The Indonesian government is moving ahead to pass a bill to ban liquor, arguing that alcohol has triggered rampant gang rape cases recently.In the wake of horrifying reports about rapes and gang rapes, lawmakers in Indonesia have a lot of support to pass a bill to regulate or ban liquor. Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo has denied earlier reports that he would revoke regional bylaws restricting or banning alcohol. “The ministry thinks that it is important to have bylaws banning alcohol,” Tjahjo was q

No matter who wins in the U.S. presidential elections, Pakistan will be hard pressed on a number of security-related issues.Watching Donald Trump the other night as he spoke to members of the National Rifle Association, America’s powerful gun lobby, I was struck by the number of outright lies he fits into a short speech. For instance, he cited Barack Obama’s neglect of the armed forces. The example he gave to prove this outlandish assertion was that U.S. fighter pilots had to scrounge for spare

A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Sunday finds Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in a virtual tie, with Trump leading Clinton 46 percent to 44 percent among registered voters. That’s an 11 percent swing against Clinton since March.A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, also released Sunday, shows Clinton at 46 percent to Trump’s 43 percent. In April, Clinton had led 50 percent to 39 percent.Polls taken this far ahead of an election don’t tell us much. But in this case, they do raise a se

When President Obama declared in 2011 that he wanted U.S. foreign policy to pivot to Asia, some derided the move as a clumsy attempt to flee the messy conflicts of the Middle East.But the pivot has actually worked pretty well — as will be evident during Obama’s trip to Asia this week. Almost every country in the region is clamoring for a closer relationship with the United States.The most striking case is Vietnam, most of whose leaders are old enough to have fought in their country’s war with th

It is not unusual that talks of -- or actual moves to achieve -- political realignment flourish ahead of a presidential election. Yet, this time they come much earlier than in the past. Now speculations are rife about regroupings of political parties and major politicians for the next presidential election slated for December next year. But there is no outstanding possible scenario since there are so many uncertainties and factors.   For instance, there is no strong potential candidate in the co

President Park Geun-hye’s current tour of three African countries -- Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya -- should be successful in several respects. Most of all, South Korea and Africa had never had greater mutual need to develop close economic relationship than now. The African continent is emerging as a new growth engine for the global economy while the South Korean economy, after decades of stellar growth, is sputtering and needs a boost. In fact, major African countries have been pulling off high ec

Within the tight circles of the Korean community of Tokyo, it is easy to witness a falling-out of sorts between ladies.But eventually, they join or form new cliques. This way, previous alliances are destroyed, and new ones created. These new alliances are maintained mainly due to the eagerness of the women to belong, since a clique would ensure that you have at least a few people who are willing to have your back in times of trouble.And this is exactly what is happening between Tokyo and Washing

As America’s friends and allies look on in astonishment at the all-but-certain prospect of a contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in November’s US presidential election, they need to do more than just wring their hands. They must hope for the best but prepare for the worst.The crucial point about the 2016 election is not just that a reality-TV star and property magnate who has never held elected office has emerged as the presumptive Republican candidate. It is the enormous difference

Yeonmijeong Pavilion, a 13th-century stone and wood structure at the northeastern edge of Ganghwado Island, is my favorite destination when I go on occasional excursions from my new home in Gimpo. It awaits visitors inside a walled “dondae,” one of the watch posts lining the coasts of the strategically important Ganghwa Island since the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). Yeonmi means swallow’s tail and perhaps whoever named the elegant building had been reminded of the image of a flying migratory bird w

If we say, “Let’s do some shopping,” do you grab your car keys … or whip out your smartphone? Judged by the numbers, your new favorite mall may be the couch.Internet and catalog sales are up 10 percent over the past year, while department store sales have sagged. Macy’s, J.C. Penney and Nordstrom all say 2016 got off to a terrible start. “Just like bookstores and music stores and hardware stores before them, apparel retailers are underestimating how fast Amazon is going to eat their lunch,” reta

