Most Popular
-
1
Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
-
2
Bae Doo-na shares portraying Korean identity in Hollywood's 'Rebel Moon'
-
3
S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
-
4
[From the Scene] Monks, Buddhists hail return of remains of Buddhas
-
5
Medical schools granted enrollment quota flexibility for next year
-
6
Yoon offers first one-on-one meeting with opposition leader next week
-
7
France rejects opening Paris flight routes to T'way Air, deals blow to Korean Air merger
-
8
Chinese man behind drug scam targeting teens nabbed in Cambodia
-
9
[Graphic News] French bulldog most popular breed in US, Maltese most popular in Korea
-
10
Iran fires air defense batteries in provinces as sound of explosions heard near Isfahan
-
[Editorial] Mayor Oh’s challenge
In his desperate challenge to the opposition-dominated city council over the school free lunch issue, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has proposed a referendum in the capital city. Thus he is offering himself as the gladiator for the conservative forces in what can be a preview of the 2012 presidential election. The 50-year-old mayor in his second term said he could not tolerate the lives of the 10 million
Jan. 11, 2011
-
Don’t remove the ‘N-word’ from ‘Huck Finn’
The “N-word” has become so emotionally charged that its casual use can end a career, as radio shrink Laura Schlessinger discovered the hard way last year. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to excise it from classic literature for fear of offending modern sensibilities.Alan Gribben, an English professor at Auburn University, is working with NewSouth Books in Alabama to publish a joint edition
Jan. 11, 2011
-
Can Japan open up under P.M. Naoto Kan?
Naoto Kan, Japan’s prime minister, likes to cast himself as an ‘Action Man’ bent on churning out new policies to tackle the country’s problems. And to his credit, one cannot say that Kan has done nothing since taking office in June. He has dealt with a crusty China over disputed islands, repaired ties with Washington, and dispatched a key political rival. Thus, it is not surprising that Kan has st
Jan. 11, 2011
-
[Xiao Gang] Liberalize interest rates further
On Christmas day, China’s central bank raised interest rates for the second time in 2010 to check rising consumer prices and the heated real estate market. It would not be surprising to see the central bank lift the rates again in the near future. The move has left me wondering whether allowing interest rates to play their due role in the economy through liberalization, as opposed to raising them
Jan. 11, 2011
-
[Lee Jae-min] China’s rare earths becoming rarer
With the Obama-Hu Jintao summit meeting slated for Jan. 19, Washington and Beijing are looking forward to the state visit with all sorts of positive preludes. Washington is preparing a “state dinner” for the Chinese leader for the first time in 13 years, to be covered with the Chinese flags and diplomatic compliments. China has also responded in kind by announcing the other day that its government
Jan. 11, 2011
-
[Song In-yeup] Marking the first anniversary of earthquake in Haiti
Exactly one year ago on Jan. 12, 2010, a great earthquake hit Haiti located on the center of the emerald green Caribbean Sea. In less than a minute, 200,000 people died, more than 100,000 were missing and 1.5 million became homeless at one time. The National Palace and almost all government buildings collapsed. Thirty high-ranking U.N. officials including Hedi Annabi, special representative to the
Jan. 11, 2011
-
[Doyle McManus] A modest speaker not to be underestimated
The new speaker of the House, Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio, isn’t the most brilliant statesman ever to hold the job (Newt Gingrich beats him on that count), the most groundbreaking (that was Nancy Pelosi) or the most charismatic (speakers rarely score high on that scale).But he is among the most modest, an attribute rare among politicians ― and one that should come in handy in the rough-and-tumble
Jan. 11, 2011
-
[Kim Seong-kon] Sandel’s book on justice offers little for Koreans
Michael Sandel’s book, “Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?” has been on the nation’s bestseller list ever since it was translated and introduced to Korean readers in May 2010. According to a newspaper report, 650,000 copies of “Justice” have sold in Korea within six months, with a record-breaking 72 prints by Nov. 8. What, then, is the reason for the extraordinary popularity of a Harvard Law p
Jan. 11, 2011
-
Campaigning for spending transparency
At first glance it seems the ultimate quixotic effort: persuading the new, more Republican Congress to enact legislation to shine light on the role of special-interest money in elections. But campaign reformers might consider appealing to members of Congress allied with the “tea party.” Those in the movement profess to believe that “we the people” have been eclipsed in the political process by sel
Jan. 10, 2011
-
Trusting Bill Daley as Obama’s chief of staff
As President Barack Obama enters the second half of his term, his dreamy honeymoon with Congress and the American public long over, what a relief to see the sensible William Daley at his side. Daley has the experience to excel at one of the nation’s toughest jobs. And yes, he’s a pro-business Democrat, which galls the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.This choice for chief of staff is primarily
Jan. 10, 2011
-
[Anna Husarska] Southern Sudan’s shaky future
At a roundabout in Juba, southern Sudan’s capital, stands a digital clock. It has four faces, each titled “Countdown to Southern Sudan Referendum ― Period Remaining.” The referendum on Jan. 9 is part of the peace agreement signed in 2005 ending the civil war between northern and southern Sudan, and its outcome will determine if Sudan remains one country or becomes two. Each side of the clock has a
Jan. 10, 2011
-
[William Pfaff] Western economy on suicide watch?
