The Korea Times - Oh Young-jin Column, Opinion, page 1

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Opinion

Oh Young-jin Column

Wed, September 18, 2019 | 04:06

Japanese foreign minister's lame excuse

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono's view on the ongoing dispute with Korea is disappointing because it lacks universal respect for basic human rights and is worrisome because it may recommit Japan to its past mistakes. The Kono claim provides grounds for reflection regarding what is the best way to prevent an aggressor country from waging war again: the Treaty of Versailles...

Oh Young-jin | 2019-09-06 17:02

Korea's open rebellion against US

Although few have said it out loud, Korea's decision to pull out of its three-year-old military intelligence sharing pact with Japan despite strong U.S. objections is nothing less than open rebellion. It marks a major departure from the role of junior partner that Korea plays in its alliance with the U.S., coming as U.S. regional stewardship is being challenged by the growing...

Oh Young-jin | 2019-08-30 18:09

GSOMIA decision: Moon Jae-in's nuclear option

Not long after President Roh Moo-hyun took office in 2003, he gathered presidential aides and discussed how to lead and govern the nation. There was near-consensus against Roh's visit to the United States, espoused by former activists among the Roh aides who saw the U.S. as a supporter of the previous dictatorships they fought against.

Oh Young-jin | 2019-08-23 17:30

Trump turns USFK into 'transactional' army

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) is under attack not by enemy but by its own commander-in-chief, President Donald Trump. Trump is prioritizing the size of the bill host Korea pays toward upkeep and is indulging himself in an unwarranted bromance with the head of the enemy. The risk is bringing confusion to the mission and raison d'etre of the peacekeepers and freedom fighters who hav...

Oh Young-jin | 2019-08-16 17:30

We Koreans are emotional and rational

Amid heightened tension after Japan's retaliatory trade sanctions against Korea, I met some foreigners who observed that Koreans are “emotional” compared with Japan's reputed exterior calmness and purposefulness. Even some domestic media outlets editorialized a cautionary tale against an “emotional” approach to Japan. The foreigners' definition of emotional likely indicates t...

Oh Young-jin | 2019-08-09 16:57

Moon, Abe, do some art!

Now, here is one football analogy. FIFA rankings have Korea No. 37, nine steps down from the No. 28 Japan. In its 78 national team matches, Korea has won 41, while Japan has won 14, with 23 draws. The reason for this discrepancy between the rankings and their match results is Korean spirit - “We can lose anybody but Japan.” The moral is that by fighting each other, they have ...

Oh Young-jin | 2019-07-19 18:40

Korea-Japan dispute spreads to security

On Japan, retreat is no option for Moon

President Moon Jae-in has shown no sign that a compromise is an option in Japan's embargo on key items that can halt Korea's semiconductor making, the nation's bread-and-butter industry.

Oh Young-jin | 2019-07-12 17:14

Khashoggi question for Saudi crown prince and us

Nobody asked Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi during his June 26-27 visit to Korea. If anybody does during the G20 in Osaka, Japan, MbS's next destination, please let me know. In Seoul, the prince, 33, was insulated from those who could ask about his alleged involvement in the journalist's killing. There were no news co...

Oh Young-jin | 2019-06-28 17:22

Where will Korea stand on US-China clash?

Kiron Skinner says the U.S. is fighting a racial war of civilizations pitting the Americans against a non-Caucasian foe in China for the first time. What about the Pacific War, part of World War II, waged between the U.S. and Japan? So the U.S. State Department's policy planning director is factually inaccurate. Also her being Afro-American may have tinted her lens, putting t...

Oh Young-jin | 2019-06-21 17:54

Power shift in foreign policymaking?

A former foreign minister once told me of an incident that I think captures the nature of power: one who has power wants to use it. The incident concerned a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. Then Foreign Minister Yoon Yong-hwan berated deputy chief of the National Security Council secretariat Lee Jong-seok. “You could hear a pin drop between bur...

Oh Young-jin | 2019-05-31 18:00

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