The Korea Times

For Korean women: better days, still unequal

Korea has continued to develop its culture into a more democratic society and advanced, high-tech economy. For purposes of this column, a democratic society is one where life chances and opportunities are equal for women and men. The equalizing face of Korea is mixed with elements of an authoritarian past, Confucianism and other value streams. While there is a ministry for gender equality, needed reforms are sparse. There is growing individualization of Korean women’s thinking and living, by young and old alike. The picture is one of a better context for women, but still unequal. Korean women enjoy a longer life expectancy than 50 years ago, and they tend to live longer than men. Georank indicates life expectancy has risen from 17.5 years to 87.5 years for women and from 22.2 years to 86.1 years for men since 1950. There can be no doubt that the advance of Korean society from the era of the Korean War has been impressive. However, along with living longer, many Korean women live alone. The demise of extended family households sees a higher percentage of Korean women living by themsel

Jul 19, 2026

For Korean women: better days, still unequal

Bernard Rowan

The Confucianism of the 'ajumma'

I have been a student of Korean politics, society, and culture for about 30 years. That is a long time — but nothing compared to the task. One thing I remember hearing from several of my close Korean friends is that Korea is among the most Confucian of societies. My research and interviews found this to be true. This is meant, to my understanding, as a comment about the history of Korean culture but also about it in its present or contemporary expression. Certainly, Korea has come a long way from the time of Confucianism’s transmission during the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE – 668 CE). Nor is it the same society that saw nationalist formation following the 1950-53 Korean War. The liberalist and feminist or womanist components of Korean culture are present and growing and weren’t present at its outset. Korean Confucianism is no longer bound to a landed gentry or to any kind of elite or gentry at all. Of course, I acknowledge that these are claims which require proof. My purpose in this column is to illustrate the argument that Confucianism in South Korea today is expressed thro

Jul 12, 2026By Bernard Rowan

Bernard Rowan

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

Jun 21, 2026By 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

For Korean women: better days, still unequal

The Confucianism of the 'ajumma'

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

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