Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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[Kim Seong-kon] If America chooses to 'leave the world behind'
Currently, the United States of America is experiencing a plethora of domestic and overseas crises. Internally, there is unprecedented political bipolarity, severe inflation and the surge of a COVID-19 variant called JN 1 that have caused widespread deaths. Externally, the Ukraine war, the South China Sea dispute and North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile launches threatening mainland America come to mind. Under the circumstances, many Americans no longer want their country to in
ViewpointsJan. 17, 2024
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[Editorial] Prosecutors' election rush
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office requested the Justice Ministry last week to penalize two incumbent prosecutors over their inappropriate behavior related to the April 10 general election. Under the Public Official Election Act, state public officials who wish to stand for election are required to resign 90 days before the vote. A prosecutors’ code of ethics stipulates that a prosecutor shall not be involved in political campaigns, and remain politically neutral in performing his or he
EditorialJan. 17, 2024
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[Claudia Sahm] Don't worry about US debt. Seriously
US federal government debt ended 2023 at a record $34 trillion. The worries are bipartisan, with both Republicans and Democrats hearing about out-of-control borrowing from their constituents. In fact, almost six in 10 Americans say reducing it should be a top priority, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. So, it’s not a surprise that Congress is moving closer to passing a budget for fiscal year 2024 that would cap spending at $1.59 trillion which is a bit less than the $1.7 tr
ViewpointsJan. 17, 2024
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[Lara Williams] Prod people into acting more greenly
If there’s a month dedicated to self-betterment, it’s dark and dreary January. The gyms are full, the pubs are empty and green juices are flying off the shelves. At least for now. Even with the best of intentions, the vast majority of New Year’s resolutions don’t last very long at all. Many goal-setters give up on their commitments within just three months. We’re now in the second week of January, and some of you may have already slipped up on your promises. There&r
ViewpointsJan. 16, 2024
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[Dr. Joannes Ekaprasetya Tandjung] Let creativity be core of Indonesia-Korea relations
“If there is one thing that unites us, it is our never-ending creativity. The world salutes the power of individuals to remain creative, to put forward our most thought-provoking ideas and turn those ideas into real events and sellable products,” Gandi Sulistiyanto, Indonesia’s ambassador to South Korea, said at the opening of the Korea-Indonesia Cooperation Forum in Jakarta on Nov. 30 last year. Launched by The Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young, the Korea-Indonesia Cooperation F
ViewpointsJan. 16, 2024
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[Editorial] Taiwan’s election result
Lai Ching-te of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party won Saturday's presidential election, defying continued warnings from China regarding the self-ruled democracy’s sovereignty. Lai, the current vice president, won with 40.1 percent of the vote, outpacing Hou Yu-ih from the conservative Kuomintang, who garnered 33.5 percent, and former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je from the Taiwan People’s Party, who secured 26.5 percent. The high-profile election result is expected to ha
EditorialJan. 16, 2024
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[Thitinan Pongsudhirak] Myanmar's military junta is losing power
As autocratic leaders gain influence, if not power, in more countries than proponents of democracy care to count, Myanmar is a remarkable exception: its military junta appears untenable. In fact, Myanmar’s people are putting their lives on the line to break the generals’ grip on power and reclaim their future. After nearly a half-century of military dictatorship, starting in 1962, a decade of political liberalization, economic reform and development progress followed, lasting from 20
ViewpointsJan. 15, 2024
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[Editorial] Another national disgrace
Police are investigating 12 board members and four executives of Posco Holdings on charges of occupational breach of trust over allegations that they had subsidiaries partially pay for a lavish five-night-seven-day trip to Canada in August last year. Some of them, including outside directors who are professors, are also suspected of violating the law on improper solicitation and graft. Citing a complaint filed with the prosecution last month by a Pohang-based civic group, the Chosun Ilbo newsp
EditorialJan. 15, 2024
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[Jieun Kiaer] Hangeul should be at the heart of Hallyu
"I want my country to be the most beautiful country in the world. I don't want it to be the richest country. I don't want my country to invade other countries because I've been heartbroken by invasions. I’m satisfied if we have enough wealth to provide for ourselves and enough strength to keep us safe from invasion. Yet one thing that I deeply wish to have is a culture that has lasting legacy and power." ("My Wish" from Kim Ku, 1876-1949) As I start a new
ViewpointsJan. 15, 2024
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[A READER`S VIEW]Step back from Hwang hype
Questions surrounding stem-cell pioneer Hwang Woo-suk have been making the headlines for the past month. Since the MBC-TV program raised ethical issues about Hwang`s research, nationalism devoid of objectivity has been rife, with diverging opinions splattered daily on news pages. The entire society seems to be swept up in self-made fervor from which they cannot swim away. Why is the Hwang issue such a huge deal in South Korea? Is it something that deserves the amount of attention and hype it
