The Korea Times

In praise of Korean-US relations

As the United States of America approaches its 250th birthday next month, there are many kinds of columns written to celebrate two and a half centuries of life in pursuit of democracy, liberty and equality. Many choose to focus on aspects of the present in need of minor or major repair. My celebratory column will concern America’s friendship with South Korea. It has been a blessing, forged of necessity in war but hewn and made more fundamental through over 70 years of cooperation. The people of the United States owe much to their friendships and alliances, in particular to the people of South Korea. The United States entered the 1950-53 Korean War after North Korea attacked South Korea on June 25, 1950. Pushed all the way to Busan, the joint forces fought back and eventually established armistice boundaries along Panmunjeom. This place, featured in high-profile visits by recent South and North Korean Presidents and by Donald Trump, still marks the fact that the Korean War hasn’t concluded. This sobering fact occasions some comments about superpower relations. We now somewhat regula

18h agoBy Bernard Rowan

Bernard Rowan

Going around, not through the strait – and beyond

I remember seeing various charts and graphs in school about the end of oil. Those charts concerned Middle Eastern states. Petroleum is perhaps still the world's most vital source of fuel. A recent article in Science Insights (Nov. 18, 2025) indicates that global reserves, at current production levels and use, will last another 100 years. Hannah Osborne in Live Science (May 31, 2024) cited a 2023 Rystad survey indicating 1.6 trillion barrels remain on earth. Iran correctly views Korea as an ally of the United States. While that is a simplification of Korea’s many allies and friends, including a great many nations in the Middle East, as a result, Iran won't guarantee safe passage for Seoul’s freight container behemoths. The recent damage to one such cargo container in May from weapons manufactured in Iran has done nothing to calm matters. Certainly, there will continue to be a lot of concern over oil in the Middle East and elsewhere. Korea depends on the Middle East for 70 percent of its oil and 30 percent of its natural gas (Korea Times, March 3, 2026). It has begun to use an altern

Jun 7, 2026By Bernard Rowan

Going around, not through the strait – and beyond

Bernard Rowan

Happy Birthday, Buddha!

My column is to offer praise and thanksgiving for Buddha's birthday, celebrated on May 25 this year. It’s also to give some reflections on the great world religion and my understanding of Buddhism in Korea. Existing in Korea roughly since the fourth century, Buddhism continues to have a profound influence on Korean politics, society and culture. I remember enjoying a meal at my friend's home to learn that the consumption of rice at the end of the meal reflects Buddhist culture and the valuation of what is simple. I also remember visiting Daewon Temple near Boseong to enjoy a meal with the head monk, who reminded me of the same message. I also remember a monk passing me by just by chance at Bulguk Temple in Gyeongju and asking me how I felt. Buddhism is a faith that aspires to release us from the transitory nature of things and to pursue enlightenment on this basis. I have thought of this as trying to understand the nothingness of the world and its cares, with its Hobbesian morass of interests, appetites and objects. A total of 500 million people think along these lines. Striving to i

May 24, 2026By Bernard Rowan

Bernard Rowan

The importance of 'You’re welcome'

The other day, I listened to a YouTube video about how to maximize the potential of customary replies. The speaker stated that the utterance “You’re welcome,” after someone thanks you, is now viewed as a no-no. The video explained that instead one should say, “It’s my pleasure,” or perhaps, “I was happy to help you. I know you’d do the same for me.” This new convention in English usage today seems widespread. I looked a bit on the internet and read related articles going back over a decade. There seem to be two lines of thinking about the loss in utility and value of saying “You’re welcome.” Some think it’s cold and neutral, lacking the energy to motivate a relationship as opposed to saying, “It was my pleasure.” From this view, saying “You’re welcome” comes across as neutral, reflexive, artificial or even cold. Others indicate that an expression of gratitude is an opportunity for its receiver to claim reciprocity or perhaps to build greater energy in the relationship by saying, “Not at all. I know you’d do the same for me.” A third area of thi

May 10, 2026By Bernard Rowan

Bernard Rowan

Syncretism and sagacity

Syncretism means the bringing together what may seem disparate but in reality are elements that forge a stronger alloy or combination. It also might be termed work to complement substitutes or opposites. In particular contexts, its magnetism is sagacity or prudence. These days, one can see the familiar signs of syncretism and sagacity in Korean international relations. I read with interest that South Korea has begun moving its container ships through the Red Sea, bypassing the morass that has become the Strait of Hormuz. According to The New Arab on April 17, South Korea has obtained a three-month supply of 270 million barrels of oil. I’d speculate that what South Korea is doing needs to be imitated more widely. If anything is clear from the hubris of Israel and America’s current embargo, as well as Iran’s gamesmanship in the Strait, it is the world’s overdependence on one trade route. It’s heinous and ridiculous. I say that the Red Sea route and others need to be identified and built. These are mind-boggling in cost and other challenges, but they would also represent competi

