These days, apologies seem to have become a controversial issue in Korea. When a scandal breaks out, we immediately demand that the person involved apologize. Some people apologize instantly, but others refuse. Either way, we do not forgive. When someone apologizes, we seldom accept the apology. We complain that the apology is not sincere enough. If the person refuses to apologize, we condemn him or her as an insolent, brazen creature. In fact, apologizing for something in Korean society is alwa

Recently, while strolling through the National Mall in Washington, I stumbled into the Korean War Veterans Memorial. There I found statues of American soldiers who died during the Korea War. They were all wearing heavy winter military capes, indicating that they had to fight in the severely cold winter of the Korean Peninsula. On the plaque next to the statues was carved the number of those killed and wounded during the Korean War: 54,246 American soldiers and 628,833 UN soldiers were killed in

These days, South Koreans are full of expectations for the upcoming summit between the US and North Korea. However, experts point out a number of challenges that need to be dealt with to make the event successful. Moreover, many people are worried about what would happen if negotiations at the summit become derailed for some reason. Recently, I came across an intriguing article in the Washington Post titled “The 3 big obstacles to success if Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un meet.” It was written by

The famous Latin maxim “Si vis pacem, para bellum” means “If you want peace, prepare for war.” It implies several meanings. One meaning is “If you want peace, you should be strong enough to stand up against and defeat your enemy.” Otherwise, your wish for peace is likely to be nothing but a hollow dream. Indeed, aggressive, stronger nations would not listen to a weak nation when it pleads for peace. If you are not strong, you will soon find that hoping for peace is only wishful thinking. Another

These days, my American friends often compare the situation in South Korea to the “Sword of Damocles.” A friend recently wrote me, saying, “In my eyes, South Korea is, like Damocles, sitting under swords that can fall on her head at any time without warning.” Damocles was a courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, Sicily, in the fourth century. He was envious of King Dionysius’ power and glory. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day so that Damocles could have a taste of

Recently in his blog titled “South Korea: The Unappreciated Ally,” my colleague Gregg A. Brazinsky posted three important issues regarding the Korean Peninsula. One of them was Washington’s misconception of South Korea. While mentioning South Korea’s emergence as a global economic leader, he wrote, “Unfortunately, it is not always treated as one by the United States. Washington has never completely abandoned the patron state mentality that was born decades ago when the country was completely dep

Korean-American writer Min Jin Lee’s mesmerizing novel “Pachinko” takes us back to the times of Japanese rule of Korea, when hundreds of thousands of Koreans moved to Osaka in search of a better life. Since all Koreans had Japanese names at the time, they naively thought they could easily assimilate into Japanese society. But they were wrong. They were kept under constant surveillance by Japanese police and were the last hired and first fired in the job market. When liberation came to Korea in 1

English is no longer simply a language of English-speaking countries. It has become a global language for international communication. Besides, English is the language people use for their emails, Facebook, and Twitter every day. All information and knowledge is available in English these daysActually, this phenomenon had already begun in the 1970s, when I studied in the States. At the time, prominent French scholars frequently came to the States as visiting professors: Jacques Derrida at UC Irv

I was a big fan of O. Henry when I was young. His stories were fun and enlightening to read because they were full of wit and paradoxes, penetrating insights into life, and profound criticisms of his times. I was fascinated by his witty stories such as “The Cop and the Anthem,” “The Ransom of Red Chief,” and “Mammon and the Archer.” At the same time, I was deeply moved by such touching stories as “The Last Leaf,” “The Green Door,” and “A Retrieved Reformation,” a story of an ex-convict safecrack

Philosophers have explored the meaning of life for a long time. What then is life? Is it working hard or making money? Fighting over political ideologies? Not quite so. Life is something you should enjoy. That is why people find delight in sports, movies, or the arts. Indeed, life should be delightful, not stressful. But that will be a luxury for people who have to deal with the impending issue of how to make a living. Therefore, for some people, life is frivolously light whereas for others, it

