Globalization spreads growth and risks. Trade and development have lifted many countries out of poverty but also left inequality and disintegration in their wake. To cope with the “growing pains,” countries should pursue a strategy that intrinsically combines growth and social protection in a way tailored to their unique conditions and specific needs, said Anne-Isabelle Degryse-Blateau, director...

Now that Ahn Cheol-soo and Rep. Moon Jae-in are set on seeking a candidacy merger, the key point of concern for their supporters is whether the two have so far reached a general consensus in terms of policies. Both candidates repeatedly spoke of a value-based alliance and pledged not to seek unity only for the sake of an election victory. “It would be good for me and Moon to meet first to share...

Opposition presidential candidates Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo on Tuesday agreed to unify their candidacies and form a broader alliance around their shared vision for political reform. Moon, the Democratic United Party nominee, and independent Ahn announced a seven-point agreement after their first meeting to discuss their candidacy merger to compete against Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye in th...

The long, bitterly fought race to The White House reached its end on Tuesday as Americans voted in what looked likely to be one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history. While neither candidate had a decisive edge, the latest Reuters/Ipsos national poll of likely voters showed President Barack Obama slightly ahead of Republican rival Mitt Romney, 48 percent to 46 percent. The same ...

In announcing his candidacy in September, the Democratic United Party’s Moon Jae-in put forward three changes ― of regime, politics and era ― as his objectives. In his efforts to achieve his objectives, what he and the DUP referred to as a “blast furnace election committee” was created to conduct Moon’s election campaign. As suggested by the name, the election committee drew individuals from a ...

The Democratic United Party has tried to present itself as the commoners’ party in opposition to the ruling party, which it criticizes as representing only the upper echelon of society. The strategy is reflected in the inclusion of the Citizen Camp in Moon Jae-in’s campaign machine. The Citizen Camp, which makes up one third of Moon’s camp along with the party-centric group and expert advisers’...

Political reform has been one of the main issues of this year’s presidential election from the start, and this political environment has brought significant changes to the Democratic United Party candidate’s camp. The public’s distrust of local politics and the desire to see fundamental change launched the campaign of Ahn Cheol-soo. In line with the apparent public demand for change, and with A...

In the crucial weeks ahead of the presidential election, rival parties have been wrangling over the allegation surrounding late President Roh Moo-hyun’s stance on the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea. The dispute over whether the past government suggested it was willing to compromise over the NLL exposed not only the internal split in South Korea but a deeper dilemma faced by the peninsula th...

Rep. Baek Kun-ki of the Democratic United Party demanded the conservatives stop distorting the party’s stance on the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea in an attempt to affect the outcome of the presidential election. Baek, a former four-star Army general, says that the NLL is clearly defined as a “line of non-aggression” and that the Saenuri Party’s referring to it as a territorial demarcation...

Rep. Song Young-keun of the ruling Saenuri Party regards the Northern Limit Line as an official border that Seoul should defend at any cost. “The Democratic United Party stresses a peaceful coexistence but (the NLL) is a matter of national security over which no compromise should be allowed,” the former chief of Defense Intelligence Command said. “North Korea had raised no objection for 20 year...

The government will push for various policies to promote welfare of artists normally struggling to make ends meet as related laws are set to come into force this month, the culture ministry said Tuesday. A controversial law aimed at protecting occupational rights of artists and promoting their creative activities will go into effect on Nov. 18 along with two enforcement ordinances that passed th...