Korea has expanded its air defense identification zone to assert its sovereignty and maximize national interests in the face of China’s unilateral announcement of an expanded zone last month. As expected, Korea’s new ADIZ encompasses Ieodo, a submerged rock some 150 kilometers off Marado, the nation’s southernmost island. China angered Korea by including the reef in its new perimeter, ignoring Korea’s jurisdiction over it. The Seoul government also included in the new ADIZ part of Korea’s territ

Formula One is commonly claimed to be one of the world’s three biggest sporting spectacles, the other two being the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup. For most motor sports followers, Formula One is regarded as the pinnacle. Yet this hugely popular event does not command a large following in Korea, making it difficult for the organizer of the F1 race in Korea ― the government of South Jeolla Province ― to continue to host it. Last week, the International Automobile Federation dropped Korea fr

Five years after the onset of its worst recession, the European Union’s economic recovery remains painfully slow. Has anything been learned from this dismal performance about how governments can combat severe recessions? The answer is yes ― but sadly, the clearest lessons are the ones governments seem least likely to apply.It would be hard to deny that Europe’s record has been awful. Over the past four years, gross domestic product in the euro area has grown by less than 3 percent; output fell s

KHARKIV ― Incarceration is said to leave you with a feeling of helplessness and vulnerability. But the truth of life for a political prisoner, even for one on a hunger strike, is the opposite. As a prisoner, I have been forced to focus on what is essential about myself, my political beliefs, and my country. So I can almost feel the presence of the brave women and men, old and young, who have gathered in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities to defend their dreams of a democratic and European future. I

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan instructed federal agencies that they could issue regulations only after demonstrating that their benefits justified their costs. With modest changes, Reagan’s successors, both Republican and Democratic, have continued to impose this requirement on agencies considering rules designed to protect clean air, food safety, workplace safety and much more.But a crucial question remains: Can the government’s numbers be trusted, or are they just a lot of hot air?In Washin

Every once in a very great while, we get these people who rise above the confines of self. Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday at the age of 95, was one of those. He navigated his life by the polestar not of self, but of freedom and in so doing, became the founding father of a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal.It is not that he was a perfect man. “In real life,” he once wrote, “we deal, not with gods, but with ordinary humans like

NEW YORK ― It has been three years since the outbreak of the euro crisis, and only an inveterate optimist would say that the worst is definitely over. Some, noting that the eurozone’s double-dip recession has ended, conclude that the austerity medicine has worked. But try telling that to those in countries that are still in depression, with per capita GDP still below pre-2008 levels, unemployment rates above 20 percent, and youth unemployment at more than 50 percent. At the current pace of “reco

Of all the many leaders I have met in the course of my life, none made a deeper impression on me than Nelson Mandela. His courage, compassion, humility and wisdom were without parallel on the world stage, and he himself was an enduring source of inspiration. And while he is rightly revered as a hero in the struggle for race freedom, he also deserves recognition as a champion of economic freedom who set his country and continent on the path to growth.Mandela understood that social transformation

Conservatives who worry about the ill effects of marginal tax rates on high earners rarely discuss the even higher marginal tax rates that some low- and moderate-income families face. A low-income single parent can experience a marginal rate as high as 95 percent ― for each dollar earned, the person takes home only 5 cents. And for married parents, the marginal rate for the family’s secondary earner can be almost as high.This happens mostly because various means-tested benefit programs are phase

China’s unilateral declaration of its “air defense identification zone” over a large area that includes disputed territories has escalated tensions in Northeast Asia, upsetting prospects for regional peace and prosperity. As conflicts over territorial claims and unresolved historical issues threaten regional stability and pose a grave challenge for U.S. foreign policy, policymakers seek ways to prevent rising tensions from getting out of control. A historical understanding of the root causes of

Over the past decade, we have heard about the “fat gene,” the “diabetes gene,” the “alcoholism gene,” the “intelligence gene,” even the “God gene.” In the end, none of these so-called discoveries proved correct.Genetics is more complex than scientists imagined. We have discovered highly predictive genes for about 2,000 rare ailments, such as Huntington’s disease, but not for most common diseases such as cancer and diabetes. This hasn’t prevented companies such as 23andMe Inc. from selling direct

NAIROBI ― Before I knew that Nelson Mandela existed, I thought our then-leader, Kenyan President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, was the world’s only statesman. I was five years old, and no world existed for me outside Nairagie Enkare, my birthplace in rural Maasailand. Moi was a mythical figure to me, because he didn’t live in Nairagie Enkare, yet he was always present through radio, a technology too complicated for a child like me to understand.Every newscast from the government-controlled radio st

JERUSALEM ― The interim agreement reached in Geneva between the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany (the P5+1) and Iran is probably the best deal to curtail Iran’s nuclear program that could be reached, given current circumstances. The United States and its Western allies were unwilling to risk a military option, and not concluding a deal would have allowed Iran to proceed unimpeded toward acquiring nuclear weapons.In an ideal world, Iran should have been f

“He lies like an eyewitness.” It’s an old Russian saying, of uncertain provenance but enduring popularity among the defense bar. Unfortunately, there is truth to the proverb ― and the result is that too many innocent people go to jail for crimes they didn’t commit, and too many of the guilty go free.A new report issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice and the International Association of Chiefs of Police shows how common wrongful convictions are and suggests ways to help prevent them. D

Lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party now have their work cut out for them as the National Assembly has been normalized after a long paralysis.The chairmen and floor leaders of the two parties reached a breakthrough agreement Tuesday night, ending the protracted political impasse. They agreed to set up two special parliamentary panels, one to reform the National Intelligence Service and the other to rewrite local election rules. They also agreed to pass t

The controversy over the resignation of former Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook has been rekindled as a Cheong Wa Dae official was found to have been involved in the illegal perusal of personal information about a child alleged to be the top prosecutor’s illegitimate son.Chae denied the allegation, raised by a Korean daily in September, that he had fathered a son out of wedlock. But he resigned as head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, saying that such allegations made it difficult for him to

The most important website last weekend and in weeks to come ― on which the hopes and fears of countless Americans are focused (and the president’s poll ratings depend) ― is not HealthCare.gov. It’s Amazon.com.Even if and when HealthCare.gov works perfectly, relatively few Americans will be affected by it. Only 5 percent of us are in the private health insurance market to begin with. But almost half of Americans are now shopping for great holiday deals online, and many will be profoundly affecte

PARIS ― Tens of thousands of protesters are flooding the streets of Ukraine, blocking access to government offices and threatening to start what the media is largely (and preemptively, if not mistakenly) referring to as a “revolution.” All this over the pro-Russian Ukraine leadership’s decision to renounce a free-trade agreement with Europe that would have represented a shift away from the Russian sphere of influence.Except that this is no revolution, at least not yet, and people around the worl

Shinzo Abe owes Xi Jinping a debt of gratitude.The buzz in Japanese cyberspace is that Chinese President Xi is wagging the dog by declaring a controversial “air-defense identification zone” across the East China Sea. The move has drastically ramped up tensions with Japan and the U.S., both of which have blatantly disregarded Beijing’s unilateral edict. According to one prevailing theory, Xi is whipping up an international storm to change the subject domestically away from income inequality, offi

Twice in his career, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has faced crowds in the hundreds of thousands calling for him to step aside. The first time was in 2004, when he attempted to steal the presidential elections. The second was this weekend, after he decided not to sign a trade agreement with the European Union.As a cause of popular unrest, “not signing a trade agreement” does not quite rank with “stealing an election.” That Ukrainians protested both is an indication not only of their desp