OPINION
Today
[Jeffrey D. Sachs] Hatemongers should be expelled in the post-Trump era
In celebrating the liberation from Donald Trump’s misrule, we must not forget that Trump’s presidency embodied the raw politics of US white supremacy. He often spoke like a segregationist Southern governor of the 1960s, and, after losing the 2020 election, like a secessionist senator on the eve of the Civil War. To sustain the victory over Trump’s destructive politics, we must overcome the racism that brought him to power. That urgent challenge faces not only the United States,
[Trudy Rubin] Biden’s first big foreign policy test
President Joe Biden was absolutely correct when he said “the world is watching all of us today,” as he delivered his inaugural address Wednesday from the very spot where a mob stormed the Capitol two weeks before. Biden’s message “to those beyond our borders” was that “America has been tested and we’ve come out stronger. … We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again. And we’ll lead, not merely by the example of our pow
[Editorial] Reckless recruitment
Declining population compels Moon government to reconsider plan to hire more public servants
[Therese Raphael] COVID is traumatizing our doctors and nurses
Hand it to human beings. We have repeatedly defied predictions that we will buckle under the extreme pressure of adverse events. Time and again, whether it was during the eight-month blitz in World War II, or after 9/11, people have proved remarkably resilient in the face of adversity. Will it be the same with this pandemic? On aggregate, probably yes. Most people have experienced, or know someone who has experienced, mental stress as a result of pandemic-related circumstances. But once they a
Jan 25, 2021
[Digital Simplicity] Gamers are no fools
Nobody wants to be manipulated. But there is a sector where manipulation is openly granted as both parties -- companies and consumers -- agree to play together. The gaming market is the very sector in which players knowingly allow publishers to pull some strings by modifying the lucky box item ratio and implementing special promotions for newbies. In general, most gamers remain largely silent or passive about publishers’ extreme and unfair behavior. Instead of actively protesting unjust
Jan 23, 2021
[Carl P. Leubsdorf] Biden makes his case for unity, but are GOP lawmakers listening?
To anyone who followed Joe Biden’s successful campaign and his comments since clinching the presidency, the underlying theme of his inaugural address was hardly a surprise: a plea for national unity and a pledge to govern for all Americans, regardless for whom they voted. But the most crucial aspect of Biden’s speech may prove to be whether his tone helps persuade enough congressional Republicans that the nation’s current problems are sufficiently serious they need respond to
Jan 22, 2021
[Lee Kyong-hee] Sincerity can close ‘comfort women’ case
“Jeongsindae” was a familiar word in my family. As a little child I didn’t know what it meant. Still, I discerned an association with something “forcible” and “unspeakable.” One of my sisters, born in 1932, went to a secondary school affiliated with an education college. My father believed if she became a teacher, she could avoid being drafted into the “women’s volunteer corps.” Japan’s surrender to the Allied forces brought Kor
Jan 21, 2021
[Kim Seong-kon] Ode to the young children who left us
Korean parents are famous for their overprotectiveness and single-minded dedication to their children. As long as their children bring home good grades from school and win competitions, Korean parents can wink at their children’s ill manners and impertinence to the point of spoiling them. Nevertheless, there are exceptions. Recently, two children, a 16-month-old and an 8-year-old, died due to their parents’ ruthless and consistent abuse. Both are dead, not directly from neglect --
Jan 20, 2021
[David Kaye] Hold Trump loyalists accountable
Precisely at noon on Wednesday, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will take the reins of government. And the nation’s focus will turn quickly to the new administration. As we look in one direction, Trump administration officials will go off in another. Some will slink away, hoping to avoid our attention, knowing the shame they brought upon themselves. Others will almost certainly need to lawyer up. But the criminal process will be for a relative few. All will pursue one common aim: They will
[Leonid Bershidsky] US tech censorship is real gift to Putin
Alexey Navalny, the opposition leader whom the Russian secret police nearly killed with military-grade poison last year, is worried about Twitter’s decision to shut down Donald Trump’s account. Navalny is no Trump fan. The reason he is worried is that the way US tech has ganged up on Trump and his most radical supporters can lead to his own deplatforming in Russia, where he has no access to state-controlled media and relies on mostly US-based social networks -- YouTube, Facebook, Twi
Jan 19, 2021
[Ivo Daalder] Remedies for stronger American democracy
“What’s going on over there?” The question from a former NATO colleague in Europe was among the many texts and WhatsApp messages that lit up my phone Jan. 6 as I watched on live television the astonishing and frightening events unfolding at the US Capitol. The level of incredulity and concern, followed by revulsion and anger, expressed by my friends and former colleagues overseas underscores the damage that was being done to our standing abroad by a rioting mob bent on overtur
[Joseph E. Stiglitz] Where does America go from Trumpian chaos?
The assault on the US Capitol by President Donald Trump’s supporters, incited by Trump himself, was the predictable outcome of his four-year assault on democratic institutions, aided and abetted by so many in the Republican Party. And no one can say that Trump had not warned us: He was not committed to a peaceful transition of power. Many who benefited as he slashed taxes for corporations and the rich, rolled back environmental regulations and appointed business-friendly judges knew they w
Jan 18, 2021
[Karl W. Smith] Biden‘s COVID-19 relief plan isn’t overkill
The US never fully recovered from the Great Recession. One of the benefits of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package unveiled Thursday night by President-elect Joe Biden is that -- in addition to helping Americans hurt by the pandemic -- it could help America accomplish that goal. At that point, US politics can safely return to arguments about whether tax increases or spending cuts are the best way to reduce the deficit. It may be a tired debate, but if it means the US has finally healed from t
[Serendipity] An ode to office
There was a spring in my step as I walked up the stairs to the office after the longest stretch away since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hollering “Best health for the new year!” to security personnel at the entrance lobby nearly two weeks into the year felt great. Since late December, most of the staff members of The Korea Herald have been working from home. On Wednesday, I was back at the office for a meeting. The sight of piles of old newspapers and unopened envelopes st
Jan 15, 2021
[Robert J. Fouser] Trump’s self-coup fails
Pandemic weary Americans entered 2021 with hope for better times but found those hopes dashed. On Jan. 6, as a mob of insurrectionists, incited by Trump, stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to halt the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes for president and vice president. After a six-hour siege, Congress resumed counting and formally certified Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president in the early morning hours of Jan. 7. The images of the siege shocked the nation and, i