The Korea Herald

[Murray Hunter] ‘Australia in the Asian Century’ or lost in Asia?

Nov 1, 2012

The Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard released a long awaited white paper “Australia in the Asian Century” on Sunday.The white paper basically affirms that Australia’s future lies with Asia and consequently immense economic opportunities exist for Australia to grab.The paper hinges the nation’s strategy of becoming a competitive force within the region through skills development, innovation, infrastructure, the tax system, regulatory reform, and sustainability.However before a nation can b
Mali crisis requires political, military action

Oct 31, 2012

The parallels are inescapable. When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, they stoned fornicators, demolished shrines they considered idolatrous, and gave sanctuary to foreign jihadists. The Islamic extremists in control of northern Mali are doing the same things. The fear that rebel-held northern Mali has become the new Afghanistan figured in the last presidential debate, in which Mitt Romney said the country’s name four times. The deteriorating situation has provoked calls for swift military action,
[Park Sang-seek] Seoul’s new N. Korea strategy

Oct 31, 2012

According to newspaper reports, the main presidential candidates are putting forward a more or less similar North Korea strategy: They seem to agree that President Lee Myung-bak’s perception of the North Korean regime is too antagonistic and his strategy too rigid.Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party emphasizes trust building between the two Koreas and a balanced policy approach. Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party advocates the building of trust and the foundation of
[Jeffrey D. Sachs] Investing in children, young people pays off

Oct 31, 2012

NEW YORK ― A country’s economic success depends on the education, skills, and health of its population. When its young people are healthy and well educated, they can find gainful employment, achieve dignity, and succeed in adjusting to the fluctuations of the global labor market. Businesses invest more, knowing that their workers will be productive. Yet many societies around the world do not meet the challenge of ensuring basic health and a decent education for each generation of children.Why is
Voters should replace death penalty process

Oct 31, 2012

The process for administering the death penalty in the United States is broken beyond repair, and it is time to choose a more effective and moral alternative. California voters will have the opportunity to do this on Election Day.Although our government has a fundamental responsibility to protect its citizens, there is little evidence that the death penalty acts as a strong deterrent to murder and other violent crimes. One recent study found that 88 percent of the nation’s leading criminologists
[Kim Myong-sik] Koreans’ elusive obsession with national prestige

Oct 31, 2012

Of the many news reports last week, the following three items were particularly painful:The launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 was postponed indefinitely due to a glitch in the fuel system. It was the third attempt to put a satellite into earth’s orbit after two failures in 2009 and 2010, the first a malfunction of the fairing device and the second a mid-air explosion because of a still unknown cause.Suh Nam-pyo announced he would resign as KAIST president in February 2013, a year and a
Mali 2012 different from Afghanistan 2001

Oct 30, 2012

The parallels are inescapable. When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, they stoned fornicators, demolished shrines they considered idolatrous, and gave sanctuary to foreign jihadists. The Islamic extremists in control of northern Mali are doing the same things. The fear that rebel-held northern Mali has become the new Afghanistan figured in the last presidential debate, in which Mitt Romney said the country’s name four times. The deteriorating situation has provoked calls for swift military action,
[Jeffrey D. Sachs] Lost generations of the U.S.

Oct 30, 2012

NEW YORK ― A country’s economic success depends on the education, skills, and health of its population. When its young people are healthy and well educated, they can find gainful employment, achieve dignity, and succeed in adjusting to the fluctuations of the global labor market. Businesses invest more, knowing that their workers will be productive. Yet many societies around the world do not meet the challenge of ensuring basic health and a decent education for each generation of children.Why is
Australia’s Asian focus in 21st century

Oct 30, 2012

Australia’s Asian century white paper, released on Sunday, has sent an unmistakable message to the outside world that it wants to shift away from the “old countries” of Europe toward broader and deeper engagement with its neighbors in Asia, especially China and India. Given Asia’s rising significance in the world’s economic and security landscape, it is no surprise that the biggest country in the Southern Hemisphere seeks to benefit more from Asia’s economic and social progress. In fact, Canberr
Italy blames the messengers in quake case

Oct 30, 2012

I used to say, during doctoral examinations in theoretical physics, that the stakes were a bit more relaxed than passing or failing a medical student. After all, granting a doctorate was unlikely to result in life or death for anyone.Well, an Italian court decided this week that I was wrong. Six scientists were convicted of manslaughter because their data did not allow them to predict a 6.3-magnitude temblor in the city of L’Aquila in 2009 with enough certainty to issue a safety warning. More th
Next U.S. president will have leverage to push his agenda

Oct 30, 2012

Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the senator and Harvard University professor, observed that academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small. This year, U.S. politics feel that way, too. The issues don’t seem as seminal as those facing the nation during the Cold War or the civil-rights movement; the partisanship is worse. Nonetheless, this presidential election has important policy implications. If either party wins the White House and control of both houses of Congress there
[Kim Seong-kon] The New Left, the New Right and the new mutant

Oct 30, 2012

Recently, I have met many Koreans who were very proud of their country’s remarkable economic growth and cultural popularity overseas. In Seoul, a young Korean woman from overseas told me, “I am so impressed by Korea’s astonishing development and tremendous social change. I feel like I’m in a truly advanced country.” In Washington, D.C. a Korean-American told me, “When I went to watch a baseball game the other day, I saw the cheerleaders and the audience dance Psy’s ‘Horse Dance’ together after t
A congress too polarized to protect itself

Oct 29, 2012

The U.S. Congress is on an extended election hiatus, yet there has been no noticeable decline in its productivity. As polarization and legislative gridlock have worsened in recent years, the nation’s great legislative body has withered, losing not only popular support but the ability to exercise its constitutional powers. The result has been a troubling expansion of executive and judicial power. An example is President Barack Obama’s decision in June to end the deportation of some illegal immigr
[Hans-Werner Sinn] Europe’s path to disunity

Oct 29, 2012

MUNICH ― The motto of the United States of America is: “E pluribus unum” (Out of many, one). The European Union’s motto is “In varietate concordia,” which is officially translated as “United in diversity.” It is difficult to express the differences between the U.S. and the European model any more clearly than this. The U.S. is a melting pot, whereas Europe is a mosaic of different peoples and cultures that has developed over the course of its long history.That difference raises the question of w
Korea-EU free trade deal benefits both sides

Oct 29, 2012

The free trade agreement between Korea and the EU was signed on Oct. 15, 2009, and came into force on July 1, 2011. Under the FTA, the EU agreed to eliminate or phase out tariffs on 96 percent of goods, and Korea for 99 percent of goods, within three years. Within five years, 98.7 percent of imports would be tariff-free. Beside tariff reduction, the FTA brings reductions in non-tariff barriers to market access, including elimination of quotas, standardization of product specifications, agreement