I don‘t care what kids say -- the school lunch lady is not trying to kill them. The federal government is. Well, I have my suspicions, at least. Many of the meals served as part of the National School Lunch Program are high in fat and cholesterol and contain considerably more sodium than fiber. They’re a heart attack in the making. I wonder if that‘s why the American Heart Association has warned us that atherosclerosis -- hardening of the arteries -- begins in childhood and progresses into adult

Viewpoints Sept. 6, 2016

President Vladimir Putin is watching the US election campaign with a mixture of irony, disgust and imperfect understanding. Just as American presidents and senators are not well-versed in Russian politics, Putin, too, is no expert on foreign arenas. He regards the current US political show just as any ordinary guy would -- even though the election outcome is extremely important to him.　In an interview with Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait, Putin’s mocking misunderstanding of the US el

Viewpoints Sept. 6, 2016

Shin Dong-joo, the former vice chairman of Lotte Group, is being investigated by the prosecution for having allegedly embezzled corporate funds.Shin, the eldest son of Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho, had been the group’s vice chairman in charge of its affiliates in Japan before he was dismissed from his executive positions by Shin Dong-bin, the Lotte chairman and his younger brother, in early 2015.The ousted “prince” of the Lotte founder’s family is suspected of having received 40 billion won

Editorial Sept. 5, 2016

Suh Kyung-bae, chairman of AmorePacific Group, has committed to donate 300 billion won ($268 million) of his personal wealth to a foundation he has established to promote basic research in life sciences.　The Suh Kyung-bae Science Foundation, which was established in July, plans to select three to five Korean scientists each year and provide each of them with a maximum of 2.5 billion won over a period of up to five years.　In a news conference held on Thursday, Suh said the foundation would encour

Editorial Sept. 5, 2016

There are times when I want President Barack Obama to invent a global crisis for John Kerry to solve, just to keep his secretary of state from making the real ones worse. Consider what happened at New Delhi this week, where Kerry offered a remarkable comment about the current tensions in the South China Sea. He said there was no “military solution.”Kerry was asked about China’s public indifference to a decision in July from an international tribunal at The Hague that flatly rejected China’s clai

Viewpoints Sept. 5, 2016

I recently got a call from a political analyst in Washington. “Trump is dropping like a stone,” he said, convincingly. “After Election Day, he‘s history.”I think Trump will lose the election, but I doubt he’ll be “history.”Defeated presidential candidates typically disappear from public view. Think Mitt Romney or Michael Dukakis.But Donald Trump won‘t disappear. Trump needs attention the way normal people need food.For starters, he’ll dispute the election results. He‘s already warned followers “

Viewpoints Sept. 5, 2016

Labor Day is a time for working people to reflect on the progress we have made and the challenges that remain. This year, like many in the past, has had its share of ups and downs. But our momentum is unmistakable. Collective action and collective bargaining are on the rise. Working people have seized the national agenda. And we are working hard to ensure that our elected leaders will rewrite the economic rules that for too long have benefitted the wealthiest few.This recent momentum started wit

Viewpoints Sept. 5, 2016

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that South Korea is one of Russia’s outstanding partners in the Asia-Pacific region. He acknowledged the direction of comprehensive economic cooperation between the two countries right after his summit with President Park Geun-hye on Saturday.The statement on future economic partnership comes after Seoul and Moscow reiterated their concerted efforts against North Korea’s nuclear development program.Though the two leaders have not clarified whether the tw

Editorial Sept. 4, 2016

Earlier this year, global investment banks predicted that the US Federal Reserve would raise its base rate two to three times out of the eight scheduled meetings of the Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee in 2016.Their projections were based on the hawkish monetary stance of the Fed with the possibility of hikes significantly affecting the global capital market -- particularly emerging economies involving South Korea.But the US central bank has yet to conduct a hike after it raised the rate in D

Editorial Sept. 4, 2016

Since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took office in late June and declared a “war on drugs,” more than 1,900 people have been killed -- 756 by police officers and another 1,160 by “vigilantes,” according to police reports as of Aug. 24. Duterte is celebrating the killings and has vowed to continue his anti-drug program so long as he remains president.The Philippine law enforcement agencies prosecuting the drug war have thrown out the rulebook and ignored fundamental requirements such as co

Viewpoints Sept. 4, 2016

No one yet knows when the United Kingdom will present an agenda for negotiating its withdrawal from the European Union. But it is already clear that Brexit will reshape the map of Europe. And, especially given Britain’s stunning unpreparedness for the consequences of its own decision -- its strategy, priorities and even its time table remain uncertain -- that means the EU must start figuring out how to make the best of it. Here’s how.Let’s start with the only certainties: The Brexit negotiations

Viewpoints Sept. 4, 2016