The Korea Herald

[Mkhaimar Abusada] Hamas heightening regional stature significantly

Feb 11, 2013

GAZA CITY ― Hamas, the militant political movement that has ruled Gaza since 2007, has emerged from the latest round of fighting with Israel with its regional status significantly enhanced. At the same time, the movement faces new questions about its ability to take advantage of the diplomatic opportunities that it has gained.Hamas’s forceful response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza in November, which included landing rockets near Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, demonstrated its commitment to its
North Korea may have finally gone too far

Feb 7, 2013

It seems North Korea has finally gone too far ― even for China, its patron state and only true friend. For the first time, Chinese leaders seem to be taking modest steps intended to punish their southern neighbor for threatening to conduct a third nuclear-weapons test.After a year in office, North Korea’s chubby, naif supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, has remade himself into a belligerent bully, openly threatening South Korea ― and the United States.My question is: With what?North Korea has already c
[J. Bradford DeLong] Return of grand mal economics

Feb 7, 2013

BERKELEY ― Across the North Atlantic region, central bankers and governments seem, for the most part, helpless in restoring full employment to their economies. Europe has slipped back into recession without ever really recovering from the financial/sovereign-debt crisis that began in 2008. The United States’ economy is currently growing at 1.5 percent per year (about a full percentage point less than potential), and growth may slow, owing to a small fiscal contraction this year.Industrial market
China’s maritime strategy may threaten regional stability

Feb 7, 2013

China’s expansion of its maritime interests has been heightening tensions with neighboring countries. All possible measures must be taken to ensure Japan does not crack under coercive Chinese pressure.The Chinese government led by Xi Jinping has set this year as the first year in China’s bid to become a strong maritime power. As China’s military might grows, its expansionist strategy calls for enclosing the East China Sea and the South China Sea and making it a “China Sea.”China has set the goal
Avoid beggar-thy-neighbor approach to exchange rates

Feb 7, 2013

Japan’s new government has curiously been put on the defensive for attempting to reflate an inert economy. People talk of Japan’s lost decade but the dip has lasted a generation, dating from the asset crash of the late 1980s. Now Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cash-pumping to weaken the yen and raise exports has been likened by European and some Asian central bankers to the beggar-thy-neighbor currency mania of the 1930s. It is conceded an inflationary contagion across borders is real as the Bank o
Pension reform necessary, but hurts Kuomintang

Feb 7, 2013

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou is a courageous man. He has tackled the nation’s soon-to-go-bankrupt pension system, which his predecessor Chen Shui-bian dared not tinker with for fear he would bankrupt his Democratic Progressive Party.One week ago today, after months of growing public fears of the bankruptcy of Taiwan’s pension system, Ma unveiled his pension reform plan to the nation, promising that the system would be safe for 30 years. He said that there should be no more worries thanks to his
[Andrew Sheng] Is a currency war coming?

Feb 7, 2013

When Shinzo Abe became Japan’s prime minister on Boxing Day last year, he promised to deliver change. Very shortly thereafter, he announced a 10.3 trillion yen ($116 billion, or 2.2 percent of GDP) stimulus package to end deflation and pressured the Bank of Japan to adopt a 2 percent inflation target. As a result, the stock market index Nikkei jumped 28.3 percent from mid-November to current levels and the yen weakened by 20.1 percent from 75.7 to 90.9, its lowest level in over two years.Such ac
Endless U.S.-style campaigns go bad overseas

Feb 6, 2013

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is going American in a big way by setting the next national election seven months from now. The record length of the campaign is bad news for her opponent, Tony Abbott, and may be even worse for the nation’s 23 million people. Turning to a permanent campaign like that of the U.S. is shrewd politics. It puts opposition leader Abbott on the defensive, forcing him to offer more than tired conservative nostrums about the magic of lower taxes, less regulation a
[Park Sang-seek] Multicultural strategy for Korea

Feb 6, 2013

The world was alarmed by German Prime Minister Angela Merkel’s remarks against multiculturalism in 2010. The whole world was shocked when a Norwegian committed mass murder and declared war against multiculturalism in 2011. South Korea is rapidly becoming a multicultural society and it is officially committed to a multicultural policy. It is time for the South Korean government and people to discuss the implications of multiculturalism for the future Korea.The debate should first begin with the d
The Boy Scouts vs. the Supreme Court

Feb 6, 2013

Can the Defense Department overrule the U.S. Supreme Court? Can the Boy Scouts of America? The short answer is: Of course not. But a full response turns out to be more complicated, and it offers a lesson for thinking about the relationship between constitutional law and the evolving nature of rights. Here’s the lesson. We often think that our rights are established by the Constitution and by the Supreme Court, interpreting that document. True, the Constitution is fundamental, but some of our mos
Clear the smog

Feb 6, 2013

The unrelenting smog that is still shrouding central and northern China requires the nation to take more consistent and down-to-earth measures to combat the problem.Policymakers, in particular, must make a thorough assessment of the problem before devising targeted measures to reduce the pollution.The smog, which has repeatedly hit northern cities, such as Beijing, has caused growing concern. Facing growing public complaints, the government has vowed to take measures to solve the problem.We do h
A case for limiting details about killer flu virus

Feb 6, 2013

Americans are still in the grip of a scary flu season. Who can forget the alarming headlines about the swift spread and virulence of this year’s bug? Everyone’s still on high alert should someone sneeze or cough on the bus, train, restaurant or office. Violators are dealt with harshly.Now imagine a flu strain exponentially more contagious and more deadly. Fiction? Hardly. In late 2011, a Dutch scientist announced that he had genetically tweaked one of the world’s most deadly bird flu viruses to
[Kim Myong-sik] Park and Suu Kyi: A contrast

Feb 6, 2013

It was impressive to watch the two most famous women in Asia meet in Seoul last week. Aung San Suu Kyi, the top opposition leader of Myanmar (Burma), paid a visit to President-elect Park Geun-hye and they exchanged words on freedom and democracy and cooperation between their countries. Beyond their commonness as daughters of great national leaders, however, they shared little with regard to the political path that brought them to where they are today. Logging a total of 15 years under house arre
U.S. immigration reform plan is a farce

Feb 5, 2013

PARIS ― A bipartisan group of senators has just lit a soggy fuse under the immigration debate. The statement of principles tabled by four senators from each party is such an impotent byproduct of compromise that calling it bipartisan is redundant. This manifesto of mediocrity fails to address the biggest immigration problems facing America ― starting with the question of “Why?”Does anyone ever ask WHY there are so many illegal immigrants in America? While it’s understandable that foreign citizen
[Lee Jae-min] Protectionism by currency war

Feb 5, 2013

Economic recovery at the expense of your neighbors? The wave of competitive currency devaluation further intensified in the month of January while pessimism grew that the year 2013 would be remembered as the year of a global exchange rates war. In many countries, quantitative easing and the ensuing currency depreciations are touted as the final prescription to boost exports and re-energize sagging domestic economies. Forget about the detrimental fallout for other countries. A blame game has alre