug 16, 2021

The world is facing two disasters that are making the COVID-19 crisis doubly worse than it ought to be. The first is the rise of the delta variant, which is twice as contagious and 1.5-2 times deadli...
[Jeffrey D. Sachs] The case for G-21 including African Union

Aug 16, 2021

The Group of Twenty has become a pillar of multilateralism. Although the world has many high-level talk shops, the G-20 represents the best kind, actively supporting global dialogue, debate and -- mo...
[Robert J. Fouser] Korea’s ‘culture of caregiving’

Aug 13, 2021

In response to the surging delta variant of COVID-19 around the world, more countries are requiring proof of vaccination for employment and access to public places. A range of institutions in the US ...
[Kim Myong-sik] Ruling force seeks ‘North Wind’ for next election

Aug 12, 2021

In South Korean political terminology, the “North Wind” means the North Korean factor in major political events in the South, such as general elections. Just as northwesterly winds thrash the Korean ...
[Kim Seong-kon] Out of the past and into the future

Aug 11, 2021

The past is something from which we should learn valuable lessons, not something to have a grudge about or to misuse for the sake of personal vendettas. Regrettably, however, our left-wing politician...
[Ana Palacio] The EU’s post-Merkel void

Aug 10, 2021

The European project has always had its fault lines, but they have rarely caused earthquakes. That is thanks largely to Germany, which has proved to be a skilled arbitrator of disputes among European...
[Jan-Werner Mueller] The far right’s new-old war on women

Aug 10, 2021

A grim 10-year anniversary last month did not go unmarked. On July 22, commentators around the world duly commemorated the 77 victims of a Norwegian far-right terrorist who detonated a bomb outside t...
[Serendipity] Indomitable human spirit soars at Tokyo Olympic

Aug 6, 2021

Can the safety and health of the athletes be guaranteed? What is the point of having world-class athletes perform to an empty stadium? In a city where COVID-19 is raging out of control, would not the...
[Tyler Cowen] The future will be weirder than we think

Aug 6, 2021

How weird is the future going to be? Just a little bit -- or plain flat-out radically unthinkably weird? And is this future 1,000 years from now -- or 100? The notion that the future will be weirder...
[Lee Kyong-hee] Reconcile with the past and walk together

Aug 5, 2021

On a day of deepening COVID blues, I came across a heartwarming essay. Recalling our tumultuous days in middle and high school, the leader of my class wrote that she regretted not perceiving the undi...
[Kim Seong-kon] In the era of artificial intelligence

Aug 4, 2021

Experts argue that artificial intelligence will bring a revolutionary change to our future lives. Of course, AI has its upsides and downsides: The good news is that AI will make our lives incredibly ...