Big question mark

By Oh Young-jin

What is the one punctuation mark that best represents the age we live in?

We have picked the question mark for this week, the first in a series that will continue for the next couple of weeks. .

The illustration shows the question mark falls on its side under the weight of too many questions and much uncertainty.

First, will Ahn Cheol-soo declare a bid for the presidency? Reports speculate that the former computer vaccine maker will finally put an end to the guessing game about his future and launch a campaign for the Dec. 19 election. His bid or abstention will likely affect the outcome of the poll.

Then, Rep. Park Guen-hye has just declared her presidential bid but can she overcome the gender bias and liberal onslaught to take office? Will the ghost of her father, the authoritarian President Park Chung-hee, bless or curse her?

Young North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has been pictured with a mystery woman, triggering speculation that he may be getting married, if he has not already done so.

Thirdly, are we in deep trouble, comparable to the Great Depression in the 1930s? More importantly, can we pull out of it? One sign is that the market shrugged off what the Bank of Korea called a preemptive lowering of its key rate. The stock markets dropped significantly despite the news.

There remain other unexplained pictures and they represent our pop quiz you can mull over during the weekend.