The Korea Herald

[Herald Interview] Chang sees difference in FTA with China

Apr 21, 2011

Says free trade benefits vary with levels of developmentA noted critic of free trade agreements has offered a mixed assessment of a potential FTA between South Korea and China. Chang Ha-joon, an economist at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., has written numerous publications critical of free trade agreements. In books such as “Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of
Apple earnings strong, couldn’t meet iPad demand

World BusinessApr 21, 2011
[Editorial] Checks on reactors

EditorialApr 21, 2011

Concerns about the safety of the nuclear reactors in Korea are growing as problems arise in succession at the reactors of the Gori nuclear power plant near Busan. The Gori-1 reactor, the oldest in Korea, which started operation in 1978, shut down on April 12 after a fire destroyed one of its circuit breakers. At first, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. said a defective power switch caused the power
[Editorial] Defusing debt bomb

EditorialApr 21, 2011

The Korean economy is sitting on a ticking time bomb ― household debt that has topped 800 trillion won. To figure out the risks that this huge debt bomb poses to the national economy, one has only to remember that one percentage point hike in interest rates would increase the interest payment burden on households by 8 trillion won a year. No wonder the Bank of Korea has been hesitant to raise the
Bad immigration laws wilt under own weight

ViewpointsApr 21, 2011

Some political candidates campaigned last fall with a promise to “Take Back Our Country” and urged states to follow Arizona’s lead in enacting state immigration laws that would fill the void left by a neglectful federal government.The fervor grew intense as they whipped up a lather of fear. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer talked about headless bodies being dumped near the border with Mexico (which she lat
[Rajan Menon] The future of Libya

ViewpointsApr 21, 2011

The fighting in Libya has reached a stalemate: Moammar Gadhafi has proved far more resilient than his adversaries anticipated, and he has also exposed the limits of what can be accomplished by war from afar. If NATO decides to end the standoff by attacking his forces with greater ferocity, there’s only one nation (you guessed it) with the requisite power.This much is evident. What remains unclear
[Wei Jingsheng] A return to the Cultural Revolution?

ViewpointsApr 21, 2011

WASHINGTON ― On April 3, the Chinese Communist authorities secretly detained the well-known artist Ai Weiwei. Neither his family nor friends were notified of what happened to him, why he was seized or where he was. Like everyone else, they have now learned from the Xinhua News Agency that he is under investigation for “economic crimes.”Since this happened to one of China’s most well-known cultural
[Trudy Rubin] Dealing with Pakistan: A few suggestions

ViewpointsApr 21, 2011

The unhappy marriage of convenience between the United States and Pakistan survived another squabble last week.Pakistan threatened to halt CIA drone strikes against militants in its tribal areas, one of the only effective U.S. tools for hitting al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives based there. Pakistani officials then leaked their demand that Washington sharply reduce the number of CIA and special-forc
[Laurence Kotlikoff] Obama might trade parties with Paul Ryan

ViewpointsApr 21, 2011

We all know that Democrats want to spend more on people and Republicans want to tax people less. But giving someone an extra dollar is no different than taking a dollar less from that person; raising spending is the same as cutting taxes, and cutting taxes is the same as raising spending.Gee, maybe Democrats are closet Republicans, and Republicans are closet Democrats.Of course some spending isn’t
[Mohamed A. El-Erian] How risky is the global economy?

ViewpointsApr 21, 2011

NEWPORT BEACH ― Three years after the global financial crisis, the global economy remains a confusing place ― and for good reasons.Should we draw comfort from gradual healing in advanced countries and solid growth in emerging economies? Or should we seek refuge against high oil prices, geopolitical shocks in the Middle East, and continued nuclear uncertainties in Japan, the world’s third largest e
Pop star declared Haiti president

World NewsApr 21, 2011

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AP) ― Michel Martelly, a Haitian popular singer known by the stage name “Sweet Micky,” was officially declared the earthquake-devastated country’s next president, election officials said Wednesday.A spokesman for Haiti’s electoral commission, Pierre Thibault, said Martelly won the presidency with 67.57 percent of the vote, defeating rival candidate Mirlande Manigat.The announcement
France vows to step up airstrikes in Libya

World NewsApr 21, 2011

European officials portray assistance as effort to fill rebels’ military gapPARIS (AP) ― Europe has moved closer to doing what it said it wouldn’t do in Libya ― directly jump into the bid to overthrow leader Moammar Gadhafi.France said Wednesday it has already sent military officers to work with Libyan rebels on the ground, in addition to stepping up airstrikes. Italy and Britain have said they’re
SBS apologizes for Wednesday glitch

TelevisionApr 21, 2011

Broadcaster SBS apologized for a series of glitches that occurred on Wednesday evening, saying its internal power supply had been temporarily out of order.“We apologize to viewers for not being able to air our programs smoothly at around 9:30 p.m. on April 20, which occurred due to a problem in the internal power supply,” the broadcaster said on its website.The broadcaster was airing “LifeMaster”