President Donald Trump’s intention to persuade China to play by long-established international trade rules is commendable. But focusing on the US trade deficit with China, and imposing tariffs to eliminate it, has proven ineffective. Now, the coronavirus has given Trump an opportunity to shelve that failed strategy and immediately eliminate tariffs on Chinese imports. This shot in the arm will likely be reciprocated by China, stimulate our economies, and give Trump the opportunity to cha

Amid the growing concerns of COVID-19 spread in South Korea, international schools are planning and have instituted online learning programs that were rolled out to all students during school closure. Now a global pandemic, international schools in Seoul, are in their fourth week of online learning. Dwight’s online learning program’s stated mission is to harness innovative technologies while keeping its core principles in mind -- personalized learning, global vision, and community,

As global supply chains break, airlines slash flights, borders rise within nation-states, stock exchanges convulse with fear, and recession looms over economies, from China to Germany, Australia to the United States, we can no longer doubt that we are living through extraordinary times. What remains in question, however, is our ability to comprehend them while using a vocabulary derived from decades when globalization seemed a fact of nature, like air and wind. For the coronavirus signals a rad

Like the eye of a hurricane, the epicenter of coronavirus disease COVID-19 has shifted from Asia to Europe, bringing with it a rising toll of infections, deaths and economic damage. After a messy few weeks in which the region’s leaders seemed incapable of hitting on a common response to the crisis -- which has hit health care, consumer confidence and financial markets all at once -- last weekend marked a turning point. France and Spain announced draconian steps, similar to those seen in v

First the NBA postponed its season, with no immediate resumption in sight, and then March Madness was canceled. Broadway has been shuttered, along with other public entertainments across the country, Disneyland included. These are prudent if belated steps. Nonetheless a question arises: If every empire needs bread and circuses, where will Americans turn for the latter? Which public spectacles will keep us all distracted? One obvious response is the internet. For younger generations especially,

Ostensibly, the 2020 Academy Award-winning South Korean film “Parasite” seems to depict the problems of a polarized society here, sharply divided between the rich and the poor. That was why Korean left-wing politicians hailed the movie as a victory of socialism over capitalism and tried to use the movie’s international recognition for political gain so that they can win the upcoming election in April. After watching the movie, however, viewers realize that such a view is only

Hospitals often speak of what’s called “surge capacity” -- the ability to absorb a sudden influx of patients because of a terrorist attack, a natural disaster, or even, yes, a pandemic. Given the possible influx of patients sickened by the new coronavirus, how much of a surge can U.S. hospitals accommodate? Not as much as you might think. For years, cost-conscious hospitals have emulated the lean, just-in-time principles that have revolutionized manufacturing. The result has b

It is a cliche of our times to hail something as a tipping point -- a happening that will change something forever. And what Americans experienced throughout Wednesday really didn’t happen in a way that felt like we’d been through a suddenly sensational tipping point. What it felt like, at day’s end, was a more subtle sensation of change that built slowly throughout the day. By nighttime, we began to individually sense that what we had just seen and sensed was a day in which w

The novel coronavirus has landed at my doorsteps. Literally. Almost 60 days into the COVID-19 outbreak, my mobile phone screeched an alert with a message that two people in my neighborhood were confirmed with the respiratory illness. My mind raced, trying to retrace my steps over the past several days hoping that our paths did not cross. Following the patients’ movements posted on my district’s website, I let out a sigh of relief. It was a close call. This has become the new norm

People don’t like being told what to do, and when agitated they really dislike being told to be less agitated. So rather than just tell you not to panic (seriously, DON‘T PANIC), I will offer some thoughts about what is going on today, this week and perhaps the next quarter or two. But here’s what to keep in mind: Much of this is just guesswork, and it‘s worth being skeptical of anyone who says they know how this will turn out. Let’s start with what we know so far:

With his string of primary losses today to former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders has revitalized the institution that he most loves to hate: the Democratic Party. Sanders had hoped to overrun the party. Instead, he inspired resistance among older blacks, suburban white moderates, feminists, pragmatists, patriots -- all those loosely affiliated voters whose priorities may vary but who share the paramount goal of removing Donald Trump from the White House. “Voters are making

The idea of taxing things that are bad for society has a powerful allure. It offers the possibility of a double benefit -- discouraging harmful activities, while also providing the government with revenue. Take sin taxes. Taxes on alcohol make it more expensive to get drunk, which reduces binge drinking and impaired driving. At the same time, they provide state and local governments with billions of dollars of revenue. Tobacco taxes, which generate more than twice as much, have proven instrumen

Three years after her impeachment and subsequent imprisonment, former president Park Geun-hye revealed her intent to play a part in Korean politics and she proved she still could. Her letter from prison publicized by her defense lawyer called for unity of her supporters and other anti-government forces, alarming both ruling and opposition camps ahead of the general election about a month away. In the handwritten letter of some 250 words, she expressed her deep concerns for the people of Daegu

Since March began, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, has spread rapidly around the world, causing broad disruption in its wake. The speed of the spread has caught leaders and public health officials off guard and has forced them to scramble to contain the spread of the disease. Fear has set in as the public search for answers amid conflicting messages from leaders and the media. The world has been through global pandemics before. The worst on record remains the Spanish flu from early 19