The Korea Herald

Tax reform could lead shift away from inequality

Oct 21, 2011

In online bidding held by the Taipei City Government for “lucky” license plate numbers, a businessman spent NT$3.589 million to pick up “8888-88.” During an anniversary sale in Taipei 101 Mall, nine shoppers each spent more than NT$10 million, and another spent NT$50 million, at a single store. With
[Eric X. Li] ‘Bad emperor’ problems: One-party rule not rigid

Oct 21, 2011

SHANGHAI ― Change is in the air. By revolutions, elections and other methods, governments are changing hands across a wide swath of the world. Two most notable peaceful successions are occurring in none other than the most important pair of countries in the world, the United States and China. In the
As Kaldor’s facts fall, ‘Occupy Wall Street’ rises

Oct 20, 2011

In Economics 101, students learn that the share of national income received by labor stays roughly constant with the share received by capital. This is the first of “Kaldor’s stylized facts,” articulated half a century ago by the Cambridge economist Nicholas Kaldor. Recent experience betrays this le
[David Ignatius] Unlikely fish in the trawlers’ net

Oct 20, 2011

WASHINGTON ― So now maybe every Quds Force operative or al-Qaida sleeper agent will have to worry that when he discusses a plot, he may unwittingly be talking to an undercover informant from the DEA or the FBI. And that paranoia is certainly all to the good. But I have a nagging concern about t
France’s Socialists getting realistic on Europe crisis

Oct 20, 2011

In a vote that may have serious consequences for Europe’s economic crisis, the French Socialist Party showed laudable level-headedness this week in selecting the moderate Francois Hollande as its presidential candidate for next year’s election. Hollande ran on a platform that was largely free of the
Romney’s fuzziness may weigh on general election

Oct 20, 2011

There is a possible scenario under which Mitt Romney could lose the Republican presidential nomination. Rick Perry, Herman Cain or Michele Bachmann galvanize social-issue conservatives and might win the Iowa caucuses in early January. A week later, the often contrarian and independent-minded primary
[Brahma Chellaney] China emerges as water hegemon

Oct 20, 2011

NEW DELHI ― International discussion about China’s rise has focused on its increasing trade muscle, growing maritime ambitions, and expanding capacity to project military power. One critical issue, however, usually escapes attention: China’s rise as a hydro-hegemon with no modern historical parallel
Wall Street’s 1% meets 2 billion seeking answers

Oct 19, 2011

It’s all about location, location, location, as they say in real estate. Protests, too. There were more obvious places for Tokyo’s Occupy Wall Street protest to converge on Saturday than the nightlife district of Roppongi. It could have begun in Nihonbashi, home to the Tokyo Stock Exchange; Nagatach
[Robert Reich] Ripples from Europe’s debt crisis

Oct 19, 2011

It’s impossible to know whether Occupy Wall Street will coalesce into a political movement, but there’s little question Wall Street is still up to its old tricks.Right now the Street is dedicating all its lobbying power to water down regulations designed to implement financial-reform legislation. It
Still tolerating the wrong kind of language

Oct 19, 2011

Forgive me for repeating a story I’ve told before but, considering the latest blatant example of religious bigotry in the country, it is worth retelling.Outside a Baptist church in the South several years ago, a black man was crying his eyes out.God came along and asked, “My son, why are you weeping
Obama team’s Al-Awlaki memo furthered Bush legacy

Oct 19, 2011

Killing terrorists with drones is great politics. To the question, “Is it legal?” a natural answer might well be, “Who cares?” But the legal justifications in the war on terrorism do matter ― and not just to people who care about civil liberties. They end up structuring policy. As it turns out, targ
[Richard K. Sherwin] Justice in an age of smartphones

Oct 19, 2011

NEW YORK ― On Oct. 3, an Italian appeals court overturned Amanda Knox’s murder conviction and ordered her immediate release from prison. In 2009, both Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were found guilty of the 2007 sexual assault and fatal stabbing of Knox’s housemate, Meredith Kerc
Europe’s last stand needs overwhelming firepower

Oct 18, 2011

Europe is heading for what could be the last stand in its two-year-old sovereign debt crisis. By the time the Group of 20 nations holds its summit in Cannes, France, on Nov. 3-4, the European Union aims to have a rescue plan sound enough to ensure the financial troubles of struggling governments don
[Lee Jae-min] Perils of investment disputes

Oct 18, 2011

The U.S. ratification of the Korea-U.S. FTA on Oct. 13 lobbed the ball into Korea’s court one final time. It is being reported that Korea’s ratification procedure will begin soon. One of the key points that the opponents of the agreement raised (again) after last week’s U.S. ratification was the inv
World must demand an accounting from Tehran

Oct 18, 2011

The terror plot by Iran that U.S. officials say they uncovered last week is a serious escalation of lawlessness by Tehran’s leaders that threatens not only American interests but those of other countries in the Western Hemisphere.Mexico and Argentina figure prominently in the provocative scheme to h