Most Popular
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[AtoZ into Korean mind] Humor in Korea: Navigating the line between what's funny and not
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Yoon seeks rebound, taps 5-term lawmaker as chief of staff
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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Medical standoff deepens as doctors reject new med school plan, talks
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[Graphic News] 77% of young Koreans still financially dependent
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[Herald Interview] Why Toss invited hackers to penetrate its system
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N. Korea sends economic delegation to Iran amid suspected military cooperation
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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S. Korean envoys convene to navigate strategy amid Middle East tensions
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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
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[Editorial] ‘Sticky’ inflation
South Korea’s inflation rose back to over 3 percent in February due to the high prices of fresh food and energy, meaning both the Bank of Korea and the Yoon Suk Yeol administration face a bewildering situation where there are few quick fixes to tame rising prices. Consumer prices, a key measurement of inflation, rose 3.1 percent on-year last month, according to the data released by Statistics Korea on Wednesday. It was a discouraging development for policymakers who had expected inflation
EditorialMarch 8, 2024
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[Wang Son-taek] Election schedules and provocations of North Korea
With April's general election about a month away, predictions of more provocations from North Korea have increased. They say that North Korea is carrying out armed provocations to cause social chaos in South Korea ahead of the general election. Although large-scale South Korea-US joint military drills in March or an annulment of military agreement between the South and the North in November last year are direct factors in heightening military tensions, interpretation using the possible conn
ViewpointsMarch 7, 2024
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[Gernot Wagner] What does Trump mean for the climate?
It is easy to see how Donald Trump’s election to a second term would negatively affect the world’s climate -- and not just the political one. During his first term, more than 125 US environmental rules and policies were rolled back. Trump returning to the White House would be significantly worse for the environment and public health, and the damage would be harder to reverse. However, the technological revolution and fundamental market forces driving the low-carbon transition are too
ViewpointsMarch 7, 2024
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[Editorial] Foreign caregivers
As the rising cost of caregiving takes a toll on South Korean households, the Bank of Korea proposed two different ways of hiring foreign workers amid a growing imbalance between supply and demand for caregivers for the elderly and children. According to a report from the central bank released Tuesday, it cost about 3.7 million won ($2,770) per month last year for an individual to hire a caregiver at a long-term care hospital or other facilities for the elderly who are unwell. This amounts to ov
EditorialMarch 7, 2024
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[Kim Seong-kon] Are we on the brink of World War III?
Recently, authoritarian leaders from formerly imperialist countries are threatening the world that they will start World War III if their territorial expansion policy and dream of restoring their glorious past meet challenges from other countries. Accordingly, people are beginning to worry about the possibility of World War III, which could likely be a nuclear war resulting in global annihilation. In The Telegraph, Sherelle Jacobs recently wrote an intriguing article entitled: “World War T
ViewpointsMarch 6, 2024
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[Noah Feldman] Supreme Court buries fantasy of keeping Trump off ballot
The Supreme Court has unanimously concluded that Colorado can’t keep Donald Trump off the ballot. Section 3 of the 14th amendment, which says that a former officeholder who becomes an insurrectionist can’t hold federal office, won’t save us from a potential second Trump presidency. The court correctly rejected what I would call the National Treasure theory of the US Constitution, according to which an obscure, almost discarded provision could have determined the outcome of a pr
ViewpointsMarch 6, 2024
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[Editorial] Time to catch up -- fast
South Korea posted a trade surplus of $240 million with China, its biggest export destination, in February, the first surplus in 17 months since September 2022, according to government data. It is a welcome sign that the country’s trade balance with China swung to the black helped by a pickup exports of semiconductors. But this reversal in trade may be only temporary, as Korea faces an increasingly uphill battle with China in global trade as well as in technology competition. One depressin
EditorialMarch 6, 2024
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[Cynthia M. Allen] Tech without morality and IVF ruling
I have spent several days reading coverage of the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that recognized extrauterine embryos as children. Then I read the court’s actual decision and found that the two -- the coverage and the ruling -- have almost nothing in common. Headlines decry how the court has effectively “ended in-vitro fertilization” in the state, with breathless reports of clinics closing. Panicked current and prospective IVF parents, even some in Texas are described as &
ViewpointsMarch 5, 2024
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[Editorial] After-school child care
The new school year has now begun, with the fewest ever first graders – about 369,400 – starting the 12-year journey. Typical school hours will begin at 9 a.m. and end around 1 p.m., but many more first graders will be staying in school longer starting this semester. South Korea’s public elementary schools have run after-school child care programs for a select number of first and second graders. Children with both parents working have been given priority, and if there are more
EditorialMarch 5, 2024
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[Mariana Mazzucato, Ilan Strauss] The algorithm and its discontents
In a new lawsuit in the United States against Meta, 41 states and the District of Columbia argue that two of the company’s social-media products -- Instagram and Facebook -- are not just addictive but detrimental to children’s well-being. Meta is accused of engaging in a “scheme to exploit young users for profit,” including by showing harmful content that keeps them glued to their screens. According to one recent poll, 17-year-olds in the US spend 5.8 hours per day on s
ViewpointsMarch 5, 2024
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[Yoo Choon-sik] Chip exports recovery masks deeper issues
South Korea announced robust export figures for February last week, instilling a glimmer of hope that the nation could see an uptick in economic growth this year after enduring one of its lowest rates in modern history. The government emphasized that the surge in semiconductor sales abroad drove the brisk exports in February. On the surface, February's exports grew by just 4.8 percent from a year ago, according to data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy. However, the average d
ViewpointsMarch 4, 2024