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Andrew Salmon

'No thanks' to reunification; 'yes please' to peace

The success of the inter-Korean summit and the bromance ignited between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un, have created an upbeat mood of hope nationwide. This is natural and understandable, but it has also led to euphoria. Persons ranging from provincial government officials to average citizens are calling for all manner of inter-Korean projects. Some are even talking excitedly about reunification.

2018-05-11 17:26

Possibilities peak as summits near

Some years ago, I wrote a book characterizing Korea as a “land of extremes.” The recent conversion of Kim Jong-un from belligerent nuke-wielder to apparent diplomatic peace-monger seems to bear out that contention.

2018-04-23 18:17

How to beat 'Blue House curse'

The curse of the Blue House continues its deadly cull. Ex-president Park Geun-hye has just started 24 years in the pokey; ex-president Lee Myung-bak _ in the cell next door _ is already wearing prison pajamas. He will soon, I suspect, face a similarly hefty sentence.

2018-04-09 17:11

Moon shines over Asia - and far beyond

President Moon Jae-in is casting a bright halo over Asia and across the Pacific. This is a surprise. When he assumed office, many (myself included) anticipated domestic action. After all, Moon's professional experiences, from soldier to lawyer to politician, have been local, not international. He has no diplomatic background, no foreign languages.

2018-03-26 16:33

Who deserves credit for summit?

So: A sitting U.S. leader will meet a sitting North Korean leader for the first time, ever. The promise is colossal; so is the risk. Regardless of how cynical you are about the end result, the summit alone will, if it happens (as seems likely), be a historic diplomatic landmark.

2018-03-12 17:41

Gangwon performs, Korea matures

I have just returned from four days reporting on the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. It was a revelatory trip. First impressions? Dodgy. I checked into the “hotel” I had booked online and paid 250,000 won ($230) per night for. It squatted down a side street in a red-light district. Yep: My hotel was a 70,000 won per night love motel with hotel aspirations. Still: it was clean, hot water was plentiful, and the TV worked sometimes. From there, it was all uphill.

2018-02-12 17:41

Bow to North Koreans - but don't bend

Pre-Olympic inter-Korean relations are galloping ahead at a breakneck pace. No sooner had North Korean leader Kim Jong-un offered a conciliatory message in his New Year's speech, than the Moon Jae-in administration responded. Squadrons of doves were unleashed over the DMZ; olive branches were thrust over the frontier. The alacrity of Seoul's response was appropriate, given the urgency of the broader situation.

2018-01-29 18:34

Pyongyang to PyeongChang

So, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, firmly backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, have granted us an Olympic breathing space amid the tensions roiling the peninsula. With Pyongyang abruptly announcing that it will come to PyeongChang _ something Moon has long been pressing and hoping for _ spiraling tensions look to, at least temporarily, evaporate.

2018-01-15 17:21

Korea's Christmas spirit: then and now

It is that time of year again - the time of year to tie one on, to get three sheets to the wind, to get tipsy, drunk, smashed, hammered, legless, befuddled. Yet, every year in Korea, it seems more difficult to do so in a socially acceptable manner. What happened? Let’s turn the clock back 30 years - to the ghosts of Seoul’s Christmas past.

2017-12-18 17:16

Cass still sucks

Good news: A global food-and- beverage A-lister is endorsing a Korean product. Bad news: The product is hardly A-grade. In fact, it is bland, undifferentiated and - bar the fact that it is manufactured here - barely “Korean” at all. In case you have been in hibernation or on the moon in recent weeks: Badass restaurateur and TV personality Gordon Ramsay is promoting Korea’s popular Cass lager. Fair enough. The Briton is a world-famed celeb specializing in cuisine, so his push may be worth whatever Cass is paying.

2017-12-04 14:17

[POLL] Do you like Korean beer?

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