Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
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N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
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[Robert J. Fouser] Yoon Suk-yeol’s razor-thin victory
The closest presidential election in South Korean history ended with conservative Yoon Suk-yeol winning by 0.73 percent of the vote. The divisive campaign alienated broad swaths of the electorate, but Yoon’s ability to keep conservatives united while drawing strong support from young men put him over the top. Yoon also benefited from winning in Seoul, which has gone for liberal candidates in every election except 2007 when Lee Myung-bak won a landslide victory. Compared to previous winner
March 25, 2022
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[Gordon Brown] Prosecuting Putin starts now
The world has responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with sanctions, travel bans, and deliveries of humanitarian and military aid, all of which have been stepped up as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war crimes claim more lives every day. Now, with the Ukrainian people’s courage and solidarity having stirred the collective conscience of Europe and much of the world, pressure is growing to complement these measures with criminal indictments of Putin and his closest associa
March 24, 2022
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[Kim Myong-sik] Yoon envisions enhanced civil-military cooperation
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s act of acknowledgement on the change of power in the rival South Korea was a sort of firework display –- the launching of a long-range missile supposedly capable of hitting the mainland of the United States, Seoul’s trusted military ally. To the embarrassment of the 34-year-old dictator, the intercontinental ballistic missile with a designed range of 12,000 kilometers exploded midair shortly after blastoff. The Hwasong series No. 17 rocket wa
March 24, 2022
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[Kim Seong-kon] Why ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ now?
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which was originally published in 1839, begins as the protagonist receives a letter from his close friend, Roderick Usher, who urges him to come to his house to help him as he suffers from a strange illness. Responding to his old friend’s distress call, the protagonist travels to a distant part of the country where his friend lives. Metaphorically, it is a summons from the past. Arriving at the Roderick Usher’s f
March 23, 2022
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[Lee In-hyun] Discovering musicians from the war in Ukraine
When I wake up, the first thing I do is check the news. For the past few weeks, the headlines have been about the war between Ukraine and Russia, and we seemed to have moved on from the pandemic news. I thought the war would end quickly since Russia has a much more powerful military than Ukraine. However, I was wrong. The patriotism of the Ukrainians was amazing; they stayed behind and protected their cities after saying farewell to their children, wives and elderly parents. Moreover, many count
March 23, 2022
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[Martin Schram] Military mind-reading and Putin’s presidency
Wars leave us with iconic images that somehow capture for eternity the reality that made each war hell. So our minds’ eyes see forever the hell that was Vietnam when we recall just two photographs: that little girl running down the road toward us, crying, stripped naked by napalm dropped from America’s planes; and that South Vietnamese military officer shooting his pistol into his prisoner’s head. But we also see the very different iconic photo. It marked the end of World War
March 23, 2022
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[Jeffrey Frankel] These Russia sanctions are different
The surprising potency of the multilateral sanctions imposed on Russia has been exceeded only by that of Ukrainians’ resistance to Russia’s invasion of their country. True, it is difficult to imagine that sanctions will bring the Russian economy to its knees faster than Russian troops are able to capture Kyiv or lay waste to the country. But, ultimately, Russia will lose much in this war. Back in December, US President Joe Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that severe sa
March 22, 2022
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[Neil Lanctot] Biden, like Woodrow Wilson in WWI, treads a fine line in refusing to send troops to Ukraine
The shocking Russian invasion of Ukraine has left most Americans bewildered, angry and deeply troubled. But exactly how our nation should respond remains unclear. Polls have shown a surprising number of Americans uncertain about the desirability of sanctions or the admission of Ukraine into NATO, although most wholeheartedly support President Joe Biden’s refusal to deploy combat troops. But few recognize that another Democratic president, also in office less than two years, faced a near-i
March 22, 2022
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[Lynn Schmidt] Standing for values instead of personalities
William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” etched in the minds of people the world around the famous phrase, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” Shakespeare was making the point that calling someone or labeling something is arbitrary. It is the intrinsic qualities of the person or thing that matter. A couple of weeks ago, two conferences were happening at the same time. Both shared similar names, but t
March 18, 2022
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[Lee Kyong-hee] Gender in election: Irony and solidarity
The presidential election was unprecedented not only for its closeness but for the nonappearance of the leading candidates’ wives in the run-up to the polling. But, of course, we have never seen spouses engulfed with so much scandal that they are reduced to a public apology and completely marginalized. Upon confirmation of his victory, Yoon Suk-yeol visited his campaign staff and party echelon at the People Power Party, where he made a brief announcement. In the wee hours around 4 a.m.,
March 17, 2022
