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Fri, November 16, 2018 | 19:35

Opinion > Columnists > Bernard Rowan >

Neighborhoods in Korea

Something I liked about living in Seoul is the convenience and accessibility of neighborhoods or dong. Despite the size and pace of urban life in this cosmopolis, Seoul’s neighborhoods and those of other Korean cities provide a wealth of consumer services, schools, parks and access to Korea’s people in community settings. I’d like to share with you why I think this typical and normal feature of Korean life is itself a technology for advancement.

Bernard Rowan | 2015-02-17 14:45

Children and Korea

Children are our future. Children tell us how we think of ourselves. South Korea is an advanced society, but its democracy is quite new. Rooted in resistance to military and authoritarian rule, Koreans in the 1980s forged a democracy. It now holds the military accountable to the rule of law and civilian leaders to constitutional limits.

Bernard Rowan | 2015-02-03 16:48

N. Korea and 2-track diplomacy

South Korea and the United States face conflicting pressures in dealing with North Korea. The South would like to respond to conciliatory gestures and rhetoric by Pyongyang and Kim Jong-un, and perhaps resume Mount Geumgang tours or ease sanctions on the North.

Bernard Rowan | 2015-01-20 16:33

Thinking about chaebol

People like what chaebol do for Korea and the world. We benefit from the many consumer products and services produced by Samsung, Hyundai, and the other conglomerates. Korean Air and Hanjin Shipping are among the best in the world. No one could say that Korea became an advanced nation without the chaebol. The Korean people and their successive governments created them after all and continue to operate them.

Bernard Rowan | 2015-01-06 16:59

Getting with it?

The second year of President Park Geun-hye’s five year term is drawing to a close. Last year, I wrote a frank appraisal (“Get With It,” Dec. 24, 2013) in which I criticized the President for sluggishness in leadership, cancellations of campaign promises and "playing it safe" on most issues. I said she had to "get with it," an American phrase meaning to act with focus and vigor. Or more simply said, to stop playing about.

Bernard Rowan | 2014-12-23 17:13

Korean culture values life. The joy that families and friends show at Korean weddings, often lavish and expensive but always wonderful celebrations of family unity, comes to mind. Despite a low birthrate, each baby boy or girl born brings another life that carries the promise to forward Korea’s traditions. Korean people continue to advance and share in life's improvement for the good of your society and the world. Now's the Christmas season. We also prepare for a new calendar year, and Lunar New Year follows. However, this column discusses my experience as a foreigner of how Koreans approach...

Bernard Rowan | 2014-12-09 16:56

Koreans and the love of learning

These days, Korean culture is progressing on many fronts. Cultural change is often difficult to analyze, but it occurs nonetheless.

Bernard Rowan | 2014-11-25 17:04

Korean shipbuilding

When it comes to Korea’s advanced shipbuilding industry, change can’t be easy. Looking at shipbuilding here over several decades presents a mixed picture. Aside from a constant need to improve technology, South Korea faces rising competition from other Asian nations, as well as the negative impacts of currency and demand swings. Some long-standing companies have problems. Overall, the government and chaebol leaders need to create new models for this leading Korean industry in the 21st century.

Bernard Rowan | 2014-11-11 17:15

Have you ever visited Insa-dong? This district in Jongno-gu, Seoul, not far from the traditional villages of Namsangol, is a mecca for fans of Korean culture. Among the many places to visit in South Korea’s capital, I’d highly recommend Insa-dong.

Bernard Rowan | 2014-10-28 17:11

The charm offense

So, dear friends of Korea, North Korea's latest charm offensive is distinctly lacking in charm. The recent surprise visit by three high-ranking Pyongyang officials at the end of the Incheon Asian Games was mostly insincere. This ploy was a test simply to see South Korea and its allies' willingness to engage diplomatically. Let this call for talks fade into the archives of fake overtures.

Bernard Rowan | 2014-10-14 17:08

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Choking on worsening air pollution