South Korea’s economy grew 2.01 percent in 2019, just over the government goal of 2 percent. The growth rate is the lowest since 2009, when the world economy was reeling from the effects of the 2008 financial crisis. Increased government spending helped offset weak exports and private investment. Government spending may help boost the economy over the short term, but it is not sustainable over the long term. Compared to many advanced nations, 2 percent growth is an admirable achievement.

Rumbling and positioning for the National Assembly election this April will intensify after the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of January. The results of the election will impact the rest of President Moon Jae-in’s term and set the stage for the next presidential election in May 2022.Currently, no party has a majority in the National Assembly. President Moon’s Democratic Party is the largest party, but it relies on support from sympathetic minor parties and independents. The large

In my last column I looked back on the 2010s in South Korea; this time I look forward and offer some predictions for the 2020s. The predictions highlight the challenges that South Korea will face in the new decade.Domestically, the aging of the population and generational change will have a profound influence over South Korean society. By the end of the decade, most of the large post Korean-War baby boom generation will be in its seventies and well into retirement. Meanwhile, most of the politic

In a couple of weeks, we will enter the third decade of the 21st century. For South Korea, the 2010s saw continued progress amid anxiety over the future. The decade began with solid, though not spectacular, economic growth as the world recovered from the 2007-08 financial crisis, although the crisis affected South Korea less than most other developed nations. South Koreans gained confidence from weathering an economic storm better than most. Toward the end of the decade, the aging of the po

A two-week visit to Italy recently revealed much about the state of language in the early 21st century. Apart from sightseeing, I was interested in seeing how much Italian I could learn casually as I traveled.The biggest impression about language on the trip was the spread of English. On a visit to Italy nearly 30 years ago, I remember meeting many people who spoke no or little English, even in major tourist cities such as Florence or Venice. Traveling in Italy meant meeting the language barrier

As the second decade of the third millennium draws to a close, the world seems to be entering an uncertain period of increased political turmoil. From Hong Kong to Barcelona, from Seoul to Santiago, millions of demonstrators have poured into the streets to demand change. Democracies in Europe and North America have become highly polarized.On the surface, the issues that stirred the protests are local, such as the controversy over former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. Likewise, in Santiago, Chile,

The Korean expression “what was bound to come has arrived” best describes the current political situation in the US. It was only a matter of time before the Democratic controlled House of Representatives moved to impeach President Donald Trump.Evidence that Trump appeared to be pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter caused the dam in favor of impeachment to burst. Biden has long been considered the strongest

Population density remains one of the most controversial topics when discussing cities. The problems of crowded and empty cities are well known, but the problems are different. Crowded cities face the challenge of providing basic services to residents, who live in cramped and often uncomfortable housing. Empty cities, in contrast, face declining economic fortunes and lack the energetic vibe that defines a city.Global hubs, such as New York, London, and Paris, remain highly dense cities with a ho

On my way to Seoul in late August, I was looking forward to a break from the Trump-induced hysteria of American politics. My hopes were dashed, however, as the hysteria over Cho Kuk, President Moon Jae-in’s nominee for minister of justice, spread. News about Cho and his family captivated the nation for weeks. In the end, the president decided to approve Cho’s nomination, Monday. The hysteria over Cho says as much about Korea as the hysteria over Donald Trump in the US. In both cases,

Below the Washington Post’s masthead sits the phrase “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” The phrase appeared shortly after Donald Trump became president in 2017 in response to his attacks on the press. Critical media coverage causes Trump to lash out at the media by accusing it of spreading “fake news.” The phrase is aimed at upholding freedom of the press amid unprecedented attempts by a president to influence media coverage. It also touches on another side to the news a

As expected, tensions between South Korea and Japan have continued to worsen. On Aug. 2, Japan followed through with its threat to remove Korea from the “whitelist” of countries that Japan designates as preferential trading partners. This action means that companies exporting select products to Korea will need approval from the Japanese government before exporting. The Japanese government could use the approval process to restrict exports to Korea.The Korean government condemned the

Last spring, a Korean friend used the phrase “things people can still do” in broad conversation about business and current events. Last week, I was reminded of the phrase when I took a ride in a driverless car for the first time. There was a driver, but he was there as a backup in case something went wrong. The car had no steering wheel and the driver had very little to do except start it after the passenger was safely seated. It handled curves and corners better than most drivers an

South Korea and Japan are at it again. On July 1, the Japanese government decided to restrict exports to South Korea of three products used in semiconductor and smartphone manufacturing. It argued that the products could be used for making weapons if they fell into North Korean hands. The action caused an uproar in South Korea, and people accused Japan of using the issue to weaken the Korean economy. Neither country appears willing to negotiate a solution to address complaints on both sides.Rela

The sight of a US president shaking hands with a North Korean leader at the border in Panmunjom and then briefly stepping into North Korea would have been unimaginable just one year ago. With this symbolic gesture, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un made history Sunday. South Korean President Moon Jae-in joined the two leaders, making it the fourth time he has met Kim Jong-un. In a meeting that followed, Trump and Kim agreed to restart negotiations between the two countries.Reaction to the hastily arr

The Olympics are no longer the big global moment that they were in the late 20th century, but, as events surrounding the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang showed, they still have symbolic power. The Summer Olympics in 2020 will be held in Tokyo, and a short visit on the way back to the US from South Korea reveals the effects of the symbolic power of the Olympics.As expected, the city is investing heavily in infrastructure. Many train and subway stations are being upgraded. New hotels are going up a

During a short visit to Kyoto, Japan, on my way to Korea, a taxi driver told me that US President Donald Trump made him nervous because he is so unpredictable. I reassured him that many, if not most, Americans feel the same way. We concluded the short conversation by agreeing Trump is not fit to be president.The problem, of course, is that in a democracy, the people have the final say on the fitness of leaders. The problem for Trump is that he won the presidency in 2016 with a solid Electoral Co

When I visited South Korea in the spring of 2018, everybody was talking about the breakthrough with North Korea. A year later, everybody is talking about the economy. Small business owners, in particular, are worried about sluggish consumption and rising costs. People in large firms worry about job security and retirement. Most people believe that South Korea has fallen into a Japanese-style slump that will be difficult to overcome. Since the Korean economy began to grow in 1960s, citizens have

Last week, I visited a friend living on top of a steep hill in Seongbuk-dong. The house had a sweeping view of the entire center of the city and of the rest of the neighborhood below. As we talked about the view and the neighborhood, my friend said that many of the houses in the area were empty. He said that the area was slated for redevelopment and that many houses are not rentable because they are in such bad condition. Plans for redevelopment have stalled and property owners are left with hou

A few weeks ago, somebody asked me the secret to South Korea’s success. Not being an economist, I couldn’t give an authoritative answer, so I replied by saying simply that Korea invests in its people. An increasingly skilled and talented workforce has allowed Korea to become a leading nation in a range of economic endeavors.Continued growth, however, is not guaranteed. Nations throughout history have risen and fallen in response to economic and technological paradigm shifts. The same holds true

The race for Democratic nomination for president in 2020 is almost full. Only the front runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, has yet to declare his candidacy. The race has more women and African-Americans than any in history. The candidates range from age 37 to 77, and they are diverse in ethnic and religious background. The race is the first time since 2004 that the Democrats do not have a dominant front-runner or an incumbent president running.For all its diversity, the race has plentiful