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The Korea Times

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bernard Rowan

When I think of Korea

What do you think of when you hear the word ``Korea?” Do girl bands like Girls Generation or Bigbang come to mind? An actor or actress of “hallyu?” Popular Korean food such as bulgogi or galbi? I think many might say Kim Jong-un or one of the popular athletes like Kim Yu-na. Others think of the Korean War or a Samsung phone.

2015-04-14 17:41

Futuristic ties in NE Asia

Progress often occurs through two steps forward and one step back. At times, the number of steps forward does not keep pace with the steps back. Opinions matter and leaps can supersede prolonged periods of stasis.

2015-03-31 16:58

Lippert and democracy

The hubbub surrounding the knife attack on U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert has spawned controversy. After the incident, varying political forces in South Korea have used it to rebuke political dissent and to advance political and other interests. One Korea Times story referred to the atmosphere as representing a "masturbation nation" (March 10, 2015). I think the controversy reflects a young democracy unsure of democratic traditions.

2015-03-17 16:59

Adultery matters

This week, South Korea made world headlines. The nation's Constitutional Court ruled unconstitutional a 62 year-old law criminalizing adultery. The 6-2 majority decision is important for what it said. What it didn’t say counts too.

2015-03-03 16:47

Neighborhoods in Korea

Something I liked about living in Seoul is the convenience and accessibility of neighborhoods or dong. Despite the size and pace of urban life in this cosmopolis, Seoul’s neighborhoods and those of other Korean cities provide a wealth of consumer services, schools, parks and access to Korea’s people in community settings. I’d like to share with you why I think this typical and normal feature of Korean life is itself a technology for advancement.

2015-02-17 14:45

Children and Korea

Children are our future. Children tell us how we think of ourselves. South Korea is an advanced society, but its democracy is quite new. Rooted in resistance to military and authoritarian rule, Koreans in the 1980s forged a democracy. It now holds the military accountable to the rule of law and civilian leaders to constitutional limits.

2015-02-03 16:48

N. Korea and 2-track diplomacy

South Korea and the United States face conflicting pressures in dealing with North Korea. The South would like to respond to conciliatory gestures and rhetoric by Pyongyang and Kim Jong-un, and perhaps resume Mount Geumgang tours or ease sanctions on the North.

2015-01-20 16:33

Thinking about chaebol

People like what chaebol do for Korea and the world. We benefit from the many consumer products and services produced by Samsung, Hyundai, and the other conglomerates. Korean Air and Hanjin Shipping are among the best in the world. No one could say that Korea became an advanced nation without the chaebol. The Korean people and their successive governments created them after all and continue to operate them.

2015-01-06 16:59

Getting with it?

The second year of President Park Geun-hye’s five year term is drawing to a close. Last year, I wrote a frank appraisal (“Get With It,” Dec. 24, 2013) in which I criticized the President for sluggishness in leadership, cancellations of campaign promises and "playing it safe" on most issues. I said she had to "get with it," an American phrase meaning to act with focus and vigor. Or more simply said, to stop playing about.

2014-12-23 17:13

Korean culture values life. The joy that families and friends show at Korean weddings, often lavish and expensive but always wonderful celebrations of family unity, comes to mind. Despite a low birthrate, each baby boy or girl born brings another life that carries the promise to forward Korea’s traditions. Korean people continue to advance and share in life's improvement for the good of your society and the world. Now's the Christmas season. We also prepare for a new calendar year, and Lunar New Year follows. However, this column discusses my experience as a foreigner of how Koreans approach...

2014-12-09 16:56

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