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The Korea Times

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Columnists

Bernhard J. Seliger

Revenge of the tidal flat

When in mid-August, just before Korea´s national holiday (Gwangbokjeol), the World Scout Jamboree ended, a catastrophe narrowly could be avoided. With the additional urge due to an upcoming typhoon, 40,000 scouts were evacuated from the original jamboree site in Saemangeum. While the organization of the evacuation of the scouts worked flawlessly, and once again confirmed Korea's reputation to be able in rapid planning, before that reputation took a heavy blow.

2023-08-24 16:30

On creating infrastructure for Korea-Japan reconciliation

These days, the outlook for a serious and positive new start of Korean-Japanese relations is better than ever, once one considers the last two decades.

2023-05-25 18:02

Wildfires, afforestation and climate change adaptation in South and North Korea

On a late March Sunday around noon on Mount Inwang, just opposite the former presidential palace, the Blue House, trees suddenly burst into flames like matches, smoke develops and in an incredibly short space of time the whole mountain is enveloped in dark smoke clouds.

2023-04-12 16:30

Peace dividends and war preparation - some unpopular truths

“Si vis pacem, para bellum” (If you want peace, prepare for war), goes a famous saying by a Roman war strategist, Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus, in the 4th century. This is one of the most sobering, pessimistic views of peace and war, and indeed, of the nature of mankind - but unfortunately, it is only too true. Nothing can illustrate this better than the current war in Europe.

2023-01-16 16:40

From Zero-COVID policy to no COVID policy - can North Korea follow China´s lead?

One of the most stunning reversals of health policy anywhere in the world happened in early December, when the three-year-old Chinese strict zero-COVID policy was effectively abandoned, to such an extent that the Chinese Center for Disease Control had to admit, after less than a week, that they had no more clue where and how frequent the COVID virus was infecting citizens.

2022-12-26 16:45

Wither Korean agriculture - smart and ecological, or poorly industrializing?

Wherever strategies for economic growth are discussed, soon the example of South Korea´s stellar growth from the 1960s to the 1990s, and - in a more mature way from then on - will be mentioned.

2022-11-17 15:18

Nuclear power: devil's energy or inexhaustible clean energy?

Living as a foreign national in South Korea, there are many advantages and rewards. For me as a German, one of the best things is the unfettered technological optimism of the country, which starkly contrasts with the irrational fears that technologies trigger in Germans.

2022-10-27 15:15

'Money Heist' will never become reality

These days, hundred thousands of Koreans follow each week the new suspenseful drama “Money Heist: Join Economic Area,” a remake of an extremely successful Spanish drama, “Le casa de papel,” in which a group of brilliant thugs rob a mint. Pretending to rob a bank, indeed they print their own money.

2022-07-28 16:59

Plastic waste: common scourge of South and North Korea and source of future cooperation

When in June for one week the so-called Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) conventions took place in Geneva, hundreds of delegates from all 188 participating countries in these three leading multilateral environment agreements came together to discuss how to better govern chemicals and waste management, in order to protect human health and the environment.

2022-06-23 16:50

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