WASHINGTON (AFP) -- After his travel ban suffered two defeats in the US court system, President Donald Trump has vowed to continue his judicial fight -- but with the controversial measure now on shaky ground, it is likely to be an uphill battle.　Trump's executive order -- issued on Jan. 27 with no prior warning -- suffered two blows over the course of two weeks in western US courts.　Since then the president has proffered a variety of solutions, from taking the matter to the Supreme Court to simp

It is like peeling an onion. The scandal that centered on President Park Geun-hye’s longtime associate Choi Soon-sil is turning up one new allegation after another day by day. What’s distressing is that many of the allegations sound plausible and thus will likely agitate the political community further at a time when the nation faces a plethora of daunting challenges, including North Korea’s nuclear threat to the slowdown of the economy. As a matter of fact, many, including this paper, expected

The scandal surrounding the two nonprofit foundations allegedly established under the patronage of people close to President Park Geun-hye tells us that the government in power still bullies conglomerates. 　 Both Park’s Blue House and the Federation of Korean Industries -- the lobby for big businesses -- deny allegations that members of the president’s inner circle were behind the establishment of the Mir and K-Sports foundations.It may take some time before we come to know whether they are tell

The local financial market is about to see a big bang in commercial banking thanks to the emergence of fintech, which refers to the convergence of finance and technology.Like major developed countries, information technology-based financial services are still unfamiliar to most Korean consumers as the infrastructure has yet to be established in the country.However, when market share competition starts, the speed of innovative financial products’ penetration into ordinary consumers’ daily lives m

More Korean households are taking additional loans from financial firms to secure cash to buy basic necessities or pay back maturing debt.Despite measures by financial authorities, it has not been easy to break out of the vicious circle in which debt is yielding more debt among a large proportion of households.The gravity of the situation lies in that snowballing consumer debt is a key factor hampering the nation’s growth potential. Its significance is evident when the growth of the nation’s gro

It is commendable that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe portrayed North Korea’s recent ballistic missile provocations as “indescribable violence.” He reiterated the significance of bilateral coordination against the communist regime’s saber-rattling.Abe seemingly turning up the heat on Pyongyang came during his summit with President Park Geun-hye in Laos earlier this week.It is desirable for the two sides to map out detailed ways for closer collaboration as the North’s latest missile tests thr

The astounding gender discrimination case at the liquor-maker Kumbokju should remind all -- labor and rights officials, civic groups as well as law-enforcement authorities -- that South Korea still has a long way to go to get rid of this social ill. The Daegu-based distiller had shocked the nation in March when one of its female workers filed a petition with authorities over the company’s pressure on her to quit because she was getting married. The petition prompted an investigation by labor off

The government’s decision to put off its verdict on Google’s request to allow the transfer of Korean digital map data to its overseas servers illustrates the tricky nature of the issue. A pan-government committee reviewing the case said that it needed more time to discuss the issue -- among government officials and with Google -- and it plans to make a final decision in November this year. Indeed, providing the global tech giant unlimited access to Korea’s digital map data is a complicated matte

Standard & Poor’s has raised Korea’s sovereign rating by one notch to AA from AA-. The upgrade is surely welcome news, but it should not lead to complacency.　The rating S&P awarded to Korea, which is the third highest on the agency’s rating table, is a record high for Korea. It is equivalent to the Aa2 rating that Moody’s Investors Service gave Korea in December 2015.　The upgrade places Korea on the same level as the United Kingdom, France and Belgium, and two levels higher than Japan. Only six

The government is pushing to enact a law aimed at preventing the national debt from rising too rapidly. The move is well advised, as fiscal principles need to be set in stone if they are to be strictly followed.A draft bill disclosed by the Finance Ministry proposes to make it a rule for the central government to keep its debt below 45 percent of gross domestic product.It also proposes to set the ceiling for annual budget deficit at 3 percent of GDP. The ministry’s proposal also includes the pay

