International cooperation is under strain. The voices of protectionism and nationalism are gaining strength, and governments are increasingly pursuing policy goals through unilateral or ad hoc measures, rather than by working together.Even against this backdrop, it remains abundantly clear that effective international cooperation improves economic outcomes and everyday lives. The automatic exchange of financial information based on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Comm

Democracy and freedom in East Asia have had a difficult time lately. The democratically elected president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, was photographed embracing one of the world’s worst despots, Chairman Kim Jong-un of North Korea. Chairman Kim had his brother assassinated with a biological weapon of mass destruction, executed his uncle with an anti-aircraft machine gun, and holds an estimated 120,000 political prisoners in a North Korean gulag. President Moon equated their hastily arranged sec

Negotiations between the US and North Korea to prepare for their historic summit are entering the final stretch after a roller coaster ride which once went to a short-lived cancellation.　US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his June 12 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore would go ahead. This news came after senior North Korean official Kim Yong-chol hand-delivered a letter from Kim Jong-un to the president.Trump said Singapore would be “a get-to-know-you kind

While the people of Gwangju and South Korea were commemorating the 38th anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, human rights activists and the activists of democratic movements in different countries of Asia gathered at the city of Gwangju to discuss the pertinent issues of human rights and democracy in the region. The activists and academicians commemorated the pro-democratic movement of 1980 with the announcement of three Asian declarations on a right to justice, a right to peace and a right to c

The national pension fund’s move to exercise its shareholder rights to a greater extent could become a double-edged sword. On one hand, it could help the fund better manage its investment, but on the other hand it could lead to political interference in the management of private companies. It is against this backdrop that the National Pension Service should be prudent in its plans to exercise its shareholder rights with regards to Korean Air, which is being pounded by a barrage of scandals. The