The recent Republican National Convention in the US was scandalous for many reasons -- from the misuse of the White House as a campaign prop (in violation of the Hatch Act and long-standing norms) and the brazen mendacity of its speakers to the parade of Trump family members. Amid the tawdry spectacle of the GOP being transformed into a subsidiary of the Trump Organization, one shocking aspect stood out: The party offered no platform. The Republicans’ only purpose, apparently, is “to

A frightening 70 percent of millennials say they would back a socialist candidate for office. And today, we are seeing many socialist ideas gaining traction, such as “free” college tuition for all, government-run health care and a guaranteed income even for able-bodied people who don’t work. While we can blame some of the attraction to socialism on its false promises of fixing every social ill, the nearly inescapable indoctrination present in our schools and universities, and

The general perception of small and mid-sized businesses remained negative compared to that of large conglomerates, according to a survey conducted by the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business. Out of a total 100 points, a preference for SMEs came in at 52.6 points, compared to 75.5 points for conglomerates. By category, the lowest points were given to working conditions of SMEs. But 52.6 percent of the respondents also said their perception towards the smaller businesses have improv

In 1947, two years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were decimated by nuclear bombs, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists launched the Doomsday Clock to convey the world proximity to annihilation -- and to spur action to “turn back time.” Today, it is worth considering the need to create a clock to show how close our democracies are to collapse. On such a Democracy Doomsday Clock, we would be rapidly approaching midnight. Liberal democracy is founded on the idea that individuals acting

The nation is at war. The war is raging on two major fronts. One is against the invisible coronavirus. The other, much older and deep-seated, divides the country, so accustomed to politicizing and ideologizing along unclear lines of right and left, or conservatives and progressives. In a situation like this, it must seem insensitive, or even like a luxury, to discuss art or an artist’s life. However, I was attracted to one particular art exhibition devoted to Pai Un-soung. Pai occupies a

The number of new employment planned by companies in South Korea during the second and third quarters this year dropped to the lowest in 11 years, according to the Employment and Labor Ministry. The planned size of hiring is the smallest since the first quarter of 2009, when the figure had dropped to 208,000 due to the global financial crisis. The crunch in the job market has been largely anticipated with the on-going COVID-19 pandemic that has led to delayed school openings, closings of p

  A report by the Korea Food Service Industry Association showed that the use of emergency funds doled out by the government in May in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic was largest at restaurants. Although the funds were largely used at restaurants, the industry also the most vulnerable to the change in the number of moving population, the report added. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

It would be foolish to start celebrating the end of US President Donald Trump’s administration, but it is not too soon to ponder the impact he will have left on the international economic system if his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, wins November’s election. In some areas, a one-term Trump presidency would most likely leave an insignificant mark, which Biden could easily erase. But in several others, the last four years may well come to be seen as a watershed. Moreover, the long s