Most Popular
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10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
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Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
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Ship linked to NK arms shipments to Russia is moored in China: State Dept.
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[Cho Sung-hun] Joint probe needed for the issue of Vietnam War's civilian victims
On Feb. 7, the Seoul Central District Court said, "In February 1968, in the village of Phong Nhi, Quang Nam province, Vietnam, she lost her family and was seriously injured in the civilian massacre by the Korean Army." It ruled that the Korean government is responsible for compensation for Nguyen Thi Thanh, a survivor of the killings. The ruling marks the first time that the South Korean judiciary has recognized government responsibility for such an atrocity, and is a new milestone tow
ViewpointsFeb. 22, 2023
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[Kim Seong-kon] War with fascism, communism, populism
Recently, I came across an intriguing article by a professor of sociology at Yonsei University. In that persuasive essay, the writer claimed that humans fought and won the battle with fascism in the early 20th century and with communism in the late 20th century. According to him, the great war of humanity is now against populism in the 21st century. Indeed, populism is seriously undermining democracy and human civilization these days. The term “populism,” which originally developed i
ViewpointsFeb. 22, 2023
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[Editorial] Opaque accounting
The nation’s two largest labor groups, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, are found to have received 152 billion won ($117 million) in subsidies over the past five years from the Ministry of Employment and Labor and 17 regional governments -- eight cities including Seoul and nine provinces. According to data disclosed by Kweon Seon-dong, a People Power Party lawmaker, the groups received 17.7 billion won in subsidies from the ministry and 13
EditorialFeb. 22, 2023
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[Doyle McManus] Biden’s 2024 bid harks back to the past
When the 1996 presidential campaign approached, Bill Clinton faced an uphill struggle to win a second term. His biggest legislative proposal, a sweeping health care bill, had failed. His party had lost the House of Representatives to Republicans led by a fiery conservative, Newt Gingrich. Clinton's poll ratings were sagging. So he tacked toward the center. He battled Gingrich to a standstill over GOP plans to cut spending on Medicare. He championed modest but popular proposals such as the
ViewpointsFeb. 22, 2023
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[Jane Hoffman] Time to pull in reins of Big Tech
Every day, the $6.7 trillion Big Tech industry affects our lives in ways that empower and harm. Despite recent hits in earnings, current layoffs and Google getting slapped with yet another lawsuit from the Justice Department, the tech giants are still all-powerful in our society, economy and daily lives. As long as the digital age keeps pulling more of our lives online, Big Tech companies will grow and dominate. The big five -- Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft and Apple -- have become so lar
ViewpointsFeb. 21, 2023
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[Ana Palacio] How West can woo Africa back from China, Russia
The United States is finally paying attention to Africa. But recent attempts at engagement -- the US-Africa Leaders Summit in December and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s 10-day tour of the continent last month -- have offered no indication that the US has anything close to a meaningful strategy for engagement with the continent. And the European Union is no better. Renewed Western interest in Africa is long overdue. The continent plays an essential role in world affairs, not least be
ViewpointsFeb. 21, 2023
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[Editorial] A tricky decision
The Bank of Korea is scheduled to announce its benchmark interest rate on Thursday, following heightened attention on the market and growing concerns over their tightening monetary policy. Last month the central bank raised its interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.5 percent, a seventh straight rate increase since April last year. It also marked the 10th rate hike, totaling a combined 3 percentage points, since August 2021, when the BOK started “normalizing” the low rate. Opinions ar
EditorialFeb. 21, 2023
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[Sławomir Sierakowski] The constitutional chaos in Poland
Next door to Ukraine, where people are being killed every day for wanting to join the European Union, Polish leaders are waging what they have called a war on two fronts -- against both Russia and the EU. As a result of this “war,” the country’s populist government, led by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, has failed to unlock the 160 billion euros ($170 billion) that was allocated to Poland under the EU’s pandemic recovery fund. While the government has negot
ViewpointsFeb. 20, 2023
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[Editorial] Let the court judge
The majority opposition Democratic Party of Korea declared “war” on the prosecution for requesting a warrant to arrest its leader Lee Jae-myung. It is bracing up for the battle to vote down the request for the National Assembly’s consent to Lee's arrest. If the prosecution asks for a warrant to arrest a lawmaker, the court sends a request to the prosecution to seek the National Assembly's consent to the arrest. The prosecution forwards the request to the National As
EditorialFeb. 20, 2023
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[Editorial] Temporary fix
President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday the government would freeze the price of public utilities, at least for the first half of the year, in a bid to ease the growing financial burden on the public following outcry over soaring heating bills and high inflation. At a meeting of economic ministers, Yoon requested the central government freeze public utility bills -- road, railroad and postal fees -- for the first half of this year. He also asked provincial governments to cooperate in stabilizing
