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Thu, December 7, 2023 | 01:33

Lee Hyo-sik

It's inflation, stupid!

For years, it’s been this reporter's weekly ritual to go to a large discount store in the neighborhood for groceries and other daily necessities. It seems to be pretty much the same for most households here, except for those who have shifted entirely to shopping online.

2023-12-06 15:50

Eugene Lee

Busan's Expo bid falls short: It shouldn’t have been made in first place

Losing isn't really fun. But sometimes it can be good, as it was in South Korea’s lost bid to host the WorldExpo 2030. It may sound juxtaposed to other opinions for and against the bid, but the roots of my pitch lie in public governance and Korea's historic experience.

2023-12-06 14:03

'Just war' and the Gaza Strip

'Just war' and the Gaza Strip

“If you (Americans) were OK with us killing 5,000 children, you are OK with killing 10,000 children,” said Daniel Levy, a former Israeli diplomat who helped negotiate the Oslo peace accords in the 1990s. That’s what Israeli diplomats really think of U.S. policy, he says.

2023-12-06 14:02

. Andrew Hammond

Europe doubles down on COP28 while Xi and Biden sit it out

The high profile COP28 climate summit is entering its first full week in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Yet key leaders like U.S. and Chinese Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will not be attending. A key world power that will help fill this vacuum is Europe which sees the Middle Eastern event as critical for delivering the goals of the 2015 Paris deal. EU leaders have been o...

2023-12-05 16:35

Lee Jong-eun

Should South Korea's foreign policy become more audacious?

South Korea today faces multiple geopolitical challenges. North Korea continues to advance its missile and nuclear capacity, while China’s conflict with Taiwan threatens security in the South China Sea. Beyond East Asia, the Russia-Ukraine War has widened the geopolitical divide between the West and revisionist states. The strategic competition between the U.S. and China incr...

2023-12-05 16:30

Judge says Trump 'engaged in an insurrection' before making a curious ruling

Judge says Trump 'engaged in an insurrection' before making a curious ruling

If you’re looking for fresh evidence how we’re sleepwalking toward fascism, look no further than the pre-holiday court ruling which decreed that even though Donald Trump is an insurrectionist who “acted with the specific intent to incite political violence” on Jan. 6, he still belongs on the 2024 ballot - despite the constitutional provision that bars insurrectionists from se...

2023-12-05 16:20

. Deauwand Myers

Yoon's costly palace intrigue

Recently, President Yoon Suk Yeol dismissed Korea’s umbrella intelligence agency’s (National Intelligence Service, or NIS) powerful head, Director Kim Kyou-hyun, and oddly, Director Kim’s two chief deputies. Dismissing the three top officials of any country’s defense or intelligence services is unheard of for modern, advanced democracies and world powers.

2023-12-04 16:35

Annus horribilis for hedge funds

Annus horribilis for hedge funds

Last month, Korea's primary regulator, the Financial Services Commission, imposed a short-sell ban on all listed stocks. The ban is instituted to protect retail investors from short-selling, which involves borrowing stocks, selling them with the bet that the price will fall, and repurchasing them at a profit.

2023-12-04 16:30

Biden continues to face political headwinds

Biden continues to face political headwinds

Stung by a succession of high profile polls showing President Joe Biden trailing former president Donald Trump among crucial swing state voters, the White House and its allies in Congress have scrambled to calm jittery nerves and reassure donors and establishment leaders all is well and under control.

2023-12-04 16:20

. Song Kyung-jin

Cabinet reshuffle and appointing right people urgently needed

There are many factors pushing President Yoon Suk Yeol to expedite a reshuffle of the presidential office and cabinet to restore discipline in the government. Such pressing factors include the sluggish economy, increasing difficulty in the people’s livelihoods and a series of wrong political decisions, including the failure to host World Expo 2030. More than a month has passe...

2023-12-04 16:00

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