New York Times (November 7)
“The competition to get into higher-ranked universities is destroying the lives of young people and their families in countries like South Korea and Japan…. The paradox is these ridiculous tests don’t necessarily lead to demanding college classes.”
Tags: Classes, College, Competition, Demanding, Families, Japan, Paradox, Ridiculous, South Korea, Tests, Universities, Young people
Washington Post (November 1)
The dysfunctional relationship between Japan and South Korea “threatens to undermine U.S. security interests, including dealing with a rising China and an aggressive North Korea.” Relations between the two countries “have descended to another low, fueled by issues of wartime history and the still-poisonous legacy of Japan’s harsh colonial rule over Korea from 1910 to 1945. The two countries’ leaders have not met since May 2012, and polls show that three times more Koreans view China favorably than Japan.” The U.S. is going to have to abandon neutrality and encourage a solution. “The reality is that neither Japan nor South Korea seems capable of finding a path toward reconciliation on its own.”
Tags: China, Japan, North Korea, Reconciliation, Relationship, Security interests, Solution, South Korea, U.S.
Financial Times (September 18)
South Korea is increasingly turning to immigrants to fill 3D jobs considered dirty, difficult and dangerous. The “migrant worker population that has risen to around 540,000 from 49,500 in 1990” looks poised to continue growing. “With a looming demographic crunch driven by one of the world’s lowest birth rates, the reliance on foreign labour is likely to spread more broadly in this increasingly mature economy.”
Tags: Birth rates, Dangerous, Demographics, Difficult, Dirty, Foreign labour, Immigrants, Mature economy, Migrant workers, Population, South Korea
Los Angeles Times (July 28)
“North and South, on the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, couldn’t be more different.” When the armistice ended the war in 1953, “one-third of all homes and two-fifths of all factories were destroyed. Seoul, Pyongyang and all other cities were little more than rubble. Food was scarce, orphans plentiful.” Today, not that much has changed in the North, but everything has changed in the South, which is now the world’s 12th largest economy. “There is no more inspiring story in the world over the past half-century—or a more compelling example of how political decisions can shape people’s lives.”
Tags: Armistice, Food, Inspiring, Korean War, North Korea, Orphans, Pyongyang, Seoul, South Korea
Washington Post (July 21)
Prime Minister Abe’s strong mandate is promising for Asia, and could help reduce tension. ”A healthy U.S.-Japan alliance is the region’s best hope for stability. That alliance, in turn, depends on a prospering Japanese economy and on at least cordial relations between Japan and other U.S. friends in Asia, most notably South Korea. Thanks to Japanese fatigue with the instability of the past decade, and to Mr. Abe’s political skills, he now has the best chance in a long time to deliver on those goals.”
Tags: Abe, Alliance, Asia, Economy, Japan, Mandate, Prime minister, South Korea, Stability, U.S.
Time (April 30, 2013)
On the surface, relations look strong between the U.S. and South Korea, “thanks to a free-trade agreement, greater policy coordination and solidarity against North Korea’s provocations. But there is an unresolved question in their relationship: How much nuclear technology should South Korea possess?” South Korea wants enrichment and reprocessing rights. By 2030, the South seeks to supply 60% of its domestic energy needs with nuclear and aspires to be a major exporter of nuclear reactors. Wary of demands other countries might make, the U.S. remains opposed to expanding enrichment and reprocessing rights. Going it alone would “seriously strain the alliance. For now, South Korea appears set on gaining Washington’s seal of approval.”
Tags: Alliance, Enrichment, Exports, Reactors, Reprocessing, South Korea, U.S.
Washington Post (April 12, 2013)Washington Post (April 12, 2013)
“One unlikely benefit of the North Korea crisis is that the world may be getting fed up with the country’s pugnacious young leader, Kim Jong Un. In his belligerent talk of war, Kim appears to have crossed a line, upsetting traditional allies such as China and Russia as well as the United States and South Korea.”
Tags: China, Kim Jong Un, North Korea, Russia, South Korea, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (April 10, 2013)
South Korea should capitalize on the North’s latest threat to boycott the Kaesong special economic zone. It’s time to say “good riddance” to a zone which “merely props up the Kim regime…. South Korean President Park Geun-hye should seize this opportunity to declare Kaesong a misguided experiment and shut it down for good.”
Tags: Boycott, Kaesong, North Korea, Park, Shut down, South Korea, Special economic zone
Washington Post (April 6, 2013)
“Pop stars, bourgeois lifestyle commentary and funny videos often seem to interest young South Koreans more than Pyongyang’s latest provocation.” As North Korea tries to “to intimidate its neighbor… South Korea has already won the fight.” Young people do talk about “the risk of a second Korean war. But, even if this week’s chest-thumping has them a bit jittery, they typically mock Kim Jong Un and dismiss his war declaration as hot air. It’s a distraction from more pressing matters — not a particularly high bar for a youth culture obsessed with the latest Korean pop girl group or Samsung gadget.”
Tags: Kim Jong Un, North Korea, Provocation, South Korea, War, Youth
BBC (March 21)
“Disruption that paralysed the computer networks of broadcasters and banks in South Korea appears to have been caused by a virus…. two South Korean banks, Shinhan Bank and Nonghyup, and three TV stations KBS, MBS and YTN, all reported that their networks had suddenly shut down on Wednesday afternoon.” The cyber-attack originated from an internet address in China, leading many to guess North Korea is ultimately behind the attack. To disguise its identity, the North has been known to route cyber-attacks through China.
Tags: Banks, China, Cyber-attack, North Korea, South Korea, TV stations, Virus
