[Kim Seong-kon] Korea needs the ‘Factionless’ and ‘Divergent’

“Divergent” is a 2014 dystopian science fiction film based on Veronica Roth’s novel of the same title. This futuristic movie is set in Chicago, where five factions divide society: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite. Those who do not belong to a faction are Factionless -- outsiders who do not have social status and privileges. In addition, there are the Divergent who exhibit attributes of multiple factions and thus can integrate into any faction. That is, a Diverge

Dec. 3, 2019

[Robert J. Fouser] Thinking about language and respect in Italy

A two-week visit to Italy recently revealed much about the state of language in the early 21st century. Apart from sightseeing, I was interested in seeing how much Italian I could learn casually as I traveled.The biggest impression about language on the trip was the spread of English. On a visit to Italy nearly 30 years ago, I remember meeting many people who spoke no or little English, even in major tourist cities such as Florence or Venice. Traveling in Italy meant meeting the language barrier

Dec. 3, 2019

[Jeffrey Frankel ] The case for old-fashioned tariff cuts

The “bicycle theory” used to be a metaphor for international trade policy. Just as standing still on a bicycle is not an option -- one must keep moving forward or else fall over -- so it was said that trade negotiators must engage in successive rounds of liberalization. Otherwise, global openness would gradually succumb to protectionist interests.I don’t know whether the theory was right. In fact, had governments stood still on trade policy over the last three years, the world

Dec. 2, 2019

[Jeffrey D. Sachs] How World Bank arbitrators mugged Pakistan

Wall Street hedge funds and lawyers have turned an arcane procedure of international treaties into a money machine, at the cost of the world’s poorest people. The latest shakedown is a $5.9 billion award against Pakistan’s government in favor of two global mining companies -- Antofagasta PLC of Chile and Barrick Gold Corporation of Canada -- for a project that was never approved by Pakistan and never carried out.Here are the facts.In 1993, a US-incorporated mining company, BHP, enter

Dec. 2, 2019

[Chung Jae-suk] Remaking cultural heritage signs

When I arrive at a cultural heritage site, I linger at the entrance to carefully read the information sign. I formed this habit long before I became the lead administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration. And I believe most people follow the same routine. As such, the signs are no less than silent guides to our heritage. The passage of time, however, has rendered the signs less and less effective. They were erected decades ago, when Chinese-based technical terms were the norm. Today, Kor

Dec. 1, 2019

[Leonid Bershidsky] Malta proves oligarchs aren’t all Eastern European

The government crisis in Malta, one of the smallest European Union members, shows that oligarchs who purchase political influence -- and who may do just about anything, including commit murder, to avoid being caught -- aren’t just a postcommunist phenomenon. The crisis comes two years after the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in a car-bombing. Earlier this month, a suspected middleman in the killing was arrested on unrelated charges and offered up information o

Dec. 1, 2019

[Mark Buchanan] Gene editing might alter DNA, but destroy humanity

Biologists recently revealed a new form of the gene-editing tool known as Crispr that allows researchers to make precise changes to almost any element of DNA, permanently altering cellular biochemistry. It could help treat tens of thousands of diseases linked to variations in a single gene and lead to the creation of better antibiotics.　 The latest development, called prime editing, is more accurate than older Crispr methods, which sometimes alter genomic DNA in the wrong places. The new method

Nov. 27, 2019

[Leonid Bershidsky] Why London has banned Uber — again

London first banned Uber under its buccaneer of a founding chief executive officer, Travis Kalanick -- and now for a second time under Kalanick’s successor, Dara Khosrowshahi, who was meant to be the adult in the room. Though the ban won’t be a popular decision among Londoners and many will call it disproportionate, it shows Uber Technologies has more fundamental problems than the temperament of its top managers.In September 2017, Transport for London, the UK capital’s transpor

Nov. 27, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] “Your Republic Is Calling You”

Kim Young-ha’s celebrated novel, “Your Republic Is Calling You,” is an account of a North Korean spy named Ki-yong who has lived in South Korea since the mid-1980s with no contact from the North. Cut off from the North for such a long time, he assumes that the North Korean government has completely forgotten him in the vortex of its shifts of power. Meanwhile, Ki-yong has become so accustomed to South Korean society and a lifestyle marked by capitalism and liberalism that he ca

