About moms Mothers have a special place in the hearts of sons.
No more repatriation! One day a decade ago when I was working for the Korean-invested Bumsei Leather Products Co. in Jiaozhou, Qingdao, in east Chinas Shandong Province, a security guard of the company approached me. The Chinese employee said someone has come to the b..
Yun Yong-ro experiment So far, so good. Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) CEO Yun Yong-ro Monday replaced nine vice-president level executives in the first move since his inauguration last Thursday of what is likely to be a sweeping reorganization of the bank that had been run b..
Nuclear security summit In about a month, Seoul will host a massive international event the second nuclear security summit. The two-day event starting March 26 will be larger than the G20 summit held last October. It will attract heads of state from some 50 countries a..
Han Duck-soo tragedy Three years ago, I wrote a column about Han Duck-soo, the former prime minister-turned-ambassador to the United States, now chairman-to-be of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), a pseudo-state agency charged with doing what the name i..
Cultural locomotive The new neighborhood of Sangam-dong in northern Seoul is home to the World Cup Stadium as well as a mega-sized media complex.
BOK governors fault It is as easy as it is hard to criticize a central bank head over a key rate policy.
A Broken Arrow Public distrust in the judiciary runs deep in Korean society. Judges and prosecutors are among the least respected groups by the people.
Hallyu crusade I was a skeptic of hallyu or the Korean wave. I even denied its existence. Now I am converted.
Korean Schweitzers abroad During my schooldays, I learned about Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) who helped poor and sick people in Africa. I remember that our primary school textbook set aside sizable space to introduce his activities in sleeping Africa. Many of us respected ..
Minister with no backbone First, I want to acknowledge the noble efforts being made even as I am writing this column by most of our diplomats to promote our national interests throughout the world from the United Nations headquarters in New York, the war zone in Iraq to any..
Lack of philosophy Fresh from the Lunar New Year holiday, called Seollal in Korea, people seem rejuvenated thanks to the love and affection they shared with family members during the traditional festive period. We tend to gain strength when we are surrounded by frien..
Beautiful minds When the ``Giving Pledge, a donation campaign by wealthy American people, was revealed last year, it caused me to react negatively for two reasons.
Reflections on the subway Despite its high efficiency, I never really enjoy the subway. Your body is physically moving as it is being transported by the train, but there is no visual confirmation of that movement.
Waiting for (President) Godot We know The One is not coming this time, either.
Education is headed up mountains Why are students so crazy about winter jackets that carry the North Face logo? The ridiculous fad has been sweeping middle and high schools for years for no particular reason.
Ending Lone Star trauma For eight years since it bought a majority stake in the Korea Exchange Bank (KEB), Lone Star has sometimes served as a source of our heartbreak and at other times acted as a whipping boy to lash out at for our frustration.