OpinionJan. 12, 2024
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[Media Art Now] TZUSOO engenders new cybernetic imagination
When advanced technologies bring about radical changes in society, there is always a collision of utopian and dystopian views. The heated debate last year over generative AI is one example. If you want to learn how to have your own point of view, why not turn to artists of our time, to their “anthropologically” attentive exploration of the contemporary conditions of the world? A group of young, free-spirited Korean artists stands out in this respect. Born digitally and technologica
CultureJan. 12, 2024
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[Robert J. Fouser] A visit to Osaka’s Koreatown
For the first time in years, I spent the holidays in Japan. One of the highlights of my visit was a long afternoon walk through Osaka’s Koreatown. The area has changed dramatically since my first visit in the mid-1990s. As I walked around, I thought about what the many changes mean and about how the area might change in the future. Located near Tsuruhashi Station in south-central Osaka, the Koreatown here had historically been the largest in Japan. An influx of people from South Korea in t
ViewpointsJan. 12, 2024
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[Editorial] Help drive up tourism
South Korea chalked up a current account surplus for the seventh straight month in November. But there is a troubling detail that keeps policymakers concerned: the biggest deficit of the country’s travel account in five years. South Korea’s travel account deficit doubled to $1.28 billion in November 2023 compared to the previous month, the Bank of Korea’s preliminary data showed Tuesday. The latest figure marks the biggest deficit since November 2018, when the travel account de
EditorialJan. 12, 2024
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[Takatoshi Ito] When will Japan normalize its monetary policy?
Japan has had a difficult year so far. On Jan. 1, as Japanese families gathered to celebrate the new year, a powerful earthquake shook the Noto peninsula, causing buildings to collapse and forcing mass evacuations. More than a week later, the death toll -- already in the dozens -- continues to rise, as road damage, heavy rains, and landslides impede rescuers’ ability to reach affected villages. The next day, a Japan Airlines plane landing at Tokyo’s Haneda airport collided on the run
ViewpointsJan. 11, 2024
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[Wang Son-taek] When ‘misreading’ met ‘misleading’
On the earliest days of the new year of 2024, South and North Korean military forces have conducted artillery drills in the West Sea, causing an anxious atmosphere in which residents must evacuate. Notably, there are concerns over the situation since it was right after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made hostile remarks against the South at a plenary session of the Workers' Party late last year. As the South has also made violent remarks against the North, a confrontational structure in wh
ViewpointsJan. 11, 2024
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[Editorial] Gap in college education
Education in South Korea has been a contentious area that has only gotten worse over the past few decades. Children in Seoul’s Gangnam go to cram schools, even on Christmas. In the controversial capital of hagwon, the smartest fourth graders are cracking high school math, and others are expected to have learned at least two years ahead of their grade in order to pass “level tests” for admission to a hagwon. Parents agree it’s insane, that it’s as if their kids are l
EditorialJan. 11, 2024
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[Eric Posner] The AI octopus
With long-gestating antitrust cases against Google, Apple and Amazon coming to fruition, many observers think that 2024 could be a turning point for Big Tech. Yet even as authorities press ahead with this litigation, they risk being blindsided by the rise of artificial intelligence, which is likely to reinforce Big Tech’s dominance of the economy. The recent firing and rehiring of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was interpreted as a conflict between cautious board members who worried about the risks
ViewpointsJan. 10, 2024
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[Kim Seong-kon] Liberal democracy will be at stake in 2024
Experts have pointed out that the year 2024 will continue to pose major challenges from many quarters, from the far-reaching devastation of climate change to the negative impact of artificial intelligence, including a massive rise in disinformation and fake news. For these and many other reasons, democracy will continue to be at stake worldwide. Indeed, hosts of specialists and scholars have recently warned of a worldwide crisis and decline of democracy in the international community. In 2016, f
ViewpointsJan. 10, 2024
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[Editorial] Build up space projects
Korea took the first step to establish its own equivalent to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration. A special bill to create the Korea Aerospace Administration passed in the parliamentary science and judiciary committees Monday and in the National Assembly plenary session Tuesday. The bill's approval came nine months after the government submitted it to the National Assembly in April last year. It is fortunate that it passed, albeit belatedly. The KASA will operate under the
EditorialJan. 10, 2024
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[Andreas Kluth] America has new Axis of Evil
Since Feb. 24, 2022, and especially since Oct. 7, 2023, a specter has haunted the world and worried President Joe Biden in particular: Will Russia’s war against Ukraine, or Israel’s against Hamas, draw in other belligerents, perhaps even culminating in World War III? Biden has therefore done everything in his power to support Ukraine and Israel while also keeping the US and its Western allies out of direct confrontations with Russia, Hamas’ backers in Iran, and their Chinese
ViewpointsJan. 9, 2024