Language is always changing, but the changes often escape us because they occur slowly. During a recent visit to Gochang and Gwangju, I noticed many changes that are harder to detect in busy Seoul. The changes are closely related to the multiculturalization of Korean society over the past 20 years.On the way to Gochang, I changed from the KTX to a local train in Iksan. On the train, I heard two women speaking a Central Asian language. One of the women received several phone calls and spoke fluen

Foreigners have often pointed out that Koreans do not seem to be appreciative and seem to take everything for granted. In the 19th century, a foreigner, after living in Korea for two years, wrote, “When someone does a favor to them, Koreans take it for granted and forget the favor soon.” Although there may be a danger of stereotyping and hasty generalization, the foreigner’s observation does not seem to be totally groundless. Indeed, we tend to easily forget the favors we have received from othe

The Russia sanctions bill passed by the US Senate threatens to deepen the rift between the US and Europe that has emerged since Donald Trump won the presidency. Though in the US, the bill is only discussed in a domestic political context, German and Austrian leaders see certain provisions as an attempt to give an unfair advantage to US energy exports.Prior to the first three rounds of sanctions, which were linked to Kremlin-backed aggression in Ukraine in 2014, the US made a point of negotiating

French President Emmanuel Macron’s astonishingly fast rise to the top means it’s still hard to know how he will govern on many issues. With a background in finance and economics, many assume his focus will be on domestic policy; after all, the new French president has essentially no record on national security issues.Early indications are, however, the opposite -- that Macron will be more than engaged on the foreign policy front. Despite all the talk of multilateralism during his campaign, Macro

A clear foreign policy graph in Seoul is still evolving under the new President Moon Jae-in. Pointing toward a more engaging foreign policy, President Moon in his inaugural speech on May 10 argued Seoul’s policy ambition to restore peace in the Korean Peninsula, where the new administration might reach out to Washington, Beijing and Tokyo, including Pyongyang if required. This early policy depiction is certainly encouraging, given the foreign policy paralysis that Seoul has undergone in recent t

Kim Dae-jung, the former president of South Korea, once told me a story that perfectly captures the spirit of reform that followed the 1997 Asian financial crisis. He was on an official trip to Vietnam when a panicked visitor from Seoul sought an audience. It was Kim Woo-choong, the flamboyant founder of Daewoo Group, then Korea’s second-largest business house. Over breakfast in Hanoi, the businessman said his companies were spiraling toward financial ruin and begged the president for help.In th

North Korea and Syria are two powder kegs in the world at the moment. By comparing these two states we may be able to find solutions to the two crises.The North Korean crisis is directly related to the division of Korea into two separated states by the Allied Powers in World War II in 1945, whereas the Syrian crisis was touched off by a domestic democratic movement influenced by the Arab Spring in 2011. The main cause of the North Korean crisis is the North Korean regime’s complete distrust and