For the last 10 years or so, my family’s summer vacations have revolved around three places: Pyeongchang in Gangwon Province, Busan and Jejudo Island.Getting on a red-eye flight to arrive at a destination, disoriented from lack of sleep, just to lounge around in a tropical resort or dash about to historical sites for a few days before heading home on another long flight never appealed to us. This year, we returned to Jejudo Island after having skipped a few years. We did not have any plans ― exc

Several years ago, some older journalists protested a bit with education authorities when they belatedly found that the state-endorsed high-school Korean language textbook no longer contained the Korean translation of German poet Anton Schnack’s “Things That Make Us Sad.” People who went to high school in the 1950s-70s were so impressed by the early 20th-century prose poem that they tried to have it reincluded in the textbook, albeit unsuccessfully. The popularity here of the German writing that

To many, Seoul has been known as a paradise of public transportation. Its clean and fast subway system gets you to anywhere you want in virtually every corner of the city. The bus stops are equipped with digital signboards that tell you the estimated time of arrival of all buses using exclusive bus lanes. Taxis are cheap and readily available at the curbside. One transportation card works everywhere. The Passenger Transport Service Act and Urban Railroad Act enshrine the sanctity of public trans

The unexpected outcome of the recent parliamentary by-elections surprised us. It turned out to be a landslide victory for the ruling party and a catastrophic defeat for the opposition. While the former opened the Champagne to celebrate, the latter was severely damaged by the stunning defeat that resulted in the resignation of the two cochairmen of the party. People agreed that the calamitous defeat of the opposition party was inevitable for a number of reasons. The first mistake the opposition p

CLAREMONT, California ― In the boldest move yet since President Xi Jinping launched his anti-corruption campaign, China has announced the start of a formal investigation into “serious disciplinary violations” by one of the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior figures, Zhou Yongkang. Though rumors of Zhou’s political demise had been circulating for nearly a year, anyone familiar with Chinese political intrigue knew that, until the CCP made it official, Zhou’s many powerful patrons and cronies co

NEW YORK ― As the bombardment of Gaza continues, and the civilian death toll rises above 1,200 ― with children comprising one-quarter of the victims ― the world has become polarized. Supporters of Israel’s actions invoke its right to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks. Opponents argue that nothing justifies the mass killing of civilians and the destruction of essential infrastructure.Unsurprisingly, Israeli society is polarizing as well. Even as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s gover