Articles by 최남현
최남현
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[Robert Reich] Obama should avoid supply side
“I am concerned about the fact that the recovery that we’re on is not producing jobs as fast as I want it to happen,” President Obama said last week.Does this mean we’re about to see a package of bold ideas from the White House for spurring growth of jobs and wages? Sadly, it doesn’t seem so.The president says he’s interested in working with Republicans to extend some of the measures that were par
Viewpoints June 19, 2011
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[Editorial] University reform
The number of high school graduates dropped 15 percent from 2000 to 2005, making it impossible for some universities and junior colleges to fill their freshman quotas. A fall in admissions meant a drop in tuition fees ― the main source of revenues for the ill-fated ones.The situation will worsen if no action is taken because the number is projected to fall 40 percent from 670,000 to 410,000 in a d
Editorial June 17, 2011
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[Editorial] Control on borrowing
A borrower is up to no good if he is much indebted. This has been proven to be true in all ages and countries, no matter which the borrower may be ― a corporation, a state or an individual.Kim Choong-soo, governor of the Bank of Korea, made remarks to that effect when he was commenting on Tuesday’s news report that Greece took a super-low rating from the Standard & Poor’s. If so, why is he accused
Editorial June 17, 2011
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Weapons-export ban threatened
In meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Singapore on June 3, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told him that Japan would allow the United States to export to other countries an anti-missile missile being jointly developed by Japan and the U.S. if certain conditions are met.Japan is expected to confirm this position in a meeting of Japanese and U.S. foreign and defense ministers to b
Viewpoints June 17, 2011
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Japan ruling party’s punishment of rebels lenient
Was this the best the Democratic Party of Japan could do to put its foot down?The ruling party on Monday decided on punishments for 15 of its House of Representatives lawmakers who did not attend or abstained from voting on a recent no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Naoto Kan.Former DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa and seven other lawmakers had their party membership suspended for three months
Viewpoints June 17, 2011
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[Editorial] Auditing universities
Debate on half-priced university tuition is mired in the paucity of information on the finances of the 345 institutions of higher education in the nation ― 199 universities and 146 junior colleges. Information is scant because the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is withholding it, citing confidentiality.But a Korean daily, quoting the ministry’s 2009 report, says five universities an
Editorial June 15, 2011
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[Editorial] Five-day school week
Beginning in March next year, all primary and secondary schools will have no classes on Saturdays, putting an end to the current practice of teaching every other Saturday. The five-day workweek, which was introduced in 1998 to improve the quality of life, will have been implemented at all workplaces except for those employing four or fewer people.To make up for the potential loss of classes result
Editorial June 15, 2011
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[Joel Brinkley] Afghanistan: Money pit for U.S.
If you were to read two new government reports on American aid to Afghanistan, you would come away first astounded and then utterly furious, just as I did. Ten years into the Afghan war, our government still heedlessly throws many billions of dollars at Afghan organizations that steal some of it and pass the rest off to militants who use it to kill American troops.The State Department, for example
Viewpoints June 15, 2011
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With reported rapes, the DSK case is the exception
The charges filed recently against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn have perpetuated a myth: that the U.S. justice system moves swiftly and effectively to resolve allegations of sexual assault.In the wake of Strauss-Kahn’s arrest, the media, particularly in Europe, have highlighted the perceived equality and fairness of a justice system that allows an immigrant single mother with relatively
Viewpoints June 14, 2011
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[Lee Jae-min] English lectures at Korean colleges
Imagine how awkward it would be if you were required to speak a foreign language with your colleagues on a particular topic at a designated time each week. All other times, you use your mother tongue with them. This is the awkwardness that many Korean instructors feel in front of Korean students during English-only classes. Interestingly, that awkwardness usually does not occur in front of foreign
Viewpoints June 14, 2011
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[Gus West] Banking: Senate reins in debit card ‘swipe fees’
Remember those dark days after the 2008 financial collapse, when Congress vowed it would get tough with the banks? Well, that resolve seems to be dwindling. A move to undo some of the reforms legislators were touting just months ago was barely stopped last week.The issue at hand this time was debit cards. Currently, when you make a purchase with a debit card, the retailer has to pay a so-called sw
Viewpoints June 14, 2011
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[Kim Seong-kon] Caring about others: from egotism to altruism
At school, we teach our students that Korea was founded on a humanitarian ideal called “Hong-Ik In-gan,” which means “devoting ourselves to the welfare of humankind.” In reality, however, you must go far to find someone who genuinely cares about others’ welfare these days. In fact, we are too busy securing and insisting on our own welfare. As a result, the so-called “NIMBY (not in my backyard)” me
Viewpoints June 14, 2011
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[Editorial] Tuition politics
One of the ugliest political scenes took place last week at the narrow Cheonggyecheon square in Seoul which was packed with university students holding candle lights in a rally demanding “halved tuition.” Opposition Democratic Party chairman Sohn Hak-kyu climbed onto the makeshift stage and urged the rallying students in his high-pitched voice to mount their pressure on the Lee Myung-bak governmen
Editorial June 13, 2011
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[Editorial] K-pop in Europe
Two sold-out performances at Le Zenith de Paris concert hall last week marked a successful venture for K-pop groups in Europe, which we attribute first to the talents of the singers and then to their management’s “culture technology” of aggressive marketing. Of course, YouTube, Facebook and all other high technology tools helped introduce the stars to Europe before they landed in Paris. TVXQ, Girl
Editorial June 13, 2011
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Afghan troop withdrawal must be significant
President Obama must soon choose whether to order a “significant” withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan ― as he promised ― or content himself with a token drawdown. After nearly a decade of war and a troop buildup that seems to have produced results, the president should abide by his commitment, even if it means overriding his military advisors.In December 2009, when he authorized a surge of
Viewpoints June 13, 2011
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