The Korea Herald

[Anjani Trivedi] China spins a trade-deal trap in bad debt market

Jan 20, 2020

China is opening the deepest, darkest corner of its strained financial system to American financial institutions. It’s not clear why investors would want to go there, even with their eyes wide open. ...
[Noah Smith] The sitcom that gets America’s working class

Jan 20, 2020

Sitcoms are an underrated way of portraying the economic challenges faced by average people. “Atlanta” shows the travails of working-class black Americans navigating a world of hassle, insecurity and...
[Joseph E. Stiglitz] The truth about the Trump economy

Jan 19, 2020

As the world’s business elites trek to Davos for their annual gathering, people should be asking a simple question: Have they overcome their infatuation with US President Donald Trump? Two years ago...
[Digital Simplicity] What Cartman missed when he faked Tourette syndrome

Jan 17, 2020

When Eric Cartman in the animated TV series “South Park” came up with an evil plan to fake Tourette syndrome, the chief purpose was to say whatever he wanted. He took advantage of the fact that some ...
[Leonid Bershidsky] Libya’s endless war is what happens if US won’t lead

Jan 16, 2020

A solution to the civil conflict in Libya is the ultimate hot potato. A series of global and regional powers have tried to bring the warring sides together; Turkey and Russia were the latest to try a...
[David Fickling] HK could be a loser from trade deal

Jan 16, 2020

As the gateway for China’s trade with the world for more than 70 years, Hong Kong might be expected to benefit from the phase one deal that Beijing will sign with Washington on Wednesday. Chances are...
[Kim Myong-sik] Sadly reading Moon’s inaugural address again

Jan 15, 2020

The bumpy political path of our republic in the 21st century has had two major upheavals involving former presidents: the suicide of Roh Moo-hyun and the impeachment of Park Geun-hye. They resulted ...
[Elizabeth Drew ] Trump’s near miss with Iran

Jan 15, 2020

The recent tense, dangerous exchanges between the United States and Iran have revealed a great deal about US President Donald Trump’s management of his foreign policy. The main conclusion is that he ...
[Robert J. Fouser] Outlook for the National Assembly election

Jan 14, 2020

Rumbling and positioning for the National Assembly election this April will intensify after the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of January. The results of the election will impact the rest of Presi...
[Kim Seong-kon] True meanings of progressivism and conservatism

Jan 14, 2020

People say that today’s South Korea has become a battlefield between progressive and the conservative. The press, too, divides the people into these two categories. When there is an anti-government d...
[David Fickling] What ‘Parasite’ misses about inequality in Korea

Jan 13, 2020

To judge by “Parasite” -- Bong Joon-ho’s Golden Globe-winning portrait of three Seoul families thrown into queasy proximity by the country’s wealth divide — South Korea is an Asian version of Brazil ...
[J. Bradford DeLong] Isn’t a wealth tax common sense?

Jan 13, 2020

I was not surprised when leading Democratic primary contenders began endorsing a “wealth tax” along the lines of what has been proposed by my University of California, Berkeley colleagues Gabriel Zuc...
[Trudy Rubin] Phase 2 of US-Iran conflict will take place in Iraq

Jan 12, 2020

This is a moment -- in the wake of the Soleimani killing and the mild Iranian response -- when everyone needs to take a deep breath. Iranian officials are clearly shocked and debating their options....
[Serendipity] Judge a book by its cover, you stand to lose

Jan 10, 2020

This sounds rather silly. For a couple of years, I had seen copies of “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles on prominent display at the Kyobo Book Center. On the cover was a black-and-white photo of...
[David Fickling] Iran’s freaking out the oil market. It shouldn’t

Jan 9, 2020

It’s often said that the best time to buy is when there’s blood on the streets. The best time to sell oil, by contrast, is when the world’s gas tanks look empty. That’s reason to temper the fear and...