[Doyle McManus] Ron DeSantis and the culture war

If you've been yearning for a preview of the battle for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, the place to be last weekend was Las Vegas, where the Republican Jewish Coalition held what some attendees cheekily called a "kosher cattle call" for potential candidates. Former Vice President Mike Pence was there. So were former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo. Former President Donald Trump app

ViewpointsNov. 30, 2022

[Kim Seong-kon] Renewing South Korea: nine issues to solve

Recently, the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington launched a project called “Renewing America.” The CFR came up with a compelling reason for it. According to their recent statement, “Some of the most important national security threats to the United States come not from without, but from within. With its Renewing America initiative, the Council for Foreign Relations is monitoring nine critical domestic issues that shape the ability of the United States to navigate the de

ViewpointsNov. 30, 2022

[Martin Schram] The US needs political heroics

Our news screens were erupting with breaking news of yet another mass shooting. But this time the news that began with a barrage of bullets also became something special -- a tale of battlefield heroics on the homefront of a nightspot in Colorado Springs. A brave military veteran, Richard Fierro, had rushed toward the first flashes of light as he had been trained to do. He smashed the gunman to the ground and pummeled. Mercifully and miraculously, a horrific fatality count of five innocent sou

ViewpointsNov. 29, 2022

[Daniel DePetris] Don't count out scenario of Ukraine negotiation

Ukraine’s capture of Kherson two weeks ago, coming after months of grueling combat, was perhaps the most humiliating setback for Russian forces since the war began nine months ago. The successful Ukrainian counteroffensive occurred five weeks after Putin declared Kherson, as well as Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, a part of Russian territory. The Kremlin’s propaganda network has gone to work explaining to the Russian population that the pullback was a difficult but absolutely nece

ViewpointsNov. 29, 2022

[Contribution] 'Innovation Procurement': Priming water for innovative growth

Interest rate hikes and supply chain disruptions caused by global inflation have been adding to concerns about the possibility of recession. The Russian-Ukrainian War and the growing rivalry between the US and China have divided the world into economic blocs and have fueled competition among countries to secure supply chains that serve their best interests. This artificial reshaping of the global economy has led to market rigidity and distorted resource distribution. The private sector alone can

ViewpointsNov. 28, 2022

[Peter Singer] Has FTX debacle discredited effective altruism?

In the wake of the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, and amid reports that FTX’s founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, diverted billions of dollars of clients’ funds, some observers have linked the alleged financial malpractice to ideas widely held within the “effective altruism” movement, which Bankman-Fried says inspired him. More specifically, they point to the ethical view that the end justifies the means. Effective altruism holds that one of our aims should be to do

ViewpointsNov. 28, 2022

[Eugene Finkel] Negotiations can’t end Ukraine war

In recent days we see an increase in calls for a negotiated solution of the war in Ukraine. From the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, from progressive members of Congress and from leading international relations scholars, a growing number of voices urge the US to invest in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and to give peace a chance. According to some reports, the Biden administration is also warming up to the thought. It’s a dangerous idea. Fears of nuclear escalation between Russia an

ViewpointsNov. 25, 2022

[Lee Kyong-hee] Muffled voices haunt the ‘Alley of Wailing’

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

[Martin Schram] Searching for a new age of leaders

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

[Kim Seong-kon] Things we miss when we reminisce about the past

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

[Matt Pearce] Money can't buy you respect

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

ASEAN Korea Center promotes ASEAN game companies at G-Star

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

'Korea-Poland should take bilateral ties to next level'

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

[Contribution] Hallyu set to revive in intellectual property

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