The Korea Herald

[David Ignatius] On Iran, more time for negotiations

ViewpointsMay 29, 2012

WASHINGTON ― It’s a classic case of brinkmanship bargaining: Iran and the West, each seeking to squeeze concessions from the other side, have decided to continue their nuclear negotiations on June 17, a few weeks before a punishing new round of sanctions takes effect. The deadlock was described at the conclusion of Thursday’s negotiating session in Baghdad by Catherine Ashton, the EU’s chief diplomat and the West’s spokesperson: “It is clear that we both want to make progress, and that there is
Ten reasons to believe in European Union

ViewpointsMay 29, 2012

PARIS ― The euro, many now believe, will not survive a failed political class in Greece or escalating levels of unemployment in Spain: just wait another few months, they say, the European Union’s irresistible collapse has started.Dark prophecies are often wrong, but they may also become self-fulfilling. Let’s be honest: playing Cassandra nowadays is not only tempting in a media world where “good news is no news”; it actually seems more justified than ever. For the EU, the situation has never app
Success in enabling trade in a changing world

ViewpointsMay 29, 2012

Global trading patterns have become increasingly intertwined. So too has global prosperity. Rather than products or services simply originating in one country and being sold in another, value is often added by many countries involved in complex supply chains. This means that one country’s success in enabling trade not only plays a significant part in its own overall competitiveness, and by association, prosperity, but also has implications for the competitiveness of other countries. Moreover, si
[Kim Seong-kon] A land of mystery, contradictions, logical fallacies

May 29, 2012

In the eyes of foreigners, Korea must be a land of mystery in many respects. Once a destitute country ravaged by war and military dictatorships, South Korea has now achieved both unprecedented democratization and astonishing economic success called the “Miracle of the Han River” in the short span of 60 years. As a result, these days the Korean people can thoroughly enjoy freedom of speech and press, and frequently encounter Hyundai and KIA cars, Samsung smartphones and LG appliances when traveli
[VOICE] How can Korea end poverty?

May 28, 2012

With large numbers of people unable to afford basic goods ...How can Korea end poverty?Korea’s meteoric rise to prosperity since the 1960s is often cited as an almost unparalleled example of success in lifting a population out of poverty. But despite a vast improvement in living standards since the aftermath of the Korean War, poverty remains an everyday reality for a significant number of Koreans. According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, 15.2 percent of Koreans ear
[Editorial] DUP leadership race

EditorialMay 28, 2012

Moon Jae-in, a lawmaker-elect for the main opposition Democratic United Party, recently wrote a tweet suggesting how burdened and frustrated he felt about obstacles to his presidential challenge.The feeling was apparently exacerbated by the backlash against his alliance with two senior DUP members, which he had probably hoped would help lay the groundwork for his presidential bid.In return for their support, Moon appeared to have promised to throw his weight behind Rep. Park Jie-won and former P
[Editorial] Helping irregular workers

EditorialMay 28, 2012

The ruling Saenuri Party is planning to submit a dozen bills related to people’s livelihoods as soon as the new National Assembly begins its four-year term Wednesday.At the top of the list, which is scheduled to be finalized at a meeting of party policymakers Tuesday, will likely be a set of measures aimed at banning discrimination against irregular workers.Under the measures, which the ruling party wants to enact into law along with other priority bills within the first 100 days of the new parl
Is government propaganda resurgent in U.S.?

ViewpointsMay 28, 2012

Did you hear about the new bill that would allow the U.S. government’s official overseas information agency to rebroadcast its content onto American TV and radio? The bipartisan Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 was introduced in Congress last week by Reps. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Adam Smith (D-Washington), both of whom are presumably dissatisfied with their satellite TV package and think more government-produced content would go down better with an after-work beer.Not really. As Thornb
[Joel Brinkley] Youth unfazed by N.K. threat

ViewpointsMay 28, 2012

YEONPYEONG ISLAND, South Korea ― Just down the hill from a South Korean Air Force helipad here sits the air base’s barber shop, encased in glass. The front wall is floor-to-ceiling windows displaying shattered toilets in the men’s room and a gaping hole in the ceiling, wires and rebar still dangling.This barber shop was one of about 30 buildings damaged or destroyed in a North Korean rocket attack in November 2010. Now it’s a museum of sorts.You might think South Korea is keeping this and other
The new Egypt ― don’t give up hope!

ViewpointsMay 28, 2012

CAIRO ― A few days ago, I watched a debate between Amr Moussa and Abdel Moneim Aboul-fotoh, two of the leading candidates among the 13 running for president of Egypt. This stunning debate went on for more than four hours and was watched by millions of Egyptians and Arabs. Contrary to the perception around the world that Egypt is inexorably sinking into chaos and intolerance, this debate in many ways reflects the hope for a new Egypt following last year’s January 25 revolution.From the time of Ra
Hey, Germany: You got a European bailout, too

ViewpointsMay 28, 2012

In the millions of words written about Europe’s debt crisis, Germany is typically cast as the responsible adult and Greece as the profligate child. Prudent Germany, the narrative goes, is loath to bail out freeloading Greece, which borrowed more than it could afford and now must suffer the consequences. Would it surprise you to know that Europe’s taxpayers have provided as much financial support to Germany as they have to Greece? An examination of European money flows and central-bank balance sh
[Abdullah Gl] Turkey’s new course: Less military, more multilateral

ViewpointsMay 28, 2012

CHICAGO ― Turkey has recently been at the forefront of international economic and political debates. On the one hand, despite the economic crisis engulfing neighboring Europe, Turkey remains the world’s second-fastest growing economy, after China. On the other hand, there is almost no issue on the global agenda ― from Iraq and Afghanistan to Somalia, Iran, and the Arab Spring, and from sustainable development to a dialogue among civilizations ― on which Turkey is not playing a visible role.This
[Editoral] Landmark verdict

EditorialMay 27, 2012

The Supreme Court has rendered a landmark verdict for Koreans who have been seeking compensation from Japanese companies for their forced labor during the colonial period (1910-45). In two suits filed by 11 Koreans against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Nippon Steel Corp., the highest court ruled that the two Japanese enterprises should pay their former Korean employees unpaid wages and compensation for their suffering. The verdict carries deep legal, historical and political implications,
[Editoral] Repatriated remains

EditorialMay 27, 2012

Kim Yong-soo was drafted into the army right after the Korean War broke out in June 1950. At the time, he was 18. The student soldier died during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, a fierce 17-day engagement fought in the winter of 1950 between 12,000 U.S. troops and a 120,000-strong Chinese force at a reservoir in northeastern North Korea.Kim participated in the battle as a member of KATUSA or Korean Augmentation Troops to the United States Army. He was assigned to the U.S. 7th Infantry Division,
Shareholder spring that holds bosses to account

ViewpointsMay 27, 2012

Recent weeks have seen what some are calling a “shareholder spring” in the U.S. and Europe. Investors, led by institutional shareholders (traditionally a quiescent bunch), have protested pay awards for top executives at several big public companies, and in some cases have overturned them. European Union regulators are now considering a next step: giving owners a binding vote on top pay instead of the nonbinding “say on pay” that prevails in much of the EU and in the U.S. since 2011, compliments