[Trudy Rubin] Lessons from India’s COVID tragedy

As America beats back COVID-19 with vaccines, the catastrophe in India reminds us that much of the world’s population has yet to receive a shot. Coping with a virulent second wave of the virus, desperate Indians plead for oxygen tanks for their loved ones. Mass cremations of victims barely cope with more than 300,000 new cases daily, but less than 4 percent of nearly 1.4 billion people have gotten their first jab. India has rightly become a tragic reminder that the United States and the

May 10, 2021

[Serendipity] Get the name right

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.” So spoke Juliet Capulet to Romeo Montague in Shakespearean tragedy “Romeo and Juliet.” But, of course, there is a lot in a name. It is by which you are called your whole life, it is your identity. In Korea, where names take on a great significance, a lot of thought and care are taken in naming a new born. Often, one character of the two-character name is used by everyone in a

May 8, 2021

[Robert J. Fouser] The need for citizen input

At the end of April, Seoul’s new mayor Oh Se-hoon announced that remodeling work on Gwanghamun Plaza would continue, but with several modifications. The plaza took its present form in 2009 toward the end of Oh’s first term as mayor. Plans to remodel the plaza again moved forward in the late 2010s under former Mayor Park Won-soon and construction began in the fall of 2020. Oh’s victory in the April 7 by-election raised speculation that he might stop the remodeling, as some cit

May 7, 2021

[Kim Myong-sik] Politics of pardon in Lee Jae-yong’s case

The 2 1/2 year prison sentence given to Lee Jae-yong, leader of the Samsung business group convicted of bribery, is to end in July next year. Speculations are rising over whether President Moon Jae-in will keep the richest man in South Korea in jail as long as he remains in the Blue House, or give the 51-year-old a special pardon using his prerogative. Calls for Lee’s early release are coming from individuals and organizations that cite the need for his role in helping revive the national

May 6, 2021

[Doyle McManus] Trump’s lasting imprint on Republicans

The big story on Fox News recently was Joe Biden’s purported “war on meat” -- a breathless disclosure that the president plans to limit every American to 4 pounds (1,800 grams) of steak a year. Republican politicians jumped on the issue, defiantly promising to defend your right to consume hamburgers. “Not gonna happen in Texas,” Gov. Greg Abbott declared. There was only one problem: The story was nonsense, a work of imagination concocted by a British newspaper afte

May 6, 2021

[Kim Seong-kon] For whom we shed tears

There are three types of fluids we emit when we are troubled or in trouble, whether physically or psychologically: Blood, sweat, and tears. When we have our body parts cut or wounded, we bleed. When we are under stress or work hard, we perspire, and when we are sad or joyful, we shed tears. In his recent interview with the Chosun Ilbo, Lee O-young, a renowned cultural critic and former Minister of Culture, aptly pointed out the core problem we are now facing in Korean society. He said, “W

May 5, 2021

[Jan-Werner Mueller] What threatens press freedom today?

Donald Trump’s presidency was bookended by the White House pushing “alternative facts” about the size of the crowd at Trump’s inauguration at the US Capitol and his violent supporters scrawling “Murder the Media” on the Capitol’s doors. While Trump is gone (for now), professional media remain at risk – and not just in the United States. The watchdog group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) considers the state of press freedom “good” in a m

May 5, 2021

[Elizabeth Drew] Present at the Republican self-destruction

Two books recently appeared that shed light on highly important aspects of US politics. Both offer views of the Republican Party’s decline from relative unity under Ronald Reagan -- first as reflected in Karen Tumulty’s astonishing biography of Nancy Reagan; and then as portrayed by a recent Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner. Boehner’s departure from politics in 2015 can be seen as an omen of what was about to become of his party. Caught between traditional politi

May 4, 2021

[Jeffrey D. Sachs] Intellectual property on COVID-19

The governments of South Africa, India, and dozens of other developing countries are calling for the rights on intellectual property (IP), including vaccine patents, to be waived to accelerate the worldwide production of supplies to fight COVID-19. They are absolutely correct. IP for fighting COVID-19 should be waived, and indeed actively shared among scientists, companies, and nations. The pharmaceutical industry and the governments of several vaccine-producing countries, including the United

May 4, 2021

[Ana Palacio] Europe’s latest strategic letdown for the Indo-Pacific

Last week, the European Union’s foreign ministers approved -- with little fanfare or consultation -- the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. It is a timely step, which reflects an awareness of the Indo-Pacific region’s growing strategic importance. But, as is so often the case with EU frameworks, it offers a lot of vague plans, broad principles and bureaucratic jargon -- and not much strategic clarity. The world’s geostrategic focus on the Indo-Pacific region is a

