Most Popular
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Confusion over alleged S. Korean drone intrusion: Who's behind it?
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More homeroom teachers asking to be replaced amid teachers rights dispute
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N. Korea sends 20 more trash balloons toward S. Korea: JCS
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Han Kang’s Nobel Prize opens new horizons for Korean literature
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Biden proposes holding trilateral summit this year
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K-pop song once recommended by Nobel laureate Han Kang returns to music charts
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Jennie tops iTunes charts in 47 countries with 'Mantra'
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SK heiress weds Chinese American entrepreneur
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Riize speaks out on Seunghan’s return
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2 Filipinas who left pilot program cite overwork, excessive surveillance
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[Dmytro Ponomarenko] Ukraine celebrates 33rd anniversary of independence.
On Aug. 24, Ukraine is going to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of its independence. Although independent Ukraine appeared on the political map of the world relatively recently, the history of the Ukrainian nation goes back more than a thousand years. Deeply rooted in the traditions of the medieval Kievan Rus and later of the Cossack republic, the Ukrainians throughout their long history strived for their own state, free from occupation or colonization by a neighboring people. Nowadays, as Ukrain
ViewpointsAug. 21, 2024
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[Robin Abcarian] JD Vance’s ‘cringey’ view on women
I was minding my own business, living my grandbaby-free postmenopausal life, when I was suddenly confronted with an existential question: What -- to borrow Barbie‘s lament -- was I made for? And why should I care what Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance thinks? Normally, I don‘t engage in evolutionary biology-based navel-gazing. I’ve heard too many sophomoric arguments about how men are biologically programmed to be unfaithful, blah blah blah. I‘m too busy worki
ViewpointsAug. 21, 2024
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[Contribution] Tracking international fugitives: Commitment to global cooperation against cross-border crimes
By Kim Dong-kwon With the increasing globalization of crime and the ease of moving across borders, more criminals are absconding to other countries immediately after committing offenses. Furthermore, criminal organizations operate across multiple nations and quickly move their operation between countries with the intention to disrupt police investigations. In response, the Korean National Police Agency has made significant strides in apprehending and repatriating fugitives. Following the repatri
ViewpointsAug. 21, 2024
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[Kim Seong-kon] The older generation in the eyes of the young
With every generation, we see older people lament that younger people are rude and undisciplined. In the eyes of the old, young people are impudent and insolent, impetuous and impulsive, in short: “enfants terribles.” Historians say that older people have been critical of younger people for the past 2,500 years or so of human history. Nevertheless, what about the image of the older generation in the eyes of the young? To young people, older people may look hopelessly pathetic and dep
ViewpointsAug. 21, 2024
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[Editorial] Time to refocus
After months of partisan wrangling that has paralyzed the legislative procedures for passing bills, South Korea’s ruling and opposition parties are finally set to explore ways to work together. The momentum comes with both parties having elected new leaders, but there are concerns that the same old political play might be repeated. On Sunday, Rep. Lee Jae-myung was reelected to lead the Democratic Party of Korea, which currently dominates the National Assembly. Lee won 85.4 percent of the
EditorialAug. 21, 2024
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[James Coltella] Way to fruitful political discourse
My accent as an Englishman in America hasn’t protected me from the whiplash of dating and ghosting. It strikes me that many people prefer to leave silence to do the talking, rather than express an opinion that might not be well received. Yet ghosting is the epitome of bad manners. Surely as a society, we owe it to each other to be honest, giving closure rather than adding confusion? Unfortunately, it appears that ghosting isn’t just a phenomenon in dating. It’s everywhere, incl
ViewpointsAug. 21, 2024
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[Jan-Werner Mueller] Populism‘s lost summer
Think back to late June and early July. The French far right was favored to win a snap parliamentary election. Trumpist judges in the United States were conveniently resolving the legal woes of the former president, who seemed to be gliding to victory after President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance. And while Britain was getting a Labor government, a new anti-immigration party led by the chief Brexiteer, Nigel Farage, had made unprecedented gains. Faced with it all, pundits warne
ViewpointsAug. 20, 2024
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[Editorial] Keep up cooperation
The leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan on Sunday issued a joint statement praising the achievements of their cooperation since their historic Camp David summit a year ago and vowed to bolster it. In August last year, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held their summit at the US presidential retreat, where they adopted the Camp David Principles, a comprehensive framework for guiding trilateral cooperation. Their
EditorialAug. 20, 2024
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[Grace Kao] K-pop’s pursuit on the US Billboard charts
I eagerly waited until midnight on August 20, 2020, for the debut of BTS’ “Dynamite” on YouTube. The music video was released at midnight in my time zone -- Eastern Standard Time -- on a Thursday night. Why didn’t it debut at midnight in Korea? The reason is very simple. New singles are released at 12 midnight Thursday night (or technically Friday morning) Eastern Standard Time because the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart begins its count of weekly sales and streams startin
ViewpointsAug. 20, 2024
