The Korea Herald

[Robert Mahoney] Stop killing the messenger

What does it cost to silence a muckraking reporter? In the Philippines in 2011, officials needed just $250 to buy the services of a journalist-slaying gunman. In Slovakia, Jan Kuciak and his fiancee were killed in February for about $80,000.For corrupt politicians and crime bosses, neither sum is significant. The cost to democracy, however, is immeasurable.Every year, more journalists are murdered because of their reporting than die in war zones. Since 1992, when the Committee to Protect Journal

Oct. 30, 2018

[Justin Fox] If you ignore the news, America actually seems pretty nice

So I’ve been doing a lot of driving lately. First I drove from New York to the San Francisco suburb of Lafayette, California, via New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Then I drove back by way of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Got back home to Manhattan on Saturday night. And yes, taking the

Oct. 30, 2018

[Hal Brands] Trump’s tapped smartphone mirrors his entire foreign policy

Specific incidents can sometimes reveal much larger truths. This would seem to be the case regarding recent revelations that the Chinese have been eavesdropping on President Donald Trump’s less-than-secure phone calls and using the information gathered as part of an elaborate plot to influence the president. If true, this story -- which the president has denied -- is not only a testament to Trump’s attachment to his smartphones and his casual disregard for established security procedures. It als

Oct. 30, 2018

[Eli Lake] Why Egypt’s exiles are especially terrified

For the last six years, Nancy Okail has led a relatively safe life in exile. As the executive director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, she had a high enough profile that she didn’t worry too much about the anonymous threats and harassment directed by the Egyptian regime she fled.Then Jamal Khashoggi was killed. “I knew Jamal,” she told me in an interview this week. They were both part of a tight circle of Arab dissidents living in and around Washington. If his murder is blamed on

Oct. 29, 2018

[Eli Lake] Why Egypt’s exiles are especially terrified

[Jean Pisani-Ferry] Global economy’s three games

Chess masters are able to play simultaneously on several boards with several partners. And the more time passes, the more US President Donald Trump’s international economic strategy looks like such a match.There are three major players: the United States, China and a loose coalition formed by the other members of the G-7. And there are three games, each of which involves all three players. Unlike chess, however, these games are interdependent. On Trump’s first board is the “break the rules of tr

Oct. 29, 2018

[Jean Pisani-Ferry] Global economy’s three games

[Mary Schmich] In this time of immense fear, how to find your purpose

I was sitting in a coffeehouse with my laptop recently, diligently scrolling through the horrors of the world, wondering what useful thing there was to say about any of it, when a man I know stopped by my table.　I get testy when people interrupt my work -- really, scrolling through the horrors of the world, aka the news, is work -- but this man knows me well enough that he responded to my curtness by saying he’d be quick.　He said he just wanted to mention that he and his wife had been traveling

Oct. 29, 2018

[Michael Schuman] Trade deficit with China shows America’s strength

US President Donald Trump has made closing America’s trade deficit with China a top priority. The problem is, it’s growing instead. For Trump, that’s probably more proof that his tariff-heavy, get-tough approach to China is the correct strategy. For economists, it’s not such a big deal. The US economy is roaring, and roaring economies tend to import more.There’s another reason, too, that the trade balance is the wrong figure to focus on. It only captures one part of the greater economic relation

Oct. 29, 2018

[Robert Sands] James Church’s Inspector O series and negotiating with North Korea

Upon arrival at my hotel in Hong Kong after a few weeks in Shenzhen, China, I raced to a pub. While reading John le Carre’s “The Honourable Schoolboy” and waiting on some fish and chips, an Englishman politely took the seat beside me. After some halting pleasantries, I realized he worked for a company to which I had just caused considerable (though necessary) trouble in my role as a corporate lawyer. We laughed and, to his credit, he remained as polite after learning that fact as he was before i

Oct. 29, 2018

[Letter to the Editor] What’s behind the BTS syndrome

The definition of good music may differ from person to person, but it seems certain that good music soothes souls. It helps us vent emotional catharsis in its own way. There are two ways when it comes to how good music usually does it; it has beautifully resounding lyrics or its melodies and beat make our hearts beat faster.　BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, seem to manage both. They have swept across the world with their music, writing a new chapter in the history of K-pop. Their music seems

Oct. 28, 2018

[Daniel Moss] China discovers how to boost the economy without toppling it

Ice is thawing in China, and that’s a good thing.Fiscal and monetary measures should be deployed to give the economy a fillip when it’s most needed. The scope of tax cuts detailed over the weekend is a great first step: They boost consumers and might also, in the process, shore up Chinese demand for trade with the rest of Asia.Until now, policy seemed frozen in Beijing and hamstrung by competing goals. Choices are still constrained relative to past episodes of slackening economic life, but thank

