[Wang Son-taek] Trust necessary for stronger extended deterrence

With the beginning of 2023, unusual diplomacy meetings between South Korea and the US were busily under progress. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is extremely busy dealing with the Russia-Ukraine war and military cooperation with the Philippines, visited Seoul on Jan. 30. Soon after Mr. Austin’s visit, the US sent F-22 Raptors over the West Sea and participated in combined military drills with the South Korean Air Force twice in three days. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is

ViewpointsFeb. 9, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] From romance to revenge: A shift in K-drama

Hallyu initially attained popularity with romantic or historical Korean television dramas such as “Winter Sonata” or “Dae Jang Geum.” In those series, young people love each other despite ordeals and obstacles, or strive to accomplish noble goals of becoming the best in their fields of expertise. Such dramas portrayed South Korea as a romantic and historic place foreigners wanted to visit. Recently, however, things have radically changed. These days, revenge K-dramas are

ViewpointsFeb. 8, 2023

Embassies in Korea commemorate Holocaust victims

The German, Israeli and Italian embassies in Korea paid tribute Monday to victims of the Holocaust during World War II. To commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration and extermination camps 78 years ago in 1945, the German and Israeli embassies co-hosted the International Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony in Memory of the victims of the Holocaust at the Goethe Institut Seoul in Yongsan-gu. Not only every German government but also every German citizen has the moral duty

Foreign AffairsFeb. 7, 2023

Georgia, Korea Herald discuss awareness building

New Georgian Ambassador to Korea, Tarash Papaskua, and The Korea Herald CEO, Choi Jin-young, discussed ways to enhance public awareness on the bilateral relationship between South Korea and Georgia on Tuesday. Highlighting the growing interests in Korean culture and music in Georgia, particularly with regards to the Korean language, Papaskua said he wishes to strengthen the economic and cultural relations of the two countries. He also said that The Korea Herald, South Korea's largest English new

Foreign AffairsFeb. 7, 2023

Argentina seeks stronger science, tech cooperation with S. Korea

Daniel Filmus, Argentina's minister of science, technology and innovation, emphasized the importance of expanding science and technology cooperation with South Korea on Friday. Filmus identified space, nuclear power, biotech, nanotech and lithium as key areas in which his country could work with Korea, citing his meeting with Korea's Science and ICT Minister Lee Jong-ho and the signing of a memorandum of understanding as a significant takeaway. The memorandum allows Argentina and Korea

Foreign AffairsFeb. 7, 2023

[Michael Hiltzik] Stupid and dishonest idea of raising retirement age

The people who are at the forefront of pushing Social Security "reform" by cutting benefits have gotten pretty good at hiding their intentions behind plausible-sounding jargon and economists' gibberish. The latest "reform" package offered by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, for example, calls on lawmakers to "promote stronger economic growth and productive aging" by removing "work and savings disincentives in the current program." "

ViewpointsFeb. 7, 2023

[Lynn Schmidt] Coping with a post-shame world

Growing up I remember hearing the phrase “Have you no shame?” That question must have held some power back in the day. But if you asked that now, some shapers of our current political culture would respond with a resounding “No.” Hyper-partisanship has moved us into a post-shame world. Shame is the internal, uncomfortable sense arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable or improper, whether that has been done by oneself or another. While shame is a negative

ViewpointsFeb. 7, 2023

[J. Bradford DeLong] Utopia or bust -- the politics of economic governance

My book on the economic history of the 20th century, published last fall, did not include a chapter on the question of the future or “what we should do next,” because my frequent co-author, Stephen S. Cohen, convinced me that whatever I wrote would come to look outdated and silly within six months. He was right: Such arguments are better left to commentaries like this one. So, if I had written a final chapter looking to the future, what should I have said? Prior to the phantom text,

ViewpointsFeb. 6, 2023

[Song Young-gil] There is no Planet B!

Winter is coming! It’s a famous line often cited from US fantasy series “Game of Thrones.” Russia was able to defeat Napoleon’s invasion in 1812 and to stop Hitler’s advance in 1941 thanks to the cold weather. Perhaps, Russian President Vladimir Putin might have expected such a weather chance when he decided to invade Ukraine. But, his attempt to block the EU’s intervention by threatening to cut Russia's supply of natural gas to Europe turned out to be a

ViewpointsFeb. 6, 2023

[William D. Hartung] Risks of continuing military aid to Ukraine

The Biden administration announced last week that the US will provide 31 Abrams M-1 tanks to Ukraine, and Germany said it will send 14 of its Leopard tanks to Kyiv. The tank deal and the first anniversary of the start of the war in February offer an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness and future direction of US military aid to Ukraine, which has been authorized at more than $27 billion in the last year alone -- an annual amount not seen since the height of the Vietnam War. American arms an

ViewpointsFeb. 3, 2023

Uzbek-Kyrgyz summit, indicator of new trends in Central Asia

  The state visit of the Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Kyrgyzstan ended Jan. 27. Undoubtedly, the significance of its results will go down in the history of bilateral relations. Moreover, they mark a new stage in the process of regional cooperation. I would even say that the significance of the results of the visit goes beyond the region and may even play an important role in stabilizing the entire system of international relations. There are good reasons for such an assertion. Duri

Foreign AffairsFeb. 2, 2023

[Lee Kyong-hee] Reconciliation to overcome sordid history

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s rush to mend fences with Japan stokes both hopes and concerns. The hopes are for a modest achievement -- a certain degree of amity after years of bitter feuds. The concerns constitute a minefield. They defy the administration’s contention that its predecessors were “driven by short-sighted anti-Japanism” and the results will be different this time. Frankly, concerns override hopes. The first hurdle to rapprochement is the long-festering

ViewpointsFeb. 2, 2023

[Antara Haldar] Davos Man has a people problem

One of the most iconic images of our time shows a polar bear marooned and adrift on an ice floe. Few other images capture the reality of climate change so viscerally. And now, ironically, Davos Man finds himself in a similar metaphorical position. His natural habitat, the hyper-globalized world of the past half-century, is shrinking, and he has gone from skiing in the Swiss Alps to skating on thin ice. Of course, globalization long predates Davos Man. Ever since the dawn of industrialization in

ViewpointsFeb. 2, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] South Korea: A country of veterans

In the US and Japan, men are not required to fulfill mandatory military duty. Therefore, both Americans and Japanese find military life irrelevant to them. In the case of America, for example, the Council on Foreign Relations has recently revealed that presently there are 1.3 million US soldiers on active duty, which consist of only 0.5 percent of the American population. In South Korea, where military service is compulsory, things are radically different. Except for teenagers, nearly all Kore

ViewpointsFeb. 1, 2023

[Francis Wilkinson] The persistence of US police problem

You will not believe the video that was released Friday night showing Memphis police officers beating -- ultimately to death -- a young Black man. I don’t really mean that, of course. If you live in the US, and participate in society, you likely have no difficulty believing that a gang of violent police officers fatally pummeled Tyre Nichols in what the city’s police chief accurately described as a “heinous” attack. Indeed, if you have an internet connection or a televi

ViewpointsFeb. 1, 2023