Opinion

A century of loving silence

Manhae Han Yong-un (1879-1944) was a remarkable man. He was a Buddhist monk, a thinker, a radical reformer of Korean Buddhism, a poet, a novelist and a major figure in the struggle for Korean independence. He cared passionately about younger generations growing up in a rapidly changing land, deprived of its true identity. He was born on Aug. 29, 1879. On Aug. 29, 1910, Korea was officially annexed by Japan. On Aug. 29, 1926, Manhae published the collection of poems for which he is best remembered, "Nimui Chinmuk." His birth name was Han Yu-cheon. In 1905, when he became a Buddhist monk, his meditation master gave him the name Yong-un (Dragon Cloud). Manhae (Ten thousand seas) was his pen-name. "Nimui Chinmuk" was published just 100 ago this year. Celebrations have been organized, but we might wonder how many Koreans today spend much time reading its 88 poems, written in a language which is far removed from the Korean spoken or written today. But those who grew up reading it in Korean language textbooks in school never quite forget the resonance the poem of same title evoked. On the cen

Lindsey Graham

Lindsey Graham

For kids, a 'boring' summer can be the most exciting and memorable of all

The Fourth of July has come and gone, and for many families, summer has reached its sweet spot. The pools are open. The bikes are out. Library reading logs are filling up. School feels far away. At least, that’s the nostalgic version. And yet, for many children in the city and suburbs, summer doesn’t look like that at all. Children of working parents, by necessity, are often enrolled in camps that run the same hours as the school day. We empathize with those parents and exist among their ranks. When your job doesn’t come with a summer break, it can become difficult to give your kids the kind of laid-back experience many of us enjoyed in our youths. This is doubly true for single-parent households. But as parents scramble to make it all work, here’s something to remember: Kids don’t need every hour of summer optimized. Some boredom is one of the healthiest parts of childhood. That belief is made visible in its purest form in the emergence of the “’90s summer,” an effort to liberate today’s tightly scheduled children. What is a “’90s summer,” you might ask? For those

Smart power diplomacy in a troubled international order

Amid growing turbulence in the international order, the United States is expected to exercise smart power in diplomacy more effectively to establish a stable balance of power capable of ensuring durable peace and security in the Middle East. Such an approach should involve Iran, Israel and Lebanon as principal stakeholders in a comprehensive regional security framework. In the current uncertain international order, Korea should pay more attention to smart power. Combining soft and hard power in a sustainable, strategic manner will strengthen Korean smart power to a broader range of countries and widen international cooperation, including with the U.S., Japan, China and many others. In a prior column, I mentioned Seo Hui’s persuasive ability in repelling successive waves of Khitan aggression during the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392) and Syngman Rhee's success in persuading Dwight Eisenhower to sign the U.S.-South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty. Smart power is inherently linked to public diplomacy. Public diplomacy relies on the activities of non-state actors, including private organizations,

THURSDAY, July 16, 2026

622-Islamic Era begins: Muhammad and his followers begin migration from Mecca to Medina (Hijra) 1054-The Great Schism between Western and Eastern churches begins when Roman Cardinal Humbert issues a bull of excommunication against Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, on the altar of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople 1517-Copy of Martin Luther's 95 theses, the publication of which began the Protestant Reformation in Europe 1519-Public debate between Martin Luther and theologian Johann Eck at Pleissenburg Castle in Leipzig, during which Luther denies the divine right of the Pope 1809-La Paz, Bolivia, declares its independence from the Spanish Crown and forms the Junta Tuitiva led by Pedro Domingo Murillo, the first independent government in Spanish America 1940-Adolf Hitler orders preparations for the invasion of Britain (Operation Sealion) 1945-First test detonation of an atomic bomb occurs at Trinity Site, Alamogordo, New Mexico, as part of the U.S. Manhattan Project 1966-72 year-old Mao Zedong swims the Yangtze River near Wuhan to prove his strength as part of his launch of the Great

Signing paperwork won't stop government leaks

Since the nation’s earliest days, the federal government has struggled to contain leaks. The newest proposal to plug them — a nondisclosure agreement that federal agencies may roll out to more than 2 million civil servants — is unlikely to improve matters. The plan comes from the Office of Personnel Management, whose director, Scott Kupor, previously worked in venture capital and technology — two industries that helped pioneer the practice of requiring employees to sign NDAs. “The federal government should not be held to a lower standard,” Kupor said. Unlike the private sector, however, the government must balance its need for confidentiality with its employees’ First Amendment rights. Myriad laws and rules already exist to prohibit the wrongful disclosure of classified information or private personal data, such as tax forms. Those federal employees and contractors who handle such material already sign NDAs, such as Standard Form 312, and receive training on their obligations. Serious breaches should be, and generally are, severely penalized. The new NDA’s language seems

Blondie & Garfield - July 15, 2026

ZOOMER DIARIES Betting on the apocalypse

My friends and I have begun taking bets on when the apocalypse will happen. The years we picked did not matter so much as the fact that we all agreed that we would see it in our lifetime. In fact, everyone in my generation that I’ve talked to confesses almost shamefully that at the back of their mind, there is a sense that everything is going terribly wrong. The apocalypse, for our generation, can be best understood as — and sometimes at — an all-you-can-eat buffet. Every time I visit a buffet, a wave of nausea and dread washes over me. People rush past each other with dishes stacked with delicacies, from tropical fruits to steaming meat. The floors and tables are sticky with the memory of countless food spills past. Dishes of half-eaten food are whisked away by unseen waiters, presumably to be discarded by the truckload. While I bite down on the leg of a turkey and its juices run down my chin, a mother carefully divides her rationed bread and hands her starving child the bigger piece in Gaza, in Sudan, in Haiti. For environmentalists, the apocalypse is the still-rising GHG emissi

ED 'Future response fund' should be sustainable

The government will establish a "future response fund" using the additional tax revenue expected from the booming semiconductor industry. During a government fiscal strategy meeting, President Lee Jae Myung said that the excess tax revenue in 2027 will likely be "unprecedented," detailing the administration's earlier plans of using this to fund the nation's future growth. "Large-scale additional tax revenue will be used as strategic financial resources to prepare for the future," the president said, adding that it will be used to fund policies to support youth, regional development and education programs. Tax revenue for 2027 is forecast to surpass 500 trillion won ($330 billion), beyond the government's previous estimate of 412 trillion won. If that is the case, the fund will likely reach the 100 trillion won range. The fund should be carefully and sustainably distributed, without being wasted on "popular" programs or ad-hoc spending. The government's plan to pursue expenditure restructuring of about 50 trillion won so as to cut away at redundancies or ineffective spending should be s

The inevitability of change

It has been almost a year since I moved into a new studio apartment near my school, Sunchon Nation University, in South Jeolla Province. Looking out the window from the fourth floor of my building these days has left me reflecting on how rapid and marvelous change can be. The view I have is not what many would consider intriguing. From my experience, most people specifically search for houses with mountain, river or street views, or from the side of a building where sunlight enters directly. What my new home lacks, it makes up for in being just five minutes away from campus and a view of a small farm. Looking at this piece of land, which the farmers (a man and woman who I presume are a married couple) usually visit on the weekends, I have been reminded of how inevitable change is in our human lives. Just a couple of months ago, looking at the same farm land, their grape trees had no leaves. Even the persimmon trees, from which fruits had been harvested, had dried up and looked dead. In the winter, there were no signs the tree would ever bear fruit again. The grass on the farm had also d