It seems that a new cold war system is emerging right now. The following changes in the world order are symptomatic of this phenomenon: First, the ideological cold war has been replaced by a geopolitical cold war. The ideological cold war was started by the two great powers, the US and the USSR immediately after World War II. World War II was started by the imperialist powers, mainly Germany and...

North Korea says it has no choice but to become a nuclear state because it is the only way to defend itself from a nuclear attack from the US. This reaction may be a justifiable but not wise counterstrategy. Let us assume that the US would resort to nuclear weaponry even if North Korea attacked South Korea with conventional weapons. The world would not condone such a brutal response. I believe t...

I have selected the following 10 events as major issues in 2018: 1. Growing populism and nationalism 2. Denuclearization of North Korea 3. Tribalism in Africa and racism in Western Europe 4. Worsening global warming and pollution 5. Continuing Muslim sectarian conflicts in the Middle East 6. Rapid globalization and technological change in the world 7. Massive migration of people from devel...

The main pillar of traditional Korean culture was collectivism. Collectivism in the Korean context can be defined as a culture based on the hierarchical social structure which subjugates the individual rights to the collective goods of society. This cultural structure is diametrically opposite to the Western cultural structure based on the egalitarian social structure which emphasizes that the co...

These days the term “Global Citizen” has become a popular catch-phrase in Korea, particularly among the so-called “internationalized people.” Why has this term become so popular or even “sexy”? The trend reminds me of a speech I delivered at the International Management Institute of the Federation of Korean Industries on April 6, 2000. The title was “How to Become a Global Person.” Strictly spe...

I have received university education in both Korea and the US, majoring in English literature in Korea and political science in the US. Perhaps because of this, the differences between Western and Oriental civilizations have become my main academic interest. In most East Asian countries authoritarianism is one of the most distinguished traits of their cultures. This is particularly true of Korea....

When globalization began to accelerate in the 1990s, globalists rejoiced and predicted that globalism would eventually weaken nationalism, and international organizations, particularly the UN, would become more powerful. However, such optimism has turned out to be a naive dream. Nation-states have become more vital and powerful, while within nation-states ethnic or religious minority groups have...

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said at the Graduate Ceremony of the US Naval War College on June 15, 2018 that “China has a long-range plan to change the existing international order” and it wants to lead it. He cited the following as China’s motives: To replicate its authoritarian politico-economic model (Marxism-Leninism with Chinese characteristics) in other parts of the world, to contro...

Lately the North Korean nuclear issue has affected the tripartite relationships among the two Koreas and the US: North Korea and the US have become the direct parties for the nuclear negotiations with South Korea as a third party providing good offices or playing the role of a mediator. It is very difficult to understand why the country which will become the primary target of North Korea in case ...

The South Korea and North Korea summit took place at Panmunjeom on April 28, 2018 and the two heads of state agreed on the following among other things: the establishment of a permanent peace regime by July 27 this year participated by the two Koreas and the US (a trilateral peace regime) or the two Koreas, the US and China (a quadrilateral peace regime) replacing the existing armistice agreement...

If we look at the world map, we can see that the Eurasian continent and North America are getting involved in a new type of cold war, while the African and Latin American continents are getting mired in increasing tribal conflicts and the Arab world in intensifying religious sectarian fights. Consequently, humanity suffers from the new Cold War, tribalism and religious conflicts simultaneously. ...

The Dec. 11, 2017 edition of The Korea Herald carried an article titled “Why Koreans want to leave ‘Hell Joseon’.” According to the article, 62.7 percent of people polled in December last year regarded South Korea as “Hell Joseon.” Fifty-six percent were willing to give up their nationality. The desire to leave Korea is more prevalent among the young generation, many of whom struggle to find emp...

Since President Moon Jae-in was inaugurated in May, he has formulated four national security strategies: western diplomacy dealing with China; eastern diplomacy dealing with Japan; northern diplomacy focusing on the Russian Far East and China’s three northeastern provinces, Central Asia and Mongolia; and southern diplomacy focusing on Southeast Asia and India. The South Korea-US alliance plays th...

I attended as an invited guest the opening ceremony of the 22nd Busan International Film Festival on Oct. 12. I immensely enjoyed the whole ceremony and the reception. It reminded me of the 10th Singapore International Film Festival in April 1997 I attended when I served as Korean ambassador to Singapore. After the event in Singapore I wrote an article on the SIFF in the Strait Times in which I ...