During this ugly presidential campaign, Republican Donald Trump has shown enough about his character and temperament to prove himself unfit for the Oval Office. But on the issues facing this country, Trump has given voters little to go on, offering mainly bare policy outlines and vague generalities. Perhaps that’s because his ideas are poorly thought out -- or they don’t work as advertised.　Take Sunday’s presidential debate, for example. When asked how he would make the wealthy pay their fair sh

Viewpoints Oct. 13, 2016

Some of Korea’s global conglomerates are in trouble. It is feared that this trouble will not only cut into their earnings and brand image, but also the reputation of Korea Inc. that they helped to build.The problem is that the biggest ones -- Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor -- are facing difficulties similar to those that battered Japan’s automaker Toyota in 2009/2010 and Germany’s Volkswagen.The two foreign cases reminded everyone in the market that any big firm can lose what took decades

Editorial Oct. 13, 2016

The international order is undergoing structural change, not just from the rise of emerging economies, but from the way technologies, social and mobile, are revolutionizing the way information flows within and between societies.　We live at a turning point in history, full of promise but also of danger. We are seeing a resurgence of hard nationalism, a backlash against the globalization and the liberal global order.　Voters everywhere are confounding all previous expectations in voting against exi

Viewpoints Oct. 13, 2016

This is the time of year when you wake up and discover the alma mater you cherish and support isn’t even in the fourth tier of some expert’s widely publicized idea of the best colleges in the nation.　Just when you — having steadily contributed to the institution’s welfare since your own graduation, even when you couldn’t afford it — were planning to send your kid there for a gazillion dollars a year, some bozo or group of bozos comes along and tells you East Blah U. ranks No. 450 out of 500 in t

Viewpoints Oct. 12, 2016

“One town’s very like another / When your head’s down over your pieces, brother,” according to the lyrics in the musical “Chess.” That is probably not the case when your head has an unfamiliar, unwanted piece of cloth draped over it because of the town -- and the country -- you are in and because you are a woman.So you have to wonder what (and whether) world chess officials were thinking when they decided to hold next year’s women’s world championship in Tehran, where the Islamic Republic comman

Viewpoints Oct. 12, 2016

Unfavorable factors are simultaneously casting an ominous shadow over the Korean economy.　Aside from many of the OPEC members, some non-OPEC countries are reportedly poised to move to curtail crude oil output. International crude prices have surpassed the highest level in a year to hover at around $50 to $53 a barrel.　Future prices are up to producers -- Russia, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Nigeria -- which have taken an ambiguous or wait-and-see stance toward the uniform reductions. The coming choice

Editorial Oct. 12, 2016

While major government players are distracted by the three-ring circus otherwise known as national politics, the Zika virus has steadily and explosively spread throughout Southeast Asia, triggering travel alerts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Already, there are 12 reported Zika cases in the Philippines, including one involving a pregnant woman in Iloilo. Those infected had no history of travel to any affected country prior to the illness, which meant they must have acquir

Viewpoints Oct. 12, 2016

Last week’s incident in which Chinese fishing vessels rammed into a South Korean Coast Guard speed boat and caused it to sink should prompt authorities to regard Chinese fishermen engaged in illegal fishing as a serious threat to our maritime sovereignty and national security.  It is no news that some Chinese fishermen violating our territorial waters resort to violence in resisting crackdowns by the Korean Coast Guard. It is common for them to wield weapons such as knives, axes and steel pipes.

Editorial Oct. 11, 2016

In Washington on Sunday night, the popcorn was popped, the pitchers of election-themed cocktails given a final stir. And then a hush fell over the city as the streets emptied and the professional political class gathered huddled around screens to find out whether Donald Trump would somehow rescue his improbable campaign, or whether he would pound the final nails into its coffin after a brutal weekend of scandalous recordings and cascading Republican disendorsements.　The consensus going in was th

Viewpoints Oct. 11, 2016

There is only one thing I say to people when asked about the incident involving Baltimore Oriole’s outfielder Kim Hyun-soo and a Toronto Blue Jays fan during Tuesday’s wild card game.  “Every city has its fair share of idiots, and Toronto is no exception.”  The wild card game was a great game to watch. It had everything a game requires to make it great: big hits, big catches, double plays and a walk off home run. It was exciting and emotional for both players and fans. It was the type of game th

Viewpoints Oct. 11, 2016