The Korea Herald

[Editorial] No tolerance for violence

South Korea’s political scene hit turbulence when Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, was stabbed in the neck during a visit to the southeastern port city of Busan on Tuesday, a shocking physical attack that sparked a chorus of condemnation from the public as well as political figures. The Democratic Party chair was stabbed on the left side of his neck by a man who disguised himself as an autograph-seeking supporter Tuesday morning. The suspect, who was

EditorialJan. 4, 2024

[Karin Klein] Holiday travel darkens climate picture

The jetliner was packed so tight that I couldn’t even work on my laptop. The tray table was too low and the seat in front too far back. The screen on the seat in front was too close for my eyes to focus on a movie. I’ve opened cans of sardines that seemed to have more room. My partner, Rick, and I were among the 7.5 million estimated US air travelers this holiday season, a record number since the American Automobile Association started tracking numbers in 2000. We headed from LAX to

ViewpointsJan. 4, 2024

[Karin Klein] Holiday travel darkens climate picture

[Kim Seong-kon] What we wish for in the Year of the Dragon

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. In classical Western mythology, dragons are hideous monsters to be slain by valiant warriors. Thus, dragon-slaying was an initiation ritual for would-be heroes. For example, Beowulf, Siegfried and Tristan were among the famous dragon slayers of medieval and early modern legends. In classical Chinese mythology, however, a dragon is a pious and auspicious creature that soars into the sky. A python has to wait a thousand years to beco

ViewpointsJan. 3, 2024

[Kim Seong-kon] What we wish for in the Year of the Dragon

[Noah Feldman] NYT’s edge in suit against OpenAI

The lawsuit filed by the New York Times against OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement pits one of the great establishment media institutions against the purveyor of a transformative new technology. Symbolically, the case promises a clash of the titans: labor-intensive human newsgathering against pushbutton information produced by artificial intelligence. But legally, the case represents something different: a classic instance of the lag between established law and emerging technology.

ViewpointsJan. 3, 2024

[Noah Feldman] NYT’s edge in suit against OpenAI

[Editorial] The right not to know

The tragic death of actor Lee Sun-kyun last week has ignited criticism against the police for not complying with its own press guidelines, and the media for reckless coverage of private details that most people do not want to, or need to, know. Since October, Lee stood in front of hundreds of flashing cameras on three different occasions and apologized to the public for “causing concern” before he entered the police building for questioning on his alleged use of prohibited substances

EditorialJan. 3, 2024

[Editorial] Security void

Starting this year, the National Intelligence Service has taken its hands off anticommunist investigations entirely, handing the job to the police, who have taken full charge. Anticommunist investigations target violations of the National Security Law, such as espionage and anti-government activities. It was one of the main duties of the intelligence agency. The police say they are well prepared to assume the role, but public concern is still great. The previous Moon Jae-in administration pushed

EditorialJan. 2, 2024

[Jeremy Adelman] What kind of authoritarian would Trump be?

Following Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election in 2016, many pundits predicted a worldwide breakdown of democracy, and some warned of civil war. But, aside from Africa’s Sahel region, military coups remain rare, and civil wars rarer still. Instead, democracies have tended to break down through civilian coups. Such coups have been of three types in the post-Cold War era. Two have attracted much media attention; the one that should worry us the most, especially give

ViewpointsJan. 2, 2024

[Jeremy Adelman] What kind of authoritarian would Trump be?

[Robert Fouser] Improving housing quality in Seoul

City rankings often produce strange results. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s high ranking for Osaka, Japan in recent years has always struck me as odd. The group produces the “Global Liveability Ranking” report for cities around the world. The 2023 report examined 172 cities around the world using more than 30 quantitative and qualitative indicators. Among Asian cities, Osaka was tied for 10th place with Auckland, New Zealand. The most liveable city ranked as Vienna, Austria,

ViewpointsDec. 29, 2023

[Robert Fouser] Improving housing quality in Seoul

[Editorial] Fix 52-hour workweek

The Supreme Court’s latest ruling on the 52-hour workweek system is expected to offer some relief to companies as well as workers in need of a more flexible allocation of work hours without violating related laws. But the dispute still lingers over possible side effects of the ruling, calling for remedy in labor policy. The top court on Monday overturned some part of the lower courts’ rulings that found an owner of a flight cabin cleaning company in violation of the Labor Standards A

EditorialDec. 29, 2023

[Editorial] The first lady conundrum

The Democratic Party of Korea, which holds majority control of the National Assembly, is set to pass a bill Thursday to appoint a special counsel to investigate first lady Kim Keon Hee over her alleged involvement in stock price manipulation that took place between 2010 and 2012. Under the previous Moon Jae-in administration, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office investigated the allegations against Kim for a year and half, but failed to indict her. The court ruled on the Deutsch

EditorialDec. 28, 2023

[Steven Kull, J.P. Thomas] Safeguarding democracy from AI

The Founding Fathers of the United States asserted that elected officials should listen to and be influenced by the views of the electorate. As James Madison said, “It is the reason, alone, of the public, that ought to control and regulate the government.” However, the means for government officials to hear from the people are limited. Elected officials receive emails, letters, phone calls and input at town halls, and some agencies occasionally ask for public comments on complex regu

