The South Korean government is poised to send food aid to North Korea at a time when denuclearization talks between the North and the US need a fresh boost. It is doubtful, however, that the donation alone would be able to draw Pyongyang back to the disarmament talks. Last week’s announcement in Seoul to provide the North with $8 million worth of food aid came as no surprise. The government of President Moon Jae-in has repeatedly expressed its intention to offer humanitarian aid and promote inte

Speaking at a meeting of local small business owners Tuesday, President Moon Jae-in insisted the South Korean economy “is moving toward success,” defending his income-led growth policy, which critics say has led to sagging corporate activity and worsening unemployment.Government data released a day after his remarks showed the country’s unemployment woes continuing to deepen.According to figures from Statistics Korea, the unemployment rate rose 0.3 percentage point from a year earlier to 4.4 per

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is highly focused on supporting countries to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieve the goals, particularly the SDG 2 -- eradicating hunger and all forms of malnutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture (the “Zero Hunger” goal).For that, FAO and partners (other UN agencies, civil society, the private sector, farmers’ associations, academia and research institutions) are working closely with governments in

Professor Kim Seong-kon wrote another excellent editorial for this paper on May 8, in which he lamented that societal and student interest in the humanities was being “squeezed out by pop culture.” Professor Kim noted that until recently, South Korea had great respect for intellectuals and their contributions to the humanities. I was reminded of reading Richard Rutt tell of regular poetry reading festivals in the countryside just south of Seoul when he was a priest in the 1950s and ’60s. But now

A recent private conversation between presidential policy chief and floor leader of the ruling party was accidentally disclosed to media outlets.They talked in a meeting of the party, government and presidential office, without knowing their microphones were switched on. Their conversation revealed how Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party perceive bureaucrats.“Government officials are not as obedient as before,” said Lee In-young, floor leader of the Democratic Party, “Let me handle this problem.”

The latest developments involving North Korea show how little the regime has changed as far as its handling of the nuclear issue is concerned. This means the international community -- not least the US and South Korea -- may have to rethink its approach toward the country and its leader. North Korea is apparently using what former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called a “revolving door.” He used the term in a recent interview to refer to the fact that the North “opened and closed so many t

If unionized bus drivers around the country go on strike Wednesday as planned, it would mark yet another case of unnecessary social and economic costs being caused by ill-conceived policies implemented under President Moon Jae-in’s administration.Nearly 38,000 drivers from 10 metropolitan cities and provinces have voted overwhelmingly to strike to demand a pay increase in time for the implementation of a mandatory 52-hour workweek in the bus industry this summer.They complain that the shorter wo