The Korea Times - Home

Site Map PDF Subscription Register LogIn
Site Map PDF Subscription Register LogIn

Sun, May 28, 2017 | 19:24

Opinion > Columnists > Semoon Chang >

Marking products with 'Made in USA'

As U.S. President Trump’s new foreign trade policy begins to unfold, many exporters to the U.S. market, including those in Korea, are increasingly nervous of what might happen to their exports. For U.S. companies that contemplate relocating their production facilities overseas, they may get a call from President Trump and reverse their decisions. These U.S. companies, including Ford Motor and Carrier, usually receive financial incentives to keep their production facilities in the U.S. instead of moving to overseas locations. For foreign exporters to the U.S. market, which may be forced to re...

Semoon Chang | 2017-05-28 18:04

Political prisoners in North Korea

Let us be honest. When Trump ran for the presidency of the United States last year, one of his key campaign promises was to re-negotiate the U.S. trade deal with China because the annual trade deficit of the U.S. against China has been exceeding $300 billion, which is clearly unsustainable.

Semoon Chang | 2017-05-14 16:40

Doomsday clock for Kim Jong-un

If Kim Jong-un had not developed a long-range ICBM, it is unlikely that President Trump would be so deeply involved in solving the North Korea nuclear issue. Since North Korea has now become a threat to global society, not just South Korea, the end of Kim’s dictatorship and possibly his own life appears to be getting closer to reality. Hopefully, the end comes at a minimal cost to South Korea as well as the rest of the world. This is where today’s article comes in.

Semoon Chang | 2017-04-30 16:16

Too much debt may kill you

The East Asia Foundation publishes EAF Policy Debates. EAF PD No. 64 deals with household debt in South Korea, written by professor Wonseok Park at Daegu University. Citing data from the Bank of Korea, Professor Park shows that the outstanding household debt in Korea during the third quarter of 2016 was 1,295 trillion won (around $1.08 trillion). During the third quarter alone, the debt increased by 38 trillion won (around $31.65 billion), representing the highest quarterly increase in household debt since the Bank of Korea began tracking it. Professor Park calls it “a time bomb with an unkn...

Semoon Chang | 2017-04-16 18:07

Is it East Sea or Sea of Japan?

I am not sure whether I have all the accurate information. Because of the importance of the subject that may be discussed during the coming April 24 to 28 meetings of theInternational Hydrographic Organization (IHO) in Monaco, however, I decided to write this article today. I would appreciate it if anyone can supply me with more information that can help me in case I decide to write a follow-up on the subject. The question is whether the sea located between Korea and Japan should be called the East Sea, clearly meaning East Sea of Korea since the sea is located to the east of Korea, or the S...

Semoon Chang | 2017-04-02 17:43

US President, VP ignorant of Korea's sensibilities?

THAAD, China, and Korea in a nutshell

The sad part of the impeachment of President Park is that she was not able to suspend, if not end, her pre-election personal life, when she was elected as President. Now, life has to go on.

Semoon Chang | 2017-03-19 17:52

End-of life choices again

As I wrote two weeks ago in this column, those of us supporting end-of-life choices met early in the morning and headed toward Annapolis (Maryland) to lobby for the passage of the End of Life Option Act of Maryland, known popularly as the assisted suicide act. That was on January 25, this year. It was unusually warm winter day for Washington D.C.

Semoon Chang | 2017-03-05 17:23

Are end-of life choices needed?

Regardless of your personal belief, we all die. I am hoping that you all read this article with an open and compassionate mind. January 25, this year, was unusually warm winter day for Washington D.C. in the U.S., with day time temperature well over 60F or 15C. Those of us supporting end-of-life choices met early in the morning and headed toward Annapolis (Maryland) to lobby for the passage of the End of Life Option Act of Maryland, known popularly as the assisted suicide act.

Semoon Chang | 2017-02-19 17:11

US-North Korea relations

The idea underlying the January 8, 2017 article on page A17 of the Washington Post by former U.S. Secretary of Defense, William J. Perry, is quite similar to the proposal that I made to the then candidate Donald Trump upon request from someone who had direct contact with the Trump campaign. My proposal, which is highly unlikely seen by President Trump, was dated September 24, 2017. The article by Perry is titled “Confronting North Korea; Talk first, get tough later.”

Semoon Chang | 2017-02-05 17:04

How to promote tourism

Once I had been in London. We were just walking what appeared to be a tourist area near downtown. We needed a restroom. To our pleasant surprise, we found a nice-looking round-shaped one standing alone in the street with restroom sign. We needed coins to open the restroom. We did not have coins and there were no places nearby where we could have changes. We gave up. The City of Mobile where I lived for many years is quite popular for visitors. In downtown, however, there is no public restroom. Actually, there is one hiding behind the railroad track, not visible to visitors to downtown. There...

Semoon Chang | 2017-01-22 16:36

1 2 3 4 5 6

Park's impeachment