In his second inaugural address, U.S. President Barack Obama offered a vague but appealing vision. Now it’s time for the more distinct and contentious translation. In his State of the Union address, scheduled for Feb. 12, the president is widely expected to talk about ways to improve the condition of the middle class and increase job growth. The question, given the slow-growing economy and intransigent congressional opposition, is what exactly he can say and do to advance those goals. From our s

Recently the South Korean Ministry of Justice announced that it was considering the adoption of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law. The impetus behind this announcement was a series of recommendations by the United Nations Human Rights Council contained in the 2012 Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of South Korea adopted in October. Since that time the Ministry of Justice has been reviewing the 70 recommendations contained in the second section of that Report and

Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to step down as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church was fittingly unexpected for a man who has long defied easy categorization. It was also a brave step at a time when the Catholic Church is facing an array of global challenges. First, we applaud Benedict’s courage in recognizing that he is simply no longer up to the job. He is 85, and by his own admission in failing strength, mentally and physically. His successor, to be selected by the College of Cardinals, wil

My favorite Haruhiko Kuroda moment was on a Tokyo-bound flight on March 13, 2011, two days after a gigantic earthquake struck northeast Japan. I was in the Philippines when the quake precipitated a nuclear crisis. On the first available flight back, the president of the Manila-based Asian Development Bank sat near me on an almost-empty plane. Manila-to-Tokyo flights are rarely made with a single empty seat, but no one likes to fly into a potential Chernobyl, not with tens of thousands in Japan c

In his inaugural speech in 1961, John F. Kennedy fascinated the audience with a monumental line: “And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you ― ask what you can do for your country.” Perhaps the Korean people should consider what Kennedy said as well, since Koreans tend to expect their country to do everything for them. When the taxi business is slow, for example, Korean taxi companies expect, and sometimes even demand, that the government help them financially. And the

Acronyms often signal a cul de sac of communication. Acceptability of a proposition seems to increase once a clever acronym is created to define it.One such dexterous acronym is BRIC ― standing for Brazil, Russia, India and China ― representing a proposition that these are emerging economies, the engine of the global growth, and the next fertile ground for market and investment opportunities, bar none.That’s not a simple proposition. Its complication has different dimensions, each requiring fast

The political battle in Malaysia has given K-pop stars a money-earning opportunity. They might think that it is so easy to earn money here.Psy of “Gangnam Style” has been invited to perform at BN’s Chinese New Year open house in Penang. How much does he charge for the performance? Some said $500,000, while some others said $1 million and 5 million ringgit ($1.6 million). Penang BN leaders, however, said they spend not even a penny.Business is business. Do you believe that a global celebrity will

Shortly before the Dec. 19 presidential election, the main opposition Democratic United Party claimed that the National Intelligence Service had been running a clandestine campaign against its candidate, Moon Jae-in. The allegation was based on suspicions that an intelligence official had been slandering Moon on the Internet.In denying the charges, the spy agency denounced the opposition party for engaging in what it called “malicious propaganda.” It claimed it was mistakenly accused of breachin

Mom-and-pop stores in front of elementary schools, small eateries in rundown residential areas and other types of family-run businesses in back alleys are under the constant threat of being wiped out by large enterprises expanding into their traditional territory. Their only recourse for survival may lie in the deep nostalgia the general public holds for them.Self-employed people and those running small- and medium-sized enterprises are appealing to this public sentiment when they put pressure o

BERKELEY ― Across the North Atlantic region, central bankers and governments seem, for the most part, helpless in restoring full employment to their economies. Europe has slipped back into recession without ever really recovering from the financial/sovereign-debt crisis that began in 2008. The United States’ economy is currently growing at 1.5 percent per year (about a full percentage point less than potential), and growth may slow, owing to a small fiscal contraction this year.Industrial market

When Shinzo Abe became Japan’s prime minister on Boxing Day last year, he promised to deliver change. Very shortly thereafter, he announced a 10.3 trillion yen ($116 billion, or 2.2 percent of GDP) stimulus package to end deflation and pressured the Bank of Japan to adopt a 2 percent inflation target. As a result, the stock market index Nikkei jumped 28.3 percent from mid-November to current levels and the yen weakened by 20.1 percent from 75.7 to 90.9, its lowest level in over two years.Such ac

The National Assembly has started deliberation on President-elect Park Geun-hye’s proposal for a sweeping government overhaul. The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party have agreed to handle the government reorganization bill by Feb. 14. The proposal is of vital importance for Park as it is much more than a simple plan for government rearrangement. It embodies her grand vision for reshaping the nation by reforming Korean society and restructuring the polarized econ

Physicians have declared for the first time that they will not accept any money, directly or indirectly, from pharmaceutical companies. In a joint news conference on Monday, the Korean Medical Association and the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences said they would stamp out the deeply entrenched practice of doctors taking kickbacks from drug companies in return for prescribing their products.The two organizations pledged to create a code of ethics to strengthen disciplinary measures against membe

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is going American in a big way by setting the next national election seven months from now. The record length of the campaign is bad news for her opponent, Tony Abbott, and may be even worse for the nation’s 23 million people. Turning to a permanent campaign like that of the U.S. is shrewd politics. It puts opposition leader Abbott on the defensive, forcing him to offer more than tired conservative nostrums about the magic of lower taxes, less regulation a

The world was alarmed by German Prime Minister Angela Merkel’s remarks against multiculturalism in 2010. The whole world was shocked when a Norwegian committed mass murder and declared war against multiculturalism in 2011. South Korea is rapidly becoming a multicultural society and it is officially committed to a multicultural policy. It is time for the South Korean government and people to discuss the implications of multiculturalism for the future Korea.The debate should first begin with the d

Can the Defense Department overrule the U.S. Supreme Court? Can the Boy Scouts of America? The short answer is: Of course not. But a full response turns out to be more complicated, and it offers a lesson for thinking about the relationship between constitutional law and the evolving nature of rights. Here’s the lesson. We often think that our rights are established by the Constitution and by the Supreme Court, interpreting that document. True, the Constitution is fundamental, but some of our mos

The unrelenting smog that is still shrouding central and northern China requires the nation to take more consistent and down-to-earth measures to combat the problem.Policymakers, in particular, must make a thorough assessment of the problem before devising targeted measures to reduce the pollution.The smog, which has repeatedly hit northern cities, such as Beijing, has caused growing concern. Facing growing public complaints, the government has vowed to take measures to solve the problem.We do h

Americans are still in the grip of a scary flu season. Who can forget the alarming headlines about the swift spread and virulence of this year’s bug? Everyone’s still on high alert should someone sneeze or cough on the bus, train, restaurant or office. Violators are dealt with harshly.Now imagine a flu strain exponentially more contagious and more deadly. Fiction? Hardly. In late 2011, a Dutch scientist announced that he had genetically tweaked one of the world’s most deadly bird flu viruses to

It was impressive to watch the two most famous women in Asia meet in Seoul last week. Aung San Suu Kyi, the top opposition leader of Myanmar (Burma), paid a visit to President-elect Park Geun-hye and they exchanged words on freedom and democracy and cooperation between their countries. Beyond their commonness as daughters of great national leaders, however, they shared little with regard to the political path that brought them to where they are today. Logging a total of 15 years under house arre

PARIS ― A bipartisan group of senators has just lit a soggy fuse under the immigration debate. The statement of principles tabled by four senators from each party is such an impotent byproduct of compromise that calling it bipartisan is redundant. This manifesto of mediocrity fails to address the biggest immigration problems facing America ― starting with the question of “Why?”Does anyone ever ask WHY there are so many illegal immigrants in America? While it’s understandable that foreign citizen