Most Popular
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Koreans, Americans differ on prestigious jobs: lawmakers vs. firefighters
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Only half of S. Koreans willing to marry: data
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Disgraced ex-minister rises as major threat to ruling party
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Yoon calls for dialogue, trust from medical community
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Summit for Democracy opens in Seoul in mega-election year
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Jungkook of BTS updates life in Army
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Med professors to resign starting March 25
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Dyson founder visits Seoul for global debut of new hair dryer
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Leaders call for action against threats to democracy posed by AI
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Ryu Joon-yeol, Han So-hee confirm dating since early 2024
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[Editorial] Ambassador to Australia
Lee Jong-sup, a former defense minister who is under investigation over allegations that he meddled with an internal probe into the death of a young Marine last year, began serving as South Korea’s ambassador to Australia last week. In July 2023, Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun was found dead after being swept away by a torrent in a stream in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, during a search mission for victims of heavy rain. The Marines were ordered to go into the overflowing stream wit
EditorialMarch 19, 2024
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[J. Bradford DeLong] The mystery of US interest rates
In the United States, the long-term real safe interest rate – the inflation-adjusted return on low-risk investments such as Treasuries – is, in addition to “financial conditions,” the key mechanism influencing both the incentive to build and the balance of net exports (owing to its effect on the exchange rate). From early March to mid-May 2022, this metric jumped by more than one percentage point as the bond market realized that the US Federal Reserve would soon curtail i
ViewpointsMarch 18, 2024
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[Editorial] No laughing matter
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s senior secretary Hwang Sang-moo issued a formal apology Saturday, two days after his controversial remarks about a 1988 terrorist attack on a journalist and the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising touched off a firestorm of criticism from the media and opposition parties. “I apologize for the distress my words have caused,” Hwang said in a notification to the press from the presidential office. “I apologize to the journalists for failing to consider
EditorialMarch 18, 2024
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[Carl P. Leubsdorf] Another key date in US history?
With Donald Trump, everything is often the biggest ever or the grandest ever. His political movement, he often proclaims, is the greatest in American history. And Nov. 5, when he hopes to regain the presidency, “will be the most important day in our nation’s history.” Really? Bigger than July 4, 1776? Or the day Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation? Or the day the Berlin Wall fell, marking the end of the Cold War and portending the collapse of the Soviet Union?
ViewpointsMarch 15, 2024
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[Editorial] Strike goes overboard
With medical school professors shaving their heads and threatening to resign to “protect” their students and trainee doctors, the doctors’ strike has gone too far. Earlier this week, the government sent notices to over 5,500 trainee doctors who left work more than three weeks ago and have not complied with the ministry’s order to return to work that their medical licenses will be suspended. Medical students are taking leaves of absence en masse and may be collectively flu
EditorialMarch 15, 2024
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[Career Compass] Mentor is invaluable asset. Get one, or more
Is having a mentor a good idea? I want to try it but don’t know much about how the relationship works. Where do I find a good mentor, and what do I discuss with the mentor? Yes, having a mentor is an invaluable asset. A mentor is hugely beneficial for both professional and personal growth. Think of a mentor as an advisor, a supporter and a confidant. Mentors lend their ears, share their experiences and offer wisdom to help you overcome challenges and achieve your goals. However, like a
ViewpointsMarch 14, 2024
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[Noelle Lenoir] Can UNRWA officials be prosecuted?
