As expected, new allegations and accusations are coming up one after another as prosecutors dig into the case of the deadly humidifier sterilizers that killed more than 100 people. One of the allegations hit a seemingly unlikely group of people -- academics -- as at least two university professors have been implicated in the case that has generated a public outcry and forced government officials and politicians to take action.  The two professors -- one from Seoul National University and the oth

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un clearly showed what was on his mind through the ruling Workers’ Party congress: He wanted to crown himself as the supreme leader of the country and use nuclear bombs to symbolize his ascension. As it turned out, the congress, which opened Friday in Pyongyang, did not result in any major decisions or policy blueprints befitting a high-profile political event held for the first time in 36 years. It is apparent that by holding an event that even his father skipped be

Quaker Oats, a brand that claims to embody “wholesome goodness,” has been hit with a class-action lawsuit challenging its much-trumpeted claims that its products are “100% Natural.” The reason? Trace quantities of glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weed killer known as Roundup, have been found in breakfast cereal.　The outcome of this and other, similar lawsuits could depend on the answer to a pesky question: What does it mean for a food to be natural? There is an abundant historical record

Making sense of the rolling political and economic disaster in Venezuela isn’t easy. But the bigger mystery may be why the whole country isn’t flooding into the streets to demand the end of the social revolution that’s left one of Latin America’s most resource-rich nations in a shambles.Start with the riddle of why the country with the world’s largest crude oil reserves has suffered constant power outages. (Spoiler: instead of using oil to generate electricity, the government has relied on hydro

In 1987 American writer Norman Mailer directed a movie titled “Tough Guys Don’t Dance.” Scorned by moviegoers, the movie was soon forgotten. Yet the title amused people. After the movie was released, I was invited to teach at Brigham Young University as a visiting professor. I moved to Provo, Utah, with my daughter Min who was in the sixth grade. One day, her best friend Brittany Walker came over to my apartment to play with Min. At the time, I happened to wear a pink shirt. “Dad, you are in pin

It’s hard to say what was the best moment of Sunday night’s Invictus Games opening ceremony, although the sight of August O’Neill dropping from the sky to deliver the flag was certainly up there.His left leg was severely injured during a rescue mission in Afghanistan. After 20 surgeries, it could not be saved. But the Air Force special operator didn’t give up.He trained and fought and got his old job back. Spotlights trained on O’Neill as he rappelled from a helicopter and landed outside Champio

Donald Trump won the Republican primary on May 3 by a large margin, causing his two remaining competitors, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, to drop out of the race and assuring him of the nomination at the convention in July. The sudden turn of events threw the Republican Party into greater disarray. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, the highest elected Republican, has withheld his support. Former presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, the two most recent Republican preside

The three major political parties have all picked their new floor leaders amid high expectations for a more productive National Assembly.The three new whips have one thing in common: strong communication skills. Effective communication is essential to successful political negotiations, but it remains to be seen whether the new leaders would be able to handle knotty issues through dialogue and collaboration.The Minjoo Party of Korea, the main opposition party, elected Rep. Woo Sang-ho as its new

The upcoming U.S. presidential election will almost certainly be a showdown between Hillary Clinton of the Democratic Party and Donald Trump of the Republican Party, as the two candidates have each all but clinched the nominations of their parties.A former first lady, Clinton has already cleared the way to become the Democratic nominee. Her victories in four states last week gave her an almost unbeatable lead over runner-up Bernie Sanders in terms of the number of delegates.Real estate mogul Don

Strolling through Tokyo on a Sunday afternoon, it is hard to tell Japan’s economy is a mess. Deflation has returned, while growth has not. But Shibuya Crossing remains as packed with diners, bag-toting shoppers and gawking tourists as ever. Nearby, a line of more than 50 people stretches outside a restaurant selling overpriced burgers. Lost decades be damned!Japan had the good fortune to have become wealthy before entering its years of stagnation. Some Japanese are now suffering in an economy th

