중앙데일리

[OUTLOOK]Unified front needed with North

The United States is often accused of “unilateralism” in both Asia and Europe. Strangely enough, when Washington does try multilateralism, as in the case of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, the Americans are not very successful. Certainly, the Bush administration tried to do the right thing ― to harness a diplomatic coalition among North Korea’s neighbors China, Russia, Japan and South Korea. The idea was to peacefully confront Pyeongyang …

Mar 19,2003
[SCRIVENER]Press rulings make good sense

The decision last week by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to stop reporters roaming freely around its offices has upset the press. In case you missed it, the directive was part of a restructuring of media relations that also involves replacing the ministry’s press room -- this is where reporters write their stories and hang out -- with a briefing room. Under the new rules, government officials are no longer permitted to give anonymous inter…

Mar 19,2003
[FOUNTAIN]Leadership by betrayal

Let’s call it “leadership by betrayal.” At some points in history, leaders feel it necessary to go against the tide of what their supporters want and risk criticism, loss of office or even death in some cases. If that leadership is successful, though, peace and harmony can follow. In September 1993, Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, met Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin at the White House in Washington to sign a …

Mar 19,2003
[OUTLOOK]Fixing the U.S.-Korea alliance

It is clear that something is wrong with the Korea-U.S. alliance, but it is not at all clear just exactly what that something is. This is not the first time that there have been alliance problems; tension and mutual distrust hit a peak when U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Korea without any prior consultation with the Korean government. More fundamentally, the inevitable gap between the authoritarian go…

Mar 18,2003
[CULTURAL DIMENSIONS]Culture grows fitfully and locally

What ever happened to cultural policy? In the early years of the Kim Dae-jung administration, cultural policy was the talk of the town as pundits and policy makers searched for ways to revive the economy. Suddenly, “culture” in the broadest sense of the word became something that could be produced and marketed. The nation buzzed with talk of turning Korea into a center for animation, film and tourism. Art and film festivals sprouted up across…

Mar 18,2003
[FOUNTAIN]Causes, morale and weather

When war breaks out, the most developed weapons and technology a country can muster are mobilized, and the power of a country’s weapons is used as propaganda against potential enemies even before war starts. But weapons are not the sole factor to decide victory or defeat. The outcome is dependent on other elements, such as an army’s morale, the cause involved and the weather. In this sense, the Napoleonic Wars, which heavily influenced Europea…

Mar 18,2003
[OUTLOOK]A trusting society helps everyone

Every driver knows how infuriating it is when you are waiting for the left-turn signal at an intersection for several minutes and cars on your right cut across on every green signal. Why must waiting for your turn be so painful? Is a flagrant contempt of law and order the public’s fault or the government’s responsibility? Cars are required to slow down in school zones, yet seldom do. A towaway zone sign is visible for everyone to read, yet …

Mar 17,2003
[VIEWPOINT]Righting a tottering economy

The Korean economy is getting worse. The value of the Korean won against the U.S. dollar is sinking and local stock prices have plummeted. The trade balance has fallen into the red. As commodity prices continue to increase, the economic slowdown is accelerating and signs of stagflation loom. In addition, labor disputes are expected and the book-rigging case at SK Global is rocking the financial market, making the economic outlook more gloomy. T…

Mar 17,2003
[FOUNTAIN]The bugs are winning

On a Sunday morning in November 1942, Bostonians were shocked after reading newspaper headlines that 400 persons were killed in a night club fire. At every emergency room in the city, people were dying from infections. Under pressure, the U.S. government decided to use a secret medicine that was under the control of the military. That was the debut of penicillin, the “magic bullet” that killed staphylococcus. Penicillin had been first developed i…

Mar 17,2003
[INSIGHT]Prosecutors’ travail and nobility

Just three days before the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, there was a startling leadership change at the prosecution. Prosecutor-general Kim Ik-jin was unexpectedly demoted to the chief of the Seoul High Prosecutors Office. What happened? Kim Tae-seon, chief of the capital police agency, reportedly had taken Roh Deok-sul, head of the inspection department of the agency, under his wing. Mr. Roh was being sought by a prosecution team which was…

Mar 16,2003

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