Oct. 28, 2018

[Trudy Rubin] Don’t expect miracles when Trump and Xi meet at G-20

In the Chinese capital, the buzz words these days are Buenos Aires and midterms.As the Trump-led trade war with China heats up, Washington is signaling a more confrontational relationship with Beijing. But the much repeated mantra here, from officials, think tanks, and academics, is that presidents Trump and Xi Jinping will ease tensions when they meet at the G-20 conference next month in Argentina. Another mantra argues that a Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives in midterm US el

Oct. 28, 2018

[Trudy Rubin] Don’t expect miracles when Trump and Xi meet at G-20

[Baltimore Sun] Compassion for caravan

Somewhere in the West Wing, there is doubtless a White House staffer assigned the task of collecting dehumanizing language for the administration to use to describe the thousands of Central American migrants on their journey in southern Mexico headed to the United States. They are a “horde,” a “swarm,” an “invasion.” They include “criminals and unknown Middle Easterners,” and such caravans are a “disgrace to the Democrat Party.” Those last two quotes may seem far-fetched, by they were offered by

Oct. 28, 2018

[Cod Satrusayang] A word against regulation

When the printing press first began spreading throughout Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries, it brought with it a revolution in and democratization of ideas. Scripture and scientific text were spread rapidly and was readily accessible to the masses for the first time. The church’s role as the gatekeepers and purveyors of information lessened with the advent of new technology. Upheaval was not far behind and the printing press played a central role in the reformation led by Martin Luther and

Oct. 28, 2018

[Cod Satrusayang] A word against regulation

[Naomi Burke-Shyne] Bangladesh’s deadly war on drugs

The audio quality is poor and the sound of gunshots muffled, but the agony in Ekramul Haque’s voice is unmistakable. On May 26, while speaking with his family by phone, Haque, an elected official in southern Bangladesh, was gunned down by police in an apparent extrajudicial killing.Bangladeshi authorities insist Haque was a drug dealer who died in an exchange of gunfire, but the audio evidence -- captured by his wife as she listened to her husband die -- suggests that the officers involved kille

Oct. 28, 2018

[Leonid Bershidsky] Trump’s withdrawal from nuclear treaty hurts US allies

President Donald Trump’s decision to ditch the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia has clear advantages for both Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. It is, however, a problem for countries in the middle.Columbia University professor Stephen Sestanovich, who served as senior director for policy development at the US National Security Council from 1984 to 1987, the year the INF treaty was signed, describes the deal as “the most one-sidedly good arms-control agr

Oct. 25, 2018

[Leonid Bershidsky] Trump’s withdrawal from nuclear treaty hurts US allies

[David Fickling] A bridge alone can’t unify Hong Kong with China

What’s the most important bit of infrastructure to connect an international metropolis like China’s Pearl River Delta? A demolished border post.For all the excitement around the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge Wednesday, that’s probably the best lesson to draw from Beijing’s plan to draw Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Dongguan, Foshan and other cities into a single megalopolis. As my colleague Nisha Gopalan wrote last month, “Build it and they will come” is a lot easier said than d

Oct. 25, 2018

[Kim Kyung-ho] Moon’s employment policy goes awry

Shortly after taking office in May last year, in an initiative that was widely perceived as pro-labor, President Moon Jae-in vowed to turn all temporary jobs in the public sector into permanent positions.He made the pledge surrounded by workers at Incheon International Airport, saying he would “wipe away tears from the eyes of non-regular employees.”That seemingly benign policy, intended to help people worried about job security, is now cited as the cause of rampant hiring irregularities at the

Oct. 24, 2018

[Kim Kyung-ho] Moon’s employment policy goes awry

[Kim Myong-sik] Questionable outcome of presidential diplomacy overseas

Fall is the cruelest season for South Korean diplomats and Cheong Wa Dae staff for foreign affairs. From the middle of September through late November, the South Korean president in any administration makes at least five rounds of overseas tours each year, driving officials crazy in making preparations of all sorts. Most important in the preparatory works of course is setting up and confirming the schedule for the president’s meetings with various VIPs of the receiving countries. Yet, the follow

Oct. 24, 2018

[Kim Myong-sik] Questionable outcome of presidential diplomacy overseas

[Avi Jorisch] High-tech power-couple: Israel & South Korea

South Korea is consistently ranked as one of the most innovative countries, and the fuel that has powered this astonishing metamorphosis is technology. But there are a number of challenges looming over the horizon that will hamper South Korea’s growth if not effectively addressed. As Korean policymakers, aid workers and scientists look to solve challenges, they should turn to Israel to find existing innovations that can make a difference, or create new ones together. Since the Republic of Korea

Oct. 24, 2018

[Nisha Gopalan] Makeup brands need better foundation in China

Asia’s makeup brands are starting to look ugly.Shares of Japanese and South Korean cosmetics makers have been melting this month, as Beijing cracks down on daigou, Chinese travelers who buy everything from infant formula to skin care products for resale at home, often to friends and relatives. These shoppers tend to be university students looking to make a little extra cash or tourists scooping up duty-free items.　Added together, this is no mere pocket change. As my colleague David Fickling wrot

Oct. 24, 2018