A tour of the war zones in Iraq and Syria with the top American commander ends, appropriately enough, here in Turkey, the strongest power in the region and the place where the modern troubles began a hundred years ago with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.The abiding strategic fact about the current war against the Islamic State group is that it’s part of a bigger process of reordering the post-Ottoman structure of this part of the world. We don’t know yet what the outcome will be or what the

The issue of bank service charges has come to the fore again as major commercial banks are set to raise the fees on a variety of transactions. The banking sector had slashed them amid public criticism over the charges.Participants in the fee hikes include KB Kookmin, KEB Hana and Shinhan, three of the four biggest first-tier banks in the nation.KB Kookmin is taking the initiative as it plans to raise most service fees next month. They include fees on cash withdrawals and transfers on automated t

North Korea has proposed an inter-Korean dialogue again as a hackneyed rhetorical tactic, and the South’s Defense Ministry has responded in a resolute manner that it would firmly keep the position that the prerequisite for any peace talks is the North’s denuclearization.As the two Koreas have repeated their routine between tensions and talks, there is nothing noteworthy in the recent talks offer and the response. Though Seoul has rejected the proposal, it has not completely disregarded the messa

The news that Han Kang and Debora Smith won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize stirred the whole nation. Hearing the news, Koreans were elated. After all, this was the first time a Korean writer was honored with such an internationally acclaimed literary award.  Thanks to Han Kang’s prize-winning novel “The Vegetarian,” Korean literature is finally in the limelight, receiving its fair share of praise from the international community at last. How eagerly have the Korean people waited

The raw Sunni recruits in crisp camouflage uniforms, popping off rounds at the firing range at a U.S. training camp here, illustrate the dilemma for the U.S. as it seeks to form a strong military force to drive the Islamic State from its capital, Raqqah. The U.S. could try to build the Sunni army it would want, ideally, to capture Raqqah, a Sunni city. But that might take years. Or it can go with the army it has, which is dominated by the tough, experienced Kurdish fighters from the YPG militia.

Hillary Clinton’s political advocates -- I prefer “meat puppets” -- are wringing their hands over the Republican vulgarian Donald Trump.They’re upset over the boorish things he says about women, but, even worse, they’re anguishing over the death of American outrage.What bothers them is that anti-Trump outrage isn’t as widespread as the Clinton campaign hoped. And GOP Chairman Reince Priebus triggered them even more by suggesting that Trump’s character issues weren’t all that big a deal.This so e

No matter how much some U.S. presidential candidates may deride free trade, it remains the backbone of the American economy. Without it, the country would become significantly poorer and its global influence would diminish significantly. So why has bashing free trade become a key theme in this year’s presidential race?One of the clearest reasons for this is that economic anxiety is widespread in the United States, which is still reeling from the aftereffects of the 2008 financial crisis. Too man

All these decades after the Vietnam War, mentions of Hanoi or Saigon summon ghosts. That trauma will never be erased, but slowly, appropriately, it is being eased aside by the realities of a changing world.So it is that President Barack Obama goes to communist Vietnam early this week on a visit that is more about the future than the past. And as much about countering the rise of China as reframing U.S.-Vietnam relations.Obama will visit Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). His trip is t

Relations are cooling rapidly between the presidential office and opposition parties following the passage last week of a bill enabling parliamentary committees to open hearings more frequently.The bill allows a committee to hold hearings on any matter under its jurisdiction if a majority of its members agree to do so. Up until now, a committee has only been able to resolve to hold hearings on “important” matters.The revision effectively enables the two opposition parties -- The Minjoo Party of

Jejudo Island is best known as a resort island with many sites of scenic beauty and cultural importance. It attracts more than 10 million tourists from home and abroad every year.Yet the island has another aspect that is less well known to the public. Since the early 1990s, it has hosted many historic summits between Korean presidents and foreign leaders that have contributed to promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.Located at the center of the three key players of the re