The parliamentary impeachment of President Park Geun-hye tells us two important things regarding the political crisis caused by a corruption scandal involving her civilian confidante and friend Choi Soon-sil. The first is that Park was all but finished. About 80 percent of lawmakers, including half of the members of her own ruling party, lined up to impeach her. Regardless of the Constitutional Court’s decision on her fate, Park is destined to be remembered as one of the worst presidents since t

Editorial Dec. 12, 2016

Is President Park Geun-hye working toward her own undoing? One cannot but raise the question as she, already devoid of effective leadership as the chief executive, keeps taking missteps that could drag her -- and the nation -- into a deeper quagmire.   Park on Wednesday nominated Kim Byong-joon, a liberal professor who held key posts during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, as new prime minister. Park also named Yim Jong-yong, head of the Financial Services Commission, as the new deputy prime min

Editorial Nov. 2, 2016

If you’re a high school student deciding where to apply for college, or the parent of a student, you’ve probably done a fair amount of research. Even so, there are some schools that may have escaped your notice, such as MCPHS University, LIU Brooklyn, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Babson College.You say you need Google to learn where some of those schools are located? That’s the point: Excellence and prestige aren’t synonyms. And what do these relatively obscure institutions (take no o

Viewpoints Nov. 2, 2016

Many foreigners, especially those hailing from Western countries, seem to digress from the whole point of the Choi Soon-sil and President Park Geun-hye fiasco that has brought chaos to Korea. Although it is understandable that Western media may be overwhelmed with the sudden surge of information uploaded on a daily basis by the Korean media, it is absolutely unforgivable how they have distorted the real issue at stake. Korea is not like the United States or Europe. There is no national religion

Viewpoints Nov. 2, 2016

If a millennial voter goes to the polls but isn’t allowed to take a ballot selfie to document the moment on social media, did it really happen? More important, is democracy imperiled?We’re sort of teasing about young people’s obsession with smartphone cameras. We’re serious about believing voters have a constitutional right to take pictures of themselves in a voting booth with a completed ballot.You might be surprised to learn there is an active question surrounding the legality of ballot selfie

Viewpoints Nov. 2, 2016

There was a remarkable moment on the floor of the United Nations last week. As the General Assembly prepared for its annual vote to denounce the US trade embargo against Cuba, US Ambassador Samantha Power announced that for the first time, the US would abstain rather than vote against it.　The U.S. has always voted “no” on this measure — every year for the 25 years that it’s come up. And this year’s abstention put the Obama administration in direct conflict with Congress, which has been the drivi

Viewpoints Nov. 2, 2016

Here in France, members of the deeply entrenched establishment elite are confident that the result of next week‘s American presidential election is a foregone conclusion. They’re convinced that the American people will reject “vulgarity.”　Former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Hubert Vedrine, a permanent establishment fixture, declared to BFM TV: “There is little chance that (Trump) will be elected -- it‘s evident. With his behavior, his aggressiveness, his insane vulgarity -- let’s say the w

Viewpoints Nov. 2, 2016

More and more foreign countries are watching South Korea and the Blue House during this indescribably disgraceful time for Koreans.  The scandal involves President Park Geun-hye and her nongovernment confidante Choi Soon-sil. More than a week ago, evidence emerged that Choi had meddled in a variety of government affairs. But Park has yet to publicize her stance on the matter after making a lax apology to the public a week ago.There is no lawmaker from the ruling Saenuri Party who officially dema

Editorial Nov. 1, 2016

“We’re going to walk you to your car,” said the smiling woman in front of me at the grocery store, as she and her husband took the bags from my hands.She had seen me struggling to balance my toddler, who was fussing over her balloon, on my hip while pushing my infant in her stroller and carrying three sacks of groceries to my minivan.I was grateful for the help, but in that moment I remember thinking, “How did this become my life?”I know I’m not alone in that sentiment -- the sense that after ch

Viewpoints Nov. 1, 2016

Donald Trump has taken a battering ram to longstanding political norms -- the unwritten conventions that make governance possible. But even before he decided to run for president, those norms were under assault. Immediately after the election, one of the most pressing questions will be how to restore them.To answer that question, let’s assume what philosophers call a “veil of ignorance.” If we didn’t know whether the president would be Democratic or Republican -- if it could turn out to be Clint

Viewpoints Nov. 1, 2016

Blackstone CEO Tony James recently published a column in the Financial Times titled “To revive America’s economy, raise interest rates.” This is a very bad idea.Let us imagine that we have been transported to a parallel universe, one where the US Federal Reserve has not held interest rates at or near zero. Instead, this Fed has gradually raised interest rates for the past six years, and the federal funds rate is now 400 basis points higher than it currently is. Before looking at what this altern

Viewpoints Nov. 1, 2016