Many South Koreans, under continuing duress from the COVID-19 pandemic, have an additional cause for discomfort these days: a housing development scam unfolding in a satellite city of Seoul where a handful of unknown people made undeserved profits of an astronomical scale. Their adrenaline goes up when they imagine the possible involvement of Lee Jae-myung, the ruling party’s presidential election front-runner, in this affair in his political hometown. The Daejang-dong project in Seongnam

Recently, the Korean television series “Squid Game” has become the top-rated program on Netflix in many countries, including Korea. “Squid Game” tells the story of 456 desperate and down-and-out men and women who decide to go through a cutthroat survival game for an astronomical prize: 45.6 billion won, which is about $38.4 million. The problem is that only the final survivor can get the prize money, while all of the others must die along the way. Behind the game, a sin

Is the specter of communism haunting Russia again? Not since the election of 1996, the only post-Soviet presidential race in Russia to result in a runoff, has the country’s Communist Party seemed like a real threat. In more than two decades since Vladimir Putin first took the helm, it has played the role of pliant opposition, helping the Kremlin to maintain a facade of democratic choice. The future looks less predictable. Gennady Zyuganov, the 77-year-old former Soviet ideologue who unsuc

From the Huawei affair to the AUKUS spat and beyond, a new reality is shaking up the global economy: the takeover, usually hostile, of international economics by geopolitics. This process is probably only just beginning, and the challenge now is learning how to live with it. Of course, economics and geopolitics have never been completely separate domains. The post-World War II liberal economic order was designed by economists, but on the basis of a master plan conceived by foreign-policy strat

If you are concerned about the well-being of the United States and interested in what the country could do to help itself, stop what you are doing and read historian Geoffrey Kabaservice’s superb 2012 book, “Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, from Eisenhower to the Tea Party.” To understand why, allow me a brief historical interlude. Until roughly the start of the 17th century, people generally had to look back in time to fi

Teaching as a profession holds a special place in the modern Korean history of rapid economic and social development. During the 1950s and 60s, many young elites of diverse backgrounds and talents joined the patriotic call to teach in public schools across the country. During the aftermath of the Korean War (1950-1953), which wreaked havoc on the economy and infrastructure, the Korean government used public school teachers as a human resource to rebuild the country’s education system and e

Recently released Census Bureau data show that more than 37 million people in America lived at or below the federal poverty line in 2020. That’s 11.4 percent of the population, and a full percentage point higher than what it was in 2019. But the federal poverty line doesn’t begin to tell the story of poverty in the US. Half of US families struggle to make ends meet. They are part of what I call the “uncounted majority,” people who have trouble paying basic bills even th

President Joe Biden hosted a summit Friday that could turn out to be a watershed -- but if you weren’t watching, you might have missed it. The meeting brought together the leaders of a deliberately low-key group called “the Quad”: the United States, Japan, India and Australia. US officials downplayed the session, describing it as “an informal gathering of leading democracies in the Indo-Pacific.” China wasn’t fooled. Its diplomats have spent months denounci

I had a brief brush with Afghanistan during my visit to Islamabad, Pakistan, in the early 2000s. Outside a downtown shopping arcade, I found street vendors displaying finely crafted bracelets, necklaces and earrings. They were beautiful, and even could be called classic and archaic. The pieces supposedly came from neighboring Afghanistan. The real surprise was the prices: astonishingly cheap. I picked several items, feeling somewhat guilty. I thought the prices amplified the desperate desire o

“Give me a one-handed economist,” Harry Truman once famously demanded. “All my economists say, ‘On the one hand … but on the other’.” His frustration was understandable. But when it comes to legislation that can affect the well-being of all Americans, it’s vital to weigh all the pros and cons. Consider the radical $3.5 trillion spending package now before Congress. Some lawmakers are demanding passage based on a one-sided assessment of the impac

The Netflix television series “D.P.” is the talk of the town lately. As the title “D.P.,” which stands for “Deserter Pursuit,” suggests, the drama is about the military police’s pursuit of deserters. At the same time, the drama vividly depicts the violence within the ROK Army, which is one of the main reasons for soldiers’ desertion. Violence is so rampant that even the protagonist, who is in the military police D.P. unit, faces periodic physical v

At the UN General Assembly last week, President Joe Biden told the world again that America is back at the table. He championed global cooperation as the only way to address today’s global challenges, making clear that it not only benefits the international community but is essential for American interests and national security too. It was a direct repudiation of the nationalist “America First” approach taken by then-President Donald Trump at the same assembly four years ago.

Following the news that US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping talked by phone on Sept. 9, there has been much speculation about what the two discussed. Biden has denied a report that Xi turned down a proposed summit, and China’s government spokesman has said only that both sides “agreed to maintain regular contact through various means.” Still, it is clear that the Biden administration is seeking a relationship that manages, if not resolves, areas of diverge

Two weeks ago, I went to the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit with my mother in Los Angeles. Because she majored in art in college, she knew a lot about Van Gogh. Van Gogh certainly had amazing artistic talent; however, he did not get recognition and respect he deserved. He was poor and relied heavily on his brother for financial assistance. He did not gain reputation and fame during his lifetime. Many years after his death, he was at last recognized for his artistic talent. His paintings are now pric

The coronavirus pandemic makes it a new normal to stay home rather than venture out to meet with people. Consequently, a wide variety of indoor activities ranging from home renovation to binge-watching videos on streaming services are booming. The trend offers a unique chance for those who want to upgrade their outdated gadgets in the name of improving the quality of life at home. Of course, I proudly belong to the group keen on justifying spending on new gadgets. The item that has kept me read