[Lee Jae-min] Namsan padlocks and ‘I.Seoul.U’

There are tens of thousands of them, in different colors and shapes. 　At the base of the Seoul Tower on Mount Namsan, you can see how many different small padlocks there are in the world. 　They are hanging on fences surrounding the tower and Christmas tree-shaped metal structures. 　These “padlocks of love” are put there by couples and families wishing for eternal love and happiness, believing that the locks symbolize vows and commitments. 　Messages of affection and well-wishes are written on the

Nov. 17, 2015

[Kim Seong-kon] Saving the ‘G Generation’ from defeatist dependency

With job opportunities becoming increasingly scarce, young Koreans began calling themselves the “Three G Generation” some time ago. 　The “G” was a reference to the three things they had to “give up” in life -- falling in love, getting married and having a child -- because of their low income and high prices. 　As the job market became tighter, the nickname changed to the “Five G Generation,” with two additions to the list of sacrifices: getting a job and buying a house. Then emerged the “Seven G

Nov. 17, 2015

[David Ignatius] On foreign policy, Obama has the right target

President Obama’s foreign policy has been a regular punching bag for Republican presidential candidates, but many of their criticisms are facile. The next president -- from whichever party -- will have to confront the same puzzle that Obama has faced about how best to use U.S. power in a world that resists military solutions.　Republican denunciations of Obama avoid the deeper problems: Where should America intervene, and at what cost? How should the rise of Chinese power be managed? What’s the r

Nov. 15, 2015

[Andrew Sheng] Small is better in modern economy

Is big always good? How are the biggest companies in the world doing? 　Prior to the global financial crisis, it was always assumed that bigger was better. Every company strived to become a global company, with scale, global reach and brand reputation. Telecoms to supermarkets tried to be global and dominate global trade, especially in opening new markets and putting in place global supply chains. With the invention of the Nespresso capsule and coffee machine, Unilever brought top-quality coffee

Nov. 15, 2015

[Peter Singer] Paris and the fate of the earth

The lives of billions of people, for centuries to come, will be at stake when world leaders and government negotiators meet at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris at the end of the month. The fate of an unknown number of endangered species of plants and animals also hangs in the balance.　At the “Earth Summit” in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, 189 countries, including the United States, China, India, and all European countries signed on to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Chang

Nov. 13, 2015

[Yu Kun-ha] Retooling Korea’s export machine

Korea’s export machine is faltering, causing concerns about the future of the Korean economy. 　Exports have long been the engine of Korea’s economic growth. Not anymore. Since the third quarter of 2014, exports have become a drag on it.   Yu Kun-ha　In the July-September period of this year, the economy expanded by a robust 1.2 percent on quarter on the back of a rebound in domestic demand. But exports’ contribution to this was minus 0.7 percentage point. The growth rate could have been much high

Nov. 12, 2015

[Kim Myong-sik] No one answer to ‘What is history?’

It was a wise move for the opposition NPAD to decide to take part in the National Assembly’s 2016 budget deliberations, ending a weekslong legislative boycott in protest against the government’s project to rewrite secondary school history textbooks. Both party chair Moon Jae-in and floor leader Lee Jong-gul exhibited a degree of political maturity as they vowed to continue their struggle while taking care of the people’s livelihoods. 　“We will fight with long breaths,” Lee told the party caucus.

Nov. 11, 2015

[Kim Ji-hyun] Korean church in Japan ripe with strife

As with the subways, buses, government buildings and the overall urban atmosphere, the streets of Tokyo bear a strong resemblance to those of Seoul. 　There’s the narrow roads, road signs and even the way the trees are planted. 　But there is one big difference. And that’s the lack of churches.　On almost any given street in Seoul, or any alley big or small, you are bound to encounter a church cross or a sign. 　Not in Tokyo.  　The Japanese population is composed of a plethora of religions, as oppos

Nov. 11, 2015

[Robert Cheek] Thinking outside the box: AI bots and robotic IoT

The human race is entering an era of exponential technological growth unmatched by anything before in its history. The rate of technological evolution is now accelerating by the nanosecond. Most advances to date have focused on the augmentation of the mind, or information analysis and processing. Advancements in these areas continue to move forward rapidly, and humanity now faces a scenario in which our technologies are breaking out of their boxes, migrating from the cyber world to the physical

Nov. 10, 2015

[Kim Seong-kon] Ojirappers, mind your own business

Koreans are inquisitive by nature. A foreigner who visited Korea in 1892 wrote, “Koreans are curious and like to meddle in other people’s business.” Even today, the Korean people seem to enjoy gossiping and prying into each other’s affairs. An upside of this innate curiosity is the community spirit that enables us to share many things together in a group-oriented society. The downside is that it is offensive and rude to others, especially to foreigners.  　Thankfully, young Koreans do not seem to

Nov. 10, 2015

[Robert J. Fouser] Some thoughts on ‘I.Seoul.U’

The unveiling of Seoul’s new English slogan “I.Seoul.U” at the end of October stirred a hearty round of laughter on social media as people made jokes and parodies of the phrase. Amid the laughter was worry that the city had made a huge mistake in choosing a slogan that is incomprehensible.  　The negative reaction is unfortunate because the city spent 500 million won ($436,000) on the project that had resulted in 16,000 suggestions from citizens. A committee of nine experts narrowed the choice to

Nov. 10, 2015

[John H. Cha] The politics of family reunions

I don’t know why, but we Koreans love to make a spectacle of everything, and the latest round of family reunions at the Mount Geumgangsan adds new wrinkles to the art of spectacle making. It was voyeurism of the worst kind, inhumane to the core, in which the players, including octogenarians and nonagenarians, played out scenes filled with real tears. 　These tears were painful to watch on television, a thousand times more painful for the elderly, no doubt, whether the tears were of elation or sor

Nov. 9, 2015

[Robert B. Reich] The rigging of the American market

Much of the national debate about widening inequality focuses on whether or how much to tax the rich and redistribute their income downward.　But this debate ignores the upward redistributions going on every day, from the rest of us to the rich. These redistributions are hidden inside the market.　The only way to stop them is to prevent big corporations and Wall Street banks from rigging the market.　For example, Americans pay more for pharmaceuticals than do the citizens of any other developed nat

Nov. 8, 2015

[David Ignatius] The master manipulator

Among the remarkable facts about Ahmed Chalabi was that after turning Iraq and America upside down and unleashing all the gods and devils of war, he died of natural causes in Baghdad this week. 　Few people have changed the course of the last few decades more, through the force of personality, than did Chalabi. Historians will argue the causes and consequences of the Iraq War, but my own guess is that if it hadn’t been for Chalabi, Saddam Hussein or one of his odious sons or henchmen would probab

Nov. 8, 2015