LONDON ― Interest in the European Union’s competitiveness did not begin with the euro crisis. Safeguarding Europe’s advanced position in the world economy was, after all, a key motivation behind the creation of the single market. Since then, interest in EU competitiveness has risen further, spurred in particular by the challenge posed by countries like China.In order to ensure sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Europe, policymakers and the public must, above all, regard international t

It might seem a daunting challenge to determine which of the world’s repressive nations offers the least-free news media. We have so many to choose from ― Iran, North Korea, Belarus ...But you may be surprised by the unanimity among organizations that study such things, like Reporters Without Borders, a French group. The consensus choice is Eritrea, a tiny nation most people cannot even pinpoint on a map.Eritrea, a desperately poor desert state about the size of Pennsylvania, lives in an ugly ne

Singapore’s decision to pledge $4 billion loan to the International Monetary Fund to help troubled economies must be seen as part of a broader international effort. It is necessary because, as a trading nation, Singapore is critically dependent on the health of the global economy. Should Europe’s crisis deepen, it could also spread far beyond the region. Singapore’s contribution is therefore an investment made in enlightened self-interest. Even if the funds are drawn down, the money will remain

The war between Korea and Japan over the name of the sea separating the two countries is shifting into a new phase as the International Hydrographic Organization, the global authority on the names and locations of seas and oceans, has delayed a decision on the naming dispute to 2017.The IHO held a general meeting in Monaco to update its publication dubbed “Limits of Oceans and Seas,” a document considered the most authoritative when it comes to oceanic boundaries and names. Better known as S-23,

Each year, the National Tax Service launches a special tax probe on self-employed professionals suspected of underreporting their incomes. In 2010, it zeroed in on 150 luxury businesses, such as plastic surgery clinics, skincare clinics and beauty parlors.Wrapping up its two-year-long probe, the tax office announced on Tuesday it has collected a total of 100.2 billion won in back taxes from the businesses. The investigation result is disturbing as it suggests rampant tax evasion among people eng

Much of the beef, pork or chicken we eat contains small amounts of antibiotics. The drugs are fed to animals so they can thrive in the crowded, often-fetid factory farms that dominate U.S. meat and poultry production. But giving animals a steady diet of these medicines has contributed to the increase of antibiotic-resistant bugs that can pose grave risks to humans. This isn’t news to the Food and Drug Administration, which has known since the early 1970s about the misuse of antibiotics in agricu

NEW YORK ― The annual spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have provided a window onto two fundamental trends driving global politics and the world economy. Geopolitics is moving decisively away from a world dominated by Europe and the United States to one with many regional powers but no global leader. And a new era of economic instability is at hand, owing as much to physical limits to growth as to financial turmoil.Europe’s economic crisis dominated this year’

Taiwan claims sovereignty over two archipelagoes in the South China Sea. They are the Spratlys and Pratas, with troops being stationed on an island of each archipelago. The Spratly Island where some 100 Coast Guardsmen are deployed is known as Taiping Island, or “Peace Island,” though it isn’t quite peaceful any more.The vernacular China Time Magazine reported in a scoop last Friday that two Vietnamese armed patrol vessels came so close to Taiping on March 22 as to compel the Coast Guard Adminis

The escalation of tension between Sudan and its newly independent neighbor South Sudan has showed no sign of easing this week, feueling deep concern among the international community.Both sides should exercise the utmost restraint and refrain from making reckless moves. Khartoum and Juba should understand it serves neither side’s interests if a full-scale war breaks out between them.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday strongly condemned the recent aerial bombardments in South Sudan by t

Whether center-right Nicolas Sarkozy or socialist Francois Hollande is elected in the French presidential run-off, the outlook for the nation does not look promising. Neither has enthused the electorate, as indicated in their first-round vote which was less than the 30 percent total cast against them by right- and left-leaning voters. But what either of them will be forced to do to win on May 6 is of interest well beyond Europe ― and that is worrying. Both look beholden to voters of the extreme

