[Diane Rozells] Academics work toward building stronger Korea-ASEAN ties

Beginning from an initiative of the ASEAN-Korea Center, a new advisory committee has been formed among professors from ASEAN countries who are currently working in Korea. CAPK, which stands for the Council of ASEAN Professors in Korea, comprises about 50 professors from ASEAN member states, who work in universities across South Korea, in cities such as Seoul, Busan, Ulsan and Daegu.Their mission is to enhance the awareness of ASEAN countries among Koreans and to build stronger relationships betw

Aug. 26, 2019

[Karl W. Smith] How slavery hurt the US economy

The 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first African slaves in what was to become America has reopened an old debate: How important was slavery to the rise of the US as an economic power?One school of thought argues that slavery in general, and cotton in particular, was the driving force behind the development of America’s distinctive brand of capitalism. The New York Times’ ambitious 1619 Project contains a good encapsulation of this argument. But not only has this theory come

Aug. 26, 2019

[Mac Margolis] Torching farmers and ranchers won’t stop fires in the Amazon

The world’s biggest tropical forest is back in the headlines, for all the wrong reasons. Leonardo DiCaprio and Madonna are worried. NASA and Amnesty International are tracking the ruin. French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to make the Amazon emergency a priority during the meeting of the G-7 countries in Biarritz and threatened to block the recently signed trade pact between the European Union and South America’s Mercosur countries because of Brazil’s dereliction of duty in t

Aug. 26, 2019

[Supalak Ganjanakhundee] ASEAN should guarantee safe return of Rohingyas to Myanmar

ASEAN has a lot of work to do for the sake of its own relevancy as Myanmar and Bangladesh make another attempt to repatriate thousands of Muslim Rohingyas to strife-torn Rakhine state while the situation on the ground remains unsafe.The authority in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw announced last week that Myanmar would accept 3,450 refugees from the list of 22,000 provided by Bangladesh earlier this month, as the first batch of people to resettle in Myanmar.It is not known publicly how the lis

Aug. 25, 2019

[David Ignatius] An obvious proviso for readmitting Russia to G-7

As the G-7 gathers this weekend in Biarritz, President Donald Trump has expressed hope for the return of Russia, the missing guest at the table. But any consideration of this issue requires dealing with his least favorite subject -- Russian cyber-meddling in US elections. The stark reality is that the United States is now fighting a low-level cyberwar to combat Kremlin political interference and other malign actions. US Cyber Command launched this “hunt forward” campaign last summer

Aug. 25, 2019

[David Ignatius] Unlikely crusade to save capitalism from itself

“Evolve or die,” wrote hedge-fund billionaire Ray Dalio in a manifesto published in April titled “Why and How Capitalism Needs to be Reformed.” With each passing month, more business executives have been joining this unlikely crusade to save capitalism from itself. The loudest reform call yet from inside the system came this week from the Business Roundtable, which represents the chief executives of 192 of the nation’s largest companies. Most of its members signed a

Aug. 22, 2019

[Jeffrey D. Sachs] Europe must oppose Trump

With Donald Trump due to visit Europe again for the G-7 summit later this month, European leaders have run out of options for dealing with the US president. They have tried to charm him, persuade him, ignore him, or agree to disagree with him. Yet Trump’s malevolence is bottomless. The only alternative, therefore, is to oppose him.The most immediate issue is European trade with Iran. This is no small matter. It is a battle that Europe cannot afford to lose.Trump is capable of inflicting gr

Aug. 21, 2019

[Andy Mukherjee] Singapore’s homes get an anti-aging lift

Singapore is buying insurance against the ill-effects of Japanese-style population aging. With some luck, the cover will extend to the city’s property prices, too.The retirement age in the financial center will gradually rise to 65 from 62. Including the five additional years employers are required to provide to older workers willing to continue, albeit at a lower pay, Singaporeans’ sunset years will effectively start at 70. That will make the city home to some of the world’s o

Aug. 21, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] We should put ourselves in other people’s shoes

