The government has resubmitted to the Diet a bill calling for the adoption of identification numbers for individuals to be used for the administration of social security programs and tax payments. The ruling and some opposition parties recognize the need to introduce the numbering system. Deliberations on the bill should begin as soon as possible so it can be approved by the current Diet session. Under the system, cards carrying numbers, individuals’ photos and IC chips would be issued to all ci

Viewpoints March 7, 2013

Here come those dastardly dams!In Asia, Africa and the Middle East, nations are aggressively building new hydroelectric dams, seemingly heedless of the potentially disastrous effects on the countries downstream.As examples, Laos broke ground on a new Mekong River dam that’s causing concern bordering on fury in Cambodia and Vietnam. India is enraged about a new Chinese dam going up on the Brahmaputra River. And Ethiopia’s new dam on the Nile is angering Sudan, while Egypt has threatened war.What’

Viewpoints March 6, 2013

Robots are evoking some deep economic anxiety these days. They’re routinely mastering human tasks ― driving cars, trading securities, diagnosing diseases - - that not long ago appeared permanently beyond their capabilities. And as automated technology advances at an exponential rate, more and more jobs, in more and more fields, will be done by intelligent machines in the very near future. This transition will involve some scary trade-offs. Growth and productivity will probably accelerate, and lo

Viewpoints March 6, 2013

For the first time in history, the strategic objectives of the four major powers surrounding the Korean Peninsula, namely the United States, China, Russia and Japan, have converged on one concept ― domestic reform and external opening of the North Korean polity and economy. The reform agenda includes denuclearization of the North, reducing military tensions on the peninsula and improving the human rights conditions in the North, and her opening up would entail economic growth and rising internat

Viewpoints March 6, 2013

The resignation of Kim Jeong-hoon, President Park Geun-hye’s science minister nominee, is another painful reminder that Korea badly needs to reform its politics before trying to rejuvenate its economy. The nomination of Kim for the post of future planning and science minister was seen by many as the highlight of Park’s ministerial appointments made last month. Such a view is justified by Kim’s distinguished career. Since 2005, Kim has served as the president of Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs, one of t

Editorial March 5, 2013

Former presidential hopeful Ahn Cheol-soo’s decision to run for a parliamentary seat in April signals that the software entrepreneur-turned politician has started to position himself to take another shot at the presidency ― this time using a different approach. Ahn, 51, founder of AhnLab, Korea’s largest anti-virus software company, had no political experience to speak of when he announced his independent candidacy last September.The hugely popular businessman could have become a lawmaker had he

Editorial March 5, 2013

Where is most cosmetic surgery performed? If you answered the USA, you are correct. When it comes to sheer numbers, more cosmetic surgery procedures are carried out in America than anywhere else, with over 3 million performed in 2011. However, according to new figures, when population is accounted for, Korea leads the world, followed by Greece and Italy. The figures, from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, show that Korea has the highest proportion of its population undergoi

Viewpoints March 5, 2013

It is too soon to predict how the U.S. Supreme Court will deal with the issue of same-sex marriage, but history has already been made. The Department of Justice argued last week that in the context of marriage (and everywhere else), courts should treat discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation with essentially the same hostility they apply to discrimination on the basis of race and sex. To understand the importance of that argument, detailed in a brief opposing a 2008 California law bann

Viewpoints March 5, 2013

After more than a year of bitter partisan fighting, Congress on Thursday finally reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, including new provisions that will extend the law’s protections for gay, lesbian, transgender and Native American victims of domestic violence. It’s about time.There is no rational explanation for why lawmakers took so long to reauthorize this legislation, which was first enacted in 1994 and had been renewed twice with broad bipartisan support. Admittedly, the revised law

Viewpoints March 4, 2013

If you burrowed into the home office earlier this week instead of braving the snow and sleet to get to your cubicle, you might have paused to give thanks that you don’t work for Marissa Mayer.The Yahoo CEO, America’s most famous working mom, became America’s most famous monster boss after issuing a no-more-telecommuting edict. Starting in June, employees who have been allowed to work from home will be required to report to Yahoo’s offices instead. So much for that 21st century no-walls workplace

Viewpoints March 4, 2013

“Housewives.” “Homemakers.” They don’t look like four-letter words, do they?But that’s what they became in the aftermath of the publication of Betty Friedan’s book about the “problem that has no name,” which gave a voice to the female yearning to be someone who was more than married to a house.It’s been 50 years since the late Ms. Friedan’s book, “The Feminine Mystique,” ignited a wave of bra-burning and contempt for men and domesticity. The women’s movement has ebbed and flowed over the decades

Viewpoints March 4, 2013