The Korea Herald

[Chun Sung-woo] Reform requires balancing act

Jul 2, 2014

Seventy-eight days have passed since the Sewol ferry with 476 people aboard sank on April 16. As many as 293 people, mostly students of a high school on a trip, drowned, with 11 more still missing.It is not the first deadly maritime accident in Korea. On Oct. 10, 1993, the overcrowded and overloaded Seohae ferry capsized and sank, killing 292 of its 362 passengers.Accidents happen. Mother Nature and human error both cause them. But human casualties should be prevented or kept to a minimum. Why a
China’s picks for Hong Kong leader are the pits

Jul 2, 2014

If China wants Hong Kong residents to stop taking to the streets in protest, it should start picking better leaders.Of course, that’s exactly why an estimated 300,000 demonstrated yesterday and almost 800,000 voted in a recent unofficial referendum: to gain the right to choose the city’s chief executive officer. China won’t let them and is noncommittal about when, or if, that might happen. Not surprisingly, anger about China’s meddling, surging property prices, pollution and income disparities a
[Naomi Wolf] Hillary Clinton’s rhetoric alienates female voters

Jul 2, 2014

NEW YORK ― Hillary Clinton is annoying people again. Recently, she said in an interview that she and her husband were “dead broke” when they left the White House. This led to unhelpful headlines such as “Bill Clinton: Hillary Is ‘Not Out of Touch.’” The gaffe also opened the door for Republican attacks ― this being a standard campaign strategy that has dogged wealthy major-party candidates (as they all are) since George H.W. Bush was astonished by a grocery scanner.You would think that Clinton,
Why the Hobby Lobby decision bulwarks freedom

Jul 2, 2014

“What this law basically says is that the government should be held to a very high level of proof before it interferes with someone’s free exercise of religion.” ― President Bill Clinton, at his signing ceremony for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Nov. 17, 1993Since March 2010, as the Obama administration turned the Affordable Care Act into federal regulations, few provisions grew as controversial as the mandate that most employers provide insurance coverage for contraceptives. The most d
Is U.S. being duped into funding jihadist startup?

Jul 2, 2014

PARIS ― The Islamic terrorist army, often referred to as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, has made a faster womb-to-superstardom ascension than Justin Bieber. Largely unheard of just a few weeks ago, the group is now the self-proclaimed new ruler of an Islamic caliphate, or republic, extending across Iraq and Syria. These countries currently have internationally recognized heads of state ― but, you know, whatever, man. It’s not like U.S. President Barack Obama is going to stop ISIL. In
[Robert J. Fouser] Lifestyle migration to Jejudo

Jul 1, 2014

Koreans like to jump on trends, many of which are fed by upbeat media coverage. One such trend is leaving the rat race in Seoul for a quieter life elsewhere. Jejudo Island has become the most popular destination because of its natural beauty and easy access to Seoul by air. The trickle started with retirees who could move easily, but has recently expanded to include younger people who quit their jobs in Seoul to make the move. What is going on?The recent interest in Jejudo Island belies its trou
TPPing into irrelevance

Jul 1, 2014

Trade negotiators from a dozen countries will gather for their 20th official meeting in Ottawa, Canada, starting July 3 but all signs are indicating that talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership will not get very far, if anywhere at all. The meeting is part of a final push for an agreement in time for President Barack Obama’s visit to Asia for the APEC Summit in November. Since this will require members to sign on without fast-track assurance by the United States, it is likely that any announcemen
[Kim Seong-kon] Korea and the kingdom of heaven

Jul 1, 2014

Recently I came across Shiono Nanami’s “Story of the Crusades” and read it with great enthusiasm. The book reminded me of the mesmerizing epic movie “Kingdom of Heaven,” which I had seen in 2005. The movie happened to be showing on a cable channel last week, so I decided to watch it one more time. And it was worth watching again. Superbly directed by Ridley Scott, “Kingdom of Heaven” boldly touches upon the sensitive but compelling issue we now face: the clash between Christians and Muslims, whi
U.K.’s Cameron loses, so does Europe

Jul 1, 2014

British Prime Minister David Cameron has sustained what looks like his biggest political defeat. Knowing he was destined to lose, he forced a vote among European leaders on whether Jean-Claude Juncker should lead the European Commission. He lost 26-2, with only Hungary’s Viktor Orban backing him.Juncker is not the right man for the job, but the vote is a bigger disaster than his election. It almost makes another Cameron defeat ― in the U.K. parliamentary election in May 2015 ― necessary to keep
ISIL assault in Iraq leads to unusual alliance

Jul 1, 2014

American relations with the Middle East in general and with Syria in particular are in the process of taking some peculiar turns, reflecting the delicate policy nature of the region.The earlier U.S. policy of trying to replace the regime of President Bashar Assad with a more sympathetic one failed, first through the durability of Assad’s regime and second due to sharp divisions among the rebels against him, which included Islamist extremist elements opposed by the United States. On Thursday, Pre
The conscience of a U.S. conservative

Jul 1, 2014

This year, from the Supreme Court to the sports pages, discussions of racism have dominated the news. But let’s not kid ourselves and think this is all something new. When it comes to racial issues, the most unfairly maligned American of the last 50 years has been under fire for exactly that long.His name: Barry Goldwater.Political observers limit their summation of his long career as a U.S. senator and presidential candidate to one thing: his vote against the Civil Rights Act of 1964.It is one
[David Ignatius] Israel’s dreamer and doer

Jun 30, 2014

WASHINGTON ― At a farewell dinner for Israeli President Shimon Peres here Wednesday night, several of the American guests appeared to approach him with tears in their eyes. This emotional display was a sign of Peres’ personal impact on the U.S.-Israel relationship, and the way his departure marks the passing of an era. Peres, at 90, is the last iconic figure of Israel’s founding generation. All the powerful elements of Israel’s creation are part of his life story: He emigrated from Poland in 193
Climate change problem goes underwater

Jun 30, 2014

When it comes to climate change, almost all the attention is on the air. What’s happening to the water, however, is just as worrying ― although for the moment it may be slightly more manageable.Here’s the problem in a seashell: As the oceans absorb about a quarter of the carbon dioxide released by fossil-fuel burning, the pH level in the underwater world is falling, creating the marine version of climate change. Ocean acidification is rising at its fastest pace in 300 million years, according to
With immigration reform dead, Obama in trouble

Jun 30, 2014

For months, the dynamics of immigration reform have kept President Barack Obama off balance. On one side, he needed to reassure immigration activists and Hispanic voters that he would expend significant political capital in their behalf. On the other, he had to be certain not to wrap himself so fully in the issue that it became exclusively identified with him. If he were too bold, House Republicans, ever mindful of the base’s delicate feelings, would sink reform no matter how much it hurt them i
[Howard Davies] Looking beyond Juncker for EU leadership

Jun 30, 2014

LONDON ― The European Union appears to be capable of concentrating on only one problem at a time. This summer it is the question of who will succeed Jose-Manuel Barroso as President of the European Commission. British Prime Minister David Cameron has found himself fighting a rearguard action to try to block the appointment of the arch-federalist Luxembourger Jean-Claude Juncker.The Commission presidency is no doubt an important job. The Commission retains a monopoly on proposing new legislation,