The Ministry of Education’s recent proposal to ban the teaching of English in kindergartens and nursery schools brought English education back in the news after a long quiet. Bowing to public pressure, the Ministry withdrew the proposal earlier this week. The ministry pushed the proposal in the hope of reducing the financial burden of private education on families and to increase educational equality.Opponents of the plan argued that early English education helps children become familiar with En

Viewpoints Jan. 17, 2018

South Korea did well in 2017. The year began with insecurity over the impeachment of then-president Park Geun-hye. Her removal from office in March caused a short, but intense, election campaign that resulted in an overwhelming victory for Moon Jae-in in May. The spring saw rapidly rising tensions between the US and North Korea over the North’s nuclear weapons program. In the past, a political vacuum and war worries would have had a strong impact on the South Korean economy, but economic growth

Viewpoints Jan. 2, 2018

During President Moon Jae-in’s recent visit to China, the Korean media focused intensely on the details of protocol and were quick to suggest that the president had not been accorded sufficient respect. This sensitivity reflects a natural sensitivity to powerful nations. A look at history shows that China exerted the most influence on Korea from early history until the late 19th century, when Japan became dominant. Japanese dominance turned into harsh colonial rule that ended with the Japanese s

Viewpoints Dec. 19, 2017

The year 2018 will mark the beginning of a new era in higher education in Korea, as the number of high school graduates falls below the number of available spaces in university for the first time in history. Not all high school graduates go on to university, of course, so universities have recently been scrambling to fill empty places. Many have done so by recruiting international students, mostly from China, but that will become increasingly difficult as the pool of domestic high school graduat

Viewpoints Dec. 5, 2017

Most Koreans over the age of 40 remember November 1997 very well. Concern over rising corporate debt in the summer and over the spreading financial crisis in Southeast Asia caused sharp stock market declines and a steadily weakening won. The Bank of Korea tried to prop up the value of the won, but abandoned the effort as foreign reserves were being depleted. The government requested aid from the International Monetary Fund, but the crisis continued to worsen South Korea’s credit rating. In early

Viewpoints Nov. 21, 2017

In November 1983, US President Ronald Reagan visited South Korea amid rising global tension. In September that year, the Soviet Union shot Korean Air Lines’ flight 007 out of the air, killing the 269 people aboard. One month later, many senior members of the South Korean government were killed by a North Korean bomb attack in Rangoon, Burma. The 1980s economic boom in South Korea was gathering steam, but anger at Chun Doo-hwan’s dictatorship was building.During his visit, Reagan addressed the Na

Viewpoints Nov. 7, 2017

Eastern Germany in October is a time to celebrate and remember the 1989 democracy movement that brought an end to the repressive East German regime. Leipzig, where the pro-democracy demonstrations began, hosts the annual “Lichtfest” (Light Festival) to commemorate the candlelight vigils to protest police violence against pro-democracy demonstrators. Oct. 3, German Unity Day, is a national holiday to commemorate reunification in 1990.　Apart from the busy October commemorations, cities in Eastern

Viewpoints Oct. 14, 2017

The internet and social media make it hard to escape the news. News junkies are addicted to breaking stories and jump at the chance to post and tweet. Others scroll through the drone of the news in search of more interesting things. The only way to escape, it seems, is to turn off and hide.Fall is a busy season in Korea. The opening of the school term is followed by Chuseok, which soon leads to fall and the end of the year. This year will soon give way to 2018. Most of the children born in Korea

Viewpoints Sept. 12, 2017

Under President Donald Trump, politics in the US takes odd turns almost daily. In his need to control the political narrative, the president makes contradictory tweets and statements that keep politicians off balance. One day, he appears disciplined and “presidential”; the next day he appears petty and impulsive. Nobody knows what is doing or what he will do, which is creating a spreading sense of unease about his presidency.The recent barrage of tweets attacking Republican leaders in Congress,

Viewpoints Aug. 29, 2017

Remember “Hell Joseon,” the name for South Korea among social critics that spread rapidly on social media a few years ago? The election of President Moon Jae-in in May after the impeachment of Park Geun-hye stirred new hope in Korea, helping to push Hell Joseon to the sidelines. President Moon has initiated reforms and has offered reassuring leadership amid sharply rising tensions between the US and North Korea. The public has approved, and his approval rating has not dropped below 70 percent si

Viewpoints Aug. 15, 2017

Shortly before leaving Korea in late June, I met some people who wanted to hear my ideas about globalizing kimchi. I enjoyed the talk, but, as always, argued that cultural transmission is more complex than policymakers assume.I thought about the meeting and, more importantly, Korean food on the long plane ride home. Korean food and I go back a long time. I first ate bibimbap at a counter-top restaurant called Steve’s Lunch in Ann Arbor in the early 1980s. A Korean friend showed me how to stir it

Viewpoints July 18, 2017

Language is always changing, but the changes often escape us because they occur slowly. During a recent visit to Gochang and Gwangju, I noticed many changes that are harder to detect in busy Seoul. The changes are closely related to the multiculturalization of Korean society over the past 20 years.On the way to Gochang, I changed from the KTX to a local train in Iksan. On the train, I heard two women speaking a Central Asian language. One of the women received several phone calls and spoke fluen

Viewpoints June 20, 2017