The world is now divided into the “push-and-press” generation and the “touch-and-slide” generation. The former always tries to solve problems they face by pushing something, for example their luck, or other people, or even nuclear launch buttons. On the contrary, the latter almost always attempts to solve the problems they encounter by touching and sliding their fingers across a screen. The chasm between these two radically different generations seems to be despondently unfathomable and unbridge

Foreigners often wonder why political revenge and personal vendettas are rampant in Korean society. Indeed, whenever a new president is elected in Korea, retribution immediately begins. There is a compelling reason for this regrettable phenomenon. For 500 years during the Joseon era, regime change often came about as a direct result of Confucian factional feuds, which meant that as soon as the throne was occupied by a new king the purging of political opponents ensued. In order to root out the r

When I studied at the State University of New York at Buffalo 40 years ago, I learned English poetry from the famous poet Robert Creeley. At the time, a host of celebrated American and Canadian poets visited the university for poetry readings. Whenever Bob Creeley introduced me to them, he almost always added after the formal introduction, “Mr. Kim is a reliable person.” It made me happy because I knew it was one of the best compliments an American can give. Indeed, if you are labeled as an unre

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2018 is the year of the dog. It is believed that those who are born in the year of the dog are independent, faithful, and loyal. Dogs are man’s best friend who can understand the human mind better than any other animal. Indeed, there are many stories of a loyal dog saving his master’s life at the cost of his own. No other domestic animal would or could do it. Perhaps that is why Koreans, who value loyalty, prefer dogs to cats. This sign has its downsides too. The

The UN soldiers who fought in the Korean War will remember the unbearably cold weather on the Korean Peninsula at the time. During the Jan. 4 Retreat, for example, numerous UN soldiers, especially those from warmer climates, died from the severe cold weather in North Korea. It is not a coincidence that the title of Pulitzer Prize winner David Halberstam’s book on the Korean War is “The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War.”In the book, Halberstam reveals that the United States was not at a

In Han Kang’s prize-winning novel, “The Vegetarian,” the protagonist Young-hye, a weak, helpless vegetarian woman, is surrounded by ferocious and carnivorous men. She has to endure all sorts of violence from self-righteous men who do not tolerate her because they think they are absolutely right and she is wrong. They even grab her and force her to eat meat. It never occurs to them that they are exercising violence because they firmly believe that they represent justice. To make matters worse, th

The title is a riff on Tennessee Williams’ prizewinning play “A Streetcar Named Desire” and the internationally-acclaimed British movie “A Street Cat Named Bob.” The former brilliantly portrays the conflict between fantasy and reality represented by Blanche and Stanley. The latter movingly depicts the beautiful friendship between a street musician and a street cat he accidentally picks up and takes care of. Both the play and the film have touched the hearts of many international readers and movi

Recently, while browsing the internet, I came across a review of my recent book, “The First Time I Ever Saw a Film.” The reviewer wrote, “Kim’s interpretations of Hollywood movies are often better that the films themselves.” Then the reviewer added, “But he seems to be trying to enlighten us that film is an excellent cultural text, which we already know quite well.”The reviewer, presumably young, obviously did not know that the book was a revised and enlarged edition of “Essays on Film” which ha

Recently, I watched the Korean film “Train to Busan” with great enthusiasm. Initially I thought the movie must be one of those low-budget horror movies, or a cheap imitation of Hollywood zombie movies at best. I know the genre quite well. Therefore, nothing is new or fresh to me when it comes to zombie movies. To my surprise, however, I found “Train to Busan” refreshing and mesmerizing. Of course, the format was familiar and there had already been a foreign movie about a runaway train full of zo

Humans are weak and helpless. We have neither thick skin nor fluffy fur to protect us from severe cold. We lack the sharp teeth or claws that are necessary to hunt or fight predators. Fortunately, we have fire to warm us in winter and scare off beasts in the wilderness. Although fire has evolved into gas, electricity, and nuclear power in the modern age, it still is something we humans cannot do without. In Greek mythology, Prometheus steals fire from Zeus to help the weak and helpless humankind