Since we became wealthy enough not to worry about where the next meal comes from, our collective anxiety with food has moved on to its quality along the food supply chain. Among the core concerning issues are agro-chemical use, pathogen contamination, ingredient adulteration, country-of-origin deception, inferior nutrition and downgraded taste. 　However, few issues might cause a stronger jolt than the term “genetically modified organisms,” though in many cases we may not know exactly why our ala

Viewpoints Oct. 17, 2016

 For two and a half decades, Pakistan has pursued a policy of inflicting on India “death by a thousand cuts” - bleeding the country through repeated terrorist attacks, rather than attempting an open military confrontation which it cannot win against India’s superior conventional forces. The logic is that India’s response to this tactic would always be tempered by its desire not to derail its ambitious economic development plans, as well as the Indian government’s unwillingness to face the risk o

Viewpoints Oct. 17, 2016

Pop songs as literature? Bob Dylan as a Nobel laureate? What is this world coming to?　But it’s not so strange. The permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, which awarded Dylan the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday, compared him to Homer and Sappho, and it’s a fact that great literature has its roots in lyrics that were set to music and transmitted from town to town and from generation to generation by a succession of minstrels, troubadours, cantors and choirs. And then records, radio and

Viewpoints Oct. 17, 2016

It may be morally satisfying to demand that the US cut off its military support of the Saudis for their disastrous involvement in Yemen’s civil war. But if the goal is to end the violence and provide some humanitarian assistance -- and it should be -- then that assistance may be the best leverage the US has against Saudi Arabia’s recklessness.　The US can hardly wash its hands of the conflict, which pits Houthi rebels and their Iranian backers against Yemen’s ousted government and its Saudi-led a

Viewpoints Oct. 17, 2016

Apartment prices in Seoul and other major cities have shot up over the past two years in the wake of the record-low key rate set by the central bank and the reconstruction boom.The situation is totally opposite to four to five years ago when the construction sector suffered from a mass of unsold apartments after the 2008-2009 financial crisis, which caused the insolvency of some small- and mid-sized builders.The sluggish construction industry was a fast-track opportunity for the government to bo

Editorial Oct. 16, 2016

I’m writing to express my concern about the human rights of North Koreans responding to the article “North Korean defectors open up online,” published on Oct. 11th, 2016 by Rumy Doo.　I am a South Korean student who has been translating North Korean defectors’ testimonies for the last few months. I’ve learned that North Korean defectors are coming in to the South Korean society and feeling free to tell and share their experiences. While I was translating, I’ve gotten to know a lot about North Kor

Viewpoints Oct. 16, 2016

When President Pranab Mukherjee of India visited Ghana in June, he came bearing what he thought was an irresistible gift. To symbolize the friendship between the two countries, Mukherjee gifted the University of Ghana with a statue of Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi. The Indian president assumed that the two decades Gandhi lived in South Africa a century ago would generate goodwill thousands of miles away in West Africa today.It didn’t. Last month, professors at the University of Ghan

Viewpoints Oct. 16, 2016

Over the past eight years, the major central banks have increased their balance sheets to $18 trillion from $6 trillion, predominantly through the purchase of their own government’s bonds. While the Fed has ended its quantative easing program, the European Central Bank and Bank of Japan continue theirs. But those too will eventually come to an end. What happens next will determine whether the world economy is set on a path to real growth or further stagnation.　“Unwinding” these positions -- even

Viewpoints Oct. 16, 2016

The minutes of the September meeting of the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee released Wednesday explained why three Fed board members had dissented from the majority’s “close call” decision to keep rates unchanged. The highly anticipated transcript provides insights into internal and external developments, illustrating the “unusual uncertainty” that policymakers must contend with.　The transcript is an important reminder of how difficult it has become to maintain a high level of conviction

Viewpoints Oct. 16, 2016

The permanent members of the UN Security Council have chosen Antonio Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal, to succeed Ban Ki-moon as secretary-general. The appointment to the initial five-year term still needs approval by the 193-member UN General Assembly but that should be a formality.There is little question that Guterres, 67, is up to the job. Portugal, a country of nearly 11 million, has a complex economy and foreign policy that spreads across the world, as a result of Portugal hav

Viewpoints Oct. 16, 2016

There were differences and reservations but when push came to shove, the deal was done.　A historic UN consensus to cap carbon emissions for the aviation sector has received solid backing from major countries, including those in Southeast Asia.　Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia are among 64 countries that have agreed to participate on a voluntary basis in a global market-based measure to control carbon dioxide pollution from international flights.　Together, these countries account for a

Viewpoints Oct. 13, 2016

I continue to hear from many people who call themselves progressives or liberals but tell me they won’t vote for Hillary Clinton in the upcoming election. With due respect, I believe they’re wrong.The following are their three major arguments and my responses.Some claim that Clinton is no better than Donald Trump. “He’s bad, but she’s just as bad,” they say.I’m sorry, but anyone who equates Trump with Clinton hasn’t been paying attention.Donald Trump is a dangerous, bigoted, misogynistic, narcis

Viewpoints Oct. 13, 2016