In the uproar following the attempted military coup in Turkey, relations between Washington and Ankara, already badly strained, appear to be headed for new difficulty.The immediate test will be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s demand that the United States extradite Fethullah Gulen, an exiled Turkish Muslim leader blamed by Erdogan for the coup attempt. Obama administration officials say they will consider any such request, under an existing extradition treaty with Turkey. But the issue

Viewpoints July 20, 2016

Since 2013, the Ministry of Education has sought to weed out poorly managed universities as demand for higher education is forecast to drop due to the falling population of high school graduates.Yet the ministry has made little progress thus far. Last month, Hanlyo University in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, announced it would close in the second half of the year, becoming the first university to do so under the incumbent government. Under the preceding administration, six universities had b

Editorial July 19, 2016

Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong and Prosecutor General Kim Soo-nam apologized Monday over the arrest of Jin Kyung-joon, a senior prosecutor, for taking bribes from a leading online games firm.　On Sunday, Jin became the first high-ranking prosecutor in the 68-year history of the nation’s prosecution system to be arrested while in office. He is accused of making some 12 billion won ($10.5 million) through shady stock transactions involving Nexon Co. 　Jin is also alleged to have pressured Hanjin Gr

Editorial July 19, 2016

Still reeling from Brexit’s cold slap, Europe sought salve in the form of NATO’s summit in Warsaw this month. The continent needed to show its resolve to unify in the face of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. As it happens, there’s an adversary to the east that amply serves as an entity to unify against.NATO decided to answer Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggressiveness in Ukraine with the deployment of 4,000 troops in Poland and the Baltic states along Russia’s western border

Viewpoints July 19, 2016

Koreans tend to be conscious of what others think of them, rather than what they think of themselves. Strangely, however they do not seem to care about what foreigners think of Korea. Embarrassingly, many foreigners I met lately call South Korea a weird country.  Due to the nature of my job, I frequently meet with foreigners who either reside in Korea or are here on a visit. To my Korean friends who tell me that I spend too much time with foreigners, I humorously answer that it is an occupationa

Viewpoints July 19, 2016

Barack Obama was just beginning to enjoy himself. He’d been itching to throw himself into the 2016 presidential race and do what he could to ensure that Donald Trump wouldn’t succeed him as President of the United States. It was evident throughout the campaign that he backed his former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, but he had to wait to declare his support openly until it was certain that Sen. Bernie Sanders couldn’t beat her at the convention. His entry into the campaign came at a time w

Viewpoints July 19, 2016

As the chaos in Turkey is starting to clear, investors are asking what the failed coup might mean for the country’s economic future. The news stories show many conflicting elements in play, and right now it is hard to make specific verifiable claims about what the country can expect. We can, however, turn to the broader historical record, and that suggests failed coup attempts against democratic governments don’t much lower subsequent rates of economic growth in those countries.Assistant Profess

Viewpoints July 19, 2016

The latest developments surrounding the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system here are exposing problems this country faces whenever it confronts an issue like this: incompetent government, populist politicians and selfish residents.The primary blame for the U.S. antimissile system becoming another contentious issue should go to the Park administration. The way President Park Geun-hye, her ministers and aides are handling the issue shows how incompetent the government is.F

Editorial July 18, 2016

Rep. Kim Cheol-min and 14 other members of The Minjoo Party of Korea have drafted a bill to restrict the power of the president to grant special amnesties. The bill should prompt the National Assembly to address the issue, which comes up whenever there is a presidential pardon.The bill aims, among other things, to exclude convicts from amnesty unless they have served a certain period of their prison terms. For instance, those facong the death penalty should have served at least 15 years; those w

Editorial July 18, 2016

The much awaited referendum is finally over, and Britain has decided to leave the European Union. In the months leading up to the referendum, the risks associated with a Brexit were repeatedly warned, while many foreign leaders, big businesses, and experts impassionedly urged Britain to stay in. As if those were not enough, a life was tragically taken away. Since the historic decision was reached, emergency meetings have convened around the world to discuss appropriate responses to Britain’s dec

Viewpoints July 18, 2016

Donald Trump has selected the perfect non-Trump as his running mate. Mike Pence, the phlegmatic Republican governor of Indiana, has strong credentials with the social right and mediocre political instincts.Pence passes an important test: He might help govern and could take over in an emergency situation.He won’t help much politically; he was in a struggle for reelection in his home state. But no vice presidential candidate really has made a political difference since Lyndon Johnson more than hal

Viewpoints July 18, 2016

When it comes to Palestine, one of the most likely images that comes to mind is a complex of violent territorial, political and religious disputes. The vicious cycle of those disputes has put Palestine into social and economic hardships. It, in turn, has made this country a significant recipient of international aid and donations to help it carry on. Konkuk University is part of this global community implementing international development cooperation projects in Palestine.As a higher educational

Viewpoints July 18, 2016