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What is regrettable about the Korean political environment today is that the actual performances of the parties here have little to do with the ideals adopted for their titles. After successive restructuring of parties and regrouping of politicians in recent years, the titles of Korea’s political Today Editorial [Editorial] Populist competition Reckless spending pledges by rival parties come amid mounting national debt Apr 8, 2020 Viewpoints [Robert J. Fouser] Contribution to post-virus future As the COVID-19 pandemic tightened its grip on the world, the focus has remained on slowing the spread to save lives and reduce the burden on strained medical systems. Nearly half the population of the world is under some sort of lockdown as governments adopt social distancing as the primary defense against the disease. This has caused a sharp contraction in economic activity that threatens the livelihoods of many. Amid the dire news, pundits have begun to turn their attention to a post-pandemi Apr 8, 2020 Viewpoints [Kim Seong-Kon] What we should do in post-coronavirus era It may be too early to predict what will happen in the post-coronavirus world. Yet already one hears foretold that when the crisis is over, the world will not be the same. For example, globalization will surely decline and nationalism will rise instead because many people believe globalization is responsible for the spread of the pandemic. Undeniably, easy international travel and borderless mobility contributed to the spread of the disease. However, the reverse of globalization will not be ea Apr 8, 2020 Editorial [Editorial] E-learning concerns Ministry must reduce digital inequality, utilize private-sector resources Apr 7, 2020 Editorial [Editorial] Food shortage Korea should prepare for a possible disruption in global food supply chains Apr 6, 2020 Viewpoints [Matthew Gray] Amid coronavirus outbreak, Doosan Heavy Industries should not receive public funds Financial markets are being strained by the novel coronavirus outbreak all over the world. In Korea, the total amount of corporate bonds, which are due next month, have surpassed a record-breaking 6.5 trillion won ($5.26 billion). Funds placed in high-risk, high-return investments have now been moved to the low-risk, low-return investments, causing a major crisis for the companies in the high-risk group. The situation facing Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction represents such a case. Fo Apr 6, 2020 Editorial [Editorial] Senseless decision Ministry permits loss-making Kepco to open university to fulfill Moon’s pledge Apr 3, 2020 Viewpoints [Digital Simplicity] Mask up for yourself and others When I got out of my apartment and took the elevator down to the first floor, I happened to stand with a neighbor who did not wear a face mask. I got a little nervous about his apparent violation of basic guidelines to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, but tried not to express such a feeling. But the thought of getting infected in an enclosed space made me feel uneasy during the brief elevator ride. Is this too much? Perhaps I overreacted a bit. But a number of people in South K Apr 2, 2020 Viewpoints [Trudy Rubin] Data sans politics can curb virus Back in the 1950s, Sgt. Joe Friday of the TV show “Dragnet” famously advised witnesses: “Just the facts, ma’am.” That phrase became a national slogan, long before the very concept of “facts” was clouded by social media. As the number of coronavirus cases soars, with Americans anxious to know when stay-at-home orders will end, we desperately need the facts, based on reliable data. Instead, we are deluged with COVID-19 misinformation from the White House Apr 2, 2020 Editorial [Editorial] Unprecedented furlough Livelihoods of USFK’s local employees must not be hit by stalled cost-sharing talks Apr 1, 2020 Viewpoints [Noah Smith] Coronavirus exposes US as civilization in decline Crises such as wars, depressions, natural disasters and pandemics can reveal differences in how effectively a society organizes itself. In the 1600s and 1700s, for example, Britain’s more advanced tax system allowed it to outspend Spain and France, while Prussia’s efficient army let it overcome larger opponents such as Austria. In the American Civil War, the Union’s industrial prowess allowed it to outlast and overwhelm the agrarian Confederacy. Pandemics aren’t quite th Apr 1, 2020 Viewpoints [Eli Lake] Protecting civil rights in virus fight Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, some democracies around the world have used technology to avoid having to impose draconian mass quarantines that were common earlier this year in China. That’s reassuring -- and it’s also worrying, because the very strategies that can help fight a plague can also be abused once it’s over. Consider Taiwan, where an “electronic fence” allows local police to make regular phone calls to everyone who is home under quaranti Apr 1, 2020 Viewpoints [Kwon Bo-ram] Coronavirus and US presidential elections As the Donald Trump administration entered 2020, much looked like business as usual. On Feb. 5, Trump was acquitted from impeachment and reemerged with his State of the Union speech claiming a “great American comeback.” Indeed, unemployment rates were at a historical low and more than millions of new jobs in the manufacturing sector were created in what he called a “blue collar boom.” On foreign policy, the Trump administration had several recent accomplishments. Fir Apr 1, 2020 Editorial [Editorial] Thorough compliance Self-quarantine extended to entire world; Tighter monitoring can avert surge of cases MORE 15 / 37809
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