The Korea Herald

안녕하세요 Yu Kun-ha 기자입니다.

Articles by Yu Kun-ha

[David Ignatius] A Syrian defector’s mission

ViewpointsAug 30, 2012

PARIS ― Syria’s most prominent military defector says the key to political transition there is to provide a “safety net” that persuades Alawites they won’t be massacred if they break with President Bashar al-Assad. “My main work is to convince the Alawites that they do not have to commit suicide along with the regime,” said Manaf Tlass, a former general in the Syrian army who left the country in July. He spoke Tuesday at a location in France where he has taken refuge. It was his first in-depth i
End of establishment Republicans’ rule?

ViewpointsAug 30, 2012

Ever since Ronald Reagan, the Republican Party has moved steadily to the right. Yet in Tampa this week, for the seventh consecutive time, Republicans nominated a mainstream presidential candidate after rejecting movement conservatives. No one would confuse Willard Mitt Romney with a populist or movement conservative; he oozes establishment. So did the other presidential nominees since Reagan, both Presidents Bush, Bob Dole and John McCain. Like those predecessors, Romney calculated the formula f
Growth needed to end Philippine labor exports

ViewpointsAug 30, 2012

Hailed as new heroes for bringing in billions of dollars a year to fuel the growth of the Philippine economy, many overseas Filipino workers are, in truth, martyrs for slaving abroad just to help their families survive back home.As of last count, there are about 12 million Filipinos ― more than 10 percent of the population ― working in some 200 countries across the globe. In 2011, they sent home $20.1 billion to the families they left behind.In the first half of 2012, OFW remittances amounted to
Watershed moment in Apple’s downfall?

ViewpointsAug 30, 2012

From the look of it, life couldn’t be better right now for Apple Inc. The value of the Cupertino, California-based technology giant surpassed $600 billion in mid-August to become the world’s most valuable company. Last Friday Apple scored a major legal victory over its smart device market rival Samsung, with a California court finding several Samsung devices infringed on Apple patents. Apple was awarded $1.05 billion in damages. While $1.05 billion is a big number, it is trivial compared to the
Asian nationalism is dangerous development

ViewpointsAug 30, 2012

The overlapping claim between South Korea and Japan over the Dokdo or Takeshima islands is moving towards uncharted water. The international community thinks that, as the two most important allies of the U.S. in the region, South Korea and Japan should know how to avoid creating an environment that augurs badly for strategic cooperation. That is not true. Worst of all, this tension is happening when their giant neighbor, China, is on a meteoric rise. In fact, if the quarrel continues unabated, i
[William Choong] A Konrad Adenauer model

ViewpointsAug 30, 2012

August is that time of year when Japan has to grapple with its militaristic past. On Aug 15, 1945, the country suffered an ignominious defeat to Allied forces, marking the end of World War II in the Asia-Pacific.This year, however, Japan came under even more pressure, as Tokyo saw territorial disputes with South Korea and China over two groups of islands.Earlier this month, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made a historic visit to the Dokdo islands ― a move challenged by Japan, which calls t
In Korea, it’s Ross Perot vs. Queen Elizabeth I

ViewpointsAug 29, 2012

South Koreans may face a fascinating choice come December’s presidential election: Elizabeth I or Ross Perot? Park Geun-hye, the unmarried ruling-party candidate, touts the virgin queen who ruled England from 1558 to 1603 as a role model. Ahn Cheol-soo is the businessman most Koreans want to take her on. He’s Korea’s answer to Perot, the billionaire who 20 years ago ran as America’s most successful modern third-party candidate. So far, Ahn hasn’t said if he will run. Should he do so, he could st
[Hans-Werner Sinn] Judgment Day for the eurozone

ViewpointsAug 29, 2012

MUNICH ― Europe and the world are eagerly awaiting the decision of Germany’s Constitutional Court on Sept. 12 regarding the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the proposed permanent successor to the eurozone’s current emergency lender, the European Financial Stability Mechanism. The Court must rule on German plaintiffs’ claim that legislation to establish the ESM would violate Germany’s Grundgesetz (Basic Law). If the court rules in the plaintiffs’ favor, it will ask Germany’s president not to
Democrats, GOP want to focus on different issues

ViewpointsAug 29, 2012

ARCADE, N.Y. ― Kathy Hochul is a young, first-term Democratic congresswoman fighting for her political life in a solidly Republican district outside Buffalo, N.Y. Unlike most of that liberal state, this is Romney country; a poll last week showed the GOP candidate ahead of President Barack Obama in her district by a whopping 12 points.So how does Hochul hope to persuade Republican-leaning voters to cross partisan lines to send a Democrat back to Washington? One word: Medicare.“Here’s what they pr
Korea goes to Africa

ViewpointsAug 29, 2012

The fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation took place last month in Beijing. The event reaffirmed China’s determination to become a privileged partner for the ongoing economic development of African countries. Now, Beijing’s rising influence in Africa prompted the attention of another emerging Asian economy, South Korea, which is looking at the African context with ever greater interest. “No matter how the international landscape may change, China will remain uncha
[Jeffrey D. Sachs] A global solutions network to save the planet

ViewpointsAug 29, 2012

NEW YORK ― Great social change occurs in several ways. A technological breakthrough ― the steam engine, computers, the Internet ― may play a leading role. Visionaries, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela, may inspire a demand for justice. Political leaders may lead a broad reform movement, as with Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal.Our own generation urgently needs to spur another era of great social change. This time, we must act to save the planet from a human-i
[Editorial] End to patent battle

EditorialAug 28, 2012

Samsung Electronics has suffered a crushing defeat in a landmark patent battle against Apple Inc. A U.S. jury found last week that the Korean smartphone maker infringed upon a number of patents held by Apple, while the American tech giant did not violate any of its Korean rival’s intellectual properties. The jury’s judgment is widely criticized here as unfair. But it is highly likely to be upheld by the California court, dealing a serious blow to Samsung, the world’s largest mobile device produc
[Editorial] ‘Education-poor’ families

EditorialAug 28, 2012

People who are financially strapped because of their mortgages are commonly called “house poor.” Likewise, families that are poor due to heavy spending on their children’s education are called “education poor” in Korea. According to a recent survey, a large number of Korean households belong to this category. The survey, conducted by Hyundai Research Institute, defines the education poor as families that are indebted and unable to make ends meet but nevertheless spend more than average on their
Citizen protests making an impact in China

ViewpointsAug 27, 2012

The way the Chinese government is behaving right now, you’d almost think it had converted to democracy. Half a dozen times in recent weeks, government officials have backed down in the face of angry citizen protests ― canceling unpopular industrial projects, freeing wrongly imprisoned citizens or arresting one of its own for his reprehensible behavior.That’s not how a communist dictatorship is supposed to behave.The most notorious example involves Tang Hui from Yongzhou City in southern China. T
[David Ignatius] An enigma on foreign policy

ViewpointsAug 27, 2012

WASHINGTON ― When reporters are writing stories and don’t yet have a necessary piece of information, they sometimes write “TK,” as in “to come.” I feel that way about Mitt Romney’s foreign policy. Other than his support for Israel and rhetorical shots at Russia and China, it’s a mystery what Romney thinks about major international issues and where he would take the country. Is Romney a neoconservative who has an idealistic vision of America transforming the world through military power and advoc