Apr 26, 2026By Bernard Rowan

Bernard Rowan

Away with the Cheshire Cat

I hesitate to say that U.S. President Donald Trump has been channeling a version of the Cheshire Cat in “Alice in Wonderland.” It might give the Cat a bad name. Trump has more accurately served the Cheshire designs of Israel, whose “grand strategy” is to push back the threat from Iran’s proxies, eliminate border threats and endeavor to end the regime governing their main enemy. Trump seems happy to follow Israel’s lead, whatever else he might say. Some commentators see realism in Trump’s actions, arguing that degrading Iran’s military and regional power projection is long overdue. I’m not confident. South Korea, along with countries like Japan and Egypt, depends heavily on energy and other resources flowing through the Straits of Hormuz. Iran threatened to close the Strait, and has effectively done it. I’ve read that any 90-day complete closure of the Strait would cost between 2 and 3 percentage points of gross domestic product and send annual inflation up by over 15 percent in these countries, while incurring high costs for a whole host of countries, including the

Apr 5, 2026By Bernard Rowan

Bernard Rowan

From 'sampo' to 'jamsimanyo'

Recently, I’ve learned more about the plight of Korea’s "sampo" generation. Sampo refers to those young adults who have forgone dating, marriage and children. The Institute for Family Studies estimates that 40 percent of young Korean adults, nearly half a million people, fit this description. This is also true in other Asian and global countries. It doesn’t bode well for birthrates, the provision of pensions, mature age social insurance downstream and many other things. But is it as bleak as many documentaries and stories claim? Korean young adults are more self-focused. This is different and not in conformity with Korea’s deeply rooted Confucian and filial relations. But it’s not necessarily antithetical, either. If past ways don’t get me to where I want to go, I need to think and try different things by myself. Focusing on oneself is a reasonable response when typical ways don’t work out. There aren’t enough well-paying jobs in Seoul and other major cities, and the limits of Korea’s Seoul-centered development path continue to create social costs in some big ways. If

Mar 15, 2026By Bernard Rowan

Bernard Rowan

The poverty of liberal reforms

Lately, I’ve viewed a number of videos and online reports on the state of income inequality in South Korea. According to a consensus of experts, matters are worsening for the working class in Korea, particularly for younger Koreans. With what many commentators have referred to as “Hell Chosun,” I used to sit aghast and wonder what they might mean. However, I no longer have those doubts. The situation is a call to action for all Koreans, but in particular those of the ruling party. It’s hard to watch older Koreans living in cubicles of rundown tenements and abandoned housing units. It’s hard to see educated young adults hiding from bill collectors and talking about how they game the system to survive. All of these things accelerate "han" and contribute to a lessening of mental and physical health among Koreans at both the start and end of their adult lives. True to the life of all societies, not everyone wins in the path of progress. A society that wishes to decrease its sunk costs and increase its half-life needs to attend to those who could extend its open horizon further. T

Mar 8, 2026By Bernard Rowan

Bernard Rowan

Life is not an exam

Each year, over half a million Korean students take college entrance exams. The examination prep ritual has been going on for decades and will commence this spring. Like their brothers and sisters in other countries, there is a lot of pressure — I think too much — about these exams. Everyone wants to score well and earn a coveted spot at one of Korea’s leading colleges and universities. Families view these tests as the culmination of years of preparation and investment. Binge studying and single-minded devotion to the test task take precedence over everything. However, these tests are correlated with a disturbing rise in and continued prevalence of suicide, low self-esteem and all manner of mental health concerns. Last year, three teens in Busan died by suicide due to college exam pressure. It is estimated that college exams are a major factor in suicides in Korea, which The Korea Times reported last June now stands at 7.9 per 100,000 people per year. The data may or may not be as available in other Asian countries, but the trend exists regionally as well. Recently, I viewed the s

Feb 15, 2026By Bernard Rowan

Bernard Rowan

Up with tattooing!

Recently, I watched a BBC television program on YouTube (“Secret Ink,” February 2025) about the business of tattooing in Korea. I wasn’t aware that the practice was illegal, stigmatized and a site of cultural contestation as well as gender discrimination. I also learned that the Korean national legislature has approved a bill to legalize the practice, with conditions, over the next two years. Body art is a contested space and a matter of expression in many societies. The body is a site for freedom of speech. Speech is not just what we say or write; my appearance and dress reflect how I choose to express myself. In a free society, individuals have the latitude to dress and to decorate or change their bodies even if others don’t like or approve of those changes. These freedoms can be limited, in particular if they cause harm to the public. Tattoos illustrate the practice of free speech and matters of taste, preference and style. They show how freedom requires expressions that may be found distasteful but must be respected or tolerated. Tattooing also touches on matters of public

Feb 1, 2026By Bernard Rowan

Bernard Rowan

In praise of Korean-US relations

Going around, not through the strait – and beyond

Happy Birthday, Buddha!

The importance of 'You’re welcome'

Syncretism and sagacity

Away with the Cheshire Cat

From 'sampo' to 'jamsimanyo'

The poverty of liberal reforms

Life is not an exam

Up with tattooing!

Top 5 stories