ASEAN members need to do a better job at high-level meetings in preventing another South China Sea storm from cracking their cohesion and credibility. Disputants have made their positions quite well known to China on other occasions. There was no need to overshadow pressing summit business in trying to advance or protect claims. Coming so publicly and soon after their foreign ministers’ unprecedented failure to issue a communique four months ago, the disagreement at the ASEAN Summit is doubly da

Viewpoints Nov. 27, 2012

The nation’s 250,000 taxi drivers have threatened to hold a massive rally in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido of Seoul on Dec. 7 if lawmakers fail to pass a bill to designate taxis as public transportation by early next month.Legislators of the ruling and opposition parties rushed the bill through relevant standing committees last week. But they stopped short of pushing it through a plenary session in the face of public outcry and a nationwide strike by bus drivers.On Nov. 22, bus drive

Editorial Nov. 26, 2012

The prosecution is facing the worst crisis since its foundation. Last week, the arrest of a senior prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office on corruption charges shook the powerful law enforcement agency to its foundations. As if it were not enough, a dumbfounding sex scandal involving a novice prosecutor has been exposed, dealing a knockout punch to the already staggering agency. The prosecutor, who has been undergoing on-the-job training at a Seoul district prosecutor’s office since ap

Editorial Nov. 26, 2012

One needs to look no further than the Korean-English and English-Korean dictionary to see where we must start if we want to truly internationalize the teaching of Korean language. Most English-Korean and Korean-English dictionaries (all dictionaries that I have ever seen) are written in a manner that discourages foreigners from learning Korean. I think that it would be easy to create truly foreigner-friendly dictionaries and the investment could revolutionize the status of Korean language around

Viewpoints Nov. 25, 2012

Two years have passed since North Korea shelled the South’s Yeonpyeongdo in the West Sea. The artillery bombardment on Nov. 23, 2010 killed two soldiers and two civilians, injured many others, and devastated villages on the peaceful island.It was the first attack by the North against civilians in the South since the Korean War ended in 1953. As reasons for its deadly bombing, Pyongyang cited firing drills by the marines on the island. Yet it was nothing more than a thinly veiled pretext for its

Editorial Nov. 23, 2012

2012 will go down as a meaningul year in Korea’s film history. In September, Korean movie “Pieta,” directed by Kim Ki-duck, won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, becoming the first Korean movie to claim the top prize of one of the world’s three most prestigious film festivals. The domestic film industry has recently set a more significant milestone: It broke the 100 million mark in annual audience number for the first time. According to the Korean Film Council, this year’s combi

Editorial Nov. 23, 2012

PARIS ― A colleague mentioned earlier this week how thankful he is that he can tell anyone who deserves it to go take a flying leap. (Actually, his precise words are unprintable, but you get the idea.) At first glance, such uninhibited opinion-sharing might seem rude and unacceptable, but upon further reflection, it becomes clear how individuals rising up and courageously telling off the creeps who deserve it would benefit society as a whole, and how capitalism in particular is the perfect vehic

Viewpoints Nov. 23, 2012

The chameleon is finally showing his true colors.Since taking office in June, Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s not-so-new president, has been equivocating, trying to balance Egypt’s longstanding diplomatic and financial relationship with the West with his true self: a Muslim Brotherhood fundamentalist who is contemptuous of the West, hates Israel and wants to turn Egypt into a fully Islamic state.“He speaks of moderation for the West,” Perihan Abou-Zeid, a 28-year-old Egyptian officer for a media-producti

Viewpoints Nov. 22, 2012

Japan stands at a crossroads. The direction it takes will be critical to determining whether Japan can remain one of the world’s leading nations.As political gridlock continues and the economy staggers along, the people’s sense that the country is stagnating has been growing. How can the nation overcome this situation?During the upcoming House of Representatives election campaign, we urge each party to present the course they want Japan to pursue and a new “vision” for this nation. Each party th

Viewpoints Nov. 22, 2012

Even though the reelected U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Myanmar this week will be brief, it will have a series of significant outcomes for Myanmar and the region. Make no mistake, his visit is part of a long-term strategic plan by U.S. decision-makers, who view the once most condemned nation in the world as a key future ally.The U.S. knows this is the best time to approach Myanmar because the Thein Sein government has demonstrated its willingness to engage with the West, especially the

Viewpoints Nov. 22, 2012