Nov. 26, 2019

[Ann McFeatters] A rare bipartisan show of support for 5G technology

Amazingly, the US Senate just sent a bipartisan request to the White House.　In a hopeful if small sign that there are matters of state that Republicans and Democrats can still agree on, a coalition of senators is arguing that the United States is at serious risk of losing the international race to get 5G wireless technology.　This could constitute a major national security threat, the senators argued in a letter to Peter O’Brien, national security adviser to President Trump.　China is by all

Nov. 26, 2019

[Martin Schram] Trump Ukraine probe wins one new vote -- Putin’s

As the House Intelligence Committee has ended its hearings and is racing at a most un-congressional top-speed toward an apparent impeachment of President Donald Trump for crimes including bribery, we need to rewind and cover a late-breaking impeachment witness who almost everyone missed.Testimony came from a definitely knowledgeable first-hand eyewitness who addressed the same topic that was testified to so memorably and powerfully on Thursday by Trump’s former National Security Council st

Nov. 25, 2019

[Trudy Rubin] Hong Kong crisis has become crucial test of future US-China relations

Impeachment proceedings have overshadowed another riveting drama half a world away: ongoing pro-democracy protests in the iconic city Hong Kong.Peaceful marches of millions of Hong Kong citizens have given way to violent student protests as Beijing continues to curb the city’s freedoms. In the meantime, an almost unanimous vote in Congress passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act last week to support the protesters, as Beijing fumes and a reluctant President Trump prepares to si

Nov. 25, 2019

[Therese Raphael] How Jeremy Corbyn plans to end market capitalism

Boris Johnson is running a People versus Parliament campaign for the UK’s Dec. 12 election. Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is also running a “people versus” campaign. Only in Corbyn’s narrative, the other corner of the ring isn’t occupied by obstreperous lawmakers, but rather that muscled colossus he sums up as “billionaires and bankers.”Corbyn’s strategy for defeating the titan was laid out in an election manifesto and accompanying funding

Nov. 24, 2019

[Anders Fogh Rasmussen] Building Euro-Japanese alliance of hope for world

Geography aside, Japan and the European Union have never been so close. With Europe’s long-standing transatlantic ties under strain, and China presenting a challenge as well as an opportunity, the EU has sought like-minded allies in the Pacific. And there is none better than Japan.The EU-Japan bond transcends mere interests: It is a relationship based on shared values of freedom, democracy and open markets. Today, these values are under threat. The United States has decided to transact wit

Nov. 21, 2019

[Daniel Moss] Malaysia’s disappearing opportunity

When a nonagenarian political veteran runs a campaign promising change, it’s only a matter of time before that message comes full circle. For Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, that means succession planning can’t be delayed any longer.In May 2018, Mahathir pulled off a stunning election victory to lead Malaysia for a second time. In defeating Najib Razak, who denies allegations of siphoning off hundreds of millions of dollars from a state investment fund, the new prim

Nov. 21, 2019

[Kim Myong-sik] Suggesting plebiscite on energy denuclearization

Passing the halfway point in his five-year tenure, President Moon Jae-in’s approval rate hovers just above the 40 percent mark, half the level immediately after his election in May 2017. Woes grow among manufacturers, traders and consumers, security threats loom large and political groups are sharpening hostility. Amid rising discontent, the energy denuclearization policy has emerged as a top destabilizing issue.University students at nuclear science departments see no future in their chos

Nov. 20, 2019

[Arvind Subramanian] Is Sri Lanka the next Argentina?

As Sri Lanka makes another crucial political transition, it faces a major risk of macroeconomic instability. Minimizing that risk will depend, above all, on whether the country’s newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa can defy his reputation and embrace inclusive politics.This idyllic island in the Indian Ocean was once a star performer. In the years following independence in 1948, progress on leading social indicators such as poverty, infant mortality, and primary education put Sri La

Nov. 20, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] From liberator to tyrant in ‘Game of Thrones’

Movies and television dramas are excellent social documents in that they faithfully reflect societal change and the alteration of consciousness throughout history. Sometimes they illuminate us with profound insights into and powerful criticisms of contemporary society. Since films and TV shows enjoy enormous popularity, their impact is huge, more widespread and more powerful than traditional literature. The celebrated HBO series “Game of Thrones” is a good example. In the eighth and

Nov. 19, 2019