There is growing evidence that some employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) have been involved in terrorism-related activities in Gaza. If true, and if the problem turns out to be more widespread than is currently known, the implications would be profound. An official UN body being complicit in war crimes would be one of the greatest scandals in the organization’s history. According to an Israeli intelligence document, a dozen UNRWA emplo
ViewpointsMarch 14, 2024
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[Editorial] Proportional seats in trouble
South Korean voters are already feeling deep political fatigue, as major parties have unsurprisingly sparked a flurry of disputes over their candidates for the upcoming National Assembly election. On Tuesday, Jeon Ji-yeh offered to resign from her candidacy for a proportional representative seat for a satellite party linked to the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, a development that sheds light on the fundamental weakness of the current election system. A civic group earlier recommended
EditorialMarch 14, 2024
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[Kim Seong-kon] ‘Home is where the heart is’
What is “home”? The English word “home” has diverse meanings. It refers to not only “home,” but also “house,” “hometown” and “homeland.” English-speaking people also use expressions, such as “homeless,” “home for sale,” “high school homecoming” or “homecoming queen.” Well-known English phrases include: “There’s no place like home,” “Home, sweet home&rdqu
ViewpointsMarch 13, 2024
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[Editorial] Obsession with scores
The state auditor’s latest disclosure of illicit trading of test questions between schoolteachers and cram schools known here as hagwon once again reminds one of the need to further diversify the college admissions system. The Board of Audit and Inspection said on Monday it has requested a police investigation into 56 people, including 27 schoolteachers who sold exam questions to the after-school study centers for violating the anti-graft law, obstruction of business and bribery by breach
EditorialMarch 13, 2024
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[Reed Galen] Why Trump can’t win
Donald Trump was the unlikeliest of American presidents. When he launched his campaign in 2016, the closest he had come to executive authority was pretending to fire contestants on a business-themed reality show. As ridiculous as it seemed, the image of Trump sitting behind a massive boardroom table uttering his imitable catchphrase -- “You’re fired” -- convinced millions of American voters, including many who hadn’t voted previously, that he was a man who knew how to get
ViewpointsMarch 12, 2024
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Avert medical crisis
South Korea continues to suffer medical service disruptions across the nation as nearly 12,000 intern and resident doctors, who play key roles in diverse fields at major hospitals, remain off work over the government’s plan to increase the medical school enrollment quota. As the confrontation between the government and junior doctors enters its fourth week, local hospitals have been forced to delay or cancel surgeries amid deepening concerns that these medical disruptions could drag on wit
EditorialMarch 12, 2024
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[Grace Kao] What are American BTS Army events like?
“BTS finds you when you need them most.” Army, the name of BTS’ fandom, is likely the largest and most devoted fandom in K-pop. While non-K-pop fans may envision Army as primarily young women who scream and cheer at concerts, fans in fact come from many backgrounds. This is particularly true of American BTS fans, who also find comfort both through the community of fans and the content BTS provides. Earlier this year, I attended two BTS Army cup sleeve events in Connecticut, a s
ViewpointsMarch 12, 2024
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[Editorial] ‘Peace’ out
The Foreign Ministry is set to downsize and revamp an office in charge of diplomacy related to North Korean nuclear issues amid a prolonged stalemate in dialogue with Pyongyang. The Office of Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, led by a vice ministerial level official, was established 18 years ago in a whirlwind of nuclear diplomacy with the North through six-party talks among the two Koreas, the US, China, Russia and Japan. It was set up as a temporary agency, but was made a permanent
EditorialMarch 11, 2024
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[Jieun Kiaer] Could better English education boost Korea’s birth rate?
I read recently that the average birth rate per woman in South Korea has fallen to 0.72 despite $270 billion in government incentives. Although there are undoubtedly multiple reasons for this, as someone specializing in language education, I began to question whether English language teaching might be a contributing factor. The expression “English Fever,” has often been linked to the well-known phenomenon among South Korean parents who traditionally perceive education as the pathway
ViewpointsMarch 11, 2024
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[Yoo Choon-sik] Worrying signals from 2023 GDP data
South Korea’s economy grew 2.2 percent in real terms during the final quarter of last year compared to the same period in 2022, marking an acceleration from a 1.4 percent rise in the third quarter and bringing growth for the entire of 2023 to 1.4 percent, according to revised data released by the country’s central bank last week. The headline figures looked fine overall, with growth accelerating in the October-December period compared to the preceding quarter, defying fears that Asia
ViewpointsMarch 11, 2024
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[Robert J. Fouser] Conditions for dealing with South Korea’s baby bust
South Korea’s low fertility rate made the news again recently after a government report predicted that the rate would fall to a new low of 0.72 children per woman in 2023. The country’s fertility rate is already the lowest in the world, despite a spate of recent policy initiatives to address the issue. The rate is expected to fall below 0.70 in 2024, which is far below the replacement rate of 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population without any immigration. Though the lowest in the
ViewpointsMarch 8, 2024