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On Forty Steps

By Bernard RowanBusan may be South Korea’s second city, but it includes a monument central to the history of present-day Korea. I’m talking about the Forty Steps Stairway in Jungang neighborhood. Don’t overlook this deceptively simple space and place. I think it’s a symbol of the past and the way forward for Korea. That means a future of peace and eventual reunification. During the Korean War, the new Republic struggled. The Chinese Army and the North pushed the U.S.-ROK forces all the way to Busan. Many Korean people in the So...

2017-07-18 17:47

Hold that tiger!

This week I’m discussing the mythical figures of the tiger and rabbit. Recently, I visited Busan and stayed at a hotel that featured the remarkable portrait of a tiger with a rabbit smoking a pipe. The image surprised me a bit, and I’ve done some more reading about this pair. In general, the tiger is a powerful figure that doesn’t do good. He’s eager to kill and eat humans, and he appears as a source of danger and force without reason. His hunger represents the power of nature to destroy the human without aid of reason. The rabbit is a figure of good using his wits and trickery. The rabbit h...

2017-07-04 17:38

Thinking of Otto Warmbier

I’m finding it sad and disturbing to read about Otto Warmbier. He’s the American college student who took a trip to North Korea in 2015 and then suffered arrest and imprisonment at the hands of the authorities. Afterwards he likely had a heart attack and existed in a coma-like state. Last week, the North Korean government released him. Other Americans and nationals of other countries remain imprisoned there. On June 19, Warmbier died. It's a fool’s errand to visit North Korea. North Korea isn’t a friendly place. It's not an exotic location. It's not a suitable destination for an “adventure”!...

2017-06-20 17:37

Warmbier's death overshadows summit

Humpty dumpty's fall

Last week, Donald Trump announced the United States will leave the Paris climate accord. This action pleases some of his constituents. It's raised a greater firestorm of criticism throughout much of the world. I’m afraid it signals to many an abdication of global leadership, creating various power vacuums. Trump advances unreasonable positions that threaten years of careful efforts and show a needless, reckless part of his foreign policy vision. What do I mean? It's a sad day when China trumps American influence by default. True, America has a horrible record of exempting itself from interna...

2017-06-06 17:36

Election day

On Tuesday, South Koreans continued the life of a young and vibrant democracy by going to the polls and voting for their president. This vote has great importance. It continues the healing from painful events of impeaching and removing a president. It shows the vitality of Korean political culture in facing international and regional pressures. Koreans celebrate the life of their great state, country, and people through democratic participation. I’ve watched from Chicago, Illinois, the impressive displays of the omni-partisan community at debates and other shared forums. Of course, the diffe...

2017-05-09 21:03

Get real!

The military alliance between South Korea and the United States is a fundamental commitment of both nations. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and South Korean acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn have reaffirmed it, including at their recent visit to the Demilitarized Zone. However, President Trump’s bluff-or-gaffe about a naval deployment has sowed unnecessary frustration in South Korea and invited a climate of misperception. How should we view this development?

2017-04-25 17:23

Beyond the Mighty Who Fall

These days, some big heads bow in South Korea. Stories show the mighty falling, or at least stumbling a bit. A former president and several chaebol heads have come under investigation for possible illegal acts. These are important events for Korean society, as they signal the final accountability to the law of all people. They are painful events because leaders of powerful public and private entities may have violated trust and their responsibilities. However, what I want to write about in all of this concerns the distinct pattern of Koreans continuing high profile prosecutions that don’t be...

2017-04-11 17:05

Legacy of Sewol

Korea is nearing a three-year anniversary of the Sewol tragedy. This past week’s raising of the vessel’s hull marks an important moment, but that moment isn’t impeaching and removing Park Geun-hye. It isn’t the presidential candidates’ intent to “get to the bottom” of various allegations. I think most facts already are available for all to understand. No, the moment of this two-year anniversary marks sluggish action by Korean lawmakers, liberal and conservative. The morass of bad decision-making that stands behind the ferrying industry in South Korea needs control. The poor disaster readines...

2017-03-28 17:38

Salvaging site findings confirmed as animal bones

Summon your resolve

The Constitutional Court impeached Park Geun-hye last week. Questioning the decision will rage on awhile. However, what Koreans and friends of Korea must realize is the value of constitutional law and Korea’s democratic culture. As difficult a decision as the Court faced, it did face the challenge and made a ruling. A momentous case, the prosecution and defense pressed claims and counterclaims. All people who love Korea must now honor the Court’s decision. Uphold the rule of law, and the Korean polity will emerge stronger than ever. Re-read Park Yoon-bae’s discussion of Feb. 15 in The Korea ...

2017-03-14 17:10

A poor soul and purgatory

Finally, the United States and China should act like allies. There’s nothing in the end that’s not in the beginning, or so goes an old view of logic and truth. Why? North Korean politics continues its weird ways. Recently, North Korea has tested another missile and, so it seems, orchestrated killing the leading international “rival” of its leader, creating continuing international news and intrigue. The planned Key Resolve and Foal Eagle military exercises have already stirred Pyongyang’s endless on-edginess. Despite the political turmoil in South Korea about the failed Park presidency and w...

2017-02-28 18:24

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