An experts’ report on the future of the nation’s health insurance system offered an extremely grim outlook ― a 16 trillion won ($14 billion) annual deficit by 2020 even if salaried workers steadily increase their insurance premium payments. The long-term estimate by the Health Insurance Policy Institute under the National Health Insurance Corp. sounded like an answer to the opposition Democratic P

Children cry watching the TV news as a dozen piglets and their mother are shown being dumped into a hole in a farm in a foot and mouth disease-infected area. Internet users are saddened to read the diary of a young man in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, who had to kill and bury 121 cattle because a truck that visited his farm the day before was found to have earlier stayed in a confirmed FMD-infected pla

The dazzling steps China has taken recently to expedite wider and better use of the yuan in cross-border trade and investment mark the country’s latest efforts to make its currency truly international. This accelerated pace to internationalize the yuan was long overdue. But given the complexity and problems with the global financial and currency systems, Chinese policymakers need not go too fast o

The year of the rabbit has just begun, but in the first few weeks of 2011, it has been the tiger gaining all the attention. In a spontaneous Tiger Mask movement, anonymous citizens throughout Japan have been donating school backpacks and other items to orphanages and child welfare centers in the name of Naoto Date, the hero of the “Tiger Mask” manga and anime popular some 40 years ago. Date, a wre

New year, new crisis. No sooner had Europe’s bond traders, politicians and central bankers gotten back to their desks than it was time to begin tussling over the fate of a small economy on the periphery of Europe.This time around, it’s Portugal. And yet the script seems very similar to the one played out already in Greece and Ireland. Bond yields surge. The government denies furiously there is any

Republicans, riding high in Washington and in most state capitals, are sitting on a time bomb: immigration.There’s a division coursing through the party; many of the Tea Party types and social conservatives believe the tough-on-immigration posture paid dividends in the November congressional elections and want to ratchet up the pressure. Congressional leaders want to put the issue on the back burn

In the film, “The Social Network,” one of the Winklevoss twins digs in his heels when his furious brother urges a lawsuit against a fellow Harvard student for stealing their idea and turning it into Facebook.(Which twin was which, I don’t know. Who could tell the difference between Cameron and Tyler, played by the same actor?)But one of them, along with their partner, really, really wanted to sue

Around midterm week in the fall semester at Chinju National University of Education an inspiration turned into reality.Over a bowl of bibimbap with my colleague, Kerri Strothard, I brought up the idea of having a fundraiser for the holiday season. Both of us were the newest members to the CUE English Department and knew very little about Jinju or the locals. I had built my roots in Korea from Gwan

Immigrants in Korea have become more active in enjoying cultural activities, a government survey showed Tuesday.According to the survey on 1,017 immigrants aged over 20 randomly picked by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the percentage of the respondents who enjoyed stage arts, classical music concerts and dance performances at least once in the past year tripled to 22 percent in 2010