Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei inaugurated the summit of Nonaligned Movement leaders in Tehran with a blistering attack on the “dictatorship” of Western countries at the United Nations Security Council. The Iranians then had to listen stony-faced to Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi, the first Egyptian head of state to visit Iran since 1979, as he stressed the need for a united opposition to their ally, the murderous Syrian regime. Over several decades NAM summits, includi

Viewpoints Sept. 4, 2012

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has disclosed the list of 43 underperforming colleges ― 23 four-year schools and 20 junior colleges ― that will be deprived of financial support from the government next academic year. The selected schools ranked in the bottom 15 percent in the ministry’s annual assessment of the nation’s 337 tertiary educational institutions ― 198 four-year colleges and 139 junior colleges.Of the 43 on the list, 13 face another disadvantage: Some of their studen

Editorial Sept. 3, 2012

A gruesome sex crime has been committed against a child girl in Naju County, South Jeolla Province. The 7-year-old girl was kidnapped in the middle of the night while sleeping at her own home with her family. She was brutally raped and strangled to the point of unconsciousness, but luckily survived.Police has arrested a suspect, a 23-year-old man who lives in the victim’s neighborhood. A day laborer with no fixed abode, the suspect confessed he committed the crime under the influence of alcohol.

Editorial Sept. 3, 2012

In Hugh White’s latest book, “The China Choice: Why America Should Share Power,” the Australian professor argues that, for the sake of regional peace, the United States and China should carve up Asia between them. In particular, the U.S. should consider ceding Indochina to China, the former defence official added.That suggestion has caused apoplexy throughout the region, not least from Vietnam, given its chequered history with China.But if one takes the hard-headed realist’s perspective, one can

Viewpoints Sept. 3, 2012

Whenever highly publicized sex crimes occur in Korea the debate on chemical castration reemerges and politicians cash in on the popularity of appearing tough.Reported recently was that the ruling Saenuri Party are “considering” making chemical castration mandatory for sex offenders. Naturally the liberal left human rights brigade will rise to defend the rights, and not the responsibilities, of the criminals while at the same time ignoring the rights of their victims. Before sanctioning chemical

Viewpoints Sept. 3, 2012

Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia’s dictator, died last week ― in a Brussels hospital.Why didn’t he get medical care at home? Look at the state of his people’s health, and you’ll understand.The government provides vaccinations for only 5 percent of the children. Fewer still receive antibiotics when they contract pneumonia. Only 20 percent of teenage girls are educated about AIDS. Is it any wonder that Ethiopia’s average life expectancy is 56 ― among the world’s lowest?Eleven years ago, 53 African nations s

Viewpoints Sept. 3, 2012

Policy makers around the world have long envied China’s ability to get big things done. A huge 4 trillion-yuan ($630 billion) stimulus plan as the global economy cratered in 2008? No problem. Marshaling banks to lend trillions more? Check. Enacting sweeping regulatory changes at a moment’s notice? You bet. Ahhh, the good old days. Now, a once-in-a-decade leadership shift is getting in the way of the stimulus-happy policies to which investors became accustomed. The nimbleness that helped China st

Viewpoints Sept. 2, 2012

While Psy’s “Gangnam Style” is becoming increasingly popular abroad, one of Korea’s major conglomerates Samsung lost the first round of patent lawsuit against Apple in the United States. Other than the two being Korean, what do Psy’s “Gangnam Style” and Samsung’s smartphones have in common? In my view, the two cases are sending a very important message to Korean society. Some Koreans are bewildered as to why “Gangnam Style” is receiving so much attention abroad, especially in the United States,

Viewpoints Sept. 2, 2012

As expected, Korea has flatly rejected Japan’s proposal that the two countries jointly refer their territorial row over the Dokdo islets to the International Court of Justice. Seoul has delivered a diplomatic note to Tokyo to reaffirm its stance that no territorial disputes exist regarding Dokdo because the islets in the East Sea are an integral part of Korean territory.Following Seoul’s rejection, Japan’s Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said in a statement that Tokyo would take “appropriate mea

Editorial Aug. 31, 2012

The government’s “employment first, education later” policy for students at vocational high schools is yielding results. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, about 41 percent of the students who graduated from specialized high schools in Seoul in February opted to get a job instead of going on to university. The figure represents a big improvement from 19.2 percent in 2010 and 23.4 percent in 2011. Yet it is still far lower than 62 percent in 2001.The office has found a simil

Editorial Aug. 31, 2012