If films are vehicles for China’s soft power, can they be produced on a conveyor belt like the real thing, with the help of some expertise from Hollywood?This appears to be the hope after Walt Disney and Marvel Studios announced they have partnered with Beijing-based DMG Entertainment to produce Iron Man III, set to appear in a theater near you in May 2013.The reported $1 billion investment in the future of film “will bring Chinese elements to the international film market, and Chinese culture w

Viewpoints April 26, 2012

To a newcomer, Afghanistan initially appears as a land of unforgiving mountains, harsh deserts and a fierce tribal society, but after serving there one also sees its staggering beauty, and the kindness of a long suffering people. In Parwan Province, the snowy Hindu Kush Mountains look down upon Charikar, an historic city where the markets are filled with grapes, almonds, apples and other produce from the surrounding Shomali Plain. This area is home to the Korea Provincial Reconstruction Team and

Viewpoints April 26, 2012

The Bank of Korea has released a report highlighting the negative impact of the sustained growth of household and government debt on the economy. One of the report’s main points is that the Korean economy is already caught in a debt trap.The bank does not see the household debt bomb detonating any time soon to trigger a fresh financial crisis. Yet it urges concerted government efforts to defuse it because it has begun to undermine the fundamentals of the languishing national economy, The nation’

Editorial April 25, 2012

On Tuesday, lawmakers of the rival political parties were supposed to hold the last plenary session of the 18th National Assembly before its term expires on May 28. Yet the session was canceled due to their differences on a bill aimed at preventing physical clashes between legislators.The cancellation of the session has put the fate of many important bills in limbo, including those related to people’s livelihoods. They included a bill on making over-the-counter drugs available at non-pharmacy ou

Editorial April 25, 2012

American support for the Afghan war has collapsed. Several new surveys show that even most Republicans, from the party that is home to the nation’s hawks, now oppose the 10-year-old conflict. And it’s no wonder. The United States military has been deceiving the nation for years.Listen to Army Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, who spent the last year working in Afghanistan.“I covered more than 9,000 miles and talked, traveled and patrolled with troops” across the nation, he wrote in the Armed Forces Journal

Viewpoints April 25, 2012

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts ― Voices of both those convinced that China will eclipse the U.S. as a global economic and military power and those who are confident of continued U.S. leadership are getting louder. Much of this debate focuses on the size of the Chinese economy relative to the U.S. economy or issues of military might.But what matters for global leadership is innovation, which is not only the key driver of per capita income growth but also ultimately the main determinant of military and

Viewpoints April 25, 2012

Koreans are among the most patriotic people in the world. Their love for their country is unequalled. Outside being hard working, everything that they have achieved so far was spurred by an undying love for their country and the sheer zeal to place their country on the world map. Such attitudes deserve paean and fete.Recently, during the just-concluded nuclear summit in Seoul, Koreans showed their devotion and love for their national cause when they cancelled a proposed demonstration that was su

Viewpoints April 25, 2012

After reading The Korea Herald editorial, “Starting presidential race,” appearing on April 23, I became even more concerned about Korea’s future. What has happened to Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Moon-soo?It isn’t like Gov. Kim is new to politics. He has had a long political career, so he knows how the political process works. He understands how his actions are going to impact the upcoming presidential elections, so why is he advocating an open primary system in Korea? Could he be a Democratic Uni

Viewpoints April 25, 2012

Global tension is reaching fever pitch.Yesterday India displayed its defence prowess by successfully test firing a new long-range missile. It demonstrated that the country has joined the league of nuclear powerhouses.“This launch has given a message to the entire world that India has the capability to design, develop, build and manufacture missiles of this class, and we are today a missile power,” said VK Saraswat, head of India’s Defence Research and Development Organization, which developed an

Viewpoints April 24, 2012

We are approaching a dangerous precipice in South and North Korea relations. The North says that it is preparing for “special actions” to take place. There should always be a degree of skepticism, but in lieu of their failed rocket launch and Kim Jong-un’s rise to power, most likely there will be yet another provocative and aggressive action. Yet, another aggressive action is not so insignificant this time. Many South Koreans who live in Seoul, not far from certain destruction if a war were to s

Viewpoints April 24, 2012

North Korea is threatening “retaliatory measures” for a decision by the United States to withhold 240,000 metric tons of food promised as part of an agreement announced less than two months ago. Never mind that the cancellation followed Pyongyang’s failed launching of a missile designed to put a satellite into space, an operation the U.S. considered a violation of that same agreement, not to mention U.N. Security Council resolutions. The regime’s chutzpah and hypocrisy know no bounds.At the same

Viewpoints April 24, 2012

NEW DELHI ― India and Pakistan are enjoying one of the better periods in their turbulent relationship. Recent months have witnessed no terrorist incidents, no escalating rhetoric, and no diplomatic flashpoints. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari just made a successful, if brief, personal visit to India (mainly to visit a famous shrine, but with a lunch with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh thrown in). Sixteen years after India granted Pakistan most-favored-nation (MFN) trading status, Pakistan is

Viewpoints April 24, 2012