At the Gwangju Universiade which closes its 12-day run on July 14, a swimmer claimed four gold medals and an artistic gymnast hauled six medals. In addition, an archer established a new world record, while a female sprinter won both 100m and 200m for the first time in 28 years.Shannon VreelandSwimmer Shannon Vreeland from the United States clinched four golds in the women’s 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 4x100 freestyle relay and 4x200 freestyle relay.Aside from the four victories, she took a b

With the conclusion of the 28th world university games, the Republic of Korea (ROK) became the seventh nation to host a Summer Universiade two times or more since the first edition in Torino, Italy, in 1959. The 2003 edition was hosted by Daegu City.Congratulating the organizers of the Gwangju Universiade, Korea’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jong-deok said in a recent interview with the Universiade Daily that it will set a good example for international sports events, as it was s

Some athletes at the Gwangju Universiade have moved spectators and other athletes with their indomitable spirit.They’ve overcome personal obstacles to represent their countries in international sports events -- with diseases, poverty or nationality problems not stopping them from giving stellar performances.Thomas Van der Plaetsen, star decathlete of Belgium; Fallon Forde, sprinter of Barbados; In Kyo-don, taekwondo player of the Republic of Korea; and Simon Andrew Capon, foil fencer of Australi

Gwangju college students aspiring to be flight attendants are presenting medals to the athletes taking the winning podium at the Gwangju Universiade, demonstrating their commitment to the city that is holding its biggest international sporting event.About 200 students from Kwangju Women’s University carry gold, silver and bronze prizes at the medal presentation throughout the event. They come from the Airline Service Department, an academic course where students are trained and learn to become a

Gwangju is reshaping itself into the cultural hub of Asia. Korea launched a 5.3 trillion won ($4.8 billion) project -- the single largest cultural project in modern Korean history -- in 2004 to turn the city into a hub by 2023.The state project began with the late President Roh Moo-hyun’s election pledge in 2002 to develop both cities and provinces in a balanced way. Later, a special law was legislated to carry out the pledge. The project envisions Gwangju as a platform on which Asian countries

Wilfried LemkeThe United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) has a special mission during the Gwangju Universiade.And that is to support the young, especially from developing and underdeveloped countries, to become next-generation leaders and create legacies through the Youth Leadership Program, said Wilfried Lemke, special advisor to the U.N. secretary-general on sport for development and peace.Lemke has made it his personal mission to develop and sustain the program in c

(Photo by Lee John-hwan)● ArcheryThe Republic of Korea (ROK) took four gold medals in recurve archery on July 8, claiming a total of eight out of 10 archery titles at the Gwangju Universiade.Having clinched four titles in compound archery the previous day, Korea continued to dominate the recurve competitions, taking four golds at the Gwangju International Archery Center.In the morning, Korea’s Kim Woo-jin, Ku Bon-chan and Lee Seung-yun beat Chinese Taipei 5-1 to capture a gold in the men’s team

The Gwangju Universiade marks the biggest sporting event for college athletes and has drawn the largest number of athletes and officials, said Kim Hwang-sik, co-chairman of the Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee (GUOC).“We set a milestone of hosting the biggest-ever Universiade. Some 13,000 athletes and officials have come to Gwangju for the games. The number of delegates has surpassed that of the 2013 Kazan Universiade, which drew 11,759 participants,” Kim said in an interview with the Gw

The Gwangju Universiade opening ceremony was designed to unite young people from all over the world and encourage them to work for peace and harmony, said Park Myung-sung, chief director of the event’s opening ceremony.Attended by more than 13,000 university students from 148 countries, the event was held under the slogan of “U are Shining.” The official theme of the opening ceremony epitomizes the spirit of the youth and brings hopes and passion to young people.“(Through the theme) I wanted to

Gwangju has been called the hometown of art in the Republic of Korea from old times. A number of noted artists, musicians and writers came from Gwangju or settled in the city.Master artist of Korean painting Heo Baek-ryeon, Korea’s western painting pioneer Oh Chi-ho, pansori (Korean musical storytelling) maestro Im Bang-wool and lyric poet Kim Yong-chul are among them.Heo Baek-ryeonHeo Baek-ryeon (1890-1977) painted landscapes of Gwangju in the Chinese painting style of Southern School. The scho