PARIS ― Is it a case of murder, or has the Western economy deliberately, if unwittingly, attempted suicide and nearly succeeded?John Maynard Keynes was not just talking about defunct economists when he wrote that the world is commonly ruled by dead ideas, its leaders the slaves of the past. He said, “Indeed the world is ruled by little else.” If he were alive today, he could name management consul
Jan. 10, 2011
-
[Meghan Daum] Narcissism ― is America too obsessed with it?
At any given moment a whole lot of people are accusing a whole lot of other people of being narcissists. In recent years, the term for a self-destructive “personality disorder” has become the insult of choice for almost anyone doing almost anything.The concept of narcissism as a broad cultural condition, and the word’s use as an everyday term, goes back several decades. Christopher Lasch published
Jan. 10, 2011
-
[Pio Song] The most ‘Korean’ country in Europe
When asked which European country Korea might resemble the most, many think of Italy for its being a peninsula, having a similar climate, love for their national cuisine, fashion addiction and passion for music. Others point to Ireland because of their insularity (South Korea being virtually an island after the Korean War), heavy drinking capacity and singing skills. Historically both Italy and Ir
Jan. 10, 2011
-
[Mary Sanchez] Removing n-word from canonical novel
This is a column about a word no newspaper will print.You see the quandary. If I can’t write the word and expect it to be published, how can you, the reader, understand my points, and agree or disagree?Nonetheless, such a stripping of vocabulary will occur in a new edition of Mark Twain’s classic “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” This revised version, to be released in February, will delete the ra
Jan. 10, 2011
-
Korean tension affects East Asian stability
The current tension on the Korean Peninsula continues to have repercussions on the security and economic climate of East Asia, and indeed the rest of the world. Since the end of the Korean War some six decades ago, the stability of the two Koreas has occasionally been rattled, and official peace on the peninsula remains elusive.Nobody really imagined that the current situation on the peninsula wou
Jan. 9, 2011
-
[Ann Woolner] Women aren’t people under Scalia’s constitution
I tend to think of myself as a person. I’d hazard a guess that most, maybe all, American women consider themselves to be actual human beings, too.The U.S. Supreme Court said that’s what we are, although it took the court until 1971 to say so.Justice Antonin Scalia still doesn’t believe it. In an interview in this month’s California Lawyer magazine, he said that the 14th Amendment means only men wh
Jan. 9, 2011
-
[DAVID IGNATIUS] U.S. buying time with Iran
WASHINGTON ― The Obama administration has concluded that Iran’s nuclear program has been slowed by a combination of sanctions, sabotage and Iran’s own technical troubles. Because of the delay, U.S. officials see what one describes as “a little bit of space” before any military showdown with Iran. Israeli officials, too, see more time on the clock. Moshe Yaalon, Israel’s deputy prime minister, note
Jan. 9, 2011
-
[Thomas J. Donohue] Korean trade pact a welcome shot for U.S.
WASHINGTON ― A funny thing happened in the wake of the midterm elections: Washington entered into an era of bipartisanship, and trade is the unlikely topic of agreement.From the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to the United Auto Workers, President Obama’s announcement that he’ll send the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) to Congress early this year has been applauded. Trade leaders from both partie
Jan. 9, 2011
-
[Mohamed A. El-Erian] Country of the future owes much to one man
Eight years ago, a newly elected president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, faced the challenge of saving Brazil from economic and financial collapse.Last Saturday, Lula passed the presidency to Dilma Rousseff having done much, much more than that during his two terms. In the process, he relied on four simple pillars that other leaders would be well advised to consider.After winning a hotly contested p
Jan. 9, 2011