The two whistleblowing scandals rocking the Moon Jae-in administration expose some chronic illnesses of the Korean government and politics. The two cases also manifest that whistleblowers in this society are vulnerable to reprisals and retaliation.One of the common elements of the two cases, both of which target alleged wrongdoings of senior government officials, is that the power elite, especially presidential aides, are prone to abuse their power. At the core of the first sets of allegations

The country’s exports reached a record high of $605 billion  in 2018, up 5.5 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the first day of the New Year. This achievement has made South Korea the world’s seventh economy to surpass the $600 billion mark in outbound shipments, following the US, Germany, China, Japan, the Netherlands and France.It was no small feat, and with almost all economic indicators pointing downward recently, Preside

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed his hopes of a second summit with the US in his New Year’s speech, but did not offer additional steps toward denuclearization.Instead, he repeated the North’s existing position -- that the US must ease its sanctions against the communist state.Few would criticize the South Korean government if it tried to mediate in the summitry, but it should avoid doing so as a means to rush inter-Korean projects among other things.Kim’s address invites concerns that h

For reasons largely outside its control, the Federal Reserve is now being widely blamed for fueling financial market instability and risking derailment of the US economy. This is quite a contrast from just a few months ago, when it was still being feted by many for its role as an active and effective repressor of financial market volatility. It is probably only a matter of time until the European Central Bank finds itself in a similar, perhaps tougher position. The reality is both central banks