The air over the Republic of Korea remained clear through this summer, thanks to the southeasterly winds blowing from the Pacific Ocean. As the cooler season approaches, we are again worried about seeing gray skies full of fine dust from China -- in addition to the political, economic and security problems that are already affecting the nation and seem unlikely to go away anytime soon. Externally, relations between Seoul and Tokyo have sunk to their worst level since normalization of ties in 196

For four decades, the prevailing doctrine in the United States has been that corporations should maximize shareholder value -- meaning profits and share prices -- here and now, come what may, regardless of the consequences to workers, customers, suppliers, and communities. So the statement endorsing stakeholder capitalism, signed earlier this month by virtually all the members of the US Business Roundtable, has caused quite a stir. After all, these are the CEOs of America’s most powerful c

Below the Washington Post’s masthead sits the phrase “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” The phrase appeared shortly after Donald Trump became president in 2017 in response to his attacks on the press. Critical media coverage causes Trump to lash out at the media by accusing it of spreading “fake news.” The phrase is aimed at upholding freedom of the press amid unprecedented attempts by a president to influence media coverage. It also touches on another side to the news a

Although the famous maxim says “Seeing is believing,” it is amazing how many precious things in life are, in fact, invisible. Take air, for example. Without air, we cannot survive and will die in a few minutes, yet we take it for granted because it is invisible. If something is not visible, we forget about it and do not appreciate it fully. Not only is air invisible, but so is wind. We enjoy a pleasant cool breeze, but we cannot see it. “Who has seen the wind?” British po

Beginning from an initiative of the ASEAN-Korea Center, a new advisory committee has been formed among professors from ASEAN countries who are currently working in Korea. CAPK, which stands for the Council of ASEAN Professors in Korea, comprises about 50 professors from ASEAN member states, who work in universities across South Korea, in cities such as Seoul, Busan, Ulsan and Daegu.Their mission is to enhance the awareness of ASEAN countries among Koreans and to build stronger relationships betw

The 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first African slaves in what was to become America has reopened an old debate: How important was slavery to the rise of the US as an economic power?One school of thought argues that slavery in general, and cotton in particular, was the driving force behind the development of America’s distinctive brand of capitalism. The New York Times’ ambitious 1619 Project contains a good encapsulation of this argument. But not only has this theory come

The world’s biggest tropical forest is back in the headlines, for all the wrong reasons. Leonardo DiCaprio and Madonna are worried. NASA and Amnesty International are tracking the ruin. French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to make the Amazon emergency a priority during the meeting of the G-7 countries in Biarritz and threatened to block the recently signed trade pact between the European Union and South America’s Mercosur countries because of Brazil’s dereliction of duty in t

ASEAN has a lot of work to do for the sake of its own relevancy as Myanmar and Bangladesh make another attempt to repatriate thousands of Muslim Rohingyas to strife-torn Rakhine state while the situation on the ground remains unsafe.The authority in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw announced last week that Myanmar would accept 3,450 refugees from the list of 22,000 provided by Bangladesh earlier this month, as the first batch of people to resettle in Myanmar.It is not known publicly how the lis

As the G-7 gathers this weekend in Biarritz, President Donald Trump has expressed hope for the return of Russia, the missing guest at the table. But any consideration of this issue requires dealing with his least favorite subject -- Russian cyber-meddling in US elections. The stark reality is that the United States is now fighting a low-level cyberwar to combat Kremlin political interference and other malign actions. US Cyber Command launched this “hunt forward” campaign last summer

“Evolve or die,” wrote hedge-fund billionaire Ray Dalio in a manifesto published in April titled “Why and How Capitalism Needs to be Reformed.” With each passing month, more business executives have been joining this unlikely crusade to save capitalism from itself. The loudest reform call yet from inside the system came this week from the Business Roundtable, which represents the chief executives of 192 of the nation’s largest companies. Most of its members signed a

With Donald Trump due to visit Europe again for the G-7 summit later this month, European leaders have run out of options for dealing with the US president. They have tried to charm him, persuade him, ignore him, or agree to disagree with him. Yet Trump’s malevolence is bottomless. The only alternative, therefore, is to oppose him.The most immediate issue is European trade with Iran. This is no small matter. It is a battle that Europe cannot afford to lose.Trump is capable of inflicting gr

Singapore is buying insurance against the ill-effects of Japanese-style population aging. With some luck, the cover will extend to the city’s property prices, too.The retirement age in the financial center will gradually rise to 65 from 62. Including the five additional years employers are required to provide to older workers willing to continue, albeit at a lower pay, Singaporeans’ sunset years will effectively start at 70. That will make the city home to some of the world’s o

Koreans are known to be people of “jeong” or affection. However, many Koreans do not seem to be thoughtful or considerate. Perhaps jeong does not encompass thoughtfulness or caring about others. Nevertheless, it is necessary to put yourself in another person’s shoes. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee writes, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around