These days, young Koreans tend to blame their parents for their disadvantages. When they feel envious of their well-off peers, they blame their parents, muttering “Because of my incompetent parents, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. And that made all the difference.” Instead of doing their best to climb the ladder of social ascension, they easily give up from the beginning under the excuse of not being born rich and privileged. As a result, it is very difficult to find an adventuro

Viewpoints May 8, 2018

Sincere praise and congratulations are due to The Korea Herald, which is currently celebrating its print-run of 20,000 copies. The internationally-famed English language newspaper is an undisputed window onto the world for Korean readers, and a no less valuable source of news about Korea for foreign readers. With its fast, accurate news and insightful articles on Korean and international affairs, the Herald maintains its reputation as a major opinion leader in the international community. One of

Viewpoints May 7, 2018

Parents’ Day is just around the corner in Korea. While browsing the internet recently, I came across some interesting articles on parenting. One of them said that young parents never seek advice from the parents who raised them. Perhaps young parents want to learn the most recent, a la mode child-rearing strategies, rather than the old-fashioned methods of their parents. Nevertheless, I was amused because it looked like children did not trust their own parents when it came to parenting. Another

Viewpoints May 1, 2018

Cultural differences are always intriguing and fascinating. Of course, as humans we all tend to feel similar emotions in similar situations. Nevertheless, we often perceive things differently due to cultural differences. That is why cultural understanding is crucial in this rapidly globalizing world. Sometime, even professors learn from their students due to cultural differences. When I taught at Brigham Young University two decades ago, I assigned the Korean short story “Kapitan Lee” to my Amer

Viewpoints April 24, 2018

Thanks to its miraculous economic success, South Korea has now become one of the most affluent countries in the world. With an economy ranked 12th largest in the world, South Korea is admired as a role model by many developing countries and praised for its advanced technology and Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, that have enhanced its prestige in the international community. Indeed, it would not be too far-fetched to say that today’s South Korea is an advanced country in terms of economy, technology,

Viewpoints April 17, 2018

These days, apologies seem to have become a controversial issue in Korea. When a scandal breaks out, we immediately demand that the person involved apologize. Some people apologize instantly, but others refuse. Either way, we do not forgive. When someone apologizes, we seldom accept the apology. We complain that the apology is not sincere enough. If the person refuses to apologize, we condemn him or her as an insolent, brazen creature. In fact, apologizing for something in Korean society is alwa

Viewpoints April 10, 2018

Recently, while strolling through the National Mall in Washington, I stumbled into the Korean War Veterans Memorial. There I found statues of American soldiers who died during the Korea War. They were all wearing heavy winter military capes, indicating that they had to fight in the severely cold winter of the Korean Peninsula. On the plaque next to the statues was carved the number of those killed and wounded during the Korean War: 54,246 American soldiers and 628,833 UN soldiers were killed in

Viewpoints April 3, 2018

These days, South Koreans are full of expectations for the upcoming summit between the US and North Korea. However, experts point out a number of challenges that need to be dealt with to make the event successful. Moreover, many people are worried about what would happen if negotiations at the summit become derailed for some reason. Recently, I came across an intriguing article in the Washington Post titled “The 3 big obstacles to success if Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un meet.” It was written by

Viewpoints March 20, 2018

The famous Latin maxim “Si vis pacem, para bellum” means “If you want peace, prepare for war.” It implies several meanings. One meaning is “If you want peace, you should be strong enough to stand up against and defeat your enemy.” Otherwise, your wish for peace is likely to be nothing but a hollow dream. Indeed, aggressive, stronger nations would not listen to a weak nation when it pleads for peace. If you are not strong, you will soon find that hoping for peace is only wishful thinking. Another

Viewpoints March 13, 2018

These days, my American friends often compare the situation in South Korea to the “Sword of Damocles.” A friend recently wrote me, saying, “In my eyes, South Korea is, like Damocles, sitting under swords that can fall on her head at any time without warning.” Damocles was a courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, Sicily, in the fourth century. He was envious of King Dionysius’ power and glory. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day so that Damocles could have a taste of

Viewpoints March 6, 2018

Recently in his blog titled “South Korea: The Unappreciated Ally,” my colleague Gregg A. Brazinsky posted three important issues regarding the Korean Peninsula. One of them was Washington’s misconception of South Korea. While mentioning South Korea’s emergence as a global economic leader, he wrote, “Unfortunately, it is not always treated as one by the United States. Washington has never completely abandoned the patron state mentality that was born decades ago when the country was completely dep

Viewpoints Feb. 27, 2018

Korean-American writer Min Jin Lee’s mesmerizing novel “Pachinko” takes us back to the times of Japanese rule of Korea, when hundreds of thousands of Koreans moved to Osaka in search of a better life. Since all Koreans had Japanese names at the time, they naively thought they could easily assimilate into Japanese society. But they were wrong. They were kept under constant surveillance by Japanese police and were the last hired and first fired in the job market. When liberation came to Korea in 1

Viewpoints Feb. 20, 2018

English is no longer simply a language of English-speaking countries. It has become a global language for international communication. Besides, English is the language people use for their emails, Facebook, and Twitter every day. All information and knowledge is available in English these daysActually, this phenomenon had already begun in the 1970s, when I studied in the States. At the time, prominent French scholars frequently came to the States as visiting professors: Jacques Derrida at UC Irv

Viewpoints Feb. 13, 2018

I was a big fan of O. Henry when I was young. His stories were fun and enlightening to read because they were full of wit and paradoxes, penetrating insights into life, and profound criticisms of his times. I was fascinated by his witty stories such as “The Cop and the Anthem,” “The Ransom of Red Chief,” and “Mammon and the Archer.” At the same time, I was deeply moved by such touching stories as “The Last Leaf,” “The Green Door,” and “A Retrieved Reformation,” a story of an ex-convict safecrack

Viewpoints Feb. 6, 2018

Philosophers have explored the meaning of life for a long time. What then is life? Is it working hard or making money? Fighting over political ideologies? Not quite so. Life is something you should enjoy. That is why people find delight in sports, movies, or the arts. Indeed, life should be delightful, not stressful. But that will be a luxury for people who have to deal with the impending issue of how to make a living. Therefore, for some people, life is frivolously light whereas for others, it

Viewpoints Jan. 30, 2018