After pressure from a group of embassies in Seoul, the South Korean government agreed to allow foreign residents to register overseas vaccinations for use in the COOV app vaccine pass and to apply for booster shots. Korean nationals vaccinated overseas and foreign residents with quarantine exemptions have been allowed to register their overseas vaccinations, but most foreign residents could not register their vaccination status. Fear over the omicron variant prompted the government to expand the

Viewpoints Dec. 17, 2021

Thanksgiving Day in the US this year was supposed to mark another step in a return to normal as more people traveled than at any time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The next morning, the world awoke to alarming news of a new and potentially dangerous variant of the virus identified by scientists in South Africa. As expected, stock markets tumbled, and governments imposed travel bans on southern African nations. Over the weekend, the WHO officially declared it a “variant of concern&rdqu

Viewpoints Dec. 3, 2021

The recent 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, Scotland ended to mixed reviews. The purpose of the conference was to develop detailed plans to implement the goal of limiting global warming to within 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels by 2050. This goal agreed to in the Paris Agreement in 2015. The scientific community is in broad agreement that warming beyond this level will have grave implications for people and ecosystems. Scientists and climate activists

Viewpoints Nov. 19, 2021

Soon half the world’s population will have been vaccinated for COVID-19. As of this writing, 49 percent, or 3.76 billion people, have received at least one dose. This is impressive considering that the first doses were given only ten months ago. Though much work remains, particularly in addressing vaccine inequality, the trajectory is favorable. By the end of 2022, the world could be over 90 percent vaccinated, which should bring the pandemic to an end. After a slow start, South Korea has

Viewpoints Oct. 22, 2021

Articles on the housing market in the South Korean media are frequent and focus entirely on two topics: cost and scandal. Cost concerns the steady rise in prices, both for buying and renting. Scandal concerns the various tactics that the rich and powerful use to profit from real estate. The thread running through the media’s interest in cost and scandal is that owning a home is critical to building and accumulating wealth. Since taking office in May 2017, the Moon Jae-in administration ha

Viewpoints Oct. 8, 2021

Last Monday, Canada held an election to choose a new House of Commons. Next Sunday, Germany will hold an election to choose a new Bundestag. And sometime in October, Japan will hold an election to choose a new House of Representatives. Rarely have major elections in G-7 powers taken place close together. Last August, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a snap election in the hope of strengthening his hand, but results yielded almost no change. Trudeau’s Liberal Party emerged wit

Viewpoints Sept. 24, 2021

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The attacks brought the two 110-story towers down, killing 2,606 people. Another 125 died at the Pentagon, and 265 died on the four airplanes hijacked for the attacks. In response to 9/11, then-President George W. Bush began a “war on terror” to weaken terrorists around the world and prevent future attacks. In October 2001, a US-led coalition invaded Afghanistan to overthr

Viewpoints Sept. 10, 2021

To Koreans, Aug. 15 marks the end of Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. It is celebrated as a national holiday in South and North Korea alike. As South Koreans were enjoying a three-day weekend in the middle of summer, news spread quickly that Taliban soldiers had captured Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and had overthrown the government. The sudden collapse caught the US government off guard and caused sharp criticism, both in the US and around the world, of President Joe Biden&rsquo

Viewpoints Aug. 27, 2021

In response to the surging delta variant of COVID-19 around the world, more countries are requiring proof of vaccination for employment and access to public places. A range of institutions in the US is now requiring employees to get vaccinated. France and Italy require proof of vaccination to enter businesses and public places. These measures have produced vocal resistance, but a strong social consensus has emerged to support them. Amid the flurry of news about vaccination requirements, I thoug

Viewpoints Aug. 13, 2021

July began with tentative hopes that the world was finally turning the corner on the COVID-19 pandemic. After peaking in late April, new cases around the world fell steadily until the end of June. They ticked up a bit in early July and began to rise quickly as the delta variant spread rapidly around the world. The speed of delta’s spread has caught public health authorities around the world off guard and changed calculations about how to bring the pandemic under control. In South Korea,

Viewpoints July 30, 2021

The 2020 Summer Games open in Tokyo a week from today on July 23, a year later than scheduled. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a year delay in holding the games, though many in Japan and elsewhere have argued that they should be canceled. A recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Japan prompted the government to bring back emergency measures that will prevent spectators from attending events. Athletes will compete in quiet, empty venues. For Tokyo, this marks the second time the city has hosted the Summe

Viewpoints July 16, 2021

July marks the beginning of the second half of the year. In the first half, the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the news in South Korea as it has elsewhere. As vaccine rollout continues around the world, with predictable difficulties, hope for an end to the pandemic is tempered by fears of new variants. After a slow start, the pace of vaccination in South Korea has picked up, raising hopes for the second half of the year. Aside from the pandemic, the big story in the second half of the year wi

Viewpoints July 2, 2021

For decades, education has sat at the center of political discourse in South Korea. As the country developed, the center of discourse moved from educating the masses for the needs of a growing industrial economy to preparing for university admission and the high social status that it bestowed. Since the 2010s, however, interest in education has cooled somewhat as other issues have come to the fore. Why is this? And what does it mean? During Park Chung-hee’s long dictatorship from 1961 to

Viewpoints June 18, 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic fades, countries around the world are returning to in-person life. Families are gathering, schools are opening, and city streets are coming back to life. The pandemic is not over, and much suffering remains, but the trajectory is moving toward an end. As the world returns to normal, speculation abounds about the lasting influence of the pandemic on society and institutions. Which changes will remain and which will disappear? In the early days of the pandemic, the 1918-1

Viewpoints June 4, 2021

Over the last 10 days, COVID-19 cases have exploded in Taiwan, which has stood out as the world leader in controlling the disease. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pacific, cases in the United States, which ranks number one in total cases and deaths, have seen a sharp drop in cases. Social distancing restrictions and mask mandates are being eased as Taiwan locks down. The sudden change in the two countries is because of one thing: Vaccination rates. After a slow start in the US, 47.6 perce

Viewpoints May 21, 2021