It’s possible that not every problem has a technological solution. That will come as a shock to U.S. policymakers, who since the 9/11 terrorist attacks have invested in multiple technologies to protect us from evildoers. Some have been a success, while others ― such as enhanced surveillance techniques or airport scanners that can peer through clothing ― are often seen as unacceptable invasions of privacy. And then there are ideas that simply don’t work or are impractical, such as scanning every

One needs to look no further than the Korean-English and English-Korean dictionary to see where we must start if we want to truly internationalize the teaching of Korean language. Most English-Korean and Korean-English dictionaries (all dictionaries that I have ever seen) are written in a manner that discourages foreigners from learning Korean. I think that it would be easy to create truly foreigner-friendly dictionaries and the investment could revolutionize the status of Korean language around

Two years have passed since North Korea shelled the South’s Yeonpyeongdo in the West Sea. The artillery bombardment on Nov. 23, 2010 killed two soldiers and two civilians, injured many others, and devastated villages on the peaceful island.It was the first attack by the North against civilians in the South since the Korean War ended in 1953. As reasons for its deadly bombing, Pyongyang cited firing drills by the marines on the island. Yet it was nothing more than a thinly veiled pretext for its

2012 will go down as a meaningul year in Korea’s film history. In September, Korean movie “Pieta,” directed by Kim Ki-duck, won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, becoming the first Korean movie to claim the top prize of one of the world’s three most prestigious film festivals. The domestic film industry has recently set a more significant milestone: It broke the 100 million mark in annual audience number for the first time. According to the Korean Film Council, this year’s combi

PARIS ― A colleague mentioned earlier this week how thankful he is that he can tell anyone who deserves it to go take a flying leap. (Actually, his precise words are unprintable, but you get the idea.) At first glance, such uninhibited opinion-sharing might seem rude and unacceptable, but upon further reflection, it becomes clear how individuals rising up and courageously telling off the creeps who deserve it would benefit society as a whole, and how capitalism in particular is the perfect vehic

The chameleon is finally showing his true colors.Since taking office in June, Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s not-so-new president, has been equivocating, trying to balance Egypt’s longstanding diplomatic and financial relationship with the West with his true self: a Muslim Brotherhood fundamentalist who is contemptuous of the West, hates Israel and wants to turn Egypt into a fully Islamic state.“He speaks of moderation for the West,” Perihan Abou-Zeid, a 28-year-old Egyptian officer for a media-producti

Probably as another effect of the prolonged global economic downturn, both the outflow of Korean students abroad and the influx of foreign students here have fallen this year.As of last April, 154,178 Korean students were studying degree courses at foreign institutions of higher learning, down 6.1 percent from a year earlier, according to figures from the Education Ministry. It marks the first time since 2005 that the number of overseas Korean students has recorded a year-on-year drop. Even at t

In his closing remarks during a TV debate with Rep. Moon Jae-in, the presidential nominee of the main opposition Democratic United Party, Wednesday night, independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo said he could not have reached where he stands now without the support of the public. He said he would try to bring in “common sense politics in which the people win.”But the late night debate was certainly far from what the people, including Ahn’s ardent supporters, would have wanted to see. It was preceded

Japan stands at a crossroads. The direction it takes will be critical to determining whether Japan can remain one of the world’s leading nations.As political gridlock continues and the economy staggers along, the people’s sense that the country is stagnating has been growing. How can the nation overcome this situation?During the upcoming House of Representatives election campaign, we urge each party to present the course they want Japan to pursue and a new “vision” for this nation. Each party th

Even though the reelected U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Myanmar this week will be brief, it will have a series of significant outcomes for Myanmar and the region. Make no mistake, his visit is part of a long-term strategic plan by U.S. decision-makers, who view the once most condemned nation in the world as a key future ally.The U.S. knows this is the best time to approach Myanmar because the Thein Sein government has demonstrated its willingness to engage with the West, especially the

It is extremely rare for a prosecutor to detain an incumbent prosecutor suspected of committing a criminal offense. The usual practice is for the prosecution to take the process of receiving a letter of resignation from a prosecutor involved in a criminal case before arresting him. Such a process supposedly helps both the prosecution and the errant prosecutor save what little face they have left.On Monday, however, a special prosecutor arrested an incumbent prosecutor, Kim Kwang-joon, who is sus