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[Rachel Greszler] Universal basic income is no panacea
Do we need universal basic income? Some economists say we do. They claim that UBI -- a taxpayer-funded minimum monthly payment with no strings attached -- would reduce poverty and inequality; improve physical and mental health; and provide financial security so that recipients can earn a degree, launch a business, or care for family members. But we don’t have to take their word for it. A recent UBI experiment has given us some real-world results. Nineteen counties in Texas and Illinois tes
ViewpointsAug. 19, 2024
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[Yoo Choon-sik] Don’t expect poor domestic demand curing itself
While South Korea's economy appears to sustain growth thanks to robust exports of a few big-ticket items, a slew of statistics released in recent weeks points to a deepening slump in domestic consumption. Against this backdrop, policy authorities seem to lack both the will and the tools to change course. Statistics Korea’s retail sales index fell 2.9 percent in volume terms during the second quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2023, marking the worst drop in 15 years s
ViewpointsAug. 19, 2024
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[Editorial] Conflicting conclusions
The latest view of the South Korean government on the country’s economic recovery appears largely optimistic, which is in contrast with the projections of research institutes both at home and abroad, reminding observers of the old parable of the blind men and the elephant. Government officials and economic researchers are not exactly blind to the specific twists and turns in the country’s economy, but the way they analyze the current state -- based on the facts they pick and choose -
EditorialAug. 19, 2024
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[Lee Byung-jong] Living in age of conspiracy theories
Does anybody remember the mad cow disease scare that rocked all of South Korean society 16 years ago? According to the theory, people were supposed to have melted brains if they eat US beef. Massive anti-US beef protests paralyzed downtown Seoul for weeks, crippling the administration of President Lee Myung-bak that tried to assuage the concern with scientific evidence. Fortunately, nobody I know of has died of the disease and people around me very much enjoy US beef now that is cheaper than han
ViewpointsAug. 16, 2024
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[Editorial] Another setback for Kakao
Kakao, the South Korean tech heavyweight known for its popular messenger, has suffered another setback as its mobile payments unit, Kakao Pay, allegedly shared the credit and personal data of some 40 million customers with Chinese fintech firm Alipay without their consent, touching off a firestorm of public criticism. On Tuesday, the Financial Supervisory Service revealed that Kakao Pay had provided extensive information on all its users, including usernames, phone numbers, email addresses, bala
EditorialAug. 16, 2024
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[Room Tone] 60 minutes to airtime
It’s a balmy afternoon sometime in 2010, and you and 40 co-workers are gathered at a scenic park on the eastern outskirts of Seoul getting ready to shoot Scene No. 45 of episode 12 of a highly-rated television drama. Despite the tranquil appearance, there is a small and pressing problem: Episode 12 is scheduled to air later tonight. The director of photography (DP) is desperately staring up at the sky; if they don’t finish shooting in the next 45 minutes, they will lose the sun to
ViewpointsAug. 15, 2024
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[Hello India] India and S. Korea: Forging stronger ties for brighter future
As we commemorate the 77th anniversary of Independence Day for India, I extend my heartfelt greetings to all fellow citizens, the vibrant Indian diaspora in the Republic of Korea, and our esteemed Korean friends. This day also marks the 79th anniversary of Liberation Day for Korea, and I wish its people and government continued success, good health and prosperity. Over the years, the ROK has achieved impressive success across all fields of human endeavor, particularly advanced manufacturing, t
Foreign AffairsAug. 15, 2024
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[Kwang W. Kim] Korea needs a new social contract
In my last essay for The Korea Herald, I introduced the idea of the "Paradox on the Han River." To understand South Korea today, one must squarely face two contradictory realities. One is of incredible success, a rag-to-riches story with global brands, an addictive K-culture and a rising power at the Olympics. Political progress followed this success. Korea is a rare nation in the modern era with a conviction around constitutional democracy. At the same time, Korea’s youth is cha
ViewpointsAug. 15, 2024
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[Editorial] Establish principles
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday approved the reinstatement of former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo. Yoon's move to reinstate the rights of Kim came as part of his decision to grant special pardons for 1,219 convicts on the occasion of Liberation Day which falls on Aug. 15. Kim’s reinstatement was a contentious issue even before Yoon’s approval. Han Dong-hoon, chair of the ruling People Power Party, opposed Kim’s reinstatement on the grounds that he refuses to adm
EditorialAug. 15, 2024
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[Wang Son-taek] Korea’s standing at Olympics over 100 years
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris wrapped up a 17-day run with a dazzling closing ceremony on Sunday. Although the South Korean team participated in the event with its smallest number of athletes since 1976, it exceeded expectations by winning 32 medals, including 13 gold medals. In the overall medal standings, South Korea ranked eighth, placing itself among the ranks of France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany as one of the top 10 sports powers. It may look natural now to
ViewpointsAug. 14, 2024
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[Kim Seong-kon] We should think big and global
The way we perceive things is often provincial and parochial rather than global and universal. We assume that people in other countries think the same way as we do. In many cases, however, foreigners think differently due to cultural differences. Therefore, we need to think big and global, while embracing different opinions and perspectives. Our love of ivy and pine trees can be a good example. In Korea, we like ivy because it decorates a building beautifully by crawling all over it and giving i
ViewpointsAug. 14, 2024