The Korea Herald

[Adam Minter] Apple gets greedy in China

Apple Inc. has long proved adept at negotiating China’s notoriously challenging market, responding to fickle consumer tastes and unpredictable regulation far more adeptly than its competitors. But a recent decision to start taking a 30 percent commission on “tips” paid to artists and entertainers online threatens to undermine that savvy reputation -- and quite possibly Apple’s long-term prospects in China.Apple has been taking a cut from developers since it opened the App Store, of course. But t

June 22, 2017

[Other view] Stopping smartphone zombie children

A Denver dad says smartphones turned his two youngest sons into zombies. So he turned himself into a crusader.Timothy Farnum, an anesthesiologist, wants Colorado to be the first state to ban smartphone sales to children younger than 13, and he already has plenty of parents on board. The behavior of his boys, ages 10 and 11, underwent striking changes when they got phones.They became withdrawn, distracted, disinterested in playing outdoors. When he tried to take the phones away, Farnum told CNN,

June 22, 2017

[Robert Park] A path to free NK political prisoners

Circumstances are ripe for South Korea, the United States, and the international community to adopt a fresh approach to address the North Korean crisis. High-ranking officials in North Korea are disaffected to an unprecedented degree, and granting amnesty to them may ultimately lead to the removal of Kim Jong-un.　In an April 6 analysis, Bruce Bennett, a senior researcher at the RAND Corporation, listed ways President Donald Trump could attempt to deal with North Korea, which included conventiona

June 22, 2017

[Robert Park] A path to free NK political prisoners

[Bloomberg] Europe’s unserious plan for Greece

The deal struck last week between Greece and its eurozone creditors is business as usual -- and that’s not a good thing. This protracted game of “extend and pretend” serves nobody’s long-term interests: not those of the Greek government, the International Monetary Fund or, most of all, the people of Greece.　Eurozone finance ministers have unlocked a payment of 8.5 billion euros ($9.5 billion), the newest installment of a rescue plan worth 86 billion euros. This will let Athens make debt repaymen

June 22, 2017

[Other view] Egypt’s risky handover of islands to Saudis

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who came to power in a military coup d’etat, appears to be digging himself deeper into a hole of unpopularity among the Egyptian people. He is desperate to find money to fix a deepening fiscal mess, brought about in part by his own policies.Sissi overthrew elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, locking him up. After having himself promoted to field marshal, Sissi was then elected president in 2014 in a staged 96 perce

June 22, 2017

[Komal Sri-Kumar] Markets big winners in European polls

The landslide victory of President Emmanuel Macron’s party in the second round of the French parliamentary elections on Sunday -- and the defeat in several Italian local elections of the anti-Europe Five Star Movement party a few days earlier -- raises an intriguing question for global investors. Could the eurozone finally become a truly economically unified area? If so, producers in the region will be better able to take advantage of economies of scale that are already created by free trade wit

June 21, 2017

[Komal Sri-Kumar] Markets big winners in European polls

[Kim Myong-sik] What change of power means in Korea

What does it mean to have a change of power in the Republic of Korea?　Quite disturbingly, it means that the most prestigious medical facility in the nation rewrites the death certificate for a civic activist who died after being hit by police water cannon during a violent demonstration. It also means that the head of the National Police Agency publicly apologizes to the family of the dead more than 19 months after the incident and nine months after his death.　When the Seoul National University H

June 21, 2017

[Kim Myong-sik] What change of power means in Korea

[Eric J. Segall] Supreme Court proceedings for all to see

Former FBI Director James B. Comey’s open testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month, broadcast live on national television, reflected well on our democracy. An estimated 19.5 million people watched our government at work.On the same day, Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer told an audience of lawyers, law professors and students that he was not ready to allow the public to watch Supreme Court proceedings -- because, he said, cameras might change the nature of oral

June 21, 2017

[Christopher Balding] Alibaba in America? Don’t bet on it

Alibaba Group Holding, already the largest Chinese company by market capitalization, is nothing if not ambitious. Its chief financial officer, Maggie Wu, recently told investors she expects revenue to increase by up to 49 percent next year, a staggering prospect. But perhaps more staggering is how Alibaba hopes to get there: In part, by tapping the US market.By any measure, Alibaba dominates online retail in China. Through its subsidiary TMall, it commands more than twice the market share of its

June 21, 2017

[John M. Crisp] Attack on congressmen calls for context

Not much is gained by observing through a political prism last week’s attack on US congressmen practicing for their annual Republicans versus Democrats charity baseball game.Certainly the attacker, James Hodgkinson, supported progressive causes and was a volunteer for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential campaign. And as he approached the practice field he reportedly inquired about the political affiliations of the ballplayers. Told they were Republicans, he opened fire with a high-powered as