EditorialFeb. 17, 2023
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[Tobias Bunde, Sophie Eisentraut] Re-envisioning liberal principles
While the world’s powers may not agree on much these days, most recognize that the world is at a critical juncture. US President Joe Biden’s National Security Strategy calls this the “decisive decade” in the contest for the future of the international order. Similarly, Russian President Vladimir Putin argues that the world is entering “the most dangerous, unpredictable, and at the same time most important decade since the end of World War II.” For German Cha
ViewpointsFeb. 17, 2023
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ASEAN-Korea Center kicks off annual council meeting
The ASEAN-Korea Center kicked off its annual council meeting in Seoul to review programs hosted in the fiscal year 2022 and discuss the budget for this year. Held after 3 years due to the pandemic, the offline meeting was attended by high level officials from governments, academia and the media of 10 ASEAN member countries. According to the AKC, the annual meeting is significant for ASEAN countries and Korea to bolster international cooperation efforts in the post-COVID era. The center will
Foreign AffairsFeb. 16, 2023
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ASEAN-Korea Center kicks off annual council meeting
The ASEAN-Korea Center kicked off its annual council meeting in Seoul to review programs hosted in the fiscal year 2022 and discuss the budget for this year. Held after 3 years due to the pandemic, the offline meeting was attended by high level officials from governments, academia and the media of 10 ASEAN member countries. According to the AKC, the annual meeting is significant for ASEAN countries and Korea to bolster international cooperation efforts in the post-COVID era. The center will pl
Foreign AffairsFeb. 16, 2023
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Waitingi Day celebrations in Korea
The New Zealand Embassy in Seoul commemorated Waitangi Day at the ambassador’s residence in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. Waitangi Day is celebrated as New Zealand's national day to commemorate the first signing of New Zealand's founding document, known as the Treaty of Waitangi, signed between the British Crown and about 540 Maori rangatira on Feb. 6, 1840. The commemoration was followed by a reception to bid farewell to friends in Seoul for New Zealand ambassador to Korea Phillip Turner.
Foreign AffairsFeb. 16, 2023
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[Lee Kyong-hee] Dokdo still unresolved as urgency mounts
Amid challenges to democracy around the world and military escalation in Asia, the United States, South Korea and Japan are discussing how to strengthen security cooperation. But Koreans have ample reason to feel uneasy. Will they be asked to ignore a territorial infringement that began 118 years ago? On Feb. 22, 1905, Japan arbitrarily “incorporated” Dokdo, a group of rocky islets known as Takeshima in Japan. The annexation supposedly was to ensure the safety of Japanese fishermen.
ViewpointsFeb. 16, 2023
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[Nicholas Goldberg] What Oscars tell us about the world
Just what do the Academy Awards tell us about the world we live in? I began thinking about this after I was contacted by Carl Plantinga, a research fellow and professor of film and media studies at Calvin University in Michigan. Plantinga was pushing a theory that, for better or worse, Oscars for best picture tend to honor films with simple, straightforward, morally clear messages and are less likely to go to morally complex or ambiguous films. His argument -- laid out as the Academy of Motion P
ViewpointsFeb. 16, 2023
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[Editorial] Salaried workers' blues
The government collected 57.4 trillion won ($45.3 billion) in earned income tax last year. The revenue increased 21.6 percent or 10.2 trillion won in a year. Compared with five years ago or 2017, it swelled 68.8 percent or 23.4 trillion won. Revenues from overall national taxation and general income tax increased 49.2 percent and 49.4 percent, respectively, over the five-year period. Total withholding income tax levied on salaried employees increased much faster than both general income tax an
EditorialFeb. 16, 2023
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[Editorial] Fatal child abuse
In back-to-back incidents, two young children have been found dead in Incheon this month in connection with alleged abuse and negligence by their parents, igniting criticism over the repeated failures of child protection services to safeguard children. On Feb. 2, a 2-year-old boy was found dead. Incheon Police Station took a 24-year-old woman into custody on suspicion of leaving her son at home alone for three days. Police suspect that the boy died of starvation, though investigations are still
EditorialFeb. 15, 2023
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[Kim Seong-kon] 'Where to?' Which path should we take?
When you take a taxi, the driver will ask, “Where to?” Upon knowing your destination, he will try to figure out the fastest way to reach it, avoiding traffic congestion and wrong turns, so you can arrive safely without any problems. Likewise, your political leaders should know your desired destination and choose the best way to reach it. If they happen to choose the wrong path or become blocked by traffic, if they have made a wrong turn at the intersection or have taken you to the wr
ViewpointsFeb. 15, 2023
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[Doyle McManus] Spy balloon deflates US-China detente
The Chinese balloon that floated across the United States this month, apparently on a mission to collect intelligence, began its journey as a curiosity. Then it became a political metaphor: a symbol of US weakness to Republicans, a sign of President Joe Biden’s prudence to Democrats. Now, more than a week after the US Air Force shot it down, the errant balloon is gone, but its impact is still reverberating. The incident, and the larger Chinese program it revealed, is a serious obstacle to
ViewpointsFeb. 15, 2023