Kim Ji-hyeon and Kim Hyeon-su were probably headed for marriage – but they decided to celebrate Halloween in Itaewon. An envelope for a cash wedding gift beside a drying stalk of white chrysanthemum implies the couple’s unfulfilled dreams. Post-it notes surround the tragic mementos, conveying the wishes of their family members. “Live happily in heaven. From Your Daddy, Mommy and Little Brother.” “Dear Hyeon-su, please take good care of Ji-hyeon. My beloved daughter,

ViewpointsNov. 24, 2022

Someday, history’s chroniclers will label this November as the month when America’s political elites and also America’s just plain people of the left, center and right suddenly began trying to see beyond the horizon -- urgently hoping to discover their next generation of leaders. Looking right, we are seeing the Trumpers looking beyond Trump. Looking a bit to the left of them, we are seeing the Never Trumpers, Republicans who are still sane and patriotic; but now they are wonde

ViewpointsNov. 24, 2022

There are things we miss very much when we reminisce about the past. For example, old people miss the days when they were young and healthy with infinite possibilities. When they were young, they were confident they could do anything, even though they were reckless at times. At that time, they were still innocent and untainted. Now old and withered, they now realize that simply being young was a beauty in itself. What else would old people want now, except for perennial youth anyway? We also m

ViewpointsNov. 23, 2022

Twitter has always been a weird place, but things have gotten more feral the last couple of weeks thanks to the service’s off-putting new owner, Elon Musk. A role model in the worst way, his trolling and despotic workplace practices have set the tone for a grass-roots insurrection inside the internet’s so-called town square. Let’s start with the users defiling the site with parodies of Musk and prominent corporations. It’s an obvious effort to monkey-wrench Musk’s e

ViewpointsNov. 23, 2022

BUSAN — The ASEAN Korea Center (AKC) set up a pavilion for game companies from seven ASEAN countries to connect them with potential investors and customers who participated in G-Star, the largest gaming exhibition in Korea, which returned after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. At the pavilion, ASEAN companies presented business models, partnership possibilities, potential technologies and contact points for global operations. The venue also provided an opportunity for them to learn

Foreign AffairsNov. 22, 2022

South Korea and Poland have been building strong business ties, a high-ranking Polish official said, pointing to a recent massive defense equipment deal as an example. But the foundation of such cooperation should be political dialogue between the two governments, he said. Marcin Przydacz, deputy foreign minister of Poland, told The Korea Herald in a recent interview that it was strategic partnership between South Korea and Poland that has provided a base for defense, security and economic ties

Foreign AffairsNov. 22, 2022

Hallyu, referring to the overseas popularity of Korean culture, has now become one of the biggest cultural phenomena across Asia and the globe. Historians, however, say that this Hallyu was even observed about 400 years ago in Southeast Asia during the Joseon Dynasty period in the history of the Republic of Korea. The star at the time was Scholar Lee Su-gwang (1563-1629) who wrote the supposed first Korean encyclopedia in the early 17th century. It is said that he once encountered an envoy from

ViewpointsNov. 22, 2022

Two days after the midterm elections in the United States, the Financial Times reported that US inflation has slowed, markets are “giddy,” and the Federal Reserve may now ease up on its interest-rate hikes. The timing was strategic, given that the push from oil prices ended in June, and that overall price changes have been low since July. With the election over, it seems, now it is safe to admit the facts. Just this past August, Harvard economist Jason Furman wrote that “underl

ViewpointsNov. 22, 2022

SUSTAINABLE ASIAN COMMUNITY The Uzbekistan Embassy's deputy chief of mission, Zokir Saidov (third from left) and the Bangladesh Embassy’s First Secretary Samuel Murmu (left) attend the 2022 Asia 100 Years Forum held in Gwangju on Friday. Co-hosted by the Northern Economic and Cultural Center and The Korea Herald, the forum explored ways to cooperate in regional politics, economy, society, culture and environment with a vision of establishing a sustainable Asian community. Philippine

Foreign AffairsNov. 22, 2022

The rocket strike that killed two Poles near their country’s border with Ukraine on Nov. 15 proved to be a test not so much of defense policy as of the information policy of Poland, Ukraine, and NATO. Only the Americans passed. The European allies and Ukraine floundered, revealing a shocking lack of preparation for a scenario that could have been predicted almost from the beginning of the war. Poland is the largest country on NATO’s eastern flank and serves as the most important logi

ViewpointsNov. 21, 2022

Though foreign policy played no real role in the outcome of the midterm elections, that outcome matters for foreign policy. Friends and allies around the world are likely breathing a sigh of relief that the predicted red wave never crashed. Our partners around the globe have been pleased by President Joe Biden’s “America is Back” foreign policy, and all signs point to that direction continuing. Supporters of democracy the world over are also taking comfort in the fact that Dona

ViewpointsNov. 21, 2022

The midterm elections in the United States last week upended the political scene. The Republicans had expected to ride a wave of discontent to take control of both houses of the US Congress, but, after more than a week of counting votes, the Democrats remain in control of the Senate. The Republicans will end up with a paper-thin majority in the House of Representatives, not the large margin they had expected. What happened? Historically, the president’s party loses seats in both houses i

ViewpointsNov. 18, 2022

Is it Dr. Mehmet Oz’s fault that the “red wave” expected by many Republicans didn’t materialize on Election Day? Did the Pennsylvania Senate candidate violate the physician’s Hippocratic Oath -- “first, do no harm” -- by inflicting severe damage to his own party’s electoral fortunes? You might think so, given the tenor of many post-election analyses. One of the main storylines of this year’s campaign has depicted a dramatic tension between

ViewpointsNov. 17, 2022

“The prosecutors’ job is to protect the people from crimes. Only criminals fear the prosecution that does its job properly. “The true prosecution reform, the real reform of criminal justice system is to establish a just law enforcement system to deal sternly with socially powerful people. There are countries on the earth that can do so and countries that cannot, but the Republic of Korea should be one that can do it. Because the Koreans are great people who have achieved indu

ViewpointsNov. 17, 2022