The Korea Herald

[Peter Singer] The man who didn’t save the world

Last month, “Salvator Mundi,” Leonardo da Vinci’s portrayal of Jesus as Savior of the World, sold at auction for $400 million, more than twice the previous record for a work of art sold at auction. The buyer also had to pay an additional $50.3 million in commissions and fees.The painting has been heavily retouched, and some experts have even questioned whether it really is by Leonardo. Jason Farago, a New York Times art critic, described it as “a proficient but not especially distinguished relig

Dec. 14, 2017

[Peter Singer] The man who didn’t save the world

[Albert R. Hunt] Republicans now have a reason to panic

Democrats won a special Senate election in deeply conservative Alabama, narrowing the Republicans’ slim majority in the chamber, and likely generating political panic and infighting among scared Republicans.　 Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor, became the first Democrat to win an Alabama Senate seat in a quarter century. He defeated Roy Moore, a former state Supreme Court justice whom multiple women said had sexually assaulted or harassed them years ago when they were teenagers.　The result

Dec. 14, 2017

[Andrew Malcolm] Jerusalem move reveals the radical pattern of Trump diplomacy

President Donald Trump’s announcement that he, unlike other recent presidents, really is going to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel accomplished several goals, many of them beneficial, all of them revealing about the unorthodox 45th chief executive.　It showed Trump fulfilling a major campaign promise, for once unfettered by congressional GOP laggards. It earned him a burst of positive publicity among supporters of that major ally, a rare bastion of diverse democracy in a region chroni

Dec. 14, 2017

[Andrew Malcolm] Jerusalem move reveals the radical pattern of Trump diplomacy

[Leonid Bershidsky] Airbnb, like Uber, needs to grow up

With Uber’s problems grabbing all the headlines, it’s easy to overlook the fact that the other great “sharing economy” company, Airbnb, is also having issues caused by an overaggressive expansion and a tendency to ignore rules, even if they’re reasonable. Because of these issues, usage of the service may be nearing its peak.　Paris, Airbnb’s second biggest city worldwide after London, is threatening to sue the US company unless it removes all the listings for rentals not registered with the city

Dec. 14, 2017

[David Ignatius] The GOP’s mad dash to pass a tax bill proves that haste makes waste

Of all the follies of 2017, the most tawdry may be the GOP’s headlong rush to pass a tax bill that even its proponents don’t understand. What’s especially sad is that otherwise sensible Republicans seem to be capitulating to the tax-cut frenzy.　Political desperation is the mother of this legislation. Despite Republican control of both houses of Congress, the Trump administration has failed in its first year to enact legislation that deals with major problems, such as health care and immigration.

Dec. 14, 2017

[Lee Joo-hee] Love affair of a business

Social media has created a world of its own, not just in the social realm but also in commerce.Scrolling through the Instagram app, for instance, at least one out of 10 Instagrammers are so-called “star Instagrammers,” having gained popularity by sharing everything from their food and clothes to basically their lives via carefully composed photos with captions bordering on bravado. Their followers indulge in vicarious satisfaction, even forging comradery among themselves for their shared interes

Dec. 13, 2017

[Andrew Sheng] The path of development thinking has changed

Given massive social divisions and the disruptions from technology, what is the new development model?　As the Commission for Global Economic Transformation, co-chaired by Nobel laureates Joseph Stiglitz and Michael Spence, formed early last month, gets down to work, we should reflect whether emerging markets are able to formulate such a new development model.　The World Bank is the world’s premier development funding agency and its flagship World Development Report is an opinion shaper about the

Dec. 13, 2017

[Andrew Sheng] The path of development thinking has changed

[Robin Abcarian] Trump’s accusers demand Congress do something

On Monday in New York City, three of the 16 women who came forward to publicly accuse then-presidential candidate Donald Trump of sexual harassment and assault returned to demand congressional action. They have watched a parade of powerful men toppled from exalted positions, and they wonder why Trump has avoided the same fate.They appeared on the “Today” show with Megyn Kelly, and spoke at a news conference afterward, organized by Robert Greenwald, whose studio Brave New Films helped resurrect t

Dec. 13, 2017

[Christopher Balding] Why China’s freezing

China is suffering from a frigid winter, but it can’t blame Mother Nature alone. Late last week, following widespread uproar, officials reversed a policy banning some provinces from using coal for heat -- which had the inadvertent but predictable effect of leaving large swathes of the country freezing cold.　China’s government has been keen to reduce air pollution levels. State media rejoiced last month when data showed that China was only the second most polluted developing country, behind India

Dec. 13, 2017

[The Hartford Courant] Five years after Sandy Hook, has love won?