Koreans are known to be people of “jeong” or affection. However, many Koreans do not seem to be thoughtful or considerate. Perhaps jeong does not encompass thoughtfulness or caring about others. Nevertheless, it is necessary to put yourself in another person’s shoes. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee writes, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around

Aug. 20, 2019

[Ann McFeatters] History seems to be repeating in Russia, China

It’s beginning to feel like a 1980s news tape showing America’s despotic enemies running amok.In Russia, a mysterious fatal explosion a few days ago in one of the country’s 10 secret cities where nuclear research takes place has caused an uptick in radiation and raised alarm around the world.It also raises memories of the 1986 meltdown at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, which Russia tried desperately to hush up, lying repeatedly about how serious it was. An esti

Aug. 19, 2019

[Andrew Sheng] Hong Kong problems are essentially a family quarrel

Summer 2019 will go on record as the hottest summer in human recorded history, but it will also be remembered as a summer of madness, when there are protests everywhere and violence seems to be on the boil. Who would have expected South Korea to be quarreling with Japan? Or India taking away the autonomy of Jammu/Kashmir to direct rule by Delhi? Or the Argentinian peso dropping 30 percent in one day? Why did the US put every one of their major trading partners, including Singapore, Malaysia and

Aug. 19, 2019

[David Ignatius] Beware ‘moral hazard’ in Hong Kong

Watching videos of Chinese protesters singing the US national anthem in the streets of Hong Kong, or hearing the tear-jerking chorus of “Les Miserables” during a sit-in at the Hong Kong airport, only someone with a heart of stone wouldn’t want to assist these brave people who are fighting for their freedom. But beware. The problem is that easy gestures of support could get these Chinese freedom fighters killed. It’s a problem that insurance companies call “moral haz

Aug. 18, 2019

[Leonid Bershidsky] Trump isn’t crazy to want to buy Greenland

Former Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called US President Donald Trump’s reported idea of buying Greenland, a self-governed Danish territory, an out-of-season April Fools’ Day joke. Trump’s idea may be outlandish -- and impossible -- but that doesn’t mean there’s no benefit in thinking about reviving the market in sovereign territories, which once made America great. Besides acquiring Louisiana from France, Florida from Spain, Alaska from Russia and much

Aug. 18, 2019

[Elizabeth Drew] What’s behind America’s mass shootings?

After every mass shooting in the United States, Americans and others around the world are confronted with the question of what lies behind this distinctly American horror. Though total gun deaths in the US have actually declined over time, mass shootings (those with at least four victims) have become deadlier and more frequent. Some have had an especially strong emotional impact on the country.The back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, on the first weekend of August are

Aug. 15, 2019

[J. Bradford DeLong ] America’s superpower panic

Global superpowers have always found it painful to acknowledge their relative decline and deal with fast-rising challengers. Today, the United States finds itself in this situation with regard to China. A century-and-half ago, imperial Britain faced a similar competitive threat from America. And in the 17th century, the Dutch Republic was the superpower and England the challenger.History suggests that the global superpower should aim for a soft landing, including by engaging with its likely succ

Aug. 14, 2019

[Kim Myong-sik] Moon’s illusory ‘peace economy’ with North Korea

The physical world we live in is governed by constructive power and destructive power. Constructive power can be measured by the value of things that individuals or groups create over a period of time. They call it GDP on the national level. Destructive power is estimated by looking at the things that can be destroyed (annihilated) in a conflict; it represents security threats between adversaries.North Korea is believed to have stored 20 to 30 nuclear bombs, each having the destructive energy of

Aug. 14, 2019

[Robert J. Fouser] Why boycotting Japan won’t work

As expected, tensions between South Korea and Japan have continued to worsen. On Aug. 2, Japan followed through with its threat to remove Korea from the “whitelist” of countries that Japan designates as preferential trading partners. This action means that companies exporting select products to Korea will need approval from the Japanese government before exporting. The Japanese government could use the approval process to restrict exports to Korea.The Korean government condemned the

Aug. 13, 2019