June 21, 2017

[Robert Fouser] Travels in multicultural Korea

Language is always changing, but the changes often escape us because they occur slowly. During a recent visit to Gochang and Gwangju, I noticed many changes that are harder to detect in busy Seoul. The changes are closely related to the multiculturalization of Korean society over the past 20 years.On the way to Gochang, I changed from the KTX to a local train in Iksan. On the train, I heard two women speaking a Central Asian language. One of the women received several phone calls and spoke fluen

June 20, 2017

[Robert Fouser] Travels in multicultural Korea

[Clive Crook] What the British election means for Brexit

The UK’s Brexit ordeal looked complicated and unpredictable even before the election. Now things are worse. Theresa May is weakened by her narrow victory -- the closest thing to a humiliating defeat a technical win could be. From now on, she’s even less in command of the process. One more slip and she might be out of a job. Another election is possible, to be followed by who knows what.So where does this leave Brexit? The popular line of analysis is that a weakened May will no longer be able to

June 20, 2017

[Komal Sri-Kumar] Euro’s outlook brightens as Germany fills void

President Donald Trump’s recent decisions have a left a void in the US’ global leadership. He decided to reduce the country’s global trade ties by withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, insisted that North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies pay their “rightful share” of 2 percent of gross domestic product for their defense, and announced that the US would exit the Paris climate accord.US leadership and global integration -- through closer trade, currency and policy-making ties -- have

June 20, 2017

[Kim Seong-kon] Do Koreans properly appreciate favors?

Foreigners have often pointed out that Koreans do not seem to be appreciative and seem to take everything for granted. In the 19th century, a foreigner, after living in Korea for two years, wrote, “When someone does a favor to them, Koreans take it for granted and forget the favor soon.” Although there may be a danger of stereotyping and hasty generalization, the foreigner’s observation does not seem to be totally groundless. Indeed, we tend to easily forget the favors we have received from othe

June 20, 2017

[Kim Seong-kon] Do Koreans properly appreciate favors?

[Satyajit Das] Asking the wrong questions on energy

To adapt Thomas Pynchon, if the wrong question is asked, the answer doesn’t matter. Today, the world seems to be consciously framing its energy problems in a way that avoids the right questions, and thus true solutions.Human advancement is intrinsically linked to the development of motorized power driven by fossil fuels. Unfortunately, the resource itself is finite and has serious byproducts, notably carbon dioxide, which may pose an existential threat by worsening climate change. A logical resp

June 20, 2017

[Other view] Europe’s smart compromise on London clearing

The City of London has been anxiously awaiting the European Commission’s review of clearinghouses that handle euro-denominated transactions. It’s a nice line of business -- one the European Central Bank, even before Brexit, had wanted to bring more firmly under its supervision. The question was, would euro clearing have to migrate from London?The report is out and the answer is: not necessarily. The commission is wisely suggesting a compromise.Clearinghouses provide an essential service, guarant

June 20, 2017

[Leonid Bershidsky] As US sanctions Russia, Europe says ‘Ouch!’

The Russia sanctions bill passed by the US Senate threatens to deepen the rift between the US and Europe that has emerged since Donald Trump won the presidency. Though in the US, the bill is only discussed in a domestic political context, German and Austrian leaders see certain provisions as an attempt to give an unfair advantage to US energy exports.Prior to the first three rounds of sanctions, which were linked to Kremlin-backed aggression in Ukraine in 2014, the US made a point of negotiating

June 19, 2017

[Leonid Bershidsky] As US sanctions Russia, Europe says ‘Ouch!’

[Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry] Macron willing to use French power

French President Emmanuel Macron’s astonishingly fast rise to the top means it’s still hard to know how he will govern on many issues. With a background in finance and economics, many assume his focus will be on domestic policy; after all, the new French president has essentially no record on national security issues.Early indications are, however, the opposite -- that Macron will be more than engaged on the foreign policy front. Despite all the talk of multilateralism during his campaign, Macro

June 19, 2017

[Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry] Macron willing to use French power

[Jagannath Panda] India in Seoul’s new foreign policy quest

A clear foreign policy graph in Seoul is still evolving under the new President Moon Jae-in. Pointing toward a more engaging foreign policy, President Moon in his inaugural speech on May 10 argued Seoul’s policy ambition to restore peace in the Korean Peninsula, where the new administration might reach out to Washington, Beijing and Tokyo, including Pyongyang if required. This early policy depiction is certainly encouraging, given the foreign policy paralysis that Seoul has undergone in recent t

June 19, 2017

[Jagannath Panda] India in Seoul’s new foreign policy quest

[Eli Lake] US stands with Qatar’s foes, while selling F-15s to Qatar

You would be forgiven for thinking the US backs Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in their current standoff against Qatar. President Donald Trump himself has taken the Saudis’ line against their fellow Gulf monarchy, tweeting last week that Arab leaders all pointed to Qatar as a serial financier of terrorism. This was certainly the impression the Emirates’ ambassador to Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba, gave to journalists this week. When asked about his meetings at the Pentagon and the Stat

June 19, 2017