Korea, China and Japan believe free trade among themselves will help promote prosperity for each of them. As such, they agreed on May 12 to start negotiations on a trilateral free trade agreement this year. Should the proposed trilateral accord be successfully negotiated, no bilateral accord would be needed. But free trade among the Northeast Asian countries is easier said than done because they are at different stages of industrialization. No wonder each of them is in pursuit of bilateral trade

China’s $3.3 trillion of currency reserves are a nice thing to have when you want to polish your image. Even if money can’t buy you love, it sure can buy lots of positive buzz. The most-populous nation has been throwing tens of billions of dollars at its prestige deficit for a decade, all part of an effort to enhance China’s soft power, something of which the U.S., for all its crises, has a surplus. Why else would Chinese dissidents head to U.S. shores, or embassies, for shelter? Why do so many

Not everyone was a big fan of the stiletto. Just like Christian Dior’s voluptuous, bell-shaped skirts, the tall, thin heels drew criticism even at the height of their popularity. In a primer called “The Essential Eve: A Guide to Women’s Perfection,” a doctor advised: “Excessively high heels will always be a source of danger to feet and eventually to health.” Wearing such shoes causes the calf muscles to contract so much, he said, “it becomes almost impossible to walk.” A New York Times headline

PRISTINA, Kosovo ― Syria is not on the path to peace through the present form of the six-point plan of Kofi Annan, supported by the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.The plan is based on the goodwill of President Assad to stop the repression of political dissent and punitive military actions against communities where an insurrection has arisen over the last year. The plan also presupposes that once the repression and the killing have stopped, a “dialogue on transition” will begin.Th

The controversy surrounding the lawmakers-elect of the Unified Progressive Party boils down to two questions. One is whether the party’s proportional lawmakers-elect who were selected through fraud-ridden primaries should resign or not, while the other is if it is acceptable for North Korea sympathizers to become lawmakers.The first question is not so difficult to answer. A majority of party members and ordinary citizens outside the left-wing minority party rightly think that they should step do

President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to Myanmar earlier this week was significant as it signaled Korea’s willingness to help the Southeast Asian nation transition to democracy and achieve economic development.The landmark visit ― the first by a South Korean president in 29 years ― was also intended to give a message to North Korean leaders. What Lee wanted to say can be summed up as: “Look at Myanmar. If you open up, plenty of support will come your way.” Lee’s decision to visit Myanmar must have bee

Now that Vladimir Putin is Russia’s president once again, the result of still another fraudulent election, we should expect ever more hostile relations with Moscow.Putin, a vain and vulgar man, was born and bred to despise the United States. And in recent times, Washington has given him little reason to change his mind.The latest example: President Obama waited several days before calling Putin to congratulate him on his election victory this month ― though Obama did manage to call Francois Holl

Manila should not get deep into a tit for tat with Beijing over the Scarborough Shoal dispute despite the two capitals trading barbs against each other. While the exchange is understandable and has been kept to levels short of open hostilities, the Philippines should focus on elevating the dispute to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). A month after the standoff, the Philippines has not made good its plan to elevate the matter to ITLOS unilaterally. If Manila thinks that i

Thousands of tickets have been sold for the Lady Gaga concert, scheduled for June 3. If the event is canceled, fans will surely get their money back, as with previously abandoned music performances. But the reason this time would officially not be a security threat in light of a recent bombing attack, prompting organizers to call off the concert. In the words of the police, it would be because the star “indulges in revealing her body, dancing erotically and spreading pornography.”Speaking for th

While there are no known foolproof solutions to conflicting territorial claims in international politics, patience and self-restraint seem to be a sensible course of action for all the claimants, because if a dispute degenerates into armed conflict, none of the claimants can be assured of the outcome and may even end up losing more than they might have otherwise gained. There is also the risk of conflicts spilling over into new fights and the danger of collateral damage. A case in point is the d

New findings about the government office that conducted surveillance on private citizens critical of President Lee Myung-bak raise the possibility that Lee, his chief of staff, or both, received reports on the spying. Lee needs to make clear whether or not he was involved.A widening investigation into the case also bolsters the belief that Kwon Jae-jin should resign as justice minister because his retention of the post is thwarting a criminal investigation into the role he allegedly played in co