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] Focusing on ‘Global Common Good’
July began with tentative hopes that the world was finally turning the corner on the COVID-19 pandemic. After peaking in late April, new cases around the world fell steadily until the end of June. They ticked up a bit in early July and began to rise quickly as the delta variant spread rapidly around the world. The speed of delta’s spread has caught public health authorities around the world off guard and changed calculations about how to bring the pandemic under control. In South Korea,
July 30, 2021
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[Kim Myong-sik] Wishing success of delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics
A successful Olympics first of all means the absence of major accidents or incidents during the two-week period in the host city. Then the International Olympic Committee, the national Olympic committee and the official sponsors would regard substantial income from the games as a success -- a lost dream this time in the state of emergency due to the coronavirus. Another measure of success for the quadrennial event is the number of participants and countries they represent. A total of 11,326 men
July 29, 2021
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[Kim Seong-kon] It happened while we fell asleep
In the late 1980s, when I visited big electronic stores in the US, such as Circuit City or Best Buy, I saw Japanese electronics such as Sony, Panasonic, and Hitachi television sets occupy the display floor like a conquering army. Far behind the Japanese products were two or three Samsung TV sets, sadly left out in the cold. Sanyo stereos, Toshiba laptops and Sony Walkman, too, joined the parade in those US electronics stores. At the time, Japanese electronic devices were Americans’ favorit
July 28, 2021
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[Shang-Jin Wei] What if US delists Chinese firms?
Chinese firms are more enthusiastic than most about listing on US stock exchanges. Currently, 250 of them, including companies that are registered in Hong Kong or offshore centers but derive most of their revenue and profits from mainland China, trade on US equity markets. But a recent flurry of official measures in both China and the United States suggests that the two governments are not keen on Chinese firms retaining their US listings. If push comes to shove, how would delisting hurt either
July 27, 2021
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[Hal Brands] Proxy warfare is baffling the US
What do rocket strikes by Shiite militias in Iraq, ransomware attacks on targets in the US, and Russia’s use of mercenaries on battlefields in the Middle East have in common? They are part of a trend in which America’s rivals are using nonstate actors and quasi-deniable means to put pressure on its interests. Washington is frequently finding itself on the business end of a classic strategy -- proxy warfare -- for which it has yet to devise an effective answer. Proxy warfare has bee
July 25, 2021
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[Juan Manuel Santos] Peacemaking after the pandemic
In Paradise Lost, the English poet John Milton encapsulates a fundamental truth about the struggle to end a violent conflict and establish a sustainable peace: “Who overcomes by force, Hath overcome but half his foe.” This insight was crucial to my own understanding of how to chart a way to end Colombia’s long and costly civil war, and it is acutely relevant to our shared global challenges today. To build peace, leaders need to foster hope and anchor policies in empath
July 22, 2021
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[Lee Kyong-hee] Tripitaka tours for the pandemic-weary public
In 1398, the most complete collection of Buddhist texts went into Haein Temple, never to be seen in its entirety by the general public. This year, amid the global pandemic, the temple in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province finally offered access, saying, “We hope to help people find the hope and strength to overcome the crisis, just as our forebears did in the face of foreign invasion.” Free tours began on June 19, the first of many scheduled on weekends, but now they are suspended
July 22, 2021
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[Martin Schram] A life-saving name game
From voting rights to vaccinations, ever since we Americans have been forced to stare at the split-screen evolution of our political schizophrenia, we have always known that our new reality leads us to just one core question. Our problem is that we not only know The Question, but we also know The Answer. Today we will be looking at ways we can convert our new split-screen reality into a power-tool of manipulation. Then perhaps we can use it to save thousands of lives by finally getting America
July 21, 2021
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[Kim Seong-kon] Donning a mask in the pandemic era
Recently, most US states finally lifted the year-long requirement of wearing a facial mask indoors. As a result, you can now freely shop groceries, clothes or miscellanies in a store without donning a mask. It is like “Back to normal again.” Still, however, some people, especially those who have to work indoors all day long, dealing with customers, are still wearing a mask as a precautionary measure. Face-covering masks have changed our lives significantly in many respects, especia
July 21, 2021
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[Lee In-hyun] A man who kept his promise of lasting love
It was one hot summer day in 2011. I was a master student at the time and the school was on a summer break. Because I was going to participate in a summer music festival in Aspen, Colorado, I just stayed home to be prepared and ready for the festival. Most of my friends went back to Korea to meet their family and friends. Just a few Korean students decided to stay like myself. Even though I had a good reason to stay, I still missed “home” and my family. One day, a friend gave me ad
July 20, 2021
