Most Popular
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
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Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
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[Robert J. Fouser] AI changes rationale for learning languages
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[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids go gold in US with ‘Maniac’
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Woman dangling from power lines rescued by residents holding blanket
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Bangladesh honors EPS workers on Int'l Migrants Day in Korea
The Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul honored 26 Bangladeshi Employment Permit System (EPS) workers in six categories at an event held to celebrate the International Migrants Day 2022 last week. Korea introduced the work permit system in 2004 to systematically manage the foreign workforce in Korea and resolve labor shortages at local small and medium-sized companies. The workers were honored for being employed under same employer for the longest period of time; receiving awards from the Korean governm
Dec. 20, 2022
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Qatar stresses elevated ties with Korea at national day celebration
The Qatari Embassy vowed to boost economic and cultural cooperation with Korea during its national day celebrations here last week. Qatar’s national day, which falls on Dec. 18, commemorates the 1878 accession of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, who unified the Qatari peninsula, which borders Saudi Arabia and juts into the Persian Gulf. Citing the vision of Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatari Ambassador Khalid Ibrahim al-Hamar said Qatar’s approach focused on c
Dec. 20, 2022
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Indian embassy celebrates 49th anniversary of bilateral ties
The Indian Embassy in Seoul hosted an event to mark the 49th anniversary of India-Korea diplomatic relations in Seoul Friday. The event was organized as part of a curtain raiser for yearlong celebrations of 50 years of bilateral ties in 2023. Delivering remarks at the event, Indian Ambassador to Korea Amit Kumar recalled major events and the history between the two countries, stressing India's role during the 1950-53 Korean War and the Special Strategic Partnership forged in 2015. Kumar sai
Dec. 20, 2022
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[Photo News] Honorary Ambassador
Figure skater and Olympics gold medalist Yuna Kim (right) poses with Canadian Embassy Charge d' affaires Tamara Mawhinney after she was named honorary ambassador for the 60th anniversary of Canada-Korea diplomatic relations on Monday at the Canadian Embassy in Seoul. Kim who spent some years in Canada for her training will participate in various activities and events celebrating the 60th year of bilateral ties next year.
Dec. 20, 2022
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[Trudy Rubin] Congress wants to send Afghan allies back to Taliban
Before the United States made its chaotic exit from Afghanistan in August 2021, Congress had promised special immigrant visas to Afghans who worked with our military or civilians. Once our allies were without the protection of American forces, they would surely face Taliban revenge. As US troops left, about 80,000 Afghans did make it out of the country, most with the help of their US military colleagues (although tens of thousands who were qualified were left behind). But there was no time for
Dec. 20, 2022
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[Daniel DePetris] China is pushing Japan into building up military
Japan isn’t known for being an aggressive country in the world of foreign affairs. Successive Japanese governments have taken pains to emphasize their peacelike nature, a direct consequence of Tokyo finding itself on the losing side of the most horrific war of the 20th century. Japan’s constitution renounces the use of force as a “means of settling international disputes,” and at $54 billion as of last year, its defense budget is extremely modest compared with its $4.9 tr
Dec. 19, 2022
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[Mark Weisbrot] Wild inflation? Not anymore
Do Americans understand what is happening with inflation in this country? This is an important question, because the public’s perception can influence national policy and political choices. Before the midterm elections one month ago, 87 percent of likely voters told pollsters that inflation was extremely or very important in deciding their vote. Let’s take a simple example of what most Americans see most in the news, and compare this with the data that economists, and journalists who
Dec. 19, 2022
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[Robert J. Fouser] South Korea’s resiliency in 2022 begins to fray
The biggest news story of 2022 was, without question, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. The war is the most severe conflict in Europe since 1945 and has raised tensions between nuclear-armed NATO and Russia to the highest level since the Cold War. The next biggest news story was the return of inflation in much of the world. Rising prices have pinched family budgets and caused labor and social unrest. To tame inflation, central banks have raised interest rates rapidly, which has added
Dec. 16, 2022
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[Serendipity] Young pianist opens up new universe
He was as bold as he is young. Pianist Lim Yun-chan, shorn of his heavy, wavy mane, walked onto the stage at Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall Saturday, his stride confident, his first step a loud thump. He sat himself in front of the piano and, without a second’s hesitation, hit the first note of Orlando Gibbons' “Lord Salisbury,” Pavan and Galliard. Lim, who, at 18, became the youngest ever winner at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in June began
Dec. 15, 2022
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[Allison Schrager] The perils of superstar culture in industries
One of the reasons the public is obsessed with Harry and Meghan is that they represent an important economic trend that resonates well beyond the British royal family: the rising tension between individual branding and the power and prestige of being part of an institution. And it’s not just the royals; it’s an issue for all industries. In the past, if money and security and status were what you craved, your path was clear: You got a job at the most prestigious institution you could
Dec. 15, 2022
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[Trudy Rubin] US, China at Chip War involving Taiwan
Most Americans are unaware that the United States is already fighting a war with China that involves Taiwan. This war isn't yet being fought with weapons. Instead, it is a battle to control the world's most critical technology: the design and production of microchips -- on which virtually everything in our modern world depends. From microwaves to smartphones to cars, from the stock market to missiles -- our economy and military run on the tiny silicon chips that power computer systems.
