The April election is over. The outcome was a landslide victory for the progressive ruling party and a total disaster for the conservative opposition party. Of course, opinion varies depending on the person, but many say it was a victory of the younger generation over the older generation. If this is true, young people must be happy, whereas older people are disappointed, if not devastated. Right after the outcome of the election was revealed, someone sent me a heartrending poem circulating

T.S. Eliot’s monumental poem “The Waste Land” begins with the famous line, “April is the cruelest month.” Eliot refers to April as the cruelest month because spring rain wakes us up from our warm, comfortable hibernation. The poem continues with a touch of sarcasm: “winter kept us warm, covering/ earth with forgetful snow.” Now, spring has come and we have to wake up and remember who we are and where we are. Today is Election Day in Korea for National

It may be too early to predict what will happen in the post-coronavirus world. Yet already one hears foretold that when the crisis is over, the world will not be the same. For example, globalization will surely decline and nationalism will rise instead because many people believe globalization is responsible for the spread of the pandemic. Undeniably, easy international travel and borderless mobility contributed to the spread of the disease. However, the reverse of globalization will not be ea

Undoubtedly, these are uncomfortable times for all Asians living in the West. For the unprecedented global pandemic that has recently devastated the earth, many Westerners blame China. Yet, even if the virus originated in China, the Chinese people are not themselves to blame for the existence of the virus. Moreover, in the eyes of many Westerners, all Asians look alike, and therefore, any Asian on sight can be an object of hate and derision in Western countries. To make matters worse, Westerners

Due to the recent coronavirus outbreak, we are now unable to travel to foreign countries freely. Some time ago, however, a South Korean could visit virtually any place on earth and feel at home wherever he went. For example, he could watch Korean movies and television shows on Netflix or Amazon anywhere, anytime. Korean cuisine and groceries were available everywhere. He could even drop by a karaoke room, easily available in many foreign cities, to sing his favorite Korean songs. As someone wh

Ostensibly, the 2020 Academy Award-winning South Korean film “Parasite” seems to depict the problems of a polarized society here, sharply divided between the rich and the poor. That was why Korean left-wing politicians hailed the movie as a victory of socialism over capitalism and tried to use the movie’s international recognition for political gain so that they can win the upcoming election in April. After watching the movie, however, viewers realize that such a view is only

Until the recent outbreak of the new coronavirus, South Korea’s reputation in the international community could not have been better. For the past few decades, Samsung, LG, and Hyundai have significantly upgraded the image of South Korea. So have BTS and, more recently, the Academy Award-winning film “Parasite.” In addition to Hallyu that has enchanted young people on foreign soils, many countries have watched the spectacular economic success of South Korea with admiration and

Ostensibly, the Alhambra Palace does not seem to have anything to do with the “fourth industrial revolution.” The former is a famous 13th century Moorish palace located in Granada, Spain and the latter a recent phenomenon that deals with artificial intelligence, the internet of things, 3d printers, smart cars that drive themselves, drone technology, nanotechnology, 5g mobile communications and augmented reality. Recently, however, Korean TV show “Memories of the Alhambra&rdqu

The world is now experiencing an unprecedented crisis due to a new coronavirus pandemic. So is South Korea, where the number of COVID-19 patients are increasing exponentially each week. At the same time, unfortunately, we have so many other compelling issues to deal with these days. Recently, I had a long conversation with professor Lee O-young, an eminent literary critic and former minister of culture, on a variety of issues we are now facing. When our conversation drifted into North Korea&rs

Recently, I saw an American movie in which the main character says there are three words beginning with “R” that kill older people slowly. They are retirement, regret and revenge. “Reward,” too, should be included in this category. “Retirement” can be bliss for some people, and yet it is a curse for others. After retirement, some people may enjoy a restful life, but others get bored. Indeed, if you have nothing to do all day long, you will find your life bor

