The Korea Herald

[Kim Seong-kon] A curious ideological blend

Apr 1, 2014

Foreigners are often impressed by the commendable characteristics of the Korean people such as their admirable community spirit, astonishing diligence and warmth. They praise the Korean spirit of dogged persistence, which eventually enables Koreans to accomplish remarkable achievements, both economic and political. Foreigners also admire Koreans’ superb craftsmanship, which has made South Korea one of the best in IT technology.At the same time, however, foreigners are perplexed by some of the pe
Erdogan channels Putin in Turkey

Apr 1, 2014

Turkey’s religious conservatives are rejoicing at Sunday’s local-election win for the ruling Justice and Development Party. For the country as a whole, there’s little to celebrate. As Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made clear in his victory speech, retribution against his enemies and a polarizing presidential election campaign will follow.Sunday’s result is undeniably impressive. The prime minister managed to boost his party’s share of the popular vote to 46 percent from 39 percent, despite
[Trudy Rubin] Help Syrians under siege

Mar 31, 2014

When Bashar Assad’s forces gassed the Damascus suburb of Moadamiyeh in August, the fumes penetrated Qusai Zakaria’s apartment within minutes. A female neighbor knocked on his door with two unconscious children, but he couldn’t breathe or talk.The 29-year-old struggled to the street, where women and children were running about wildly and dropping dead; he saw a young teenager with pale blue eyes on the ground “staring at nothing.” Then his heart stopped, and his body was thrown on a pile of corps
Beware the rise of Putin the Terrible

Mar 31, 2014

At the moment, our preoccupation is President Vladimir Putin’s next move outside Russia. Will he invade eastern Ukraine? Will he move into Moldova? But even more worrisome than these territorial issues is what Putin may have in mind for Russia itself.The Russian president did not engineer the Ukrainian crisis, but he has exploited it to begin forging something far more dangerous than land grabs: namely, a political arrangement that could secure his rule of Russia for life. The annexation of Crim
Sex is only one way to spoil a news relationship

Mar 31, 2014

Sleeping with a source seems like such a transparently bad idea there wouldn’t seem to be much point exploring why journalists shouldn’t do it.But with the Los Angeles Times summarily firing one of its top investigative reporters after he told his bosses he’d had a brief affair with an informant, it seems worthwhile to look at what the limits ought to be in the relations between journalists and sources.Physical intimacy is only one of many powerful off-screen entanglements that can develop amid
[Angela Stent] No more resets in Washington-Moscow relations

Mar 31, 2014

WASHINGTON ― With Ukraine in turmoil and the United States and Russia warily eyeing each other’s every move, the world seems to be on the brink of a prolonged confrontation similar to the Cold War. But is it?Russia, accusing the West of supporting a coup d’etat by “fascists” and “terrorists” in Kyiv, has annexed Crimea, tested an inter-continental ballistic missile, and reserved the right to intervene militarily in eastern Ukraine to protect the Russian population there. The U.S. has sanctioned
Crowdfunding is not a scam, it’s market research

Mar 31, 2014

Crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo represent a classic entrepreneurial phenomenon: Once you roll out your great idea, customers use it in ways you didn’t imagine, and you wind up in a different business than you expected.Kickstarter’s founders wanted to help artists raise money. Indiegogo co-founder Danae Ringelmann pictured aiding capital-strapped small-businesses owners like her parents. Neither intended their site to act as a test market. But, as the rags-to-riches story of
[David Ignatius] Philanthropy with a wallop

Mar 30, 2014

WASHINGTON ― Money may be the root of all evil, as the saying goes, but I was reminded last week of the overwhelming good it can do when put to work at a place like the Children’s National Health System here.Big medicine, funded by the wealthiest and most generous philanthropists, is achieving astonishing breakthroughs. I was lucky enough to see some of them on a tour of the Joseph E. Robert Jr. Center for Surgical Care and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation. Robert die
Obama’s critics aren’t communists

Mar 30, 2014

PARIS ― There’s no faster or easier way to shut down legitimate debate than to slap an undesirable label on someone based on their views. Criticize same-sex marriage and you’re a bigot. Take issue with immigration policy and you’re dismissed as a racist. In the latest incarnation of this phenomenon, any conservative who dares to criticize U.S. President Barack Obama’s stance against Russia on the issue of Ukraine runs the risk of being called a Putin-loving communist.Senate Majority Leader Harry
[Yu Kun-ha] Park unveils plans to make unification a bonanza

Mar 30, 2014

President Park Geun-hye has recently upended the conventional wisdom about unification of the two Koreas. Thus far, the prevailing view has been that unification would be hugely costly for the South in light of the wide economic gap between the two.Yet Park dismissed this widely accepted view, boldly asserting that unification would be a “bonanza.” She rightly noted that the benefits of unification would be much greater than the costs as it would create immense investment opportunities in the No
Creating an Afghanistan that defines itself

Mar 30, 2014

NEW DELHI ― As it braces for its upcoming presidential election, Afghanistan finds itself at another critical juncture, with its unity and territorial integrity at stake after 35 years of relentless war. Can Afghanistan finally escape the cycle of militancy and foreign intervention that has plagued it for more than three decades?Two key questions are shaping discussions about Afghanistan’s post-2014 trajectory. The first concerns the extent to which Pakistan will interfere in Afghan affairs, suc
Yellen can help Asia kick easy-money habit

Mar 30, 2014

Janet Yellen could be excused for feeling whipsawed in Asia. In Tokyo 17 months ago, before taking over as head of the Federal Reserve, Yellen had to defend the U.S.’s monetary largess in front of a gathering of the testy central bankers. Now the region wants the Fed to go slow as it scales back on monetary stimulus.Rather than fretting about the Fed’s tightening, Asia should be looking at the benefits as the world’s most powerful central bank charts a return to monetary normalcy. These include
Turkey needs moral support from Korea

Mar 28, 2014

In trying times, brothers need each other. Whether we are dealing with a financial struggle, family issues or simply feeling down, we turn to those who are closest to us, our siblings. This is also true for nations, on a much grander scale. Turkish soldiers (one of whom was my father’s cousin) sacrificed their lives to prevent communist oppression, only to discover how close they were to their long-lost brothers. March 31 will be a new beginning, as many politicians in Turkey keep saying these d
[David Ignatius] Fighting anew for democracy

Mar 28, 2014

BRUSSELS ― President Barack Obama has spoken once again during the Ukraine crisis about being on the right “side of history.” It’s one of his signature lines, but he should stop: The phrase implies there’s an inevitability to the advance of progress and justice. Would that it were so. What’s happening now in Vladimir Putin’s Russia is a reminder that history has ebbs and flows, advances and retreats, and that its interpretation is subjective. Even more, recent events are a warning that decisive
[Robert Reich] The decline of the nation-state

Mar 27, 2014

We are witnessing a reversion to tribalism around the world, away from nation-states. The same pattern can be seen even in America ― especially in American politics.Before the rise of the nation-state between the 18th and 20th centuries, the world was mostly tribal. Tribes were united by language, religion, blood and belief. They feared other tribes and often warred against them. Kings and emperors imposed truces that were temporary at best.But in the past 300 years, the idea of nationhood took