Rarely in modern history has a party appeared as divided over its nominee as Republicans are over Donald Trump. But will his GOP critics really keep their backs turned through November, or will they come around?Some leaders of the conservative movement claim they will never vote for him -- not only think-tank intellectuals, but also members of Congress, such as Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska. Columnist George F. Will, once a backstairs adviser to Ronald Reagan, says good Republicans shouldn’t merely

The case of harmful sterilizers used in humidifiers shows that a combination of social germs, such as money-grubbing corporations and negligent government officials, could pose an immense threat to public health. The primary blame, of course, should go to the makers of the toxic sterilizers, which have claimed the lives of more than 100 people since 2002, including pregnant women and babies. Outrageously, Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, the leading maker of the sterilizers, and other suppliers tried to s

One essential thing you need to live in a fair society is solid legal justice, for which highly ethical and capable legal professionals -- prosecutors, judges and lawyers -- are indispensable. Sadly, this is not the case with Korean society. A recent case highlights that the legal community is as vulnerable to corruption as other sectors of society. The central figure in the latest scandal involving legal professionals is Jung Woon-ho, CEO of cosmetics firm Nature Republic, who is serving a pris

This month marks the 100th anniversary of the Sykes-Picot Agreement that formed Iraq, Syria and the other fragile nations of the modern Middle East. The past few weeks have provided dramatic new evidence, if more were needed, that the old colonial framework created by Britain and France isn’t working.Iraq and Syria are coming apart: Iraq is effectively divided into three warring regions: a Sunni area ruled by the Islamic State, a Kurdish mini-state that’s nearly autonomous, and a zone from the c

Mosquitoes are back. They are quite possibly the worst insects imaginable. The tiny yet ever-so-loud whirring noise their wings make is enough to drive a man insane, and the itch caused by their bite may as well have been cooked up by a medieval torturer. These days their evil schemes are aided by manmade environments. The water tanks and dank corners of older buildings are said to provide indoor habitat, allowing the tiny vampires to return earlier than they would in the wild.In addition to the

An attempt to undermine the Pentagon’s decision to allow women to serve in combat roles backfired spectacularly last week -- and the U.S. will be safer for it.During a congressional debate on the defense policy bill, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California proposed requiring all 18-year-old women to sign up for the draft, just like their male counterparts. He didn’t actually support the idea -- in fact, he voted against his own amendment -- but said he wanted to start a “discussion” about Defense Secre

Now and then a worthy economic proposal comes along that seems as politically unattainable as it is sensible. Then, on closer inspection, you see that it’s more than a policy-wonk’s fantasy. And you wonder whether it could actually prevail.This may be happening with the concept of a universal basic income. The notion that government should guarantee every citizen an annual stipend of, say, $10,000 -- no strings attached, no questions asked -- is being studied by politicians, economists and polic

If it votes to leave the European Union in next month’s referendum, Britain will bear a substantial and lasting economic cost: That’s the conclusion of several authoritative new studies. Campaigners for exit must either refute these findings or say why they don’t matter. Their efforts up to now have fallen far short.The Vote Leave campaign has cast the referendum mainly as a decision about sovereignty, democracy and immigration -- legitimate concerns. But the economic consequences can’t be waved

Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, is a confident man. Having built one of the greatest businesses in history, and having become one of the world’s richest men in the process, he sees great prosperity in the rearview mirror, and more of the same ahead.Speaking Saturday at his company’s annual shareholders meeting in Omaha, Buffett said, “Twenty years from now, there’ll be far more output per capita in the United States in real terms than there is now. In 50 years

Since the 1960s, literary critics have preached the importance of “difference” and “crossover.” Inspired by postmodernism, they have urged us to respect differences and to be open to crossovers in every sphere of our lives.As a result, people all over the world now value cultural differences and ethnic diversity, abandoning the either/or mentality and embracing a both/and way of thinking. As postmodern perceptions spread, the world is changing rapidly and radically. Alas! Only Korea seems to hav