“He can’t possibly win the nomination” is the phrase heard most often when Washington insiders mention either Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders.　Yet as enthusiasm for the bombastic billionaire and the socialist senior continues to build within each party, the political establishment is mystified.　Political insiders don’t see that the biggest political phenomenon in America today is a revolt against the “ruling class” of insiders who have dominated Washington for more than three decades.　In two very

Aug. 7, 2015

During her summer vacation last week, President Park Geun-hye posted on her Facebook page a photo of a letter and a hand-drawn portrait of her from a Chinese man, who described the South Korean leader as his “heroine.”　His admiration for Park may deepen further if he sees her attending a military parade scheduled to be held in Beijing on Sept. 3, which China established as its Victory Day last year. The parade through Tiananmen Square was apparently designed to serve as a reminder of China’s rol

Aug. 6, 2015

The succession battle in Lotte Group is rocking the nation at a time of the peak summer vacation period in Korea. 　This fight to take the helm of the nation’s fifth-largest conglomerate is so bitter and dramatic that some editorials compare it to a “makjang” TV soap opera with a highly sensational and crappy plot.　The main actors are the nonagenarian founder of the Korean-Japanese conglomerate Shin Kyuk-ho and his two sons -- Shin Dong-joo and Shin Dong-bin, both in their early 60s. 　Other found

Aug. 5, 2015

The older generation has many complaints about today’s youth. Nine out of 10 young men and women in the subway are glued to their smartphone screens, texting with friends or engrossed in video games. Their attire -- girls’ short pants almost invisible between their blouses and sandals and boys’ flat-bill caps and long shorts -- lacks character. Their facial contour overlaps with plastic surgery posters. 　Yet, we are genuinely sorry for them. Born in the era of economic prosperity, they are enter

Aug. 5, 2015

Recently, I watched the film adaptations of Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games” trilogy on TV. All three movies, “The Hunger Games,” “Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay,” were irresistibly mesmerizing with Jennifer Lawrence playing the role of Katniss Everdeen impeccably. Intrigued by the trilogy, I checked out the original novels from the library and finished reading them quickly. The novels were veritable page-turners, as enchanting and gripping as the movies. I felt like a game player myself who had

Aug. 4, 2015

If years had buzzwords, the one for 2015 in the U.S. would sure be “Millennial.” The news is full of stories about what the Millennial Generation likes and doesn’t like and how they are beginning to make their mark on society as move toward middle age. They are said to prefer urban areas over the suburban areas they grew up in. They are said to prefer sharing and renting over ownership. As the first generation to grow up with the Internet, they are said to prefer online communication over face-t

Aug. 4, 2015

When Wolfgang Schauble, Germany’s finance minister, recently tabled the option of a Greek exit from the euro, he wanted to signal that no member could abstain from the monetary union’s strict disciplines. In fact, his initiative triggered a much broader discussion of the principles underpinning the euro, its governance, and the very rationale for its existence.　Only a fortnight before Schauble’s proposal, Europe’s leaders had barely paid attention to a report on the euro’s future prepared by Eur

Aug. 3, 2015

Here’s one for the Freakonomics guys: Why aren’t Japan’s drum-tight labor markets leading to higher wages and inflation?　When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe embarked on one of modern history’s most audacious economic revival efforts, conventional wisdom held that Japan’s sub-4 percent unemployment (it’s now 3.3 percent) would aid the cause. Labor scarcity should in theory force Japan’s cash-rich companies to raise wages, at least according to what economists call NAIRU, the non-accelerating inflation

Aug. 3, 2015

In World War II, the aggressors became the losers and the defenders the winners. But both are responsible for the unprecedented damages to humanity caused by them. The greatest lesson both sides have learned is that war is harmful to all humans and nations regardless of winners and losers. For the last 70 years all international organizations, nation-states and the epistemic community of the world have made numerous proposals on world peace, and yet have been unable to come up with any panacea.I

Aug. 2, 2015

I recently heard a panel of journalists complain on a radio show that Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump won’t stop hijacking the news cycle and is effectively preventing them from covering other stories. There were no such complaints during Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, even when it consisted mainly of platitudes concerning “hope and change.”　Trump is trying to win the reality game show of “Apprentice: U.S. President.” History suggests that the strategy for winning

July 30, 2015

Life. Be in it. That’s a slogan I remember from my childhood in the U.S. I heard it in a commercial and for some reason, it stuck. It’s such a simple phrase, but so hard to live by. 　We were all raised with certain values that govern our lives. Most of the time, these values hold society together. So whether the individual is happy or not, or if there are other things that may make his or her life more fulfilling is many times not a real priority.　However, have you asked yourself how much of an

July 29, 2015

Here’s the bottom line on the Iran nuclear pact: Whether you like it or hate it, or feel as I do -- that it’s barely passable but U.S. negotiators could have done better -- it’s a done deal.There are many things in this pact that make me queasy (see below). And the administration’s Iran-empowering policy in the Mideast region gives me heartburn. But if this deal goes down to defeat (with Congress overriding a presidential veto), international sanctions will collapse and Iran will be free to ramp

July 29, 2015