Debate on half-priced university tuition is mired in the paucity of information on the finances of the 345 institutions of higher education in the nation ― 199 universities and 146 junior colleges. Information is scant because the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is withholding it, citing confidentiality.But a Korean daily, quoting the ministry’s 2009 report, says five universities an

Beginning in March next year, all primary and secondary schools will have no classes on Saturdays, putting an end to the current practice of teaching every other Saturday. The five-day workweek, which was introduced in 1998 to improve the quality of life, will have been implemented at all workplaces except for those employing four or fewer people.To make up for the potential loss of classes result

If you were to read two new government reports on American aid to Afghanistan, you would come away first astounded and then utterly furious, just as I did. Ten years into the Afghan war, our government still heedlessly throws many billions of dollars at Afghan organizations that steal some of it and pass the rest off to militants who use it to kill American troops.The State Department, for example

The charges filed recently against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn have perpetuated a myth: that the U.S. justice system moves swiftly and effectively to resolve allegations of sexual assault.In the wake of Strauss-Kahn’s arrest, the media, particularly in Europe, have highlighted the perceived equality and fairness of a justice system that allows an immigrant single mother with relatively

Imagine how awkward it would be if you were required to speak a foreign language with your colleagues on a particular topic at a designated time each week. All other times, you use your mother tongue with them. This is the awkwardness that many Korean instructors feel in front of Korean students during English-only classes. Interestingly, that awkwardness usually does not occur in front of foreign

Remember those dark days after the 2008 financial collapse, when Congress vowed it would get tough with the banks? Well, that resolve seems to be dwindling. A move to undo some of the reforms legislators were touting just months ago was barely stopped last week.The issue at hand this time was debit cards. Currently, when you make a purchase with a debit card, the retailer has to pay a so-called sw

At school, we teach our students that Korea was founded on a humanitarian ideal called “Hong-Ik In-gan,” which means “devoting ourselves to the welfare of humankind.” In reality, however, you must go far to find someone who genuinely cares about others’ welfare these days. In fact, we are too busy securing and insisting on our own welfare. As a result, the so-called “NIMBY (not in my backyard)” me

One of the ugliest political scenes took place last week at the narrow Cheonggyecheon square in Seoul which was packed with university students holding candle lights in a rally demanding “halved tuition.” Opposition Democratic Party chairman Sohn Hak-kyu climbed onto the makeshift stage and urged the rallying students in his high-pitched voice to mount their pressure on the Lee Myung-bak governmen

Two sold-out performances at Le Zenith de Paris concert hall last week marked a successful venture for K-pop groups in Europe, which we attribute first to the talents of the singers and then to their management’s “culture technology” of aggressive marketing. Of course, YouTube, Facebook and all other high technology tools helped introduce the stars to Europe before they landed in Paris. TVXQ, Girl

President Obama must soon choose whether to order a “significant” withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan ― as he promised ― or content himself with a token drawdown. After nearly a decade of war and a troop buildup that seems to have produced results, the president should abide by his commitment, even if it means overriding his military advisors.In December 2009, when he authorized a surge of

NEW DELHI ― The recent India-Africa summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at which India’s government pledged $5 billion in aid to African countries, drew attention to a largely overlooked phenomenon ― India’s emergence as a source, rather than a recipient, of foreign aid.For decades after independence ― when Britain left the subcontinent one of the poorest and most ravaged regions on earth, with an ef

The story of Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd, the American hikers who in July 2009 crossed the border ― inadvertently, all evidence suggests ― from Iraqi Kurdistan into Iran and were imprisoned for espionage, is back in the headlines. Shourd, who was released in September on humanitarian grounds and after paying $500,000 in bail, has been promoting a “rolling hunger strike” to remind us

As ambassadors to Iran during the last decade, we have all followed closely the development of the nuclear crisis between Iran and the international community. It is unacceptable that the talks have been deadlocked for such a long time.The Arab world and the Middle East are entering a new epoch in which no country is immune from change. This includes the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is facing t

LONDON ― Abdullah Anas, a jovial, bearded onetime Algerian imam, was a close colleague of Osama bin Laden in the jihad against the Soviets in Afghanistan.He considered bin Laden a friend, but broke with him over the slaughter of innocents on 9/11. Today, Anas thinks al-Qaida’s grip on the minds of radical Muslim youth is finally ending.“I think the philosophy of al-Qaida is failing now,” Anas says

Labor-management relations will undergo a drastic change, with multiple trade unions set to be permitted in the same workplace next month. Moreover, a group of trade unions are set to launch a new nationwide umbrella group as their representative ― possibly later this month. Unions and corporate employers will have to brace for one of the greatest transformations in labor ― at both the national an

Obviously, if we had a dime for every time the politicians junked their avowed convictions, we’d all be living in luxury. But it’s still breathtaking to behold the Democrats’ blatant embrace of a sleazy campaign tactic that they condemned just eight months ago.Last autumn, President Obama and his political allies insisted that secret donations were a “threat to democracy.” On the eve of the 2010 c

WASHINGTON ― There was some head-scratching in Washington at the recent presentation of the Medal of Freedom to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The previous foreign recipients included Pope John Paul II, who championed the freedom of Eastern Europe; Nelson Mandela, who triumphed over apartheid in South Africa; and Helmut Kohl, who reunited Germany. Did Merkel, for all her good qualities, really f

There they go again.The Republicans in the House of Representatives are acting like jackasses. And they’re doing it on the critical issue of the debt ceiling, which could undermine confidence in the United States around the world if it is mishandled.The Republican-dominated House of Representatives recently said they would refuse to raise the national debt limit unless their draconian spending cut

This year’s Arab Spring uprisings against authoritarian regimes included many prominent women: There was a Tunisian blogger who was among the first to alert the world to the country’s growing turmoil. And there were demonstrators, journalists, bloggers and tweeters in Egypt who forced the February ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.But since those inspiring days, the news from this region has paint

CAIRO ― In the months since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation, his successors have signaled a shift in foreign policy by reaching out to former adversaries. Egypt’s government has welcomed Iranian diplomats and embraced the Palestinian group Hamas. Many interpret such moves as clear evidence of Egypt’s desire for a diplomacy that is not subordinate to American interests.But Mubarak ne