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[Kim Seong-kon] Ten propositions for Korea’s brighter future
Now that the Korean people have chosen their new leader, who will steer the country for the next five years. Many Koreans are full of hope and expectation about the upcoming new era in South Korea. While congratulating the winner, I have 10 propositions for a brighter future for South Korea, which President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol might want to consider. First, our political leaders should be mindful not to resemble Captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick,” who drags his shi
March 16, 2022
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[Doyle McManus] China wanted to appear neutral between Russia and Ukraine. It isn’t
When Russia invaded Ukraine last month, a spate of wishful thinking ran through the West that China, a great power with friends on both sides, might step in to mediate a cease-fire. China’s government struck a pose of neutrality, called for a peaceful resolution and said it supported the principle of “territorial integrity.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a public plea to China’s Xi Jinping to intervene. But Xi has been missing in action -- and in practice
March 16, 2022
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[George Soros] Vladimir Putin and the risk of World War III
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 was the beginning of a third world war that has the potential to destroy our civilization. The invasion was preceded by a long meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Feb. 4 -- the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and the Beijing Winter Olympics. At the end of that meeting, the two men released a 5,000-word, carefully drafted document announcing a close partnership between their two cou
March 15, 2022
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[Trudy Rubin] Mariupol’s bombed maternity hospital exemplifies why NATO should protect Ukraine’s skies
Four weeks ago I visited the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and spoke with residents about a possible Russian invasion. None of them imagined they would soon be besieged by a Russian military that has cut off their water, electricity and food supplies, and that deliberately attacks civilian targets -- including a maternity hospital and civilian convoys trying to leave. My translator is now hunkered down in a basement with her mom, three cats and three other adults. I’ve not been able to
March 15, 2022
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[Hanne Beirens] Is Europe ready to handle Ukraine’s growing refugee crisis?
Since Russia’s invasion, more than 2 million people have fled Ukraine. An additional 4 million might not be far behind in what’s shaping up as Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II. But is Europe ready to handle it? The European Union and member states have shown a massive outpouring of support. Countries bordering Ukraine, including Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania have rapidly erected reception centers, where tired and bedraggled arrivals are being warmly
March 14, 2022
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[Robert J. Fouser] South Korea’s trade security in a fracturing world
The Russian invasion of Ukraine caught almost everyone by surprise. US President Biden had repeatedly warned the world that Russian President Vladimir Putin would move on Ukraine, but few people thought he would launch a massive invasion. Fewer still thought that he would intimate at the possible use of nuclear weapons. In the two weeks since the full invasion began, Ukrainian forces have mounted fierce resistance and have thwarted Russian attempts to capture Kyiv, the capital, and overthrow th
March 11, 2022
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[Hal Brands] Aiding a Ukrainian insurgency would be painful and costly
Suppose Russia succeeds in toppling the Ukrainian government or seizing much of the country. Moscow’s slow start notwithstanding, this could well happen: The balance of combat power is likely to favor Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war rolls on. So what happens then? One option being debated in Western policy circles is funneling arms, money and other support to a Ukrainian insurgency. The strategic case is compelling, but no one should kid themselves about the costs. Waging insu
March 10, 2022
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[Kim Myong-sik] A few pieces of advice for the president-elect
By the time this article is published, the National Election Commission should have already announced the winner of the 2022 presidential election of South Korea. The new president will take office on May 10 to lead a nation that offers him many tasks that have grown heavier during the past five years of the Moon Jae-in administration. My first advice to the president-elect, with sincere wishes for successful governance, is that he had better change, as quickly as possible, his self-concept fro
March 10, 2022
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[Doyle McManus] As bad as the war in Ukraine is now, it’s likely to get worse
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin spent 90 minutes on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron, who asked him to declare a cease-fire in Ukraine. Not interested, Putin replied. “He refuses to stop his attacks,” Macron wrote on Twitter after the call. A French official said Putin seemed determined “to take control of all of Ukraine.” “The worst is yet to come,” the official added. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is in its second week. So
March 9, 2022
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[Kim Seong-kon] The new driver of a bus named Korea
The fateful day of deciding Korea’s future has arrived at last. Today, the Korean people will choose their destiny by electing their new political leader. If we vote for the wrong person, our future will be grim and bleak. If we choose the right person, we might avoid the calamity of utter collapse, if not have the luxury of a bright future. In that sense, the 2022 presidential election will be one of the most crucial ones South Korea has ever had. Unfortunately, the 2022 Korean election
March 9, 2022