The news that the Korean film “Parasite” won Oscars in four categories, marking the first such wins in Korean film history, came as a pleasant surprise. Initially, people expected the celebrated Korean film would easily win for best international film and possibly best original screenplay. However, it looked difficult for “Parasite” to win for best picture, because it had to compete with such distinguished films as “The Irishman,” “Joker” and &ld

When I saw “Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope,” the first of its series, in 1977, I was mesmerized. The fabulous galactic imagination of George Lucas led me on a true adventure through a vast, unknown universe. Since I was a huge fan of science fiction and fantasy already, this futuristic movie enthralled me, as it magically transported me to a fantastic future land. There was another reason why I liked the movie. When I watched the original Star Wars trilogy, Korea was still under

Recently, Korean universities are busy belatedly preparing for the “Age of Artificial Intelligence,” implementing new curricula and projects in academic departments and graduate schools and hiring experts in AI. It is high time, then, that we should ponder issues related to artificial intelligence with reference to our present predicament. “Oblivion,” a 2013 post-apocalyptic science fiction film set in 2077, well illustrates problems related to AI. In 2017, extraterrest

Many analysts and historians point out that the current political situation of South Korea resembles that of the Joseon era in the late 19th century. To say the least, it would be embarrassing and disheartening if 21st century Korea still could not overcome the traumatic situation it experienced in the late 19th century. Nevertheless, we may be able to obtain some insights and hindsight from the comparison.In the late 19th century, Joseon, which changed its name to Korea later, was helplessly lo

People say that today’s South Korea has become a battlefield between progressive and the conservative. The press, too, divides the people into these two categories. When there is an anti-government demonstration, newspapers and TV news programs report, “Conservatives gathered at Gwanghwamun Square to protest.” The headline implies that those who support the current South Korean government are progressives and those who do not are conservatives. However, such a bipolar dichotomy

Netflix’s original series “Kingdom” is a zombie drama set in the Joseon era right after the Japanese invasions of Korea between 1592 and 1598. Adapted from the webcomic “The Kingdom of the Gods,” the series depicts Joseon society presumably in the late 16th or early 17th century when factional brawls were undermining the kingdom. The story unravels an intricate web of power struggles between Prime Minister Cho Hak-ju, the father of Queen Cho, and other Cabinet minis

In the Chinese horoscope, 2020 is the Year of the Mouse. According to the fable behind the horoscope, when the Emperor of Heaven invited 12 animals to his party, the Mouse cunningly tricked the Ox into giving him a lift, and then jumped down at the end to cross the finish line first. Since the Mouse begins the zodiac ahead of the other animals, they say that the Year of the Mouse marks a year of new beginnings. We hope that 2020 will be a year of new beginnings for Korea too.In the horoscope, th

When I was a little boy right after the 1950-53 Korean War, I received a Christmas present from Santa Claus. On that Christmas Eve, I woke up in the middle of the night and found the gift next to my pillow. I was overjoyed because it was the first Christmas present I had ever received.The present turned out to be six pencils made in the U.S.A., arrayed in an orderly fashion in a gorgeous pencil box. At that time, Korea suffered postwar poverty and quality pencils were rare and expensive. Thus, t

Recently I came across a book of memoirs by Kim Yong-chol, professor emeritus of Sungkyunkwan University. The book, “A Lone Lighthouse Keeper: Memoirs of Kim Yong-chol,” is the author’s reminiscence of the particularly turbulent period of modern Korean history that he has lived through. Indeed, Kim’s life is an embodiment of modern South Korea itself, and his autobiography is an important social document vividly depicting nearly all the major events that occurred in the 2

Many foreigners wonder why socialism and Marxism persist and even remain popular in such an affluent capitalist country as South Korea. Perhaps the reason dates back to Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule in 1945. Historians argue that at the time, the resistance leaders in the Korean Provisional Government located in China needed a counterideology to fight Japanese right-wing military imperialism. Left-wing ideologies such as socialism and Marxism, which flourished in China at that time