The Korea Herald

[Daniel Fiedler] Pardons for dangerous drivers

Today is Liberation Day in South Korea. This is the anniversary of the day that Japan surrendered to the United States at the end of World War II and South Korea once again became a free and independent country. This is also a day on which the president of South Korea often issues pardons to many of those who have run afoul of the law. These pardons have often been controversial because some recipients have been close confidants of the president or powerful members of South Korean society or bot

Viewpoints Aug. 14, 2012

[Daniel Fiedler] Pardons for dangerous drivers

[Editorial] Changing tack over Dokdo

President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to Dokdo on Friday was a surprise in light of his consistent efforts since inauguration to build future-oriented ties with Japan. The unexpected visit ― the first ever by a Korean president ― is certain to throw the bilateral relationship into a tailspin as Tokyo views it as a breach of an unwritten understanding between the two nations. Yet it is fully understandable given Tokyo’s repeated sovereignty claims to South Korea’s easternmost territory. During Lee’s te

Editorial Aug. 13, 2012

[Editorial] Unaffordable luxury

Many of the public agencies that are to relocate from Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi Province to other cities have learned no lesson at all from local governments that ruined their finances by pouring money into exorbitant office buildings.Under a balanced regional development scheme, 147 public agencies are required to move out of the capital zone to local “innovation hubs.” Of them, 121 have decided to construct their own office buildings, while 26 have chosen to rent. Of the 121 not renti

Editorial Aug. 13, 2012

[Albert R. Hunt] Ryan splits from his mentor

Mitt Romney’s running mate, Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, is a self-styled disciple of the late Jack Kemp, the buoyant conservative Republican who played a major role in shaping the political agenda in the last quarter of the 20th century. The relationship was real. Ryan worked for Kemp as a speechwriter and at his research group; Kemp’s granddaughter was an intern in his protg’s congressional office. Like his mentor, Ryan is passionate, exuberant, intellectually stimulating and devoid

Viewpoints Aug. 13, 2012

[Albert R. Hunt] Ryan splits from his mentor

Romney-Ryan could stimulate contest of ideas

By choosing U.S. Representative Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney has added some verve to what had been a tedious presidential contest. Romney deserves credit for his audacity, to borrow a word from his opponent. The question is whether the Republican campaign’s newfound energy will be used more to obfuscate or illuminate. If the latter, voters might find that the two presidential candidates agree more than they would have you believe. The debates over such phony issues as whether Romne

Viewpoints Aug. 13, 2012

[Noeleen Heyzer] Youth in Asia-Pacific: An age of opportunity

The recent Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development focused world attention on building the future we want. On the occasion of International Youth Day, we should remember that we have a very precious resource in providing for a sustainable future, namely our young people.Over 60 percent of the world’s youth live in Asia and the Pacific, which translates into more than 750 million young women and men aged 15 to 24 years. They represent a key asset for the countries of our regio

Viewpoints Aug. 13, 2012

[Noeleen Heyzer] Youth in Asia-Pacific: An age of opportunity

Ensuring a smooth start for democratic Egypt

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi took a crucial step toward building his government last week with the appointment of Hesham Kandil as prime minister. One month into his term, Morsi has yet to consolidate authority. As he tries to strengthen civilian rule through effective governance, Egypt’s first democratically elected president would do well to learn from America’s vast experience with presidential transitions, beginning with three important lessons.First, he should avoid the “first 100 days”

Viewpoints Aug. 6, 2012

[Robert B. Reich] Terrible economy, anti-election

The worst economy since the Great Depression and you might think at least one of the candidates would come up with a few big ideas for how to get us out of it.But you’d be wrong. Neither candidate wants to take any chances by offering any large, serious proposals. Both are banking instead on negative campaigns that convince voters the other guy would be worse.President Obama has apparently decided against advancing any bold ideas for what he’d do in the second term, even if he has a Congress tha

Viewpoints Aug. 6, 2012

[Robert B. Reich] Terrible economy, anti-election

[Mohamed A. El-Erian] An informed choice between Obama and Romney

NEWPORT BEACH ― The conventional wisdom about the November presidential election in the United States is only partly correct. Yes, economic issues will play a large role in determining the outcome. But the next step in the argument ― that the winner of an increasingly ugly contest will have the luxury of pursuing significantly different policies from his opponent ― is much more uncertain.By the time the next presidential term starts in January 2013, and contrary to the current narratives advance

Viewpoints Aug. 6, 2012

[Mohamed A. El-Erian] An informed choice between Obama and Romney

Thailand bent on bigger influence in Myanmar

Last week, when Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra reaffirmed Bangkok’s support for a multibillion-dollar deep sea port in neighboring Myanmar, she was not just announcing another infrastructure project. Rather, she was trumpeting Thailand’s determination to extend its influence in the strategically positioned state at a time when major players such as India and China have similar ambitions.The Dawei port development on Myanmar’s southern Andaman coast is a key part of the impoverished coun

Viewpoints Aug. 5, 2012

[J. Bradford DeLong] Solving long-term unemployment

BERKELEY ― However bad you think the global economy is today in terms of the business cycle, that is only one lens through which to view the world. In terms of global life expectancy, total world wealth, the overall level of technology, growth prospects in emerging economies, and global income distribution, things look rather good, while on still other dimensions ― say, global warming or domestic income inequality and its effects on countries’ social solidarity ― they look bad.Even on the busine

Viewpoints Aug. 5, 2012

[J. Bradford DeLong] Solving long-term unemployment

[Naomi Wolf] U.S. gun laws amount to arming the asylum

NEW YORK ― The horror has become almost routine. This time, the massacre site was a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, where accused shooter James Holmes murdered and injured dozens of moviegoers. In 1999, the scene was nearby Columbine High School. By some estimates, there are more than 20 mass shootings per year in the United States. And always the same question: Why?When the U.S. is compared to the rest of the world, one reason becomes obvious: while America may not have more homicidally insa

Viewpoints Aug. 5, 2012

[Naomi Wolf] U.S. gun laws amount to arming the asylum

The end of the email

AUSTIN, Texas ― “You’ve got mail.”There was a time, say about 1998 when the hit romantic comedy of the same name made its debut, that the phrase was cute. Email was a fast, special way to be connected. AOL’s ringy-dingy reminder was charming. Then email stopped being cute and special because everyone had it. Then it stopped being charming because it never stopped. Now we find ourselves stuck with the most ironic of unintended consequences of the once efficient email: Its vast inefficiency.The em

Viewpoints Aug. 5, 2012

[Robert J. Shiller] Social contagion is not the fault of the free market

A speculative bubble is a social epidemic whose contagion is mediated by price movements. News of price increase enriches the early investors, creating word-of-mouth stories about their successes, which stir envy and interest. The excitement then lures more and more people into the market, which causes prices to increase further, attracting yet more people and fueling “new era” stories, and so on, in successive feedback loops as the bubble grows. After the bubble bursts, the same contagion fuels

Viewpoints Aug. 5, 2012

[Robert J. Shiller] Social contagion is not the fault of the free market

England’s iron stomach for nonsense, ineptitude

Mitt Romney and I are competing in a new Olympic event that involves proffering unvarnished criticism of the Olympics themselves. We’re the Lochte and Phelps of this event ― appearing united when necessary and when it serves us both, and appearing divided when Mitt says something really stupid.Last week, I blamed cronyism for the awarding of the sole-source security contract for the entire Olympic Games to a company that failed to deliver, requiring the British military to step in at the last mi

Viewpoints Aug. 3, 2012

Articles by Yu Kun-ha