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Opinion

Oh Young-jin Column

Fri, November 15, 2019 | 22:51

Oh Young-jin

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

Oh Young-jin

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

Oh Young-jin

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

Oh Young-jin

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

Oh Young-jin

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

Oh Young-jin

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

Oh Young-jin

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

Oh Young-jin

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

Oh Young-jin

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

Oh Young-jin

Trump vs. Thanos

Giving is one thing, taking is another. By that definition, I guess there are many takers out there who pretend that nothing is taken. I am talking about a moral or lesson and, if it belongs to neither category, let's say a comparison, between Thanos, the supervillain from “Avengers: Endgame” and its immediate preceding work of the same franchise, “Infinity War,” and (who els...

Oh Young-jin | 2019-05-17 17:22

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