Articles by 이현주
이현주
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[Editorial] Hopes and worries
For every South Korean president, dealing with superpower neighbors like China and Japan always poses challenges. Yet, no Korean leader in recent years has faced as tough a challenge as President Park Geun-hye will encounter when she hosts the Korea-China-Japan summit and the bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. A look at some background of the three-way talks and the Park-Abe summit will indicate how heavyheartedly Park and the other two leaders will be taking their seats.
Editorial Oct. 30, 2015
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[Editorial] Shaky base
We have already got used to downbeat economic data -- be it the growth rate, exports, youth unemployment or household debt. But the news that the combined sales of manufacturers in the country contracted last year -- for the first time since 1961 -- should ring alarm bells, and ring them very loud. The Bank of Korea said that manufacturers posted combined sales of 1,726 trillion won ($1.5 trillion) last year, 1.6 percent down from the previous year. It is hard to believe that this is the same se
Editorial Oct. 30, 2015
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[Ana Palacio] Dealing with despotic temptation
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, when asked about American support for the notorious Nicaraguan despot Anastasio Somoza, purportedly replied, “He may be a son of a bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch.” Whether or not the quip is apocryphal, it sums up a longstanding Western approach to much of the world -- and one that underpinned U.S. foreign policy throughout the Cold War.But lately an even more troubling sentiment seems to have emerged, with Western leaders willing to settle not for “our
Viewpoints Oct. 30, 2015
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[Editorial] Mired in debt again
We are dumbfounded to hear that trillions of won in taxpayers’ money has to be poured into Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering again as the company reels under mounting debts and losses.The company reportedly suffered operating losses of more than 3 trillion won ($2.66 billion) in the first half of the year alone. By year-end, its losses are expected to reach 5.3 trillion won.We are left speechless by the totally irresponsible behavior of the troubled company’s management and workers. Des
Editorial Oct. 25, 2015
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[Editorial] Export blues
The third-quarter economic growth data released by the Bank of Korea last Friday had both good news and bad news.The good news is that Korea’s economic growth hit a five-year high in the July-September period. Korea saw its gross domestic product expand 1.2 percent on quarter, the fastest pace since the second quarter of 2010, when GDP grew 1.7 percent.The third-quarter growth rate compares favorably with the 0.8 percent in the first quarter and 0.3 percent in the second quarter. The GDP expansi
Editorial Oct. 25, 2015
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[David Ignatius] Asia's maritime game of chicken
The U.S. appears to be moving toward a military test of China’s claims of sovereignty in disputed areas of the South China Sea, and officials here seem pleased that President Obama is prepared to put more muscle into his famous “pivot” to Asia. The U.S. has been briefing Asian allies about its new readiness to assert “freedom of navigation” by sending ships within the 12-mile limits that China has placed around its newly reclaimed “islands.” Adm. John Richardson, the new chief of naval operatio
Viewpoints Oct. 25, 2015
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[Francis Wilkinson] Hillary Clinton is Mrs. October
October has been a clarifying month. The first Democratic debate exhibited Hillary Clinton’s competence and reassured the Democratic Party elite that she remains a formidable candidate. In addition, it helped chase two also-rans -- Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee -- from the primary and appears to have breached the porous borders of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ support.This week, Vice President Joe Biden’s retreat from the field ratified Clinton’s commanding position, freeing up funds and quashing a distrac
Viewpoints Oct. 25, 2015
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[Editorial] Stray cat problem
Debate is raging online over how to deal with street cats following the recent death of a “cat mom” in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.A cat mom refers to a person who provides food to stray cats. The police at first suspected that the Yongin woman was killed by one of her neighbors who hated people taking care of stray cats, given that she was hit by a brick while setting up a shelter for feral cats in a garden at the apartment building. But the suspect identified by the police on Friday was a 10-yea
Editorial Oct. 16, 2015
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[Editorial] Fight against drought
The persisting drought has begun to take an increasingly heavy toll on crops across much of the nation. As weather forecasters warn that the drought is highly likely to last until next April, the government needs to step up efforts to secure water resources and minimize damage.The hardest hit region has been South Chungcheong Province, where the accumulated rainfall from January to September this year totaled 754 millimeters, slightly more than 60 percent of the 30-year average of 1,188 millimet
Editorial Oct. 16, 2015
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[Andrew Sheng] Success depends on succession
Earlier this month, I was fortunate to attend the Khazanah Megatrends Forum 2015 in Kuala Lumpur on disruptive innovation. The forum brought together many amazing speakers who are at the cutting edge of innovation. The most impressive was Hugh Herr, who lost both legs to frostbite when mountain climbing. His doctors told him that he should be resigned to limited mobility. After an initial period of despondence, he decided boldly that it was conventional medicine that was broken, not his body or
Viewpoints Oct. 16, 2015
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[Editorial] Black Friday that wasn’t
The first-ever Korean adaptation of the “Black Friday” sales in the U.S. appears to be just another sales period.While the Black Friday event in the U.S., which takes place the day after Thanksgiving, is a once-a-year deal offering steep discounts of up to 80 percent on a wide range of items, the same event here which kicked off Thursday for a two-week run is not much more than the regular autumn sale under a different name. People who flocked to department stores in search of bargains Thursday
Editorial Oct. 2, 2015
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[Editorial] Saenuri struggle
Saenuri Party chairman Kim Moo-sung, embroiled in a highly public and bitter exchange of words with the Blue House over secure mobile phone polling for party nominations in elections, appears to have offered an olive branch, at least for now. Boycotting all official functions on Thursday, including the Armed Forces Day ceremony attended by President Park Geun-hye and a meeting of the Saenuri Party Supreme Council, Kim met with reporters at the National Assembly and rebutted the Blue House critic
Editorial Oct. 2, 2015
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[Editorial] Overhauling opposition
Overhauling opposition NPAD far from becoming an election-winning forceRep. Moon Jae-in, chairman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, said the passage of reform measures by its executive members this week reflected their demand that the party should be overhauled to win future elections. But the liberal opposition party, which has been embroiled in chronic internal feuding, still seems far from becoming a credible alternative to the conservative ruling Saenuri Party. It i
Editorial Sept. 18, 2015
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[Editorial] Youth employment fund
Youth employment fundEfforts should focus on creating more jobsPresident Park Geun-hye has demonstrated her commitment to increasing the country’s youth employment by pledging to give 20 percent of her monthly salary each month -- on top of a 20 million won ($17,000) initial donation -- to an envisioned fund meant to help young people find jobs. Her monthly contribution will amount to about 3.4 million won, given that her annual salary is set at 205 million won this year.Disclosing the president
Editorial Sept. 18, 2015
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[Robert B. Reich] College rankings miss the mark
College rankings miss the markAfter heavy lobbying from some of the nation’s most elite institutions of higher education, the president has just abandoned his effort to rank the nation’s 7,000 colleges and universities.So, with college application season almost upon us, where should aspiring college students and their parents look for advice?In my view, not U.S. News and World Report’s annual college guide (out last week). It’s analogous to a restaurant guide that gives top ratings to the most e
Viewpoints Sept. 18, 2015
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Opposition parties submit motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol
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South Korea faces unprecedented turmoil in aftermath of Yoon's martial law
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Why did President Yoon Suk Yeol resort to martial law?
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Impeachment motion to be voted on Saturday
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Yoon's senior aides resign en masse
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Korea’s largest labor union launches indefinite strike, calls for Yoon's resignation
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South Korean journalists condemn Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law
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Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment vote looms large
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'I'm sorry': Soldier mobilized by martial law seen apologizing to citizens
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Ruling party chair urges President Yoon Suk Yeol to dismiss defense minister