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[Keenan Fagan] Shortages of jobs, homes, eggs, vaccines and English
If you live in the Republic of Korea and speak Korean with citizens, you will often hear how it is the best place to live. People say their country is developed and convenient, and then prove this with comparisons to other countries. This is a recent phenomenon. When I came to South Korea 30 years ago, citizens disparaged the country and spoke of wanting to move to developed countries like the US where I am from. This vehement criticism reflected how the country brimmed with energy and developme
July 20, 2021
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[Elizabeth Shackelford] US needs better foreign aid
Just this month, we’ve seen political collapse in Haiti and military collapse in Afghanistan. South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, turned 10 years old amid looming famine, rampant corruption and continued violence. Ethiopia’s civil war threatens the country’s very existence. All these disasters have two things in common: In each, the United States has poured in more than a billion dollars in aid in the past 10 years -- substantially more in some cases. And in each, it
July 20, 2021
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[Jeffrey D. Sachs, Isabella Massa] The rich world’s debt to island states
Hurricane Elsa’s appearance in the Caribbean this month, far before the usual onset of the Atlantic hurricane season, reminds us of what awaits the world’s small island developing states (SIDS) in the years ahead. These states are already suffering the devastating effects of climate change, and will now need to spend heavily on repairs and measures to build resilience. Rich countries and their fossil-fuel companies contributed overwhelmingly to the problem, so they should help cover
July 20, 2021
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[Mark Gilbert] Worry on England's 'Freedom Day'
On Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is poised to lift almost all of the remaining restrictions imposed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in England. Even as the delta variant drives a rebound in infections, the government is determined to get customers back into shops, diners back into bars and restaurants, people out and about. I’m going to skip the celebration. For all of the claims that science would dictate the ebb and flow of restraints on civil liberties, the July 19 cessat
July 19, 2021
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[Anders Aslund] Vladimir Putin’s dangerous Ukraine narrative
Russian President Vladimir Putin is obsessed with Ukraine -- or, rather, with pretending that Ukraine doesn’t exist. In his annual call-in show on June 30, he claimed that “Ukrainians and Russians are a single people.” He then published an article aimed at justifying that “conviction,” by tracing the two countries’ shared history. It is a masterclass in disinformation -- and one step short of a declaration of war. Putin begins his tale in ancient Rus, where R
July 19, 2021
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[Serendipity] What's the rush?
Last week, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwang Hee announced two candidate sites in Seoul for a building to house a large collection of art donated by the family of the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee. A site in central Seoul close to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea and the grounds of the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan will be considered for the final selection, which will be announced by the end of the year, in consultation with a committee of
July 16, 2021
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[Robert J. Fouser] Tokyo Olympics in troubled times
The 2020 Summer Games open in Tokyo a week from today on July 23, a year later than scheduled. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a year delay in holding the games, though many in Japan and elsewhere have argued that they should be canceled. A recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Japan prompted the government to bring back emergency measures that will prevent spectators from attending events. Athletes will compete in quiet, empty venues. For Tokyo, this marks the second time the city has hosted the Summe
July 16, 2021
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[Kim Myeong-sik] Fourth-rate politics hurts Korea’s ‘developed’ status
The UN Conference on Trade and Development has become the latest international organization to recognize South Korea’s developed status among world nations. In a board meeting earlier this month, the UN agency moved South Korea from its Group A list of mostly Asia-Pacific and African developing countries to Group B which consists of states with developed economies. Local newspapers quoted a Foreign Ministry press release pointing out that it was the first time since the establishment of
July 15, 2021
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[Adam Minter] Americans’ right to repair
When the Apple II personal computer was shipped in 1977, it came with a detailed manual for upgrading and repairing the device. Parts were readily available from Apple (and, later, other manufacturers), and if Apple owners didn’t want to fix or upgrade at home, they could find plenty of small, competitive repair businesses to do the work for them. That was then. These days, Apple’s products arrive sealed shut, often with proprietary screws. Service manuals, circuit-board schematics
July 15, 2021
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[Amal de Chickera] Statelessness in a pandemic
Maijaan Nessa, a 38-year-old Muslim woman, was born in India to Indian parents. She has lived there, in the state of Assam, all her life. But, seven years ago, she was declared a foreigner, arrested, and detained. While she languished in detention, her distraught eldest son died by suicide. Despite this devastating personal tragedy, and the barriers created by poverty and illiteracy, her Bengali Muslim husband and the rest of her family continued to fight for her release until, almost five yea
July 14, 2021