In recent years, a lot of people have been concerned about the relatively low numbers of science majors among American college students. The percentage of science and engineering graduates in the U.S. has been far below that in China and Japan. On various math and science tests, the performance of U.S. students has fallen below that of students in South Korea, Singapore, Japan, England, Finland, Israel, Australia and Russia. This is a real problem, because science majors can contribute to econom

Viewpoints July 22, 2013

Last weekend’s revelation that J.K. Rowling is the author of the critically acclaimed and ― until now ― commercially unsuccessful crime novel “The Cuckoo’s Calling” has electrified the book world and solidified Rowling’s reputation as a genuine writing talent: After all, if she can impress the critics without the benefit of her towering reputation, then surely her success is deserved. And yet what this episode actually reveals is the opposite: that Rowling’s spectacular career is likely more a f

Viewpoints July 22, 2013

These days the news from abroad is mostly grim. So it was inspiring last week to watch Malala Yousafzai ― the Pakistani teen shot in the head by the Taliban because of her campaign for girls’ education ― standing erect on a U.N. podium on her 16th birthday. It was even more inspiring to hear her moving speech, delivered in a clear, confident voice, which called for free, compulsory schooling worldwide.She recalled the October day when a talib jumped into her school van, aimed at her forehead poi

Viewpoints July 22, 2013

MOSCOW ― In a recent speech in Berlin, U.S. President Barack Obama reaffirmed his commitment to nuclear disarmament and proposed steps toward achieving that goal. But Russia has made clear that it does not plan to pursue further reductions to its nuclear arsenal any time soon.In the speech, Obama announced that the United States is prepared to cut its nuclear arsenal by up to one-third. He also proposed major reductions in the number of tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs) deployed in Europe. Moreove

Viewpoints July 21, 2013

LONDON ― Egypt’s crisis has been called the worst in its history. But in fact, it bears a striking resemblance to a previous episode, almost 60 years ago.On February 28, 1954, almost a million protesters besieged Cairo’s Abdin Palace, then being used by Gamal Abdel Nasser and other leaders of the July 1952 coup. The protesters’ main demands were the restoration of Egypt’s fragile democratic institutions, the release of political prisoners, and the army’s return to its barracks.The two-month cris

Viewpoints July 21, 2013

President Park Geun-hye’s plan to reform the current Basic Old-age Pension is likely to be scaled back due to the worsening economic situation. On the campaign trail, Park promised to transform the old-age pension into a “basic pension” by doubling its monthly benefit from the current 97,100 won to 200,000 won and making it a universal plan covering all senior citizens aged 65 or above. Currently, the state program only pays the benefit to elderly people in the bottom 70 percent of the income sc

Editorial July 19, 2013

The government has come up with a well-designed policy package aimed at fostering the tourism industry as a growth engine and a job-creating machine.The package has heightened expectations as it consists of practical measures that are likely to make Korea a more attractive tourist destination.One such measure calls for refunding foreign tourists the 10 percent value-added tax on their hotel bills. Domestic hotels have long called for the VAT reimbursement, which would have the effect of giving t

Editorial July 19, 2013

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants a mandate in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, and voters look set to give him one. The question is whether he understands what he’s getting. Polls show that Japanese want Abe to fix the economy. Optimism and stock prices shot up earlier this year after the Bank of Japan began a massive quantitative-easing program and Abe’s government announced stimulus plans to rouse Japan from its 20-year funk. The prime minister now says he needs control over both cham

Viewpoints July 19, 2013

On Tuesday, about 90 investigators from the prosecution swooped down on the homes of former President Chun Doo-hwan and his family and the companies established by his two sons in search of his hidden assets. The search continued the next day.The massive raid, which even put a metal detector to use, followed the establishment of a special task force by the prosecutor-general, the revision of a law by the legislature and the incumbent president’s determination to put an end to the case that has r

Editorial July 18, 2013

In his address on Constitution Day on Wednesday, Kang Chang-hee, speaker of the National Assembly, proposed to create a special committee empowered to draft an amendment to the Constitution. He was right to say that the basic law needs revising as the Korean society has outgrown some of its devices, with the power structure being most notable among them.When the Constitution was being revised in 1987, the overriding concern of the public was how to prevent the military-backed Chun Doo-hwan dicta

Editorial July 18, 2013