We’ve let them down.　Charlotte. Daniel. Rachel. Olivia. Josephine. Dawn. Dylan. Madeleine. Catherine. Chase. Jesse. Ana. James. Grace. Anne. Emilie. Jack. Noah. Caroline. Jessica. Avielle. Lauren. Mary. Victoria. Benjamin. Allison.　All 26 of them.　Five years ago, in those painful days after the massacre at Sandy Hook, we mourned with the moms and dads and wept alongside our own children for all we’d lost. Innocent lives. Innocence itself. We vowed to protect our children from the Adam Lanzas of

Dec. 13, 2017

[Lee Jae-min] Curing Korea’s intoxication problem

A petition was filed with the Blue House with the support of more than 200,000 people, prompting a high ranking Blue House official to appear publicly and issue an official response. This rare national debate relates to courts’ discretionary consideration of intoxication as a mitigating factor in issuing sentences for criminals. The petition aims to amend the Korean Criminal Code to eliminate the intoxication defense from the code entirely and/or amend other special legislations on sex crimes so

Dec. 12, 2017

[Lee Jae-min] Curing Korea’s intoxication problem

[Kim Seong-kon] A street band named desire

The title is a riff on Tennessee Williams’ prizewinning play “A Streetcar Named Desire” and the internationally-acclaimed British movie “A Street Cat Named Bob.” The former brilliantly portrays the conflict between fantasy and reality represented by Blanche and Stanley. The latter movingly depicts the beautiful friendship between a street musician and a street cat he accidentally picks up and takes care of. Both the play and the film have touched the hearts of many international readers and movi

Dec. 12, 2017

[Kim Seong-kon] A street band named desire

[Mihir Sharma] Modi’s wake-up call

This weekend, residents of the western Indian state of Gujarat began voting in an election whose outcome should‘ve been a foregone conclusion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi served for 12 years as Gujarat’s chief minister and remains a hugely popular figure there. His political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has ruled the state uninterrupted for more than two decades, dominating all forms of political, cultural and even social life. The opposition Congress is derided there as a “party of Musli

Dec. 12, 2017

[Albert R. Hunt] Trump-Russia probe about to get uglier

Here are two certainties about the Trump-Russia investigation: It won’t end soon. It will get uglier.　A new shoe drops almost daily in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe. First, former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying and agreed to cooperate. Then the White House changed its story (again) on what President Donald Trump knew after he was first advised in January that Flynn posed security problems.Last week came news that Mueller had subpoenaed financial records

Dec. 12, 2017

[Jonathan Bernstein] Anti-harassment wave could swing US Congress

With resignations in the US Congress piling up and rumors that two or three dozen members could face charges of sexual misbehavior in the near future, it’s not too early to start thinking through the political impact. Could such a wave of resignations affect swing the House?　Nate Silver thinks it “probably helps Democrats’ chances” to do so, further explaining:　1. The Republican Party has more exposure to losses because they hold most of the swing seats in the House.　2. Voters will “punish” memb

Dec. 12, 2017

[David Ignatius] Despite Trump’s rancor for the global system, the world economy is surging

A year ago, with the election of a US president who had fulminated against the international trade and financial systems, some analysts worried that the engine of global prosperity might soon be sputtering. But that’s not what happened.The global economy has surged forward this year, significantly outperforming expectations. As the International Monetary Fund wrote in its latest world economic outlook, published in October: “The current upswing reaches more broadly than any in a decade -- roughl

Dec. 11, 2017

[David Ignatius] Despite Trump’s rancor for the global system, the world economy is surging

[Tara Susman-Pena] Learning from Russia’s other media war

Misinformation and propaganda have been around for as long as mass communication. What has changed is the speed and scale of the delivery. Social media platforms have intensified the spread of pseudoscience and conspiracy theories, threatening democratic institutions in frightening new ways. One only has to Google “Russia” and “Trump” to see the impact of so-called fake news on democracy. But the best way to fight disinformation may be to follow the example set by Ukraine, a country that has fac

Dec. 11, 2017

[Tara Susman-Pena] Learning from Russia’s other media war

[Los Angeles Times ] Trump’s EPA wants to ignore science and put more dirty trucks back on the road

Diesel exhaust fumes are the most foul tailpipe emissions on the road, as anyone stuck in traffic behind an ageing bus or 18-wheeler can attest. But researchers have gathered overwhelming evidence that the fumes are more than just unpleasant; diesel emissions contribute to asthma, heart disease, cancer and a host of other ills. Diesel-powered trucks are also major contributors to lung-searing smog, and their emissions are loaded with climate-altering soot and gases that contribute to global warm

Dec. 11, 2017

[Tyler Cowen] How’s immigration going? Check the menus

I’ve written an online ethnic dining guide to the Washington area for over 20 years, and I find food a useful way to grasp how rapidly this country can change. These days, a lot of the biggest trends just aren’t on most people’s radar screens.The first and most striking dining development is the rise of Chinese regional cuisine. There are now Nanjing, Shanghai, Uighur, Shanxi, Taiwanese and other regional restaurants readily available. Real Hunan and Sichuan offerings are plentiful, in contrast

Dec. 11, 2017

[Leonid Bershidsky] Only one side compromised for this Brexit breakthrough

After UK and EU negotiators reached a deal opening a path for trade negotiations on Friday, arch-Brexiter Michael Gove declared British Prime Minister Theresa May had “won.” That is a statement worthy of all the now-debunked Brexit slogans. The parties‘ agreement shows the EU has given up virtually no ground, and that’s what‘s likely to happen in the trade talks, too.In plain terms, the 15-page document that closes the first stage of the talks -- according to a EU-determined sequence -- seals th

Dec. 11, 2017