Dec. 15, 2022
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[Doyle McManus] US policy makes Ukraine fight by rules Russia doesn’t follow
Last week, Ukraine pulled off an audacious military feat: three drone strikes deep inside Russia, one against a target less than 240 kilometers from Moscow. The drones attacked bases from which Russia has launched airstrikes against Ukraine’s cities, electricity grid and other infrastructure. It’s not clear that they caused major damage; at least two airplanes were struck, and a fuel storage tank was set ablaze. But they revealed a surprising weakness in Russia’s air defenses
Dec. 14, 2022
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[Kim Seong-kon] Of soccer fields and political arenas
Soccer is undoubtedly the most popular sport among Koreans. Whenever World Cup season comes, many Koreans burn the midnight oil to watch the games with the Taeguk Warriors. Whenever a Korean player succeeds in a “goal-in,” shouts of joy burst out here and there from across apartment complexes in the middle of the night. At the ongoing World Cup in Qatar this year, the South Korean national soccer team did not fail the Korean people once again and performed quite well, reaching the ro
Dec. 14, 2022
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[Faye Flam] Let's leave 'zombie viruses' under permafrost
Vast stretches of permafrost are melting as the Earth’s polar regions warm, thawing ancient viruses and bacteria that had remained frozen for tens of thousands of years. Behind the lurid headlines about “zombie viruses,” there’s some fascinating science -- and a warning. Last month, scientists announced they’d taken a sample of tundra from Siberia, extracted a virus that had been frozen for 50,000 years, and showed it was still capable of infecting its normal host
Dec. 13, 2022
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[Stephen L. Carter] Fair points about Griner's release
We can all rejoice at the news that Russia has freed basketball star Brittney Griner. Griner was detained at a Moscow airport in February, after officials found in her luggage 19 grams of hashish oil, for which she had a doctor’s note. She was later convicted of possession and smuggling, and sentenced to nine years in prison and sent to a penal colony. That she’s on the way home is wonderful, even if the price was the release of the egregious arms dealer Viktor Bout. Here are four
Dec. 13, 2022
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[Joseph E. Stiglitz] All pain and no gain from higher interest rates
Central banks’ unwavering determination to increase interest rates is truly remarkable. In the name of taming inflation, they have deliberately set themselves on a path to cause a recession -- or to worsen it if it comes anyway. Moreover, they openly acknowledge the pain their policies will cause, even if they don’t emphasize that it is the poor and marginalized, not their friends on Wall Street, who will bear the brunt of it. And in the United States, this pain will disproportiona
Dec. 12, 2022
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[Kishore Mahbubani] The hard-won benefits of soft diplomacy
The world seems like a calmer place after the G-20 meeting in Bali in mid-November. The question is why. We know that US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a three-hour in-person meeting that went well, despite their many policy differences and their countries’ growing antagonism. It was also helpful that Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t show up, and that Russia’s war in Ukraine didn’t overshadow the Sino-American discussions. In fact, the
Dec. 12, 2022
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[Dan DePetris] G-7′s price cap gamble on Russian oil
The United States and its allies in Europe have spent the last 10 months turning the screws on the Russian economy in retaliation for Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. The Western coalition blocked Russia from accessing around half of its more than $600 billion in foreign reserves, disconnected multiple Russian banks from the global financial system, diversified away from Russian natural gas and banned the import of Russian coal. Now, Russian crude oil is being targeted. For the foreseeable
Dec. 9, 2022
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[Editorial] Fixed on labor side
In Korea, the workweek is 52 hours. Many workers work 40 hours a week. Overtime work cannot exceed 12 hours a week. Only small businesses with 29 or fewer employees can add eight hours of overtime work a week if labor and management agree to do so. The additional overtime system was introduced in 2018 to ease a chronic shortage of workers at small businesses. It is a sunset provision set to expire at the end of this year. Considering the difficulties small businesses will face after the provisio
Dec. 8, 2022
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[Lee Kyong-hee] President Yoon’s futile war on the press
President Yoon Suk-yeol’s pushback against the news media is unproductive. Tough media questions accompany the job of leading a democratic state. State leaders cannot muzzle reporters or throw them in prison like a dictator. Nor should they think the silent treatment will work. Questions will only continue and likely sharpen the more a leader hunkers down. During and after his recent diplomatic trips, Yoon resorted to less access and information for the media. If that modus operandi cont
Dec. 8, 2022