If films are vehicles for China’s soft power, can they be produced on a conveyor belt like the real thing, with the help of some expertise from Hollywood?This appears to be the hope after Walt Disney and Marvel Studios announced they have partnered with Beijing-based DMG Entertainment to produce Iron Man III, set to appear in a theater near you in May 2013.The reported $1 billion investment in the future of film “will bring Chinese elements to the international film market, and Chinese culture w

To a newcomer, Afghanistan initially appears as a land of unforgiving mountains, harsh deserts and a fierce tribal society, but after serving there one also sees its staggering beauty, and the kindness of a long suffering people. In Parwan Province, the snowy Hindu Kush Mountains look down upon Charikar, an historic city where the markets are filled with grapes, almonds, apples and other produce from the surrounding Shomali Plain. This area is home to the Korea Provincial Reconstruction Team and

The Bank of Korea has released a report highlighting the negative impact of the sustained growth of household and government debt on the economy. One of the report’s main points is that the Korean economy is already caught in a debt trap.The bank does not see the household debt bomb detonating any time soon to trigger a fresh financial crisis. Yet it urges concerted government efforts to defuse it because it has begun to undermine the fundamentals of the languishing national economy, The nation’

On Tuesday, lawmakers of the rival political parties were supposed to hold the last plenary session of the 18th National Assembly before its term expires on May 28. Yet the session was canceled due to their differences on a bill aimed at preventing physical clashes between legislators.The cancellation of the session has put the fate of many important bills in limbo, including those related to people’s livelihoods. They included a bill on making over-the-counter drugs available at non-pharmacy ou

American support for the Afghan war has collapsed. Several new surveys show that even most Republicans, from the party that is home to the nation’s hawks, now oppose the 10-year-old conflict. And it’s no wonder. The United States military has been deceiving the nation for years.Listen to Army Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, who spent the last year working in Afghanistan.“I covered more than 9,000 miles and talked, traveled and patrolled with troops” across the nation, he wrote in the Armed Forces Journal

MADRID ― The latest round of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program between Iran and the so-called “5+1” group (the United Nations Security Council’s five permanent members ― the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, and China ― plus Germany) has now begun. Following more than a year of deadlock, after negotiations in January 2011 led nowhere, this dialogue is for many the last chance to find a peaceful solution to a nearly decade-long conflict (in which I participated closely from

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts ― Voices of both those convinced that China will eclipse the U.S. as a global economic and military power and those who are confident of continued U.S. leadership are getting louder. Much of this debate focuses on the size of the Chinese economy relative to the U.S. economy or issues of military might.But what matters for global leadership is innovation, which is not only the key driver of per capita income growth but also ultimately the main determinant of military and

Koreans are among the most patriotic people in the world. Their love for their country is unequalled. Outside being hard working, everything that they have achieved so far was spurred by an undying love for their country and the sheer zeal to place their country on the world map. Such attitudes deserve paean and fete.Recently, during the just-concluded nuclear summit in Seoul, Koreans showed their devotion and love for their national cause when they cancelled a proposed demonstration that was su

After reading The Korea Herald editorial, “Starting presidential race,” appearing on April 23, I became even more concerned about Korea’s future. What has happened to Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Moon-soo?It isn’t like Gov. Kim is new to politics. He has had a long political career, so he knows how the political process works. He understands how his actions are going to impact the upcoming presidential elections, so why is he advocating an open primary system in Korea? Could he be a Democratic Uni

When RMS Titanic sank on the night between April 14 and 15, 1912, the modern world’s greatest metaphor of disaster was born. During the hundred years that have passed, we have returned ― again and again ― to this epic story of catastrophe; countless of tragic situations of downfall and breakdown have been compared to the Titanic ― from the collapse of buildings, visions, economies, to the most recent maritime accident, the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia in January 2012. The Titanic myth is