ViewpointsDec. 28, 2023

[Steven Kull, J.P. Thomas] Safeguarding democracy from AI

[Wang Son-taek] Beyond the security dilemma and Pyrrhic victory

Year 2023 has been another eventful year, as we have experienced in the past, and foreign and security policies are not exceptions. There were some successes in diplomacy with the Republic of Korea, but there were also many disappointing and embarrassing scenes. There has been some progress in the Korea-US alliance, Korea-Japan relations and Korea-US-Japan cooperation. However, as a reaction xto the three nations' solidarity, North Korea has shown more provocative actions, and China, Russi

ViewpointsDec. 28, 2023

[Wang Son-taek] Beyond the security dilemma and Pyrrhic victory

[J. Bradford DeLong] The US Fed's remarkable feat

Monetary-policy watchers are currently divided into two groups. But perhaps both sides should pause and reflect on where we were 18 months ago and where we are now. On one side of the divide are those of us who still obsess over the great imbalance between the supply of savings and the demand for funds for real investment. These were the conditions that underpinned a decade of zero-lower-bound (ZLB) interest rates and secular stagnation (low growth due to structurally low aggregate demand) after

ViewpointsDec. 27, 2023

[J. Bradford DeLong] The US Fed's remarkable feat

[Kim Seong-kon] Reminiscing about the turbulent year, 2023

The tempestuous year 2023 is waning and the hopeful year 2024 is dawning. Looking back upon this past year, the best thing that happened was the announcement of the end of the COVID-19 health crisis after the pandemic had devastated the world for three years. The worst thing that happened was the terrible war between Israel and Hamas that broke out amidst the ongoing horrors of the war in Ukraine, making so many people’s lives miserable. In addition, we witnessed the awesome power of artif

ViewpointsDec. 27, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] Reminiscing about the turbulent year, 2023

[Editorial] Supply chain risk

Conflict over supply chains is deepening between the US and China. China on Thursday banned the export of technology to extract and separate rare earths, materials used to manufacture a wide array of high-tech products. Beijing stresses protecting national security and public interest as the main reasons, but it seems to have made a countermove to a US move to expand restrictions on trade with China. Prior to the Chinese ban, the US said it will launch a survey to identify how US companies are s

EditorialDec. 27, 2023

[Erwin Chemerinsky] Decide on Colorado's ruling quickly

The Colorado Supreme Court did the country an enormous service by ruling that Donald Trump is ineligible to be president and squarely presenting the constitutional issue before the US Supreme Court. The high court should take the case and decide quickly whether Donald Trump is disqualified from the ballot because of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. It would be a political nightmare to resolve this question after Trump wins the Republican nomination or even worse, after he’s elected presi

ViewpointsDec. 26, 2023

[Erwin Chemerinsky] Decide on Colorado's ruling quickly

[Editorial] Policies for older people

Both the ruling and main opposition parties are now rushing to announce new election pledges targeting the elderly in a bid to win more seats in the forthcoming general election in April next year. In rapidly aging South Korea, it is no surprise that politicians are catering to this important voter group. But the question is whether generous -- or populist in the eyes of critics -- election pledges can be implemented without securing enough funds. Last week, both President Yoon Suk Yeol and Demo

EditorialDec. 26, 2023

[Editorial] Ailing party's best bet

Han Dong-hoon accepted his new post as interim leader of the ruling party and resigned as justice minister on Thursday. The daring and relatively articulate former prosecutor seems to be the torpid party’s best bet. The ruling People Power Party has been powerless ever since the last general elections in 2020, and is terrified of another crushing defeat in the upcoming vote in April. With the Democratic Party of Korea holding the majority in the National Assembly and thus, the power to pas

EditorialDec. 22, 2023

[Martin Schram] Challenges of a leader-lite world

The Donald and Bibi are two of a kind. Among the things they have in common is that they are not up to coping with the challenges of today. We are about to see why. The world has been watching as these two men well into their 70s, with courtroom trials pending, have appeared willing to do whatever it takes to regain or retain the power – and not end up in jail. Even if it meant shattering their nation’s democracy. They have seemed desperate to remain in control. Until things explod

ViewpointsDec. 21, 2023

[Martin Schram] Challenges of a leader-lite world

[Anastassia Fedyk, Tatyana Deryugina] Talks can’t end the Ukraine war, because Russia lies

Following the full-scale invasion by Russia in February 2022, Ukraine has suffered tremendously. Tens of thousands have died, and a quarter of the country’s prewar population has been displaced. Homes, neighborhoods and entire cities have been reduced to rubble. Some question the wisdom of Ukraine continuing to fight back instead of seeking to negotiate with Russia. President Vladimir Putin himself claims he “does not reject the idea of peace talks,” while prominent figures hav

ViewpointsDec. 21, 2023

[Anastassia Fedyk, Tatyana Deryugina] Talks can’t end the Ukraine war, because Russia lies