[Lee Kyong-hee] Simple thinking, rough speech and dishonesty

Among all the 12 first ladies we have had since the founding of the Republic, Kim Keon-hee is certainly one of a kind. A few of her predecessors raised eyebrows for occasionally inappropriate activities but none of them faced the level of rumors that shroud Kim. Suspicion surfaced during the presidential campaign, when there were whispers of Kim’s involvement in Deutsch Motors stock price manipulation and plagiarism of her academic papers as well as illegal business activity by her mother.

ViewpointsSept. 29, 2022

[Robert D. Kaplan] Russia, Iran, and the perils of post-autocracy

Sometimes a news cycle constitutes more than just noise. It provides a loud, uncanny signal about what may lie beyond the horizon. That happened this month, when a more hopeful, dangerous, and radically different geopolitics came into view. Within literally a few days of each other, we have witnessed the near-collapse of the Russian army in Ukraine and the humiliation of a regime in the streets of Iranian cities. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s soldiers revealed themselves to be littl

ViewpointsSept. 28, 2022

[Kim Seong-kon] The country that our children will inherit

What kind of country do we want to hand over to our children? We should ponder that question constantly and seriously because we have a solemn responsibility to bequeath a healthy, prosperous country to our descendants. If we end up bestowing a sick, unstable country to our children and thus make them live miserably, we should suffer regrets and immitigable guilt forever. We vote for politicians with the hope that they will run the country skillfully and ensure peace. Unfortunately, it seems the

ViewpointsSept. 28, 2022

[Nicholas Agar] Should humanities professors be automated?

There has been much hand-wringing about the crisis of the humanities, and recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence have added to the angst. It is not only truck drivers whose jobs are threatened by automation. Deep-learning algorithms are also entering the domain of creative work. And now, they are demonstrating proficiency in the tasks that occupy humanities professors when they are not giving lectures: namely, writing papers and submitting them for publication in academic journals. Coul

ViewpointsSept. 27, 2022

[Elaine Scarry] North Korea’s new law is far from the only nuclear threat the world faces

North Korea passed a law this month putting into effect Kim Jong-un’s decision that in case he is incapacitated by foreign hands, the country will “automatically and immediately” launch a nuclear retaliation. This arrangement makes it sound as though the North Korean nuclear arsenal is not only designed to be used by one man but exists to keep that one man in power. Is this arrangement an aberration of North Korea, or is it descriptive of the other eight nuclear states? As tens

ViewpointsSept. 26, 2022

[Jason M. Blazakis] Should the US declare Russia a sponsor of terrorism?

“No.” That was President Joe Biden’s response earlier this month when a reporter asked whether the Russian Federation should be added to the Department of State’s “sponsors of terrorism” list. Biden’s terse reply was disappointing, particularly when there is bipartisan support in Congress for adding Russia to the rolls of repressive regimes that have previously been declared terrorist states. The executive branch despises being pressured on terrorist san

ViewpointsSept. 26, 2022

[Robert J. Fouser] Restraining power of bureaucracy

The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday brought the largest gathering of world leaders in years, as 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries gathered in London to honor the beloved queen. Immediately following her death, the new king, Charles III, began leading the nation in mourning and introduced himself to a public that knows no other monarch. In his speeches, King Charles has vowed to dedicate his life to service as his mother had done. His speeches have been marked by their respect fo

ViewpointsSept. 23, 2022

[Kim Myong-sik] Ten commandments for today’s South Koreans

Teachings from ancestors, dead or alive, are worth taking seriously because they are absolutely unselfish pieces of advice for a successful life of posterity. In family gatherings on occasions like Chuseok that we celebrated earlier this month, teachings are passed down from the older to younger generations. Parents will want to deliver to their children the advice they have received from their own parents with some modifications they feel are necessary out of their lifelong experiences. Meanwhi

ViewpointsSept. 22, 2022

[Doyle McManus] Putin's brutality in Ukraine can worsen

Russia's imperious president, Vladimir Putin, may have just endured his worst week since the collapse of the Soviet Union, which he says was the greatest tragedy of the 20th century. His vaunted army, including a tank force once considered one of Russia's best, collapsed in the face of a Ukrainian offensive in eastern Ukraine. Some Russian soldiers fled after ditching their uniforms and donning civilian clothes they stole from homes, according to local residents. In southern Ukraine, R

ViewpointsSept. 22, 2022

Arab cultural festival showcases Qatar World Cup Pavilion

Arab cultures are being showcased ahead of the upcoming Qatar World Cup through Sept. 16 -24 in the lobby of Coex in southern Seoul. The pavilion is part of an exhibition held ahead of the World Cup which kicks off on Nov. 20 in Doha, Qatar’s capital city, and offers visitors a chance to experience Arab culture through activities like trying on Arab costumes, tasting Arabic desserts, getting Arabic pattern tattoos, and taking photos in a majlis, or sitting room in Arabic. Co-hosted by the

Foreign AffairsSept. 21, 2022

[Kim Seong-kon] How to become an internationally esteemed country

There is a saying that you can easily find quite a few rich countries, but you have to go quite far before you find an internationally esteemed country. In other words, becoming a respectable country is more difficult than being a rich country. Respect is not something that you can have automatically; you should earn it. How, then, can you earn respect from the international community? Among other things, you should avoid losing dignity and integrity under any circumstances and act with this in

ViewpointsSept. 21, 2022

[From the Scene]Partnership with Korea in e-governance, digital ecosystem vital to Kazakhstan: minister

By SanjayKumar Korea Herald correspondent NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- A partnership with South Korea in e-governance and the digital ecosystem is vital to Kazakhstan, the country's Minister of Digital Development Bagdat Musin said Thursday. “I visited South Korea in 2006 and I saw first e-services there and I realized the need to bring such a system to Kazakhstan,” Musin told foreign journalists at the Digital Government Office in Nur-sultan, Kazakhstan. “Now, we are collaboratin

Foreign AffairsSept. 20, 2022

[Ana Palacio] Europe's Energy Myopia

As summer turns to autumn in Europe, the stakes of the continent’s energy crisis are rising fast, with no end in sight. While the proximate cause of the current price spike is the war in Ukraine, its roots run much deeper. In fact, it was the inevitable result of European inaction and tunnel vision -- specifically, its failure to build a true energy union and its single-minded focus on implementing the European Green Deal. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had a unifying effect on the Eur

ViewpointsSept. 20, 2022