Recently, two events in the news shook the world. One was the tragic disaster in Itaewon that took away the lives of 156 people, including 26 foreigners from 14 countries, who died in a crowd crush while celebrating Halloween in Seoul. The other one was the violent assault on Paul Pelosi, husband of the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, by a man with a hammer. Pelosi is now recovering from a skull fracture. After the Itaewon tragedy, many people are taking to the streets in anger and grief. A num

Fighting for the high ground on contentious political issues inspires a partisan twisting of the English language. Take this Oct. 19 news from Immigration and Customs Enforcement that “officers arrested 175 unlawfully present noncitizens with multiple DUI convictions.” “Unlawfully present noncitizens” is how our Department of Homeland Security describes illegal (a synonym for unlawful) aliens (the legal term for noncitizens). In line with open-borders advocates, DHS now c

In recent weeks, several members of the Glasgow Financial Alliance on Net Zero -- a group of 450 financial institutions -- have quit over concerns about the cost of delivering on their climate commitments. In dropping out, they have given the lie to the notion that private financial institutions can lead the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. What the transition really needs is more ambitious states that will go beyond market-fixing to become market shapers. The market-led approach is roote

As the Fed raised interest rates by 75 basis points on Wednesday for the fourth time this year, financial markets are beginning to shake. Basically, the interest rate hikes in response to higher inflation is a reversal of nearly two decades of generally declining global interest rates, higher asset bubbles and not surprisingly, anemic growth. The Bank for International Settlements has just issued a paper looking at the policy implications of exchange rate swings. The US dollar index has broadl

Min Byoung-chul, an endowed chair professor at Chung-Ang University and a multicultural educator, will hold an author event in Seoul on Wednesday. In the lecture, Min will talk about his recent book “Land of Squid Game,” which highlights some deep-rooted aspects of Korea’s unique culture and traditional games. The first 100 participants will receive a copy of the book for free. A live chat with the author is limited to 50 guests on a first come, first served basis. The event

For the second time in my life, the threat of nuclear war is keeping me up at night. The first occasion was in 1983, when as a child, I sneaked out of my bedroom to watch the TV movie “The Day After.” That movie gave me a healthy appreciation for what a nuclear conflict between the United States and Russia might look like. Now, almost 40 years later, that fear has returned, as Russian President Vladimir Putin issues threats of nuclear use, seemingly to compensate for the poor perform

The sound was unmistakable -- and potentially shattering. It was yet another reverberating sound of silence at a time when we needed to hear everyone speak out in condemnation. Thankfully, this time it was not a total silence. But it was an inexcusable silence from far too many famous names from one political party -- the Republicans. A violent attack had just occurred at the San Francisco home of the Democratic speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Only by the grace of God, it didn’t end

Kim Young-chul, a food delivery rider in Seong-dong, Seoul, recently received a text message from the National Tax Service sent to inform him about unclaimed income tax refunds for the last five years. The message was suspicious, Kim said, but soon he recalled a colleague telling him about how convenient the tax refund system was set on the “Hometax” website, and how he received a swift income tax refund this May. Kim then immediately logged on to the Hometax website and soon learned

North Korea fired four short range ballistic missiles into the West Sea on Saturday, continuing military provocations for the fourth consecutive day. According to Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korean military detected four short range ballistic missiles fired from North Pyongan Province from 11:32 a.m. to 11:59 a.m. The missiles flew about 130 kilometers, reaching altitude of 20 kilometers, the JCS said, adding that South Korean and US militaries are currently carrying out further

1. since 총정리 오늘의 표현: I have since gained a lot of weight..( 나 그후로 살이 많이 쪘어.) 요즘 사람들에게 다이어트는 평생 해야하는 것처럼 여겨지기도 한다. 살이 찌는 이유로는 ‘나이가 들어서’ 또는, ‘회식으로 술을 자주 마셔서’ 등 여러 가지 이유가 있다. 만약 특정한 시점부터 눈에 띄게 살이 많이 찌고 있다면, 부사 since를 사용해서 표현할 수 있다 since의 변화무쌍한 품사이다. 본래 오늘의 표현(I have since gained a lot of weight.) 앞에 문장이 있으면 이해가 쉽다. 즉 오늘의 표 현은 다음과 같은 문장으로 이해하면 된다. (ex) I was skinny when I was younger, but I have since gained a lot of weight.(나는 지금보다 젊었을 때는 마른 사람이었지만 그때 이후로 살이 많이 쪘어.) sin

On Sept. 15 and 16, Samarkand hosted a very important event: the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Heads of State Council. It was different from previous editions due to its extensive program, comprehensive agenda and broad representation of states along with international and regional organizations. Leaders and senior representatives of about 20 states and heads of more than 10 international and regional organizations took part in the event. The unprecedented outcome of the summit

The deadly crowd crush during Halloween celebrations in Itaewon on Oct. 29 shocked the nation to its core. The death toll amounted to at least 156, including 26 foreigners from 14 countries. Hundreds of others were injured and thousands across the nation are dealing with trauma. Nearly all the dead were young people who had gathered in narrow alleys lined with bars and clubs to celebrate Halloween. As the nation mourned, attention turned to questions about how such a deadly crowd crush could h