With the nation struggling to attract foreign investment ...Should for-profit hospitals be allowed?

With the nation behind many developed countries in corruption indices ...How can Korea end corruption?

With the U.S. presidential election on a knife-edge ...How will the outcome affect Korea?

Like so much of its history, Korea’s economic development from the mid-20th century onward was heavily entwined with nationalism. The Park Chung-hee regime regularly invoked national pride in mobilizing its citizenry to build the nation’s industries from the ground up. Park, a staunch nationalist, sheltered local businesses from foreign competition and shunned foreign direct investment. Times, o...

With 500 million YouTube hits and a U.S. No. 2 under his belt...Can Psy start a new Korean Wave?

With the role of Cheong Wa Dae becoming a campaign issue ... Does the president have too much power? Constrained by low approval ratings, political estrangement from his party and a series of corruption scandals involving his family and aides, President Lee Myung-bak is firmly in lame-duck status. The label has been applied since mid-way into the fourth year of his presidency, mirroring the fa...

With demands on public finances rising and growth flagging ... What can boost the economy? If all three main presidential candidates share a common campaign theme, it’s their focus on greater economic equality and fairness. Social welfare and “economic democratization” have dominated the rhetoric of Ahn Cheol-soo, Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye alike, pushing the issue of economic growth, a majo...

(123RF) With consumers weighed down by massive borrowing ... How should Korea tackle private debt? In a sea of developed countries saddled with heavy government borrowing, Korea is a rare example of a wealthy country with low levels of public debt. For this and other reasons, the nation recently saw its credit rating upgraded by the three major crediting agencies: Moody’s, Fitch and Standard &...

After a first for the country at the Venice Film Festival ... What is the future of Korean film? Director Kim Ki-duk’s grand prize win at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 8 marked a new high for Korean cinema. The Golden Lion Award for “Pieta” was the first time for a Korean director to take the top prize at one of the “Big Three” film festivals of Berlin, Venice and Cannes. The win was no le...

Children play at the elementary school in Naju attended by the 7-year-old victim of Ko Jong-seok. (Yonhap News) With the brutal rape of a child in Naju shocking the nation ... How should Korea combat pedophilia? The kidnap and rape of a 7-year-old girl in Naju, South Jeolla Province, earlier this month has reopened the debate on how to deal with society’s most reviled criminals. Like the case ...

In light of a Seoul court’s ruling in Samsung vs. Apple... Is the patent system working? The recent wins and losses in Samsung and Apple’s ongoing patent war have rekindled an age-old debate about the nature of innovation. At what point does inspiration become flat-out imitation? And do patents do more to stifle new thinking than promote it? Though overshadowed by the $1 billion judgment again...

Chinese protest Japanese activists landing on one of the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. (Yonhap News) With tensions running high across the region ... How can N.E. Asia improve relations? Northeast Asia has long been a region characterized by uneasy relations between neighbors. This month vividly demonstrated that reality as long-standing territorial disputes involving Japan, Korea and China flared u...

With drug abuse having spread to more sectors of society ... Is Korea’s drug policy working? If law enforcement figures are any guide, Korea’s illegal drug problem pales in comparison with much of the rest of the world. There were 7,011 arrests for drug offenses in 2011, according to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, a 7 percent drop from the previous year. The U.S., by way of comparison, in 201...

With growth in demand far outpacing increases in supply ... How can Korea ensure energy security? An unusually hot summer is raising fears of a repeat of last year’s country-wide blackouts. The Korea Power Exchange last week issued a number of power shortage warnings as scorching weather pushed people to crank up their air conditioners, causing reserve levels to drop below 3 million kilowatts. ...

(Yonhap News) With expectations for success ever growing ... How can Korea nurture better Olympians? It has been a tumultuous first week for Korea at the 2012 London Olympic Games. The disqualification of four of its badminton players, a number of controversial judging decisions and underwhelming performances have led to an at times rocky competition for the nation. Nevertheless, team Korea h...