The Korea Herald

[Kim Seong-kon] What will we reap ‘Five Years Later’?

ViewpointsJan 13, 2021

The city government of Seoul has recently come under fire for its “guidelines” for pregnant women who are preparing to give birth. The guidelines say that before going to the hospital, a pregnant wom...
[Kim Seong-kon] Greeting 2021, the Year of the Ox

ViewpointsJan 6, 2021

The year 2021 is the Year of the Ox. According to the Chinese horoscope, people born in the Year of the Ox have a strong sense of duty and responsibility. It states: “People born in the Ox year are r...
[Kim Seong-kon] Reminiscing about 2020 with woe and remorse

ViewpointsDec 30, 2020

Undoubtedly, history will remember 2020 as the Year of the Global Pandemic. For the first time since the Spanish flu hit the world in the early 20th century, a worldwide disease caused society to cha...
[Kim Seong-kon] Grateful for everything, even in the pandemic

ViewpointsDec 23, 2020

Christmas is just around the corner, but sadly, this year Santa Claus may not be able to come due to the pandemic. Still, however, we should be grateful for his lifetime of service to children, comin...
[Kim Seong-kon] Driving under the influence in Korea

ViewpointsDec 9, 2020

Recently in Seoul, a Taiwanese student tragically died of a traffic accident caused by a drunk driver, while she was crossing the street during the “Walk” signal. It was heartbreaking to think about ...
[Kim Seong-kon] Wrong translations invite misunderstandings

ViewpointsDec 2, 2020

Due to cultural differences, wrong translations of English words into Korean occurs frequently and inevitably. The problem is that such erroneous translations may lead to inaccurate perceptions of ot...
[Kim Seong-kon] Why are Koreans at the MAGA March?

ViewpointsNov 25, 2020

While US President Donald Trump has not yet officially conceded his election loss, approximately 10,000 Trump supporters recently gathered at One Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC for the “Million MAGA...
[Kim Seong-kon] What lies ahead us in the Biden era?

ViewpointsNov 18, 2020

Recently, US President-elect Joseph Biden announced, “I’m telling world leaders that America is back.” In response, world leaders applauded his message, saying, “Welcome back, America.” As America is...
[Kim Seong-kon] When “shinbaram” blows in Korea

ViewpointsNov 11, 2020

One of the distinctive characteristics of Korean culture is “sinbaram.” In Korean, “sin” (pronounced “shin”) means God or spirits and “baram” means wind. When someone is excited, Koreans say, “sinbar...
[Kim Seong-kon] Domestic ghosts vs. foreign evils

ViewpointsNov 4, 2020

“Munyeodo,” which can be translated as “Portrait of a Shaman” or “The Shaman Painting,” is a short story by Kim Tong-ni that depicts the clash between traditional Korean shamanism and Western Christi...
[Kim Seong-kon] Hurting people over political ideologies

ViewpointsOct 28, 2020

So many of us these days cling to a particular political ideology to which we religiously subscribe. Then, almost as a matter of course, we build a faction of like-minded people and flock together, w...
[Kim Seong-kon] Seven baffling things in Korea

ViewpointsOct 21, 2020

There are a myriad of enigmatic things happening in Korea these days, whether in the North or the South. For example, North Korea confuses us by showing us a friendly gesture recently, while displayi...
[Kim Seong-kon] South Korea through the eyes of a doctor and an AI prophet

ViewpointsOct 14, 2020

Recently, a friend of mine sent me a summary of Dr. In Yohan’s speech on the current situation of South Korea. Dr. In, also known as John Linton, is the son of an American missionary who built church...
[Kim Seong-kon] Things that make us ashamed these days

ViewpointsOct 7, 2020

Shame, though painful or unpleasant, is an integral virtue of human beings. Human decency and integrity stem from a sense of shame. If we are shameless and brazen, we are no longer human and reduced ...
[Kim Seong-kon] Learning from inspirational phrases on internet or in films

ViewpointsSept 30, 2020

Recently on the internet, I came across a rather penetrating passage that says, “The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism, but under the name of liberalism, they will adopt every frag...