May 3, 2021

[Digital Simplicity] What streamers need to succeed on game platform

For PC and mobile gamers in South Korea, Twitch is more than a useful platform. It is a key tool to play games together with others, create a community and make money through donations and subscriptions. Taking advantage of Twitch’s intricate and convenient functions, top-notch gaming streamers, often affiliated with multichannel network firms, appear to make a living by playing their favorite games. No wonder, then, that a growing number of gaming enthusiasts are jumping onto the globa

May 1, 2021

[Slawomir Sierakowski] Putin’s sound and fury

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent annual address on the state of his country was so ostentatiously threatening as to sound reassuring. Not only did he forbid the West from crossing red lines; he announced that he himself would determine where those lines are. He seemingly played chicken with himself -- certainly not with the chronically listless West. Few will believe Putin when he suggests that Russia is threatened by the might of the European Union, which cannot even deal with

April 30, 2021

[Lee Kyong-hee] Tips for a long life from supercentenarians

Hester Ford passed away peacefully at her home in Charlotte, North Carolina, April 17. She was recognized as the oldest living American before she died, though there is a disagreement about her age, 115 or 114. Her obituary said Ford was born in August 1905 (her family claims she was born in 1904) in Lancaster County, South Carolina, to Peter and Frances McCardell. That was the year Theodore Roosevelt began his first full term as US president; the Russo-Japanese war ended with Japan’s une

April 29, 2021

[Doyle McManus] How do Biden's first 100 days in office compare to Trump's?

A president‘s first 100 days are an arbitrary benchmark, a point of measurement journalists are fond of because it allows us to draw comparisons between the current officeholder and Franklin D. Roosevelt, the last chief executive whose first three months were truly momentous. But in recent times, the 100-day trope has also been taken seriously by presidents -- including both Donald Trump and Joe Biden. During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump promised that in his first 100 days he wo

April 29, 2021

[Matthew Yglesias] Bring supply-side economics to health care

Non-pandemic health care hasn‘t been much on the agenda during President Joe Biden’s first 100 days. But reducing health care costs remains a priority for the public -- ranking ahead of addressing racism, crime, immigration or climate change. Democrats‘ wariness of the issue is understandable. The public is passionate about health care, but also risk-averse. Three of the last four presidents (two of them Democrats) wrecked their poll numbers with efforts to enact sweeping cha

April 28, 2021

[Kim Seong-kon] Korean immigrants resemble ‘Minari’

The critically acclaimed film “Minari” has enthralled international movie critics and viewers lately. This deeply touching film has won a number of prestigious awards already, including the Golden Globe Award for best foreign-language film, and the best supporting actress award at the 2021 British Academy Film Awards. At the 93rd annual Academy Awards in the US, Youn Yuh-jung won the best supporting actress award for “Minari.” “Minari” depicts the experienc

April 28, 2021

[Maxine Waters] I’m not new to this

The journey to this moment has been painful and so very difficult. Derek Chauvin’s killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis was a shocking and disturbing experience for so many people. On video, Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes as he took his last breaths. Many of those who joined in the sustained protests last summer did so for the first time because of what happened to George Floyd and were motivated by their newfound understanding of the pain Black people

April 27, 2021

[David Fickling] The pandemic will be more deadly this year

COVID-19 is going to kill more people in 2021 than it did last year. If you want to see why, look at what’s happening in India. Cases have been surging in the country of 1.37 billion people. Case counts are rising quickly, too. Average infection numbers over the past seven days have run at nearly three times the level two weeks ago, a pace of growth that the US last saw in the early days of the outbreak a year ago. The real numbers may be yet higher. The city of Bhopal used COVID-19 pro

April 27, 2021

[Liam Denning] Earth Day 2021 courts Americans

The original Earth Day on April 22 in 1970 drew Americans’ attention to their planet. This year’s is designed to draw the planet’s attention to Americans. President Joe Biden’s climate conference, kicking off Thursday, aims to demonstrate that the US is serious about tackling climate change, and showing it can outcompete China in the process. In doing so, though, Biden is also reaffirming his intent to transform the domestic scene with multitrillion dollar infrastructure

April 26, 2021

[Serendipity] Add color to your life

The blooming of yellow forsythias heralds the long awaited arrival of spring. The golden bells are everywhere, on the sides of Seoul’s numerous rocky mountains, by the Han River and along school fences. The golden yellows are soon joined by the creamy white elegance of magnolia blossoms that, at night, look like candle lights floating midair. All too soon, they fade, the large petals falling to the ground one by one. But don’t despair, there are delicate pale pink cherry blossoms

April 23, 2021