It is too bad that holiday revelers have to look over their shoulders instead of focusing on the spirit of the season. However, that is the state of the world today, as was made clear by the truck attack Monday in Berlin that killed 12 people and injured dozens more at a Christmas market.　The so-called Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, in which a tractor-trailer barreled into the well-known market by the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, toppling a Christmas tree, tables a

The monthslong Choi Soon-sil scandal and subsequent parliamentary impeachment of President Park Geun-hye are costing the nation a lot. Foreign policy is one of the areas that suffers most dearly. 　Park missed the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit held in Peru in November, sending instead Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. She was the first South Korean leader to have skipped the annual forum since its launch in 1993.　The 21-member APEC forum usually offers a stage for vigorous summit diplomacy

Rep. Adam Schiff, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, is a measured politician not prone to hyper-partisanship.So it’s noteworthy that the former federal prosecutor is calling for a full investigation by members of the Senate and House of Representatives into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.“This investigation would serve the purpose of informing the public, developing a concerted response, deterring the Russians from further malignant cyber action and inoculating the

President-elect Donald Trump has already stepped back from his campaign pledge to entirely repeal Obamacare, saying he’ll keep a couple of the law’s popular insurance protections. Soon enough, certain governors in his own party can be expected to argue that it would also be smart to retain the law’s most successful component: the expansion of Medicaid. Trump should take that advice.　Thirty-one states -- 11 led by Republicans -- have accepted Obamacare funding to extend Medicaid to anyone earning

Citizens are closely watching the prosecution’s movements over its investigation into the Park Geun-hye scandal. The ongoing probe is offering a timely opportunity for the agency to regain some of its recently plummeted public credibility.　Some still criticize the prosecutors saying that they are pretending to work after succumbing to the public’s anger over its belated investigation into the influence-peddling involving the incumbent president and her civilian friend Choi Soon-sil. In contrast,

The presidential office appears to be trying to shift some of the blame for the escalating woes from the Park Geun-hye scandal to the parliamentary opposition, seemingly as part of a desperate political tactic to block a breakup of the administration.　A Cheong Wa Dae official has raised the necessity of naming a new prime minister as soon as possible to effectively prepare for widening uncertainties in economy and defense. His remarks were targeted at opposition parties, condemning them for dela

In the thunder of a presidential campaign, it is sometimes hard to remember that the president of the United States is the head of just one of three equal branches of the federal government.　The president cannot raise or cut taxes, expand or contract the defense budget, commit the US to treaties or amend the US Constitution. There is very little that a president can do without the consent of at least a majority of US senators, who are under no obligation to support the president’s agenda, and a

South Korea’s prosecutors are believed to have been quite loyal to President Park and her predecessor Lee Myung-bak, both of whom came from the Saenuri Party.　The prosecution’s stance is in contrast to its tense relations with the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, who had tried but failed to root out irregular practices in the monopolistic agency via a drastic overhaul.　Unlike Roh, Lee and Park sought to maintain friendly relations with the prosecution by securing the agency’s vested interests

Hillary Clinton already had an elaborate plan for tax reform. This week she added to it, again. She now wants to double, to $2,000, the tax credit granted to parents of young children, and to make it “refundable,” meaning that cash would be paid even to parents who owe little or no tax.　As it stands, there is lot to be said for this idea. The rest of Clinton’s tax plan contains some good ideas, too. The problem, though, is a surfeit of ideas of every kind -- good, bad and indifferent. What the U

Rival parties are poised to clash over corporate tax levels during the plenary session of the National Assembly, which will run through this December. The issue came into the spotlight during the parliamentary audit, which ended Friday.　The former President Lee Myung-bak administration slashed the highest corporate tax rate from 25 percent to 22 percent, and President Park Geun-hye has kept it untouched in line with her commitment to provide welfare without tax hikes. The ruling Saenuri Party al

Chances are that the strained relations between Pyongyang and Washington will not thaw in the coming months, as the U.S. has put North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on its sanctions blacklist for the first time.　Dictator Kim is among 15 officials and eight entities identified in the blacklist designated by the U.S. State Department and Treasury. This is the first time that Kim has been personally blacklisted, although in the past there have been international and unilateral bans in connection with t

The government has unveiled measures, deregulations and tax rewards to reinvigorate newly emerging industries, amid growing concerns over a longer-than-expected export slump.　Its announcement, which was made at a trade promotion gathering chaired by President Park Geun-hye on Thursday, is drawing wide attention, as the government — in coordination with the private sector — has pledged to inject up to 4 trillion won ($3.4 billion) into prospective industries.　A project for a robot theme park in a

Statistics Korea data shows that 1 in 5 seniors aged 65 or over are living alone. The number of senior citizens living in solitude has continued to increase over the past decade, and the future growth is projected to be more rapid.　And some local demographers predict that by 2035, 15.4 percent of all households will be seniors who live alone.　The seriousness of the situation is evident from a survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, which found that more than 4 out of every 1

South Korea has introduced the English disclosure system, through which investors can access corporate regulatory filings both in Korean and English. This is a major development in the stock market, which was opened to foreign investors in 1992.　The collective market capitalization of publicly traded companies on the main and secondary bourses is the 13th-biggest in the world with about 1.2 quadrillion won ($1.03 trillion). Considering the scale and policy aims of Korea‘s globalized investment e

On May 2, Choi Gye-woon stepped down as CEO of the Korea Water Resources Corp. His resignation drew attention as there was no particular reason for him to step down six months before the expiration of his term.　A former university professor, Choi is recognized as one of Korea’s top experts in water management. Until recently, he had been passionate about his work. In March, he was elected the first president of the Asia Water Council.　Choi’s abrupt resignation spawned speculation that he had bee