중앙데일리

Stockholm syndrome taken too far?

On the morning of Oct. 16, 1988, hostage takers confronted the police in a quiet residential neighborhood in Bukgajwa-dong, Seoul. Ji Gang-heon, a convicted robber, had escaped with other inmates nine days earlier, and after a chase that continued all over the capital, the runaways broke into a house, took the family hostage and held out against the police. They asked the police to play “Holiday” by the Bee Gees, and cried, “Money can buy…

Jan 28,2004
A wary view of China’s economic data

Statistics are a matter of choice. Which statistics you choose and how you interpret them is more important than the sheer numbers. Sometimes you can derive completely different conclusions from the very same statistics. Data on the Chinese economy have recently produced numerous interpretations. What the statistics really mean is an issue of international debate. The confusion began with the trend in foreign direct investment, the so-…

Jan 27,2004
Roh needs to watch his friends

There are over 20 books published on President Roh Moo-hyun. Most of these books came out during the presidential election. However, there was one book that was published some six months after the election, titled “The Rebellion of the Roh Moo-hyun Code” and written by Kim Heon-sik. To quote a few lines: “Roh Moo-hyun, who had to seek popularity, must now draw in his image based on popular culture. He must now seek realistic methods th…

Jan 26,2004
Nature’s way of silencing society’s noise

What makes it snow? The first person to solve nature’s puzzle was Ukichiro Nakatani, an internationally famous Japanese scientist. He hung a strand of rabbit’s fur in a temperature-controlled laboratory that could be cooled to minus 30 degrees centigrade. Under the fur, he placed a water jar and applied heat to produce steam. The vapor froze on the fur and formed different types of ice crystals. Mr. Nakatani successfully completed th…

Jan 25,2004
Eliminating ‘armchair’ bureaucracy

“Armchair bureaucrats” refers to civil servants who ignore the realistic aspects and make policy decisions based only on documents. Why wouldn’t bureaucrats want to leave their armchairs? Political science scholars Larry M. Lane and James F. Wolf explain this from the point of view of office culture. If government agencies put too much emphasis on achievement and results, federal workers are more likely to come up with armchair bureaucrat…

Jan 20,2004
Say nothing, do nothing is way to success

Duke Wen of Jin, one of the “five losers of the Spring and Autumn period” in ancient China, spent 19 years as a wanderer. When he was driven from the throne and defected to the kingdom of Qi, he married Lady Kang. The couple led a comfortable life in exile. But his wife nagged him about when he would conquer the world. Duke Wen responded that he would like to spend his remaining life in peace. Lady Kang reminded him of his vision of worl…

Jan 19,2004
A ‘new vision’ of exploring outer space

German scientist Wernher von Braun became interested in rockets after he read a science fiction book, “A Trip to the Moon,” when he was 12. It was the Nazi government under Adolf Hitler that helped him pursue his dream. Walter Dornberger, an officer in an artillery regiment, picked Mr. von Braun to develop a long-range missile with liquid fuel. The scientist worked on the missile, the V-2, during World War II, and in the last days of the w…

Jan 18,2004
Kang Sam-jae is on the horns of a dilemma

Kang Sam-jae used to call former President Kim Young-sam “father.” Mr. Kim called Mr. Kang by his first name. Both politicians are known for their short tempers and straight talk. Both have the experience of putting everything at risk at a crucial moment. The two men met in 1985. At age 33, Mr. Kang was elected to the National Assembly for his first term. He had been a follower of Kim Dae-jung, but when he began to support Kim Young-s…

Jan 17,2004
Use the term ‘Taliban’ very carefully

“Taliban” means “students” or “seekers” in the Urdu language. Here, “student” refers to those who learn the precepts of Islamic fundamentalism at religious boarding schools. The schools’ graduates share a strong sense of ideology, organization and solidarity. They boast a solid network, capable of mobilizing a large group quickly. These “students” began to acquire political and military significance when Mohammed Omar formed an anti-Sovi…

Jan 15,2004
What exactly constitutes a bribe?

One of the most dramatic “bribes” in history involved Xi Shi, a famous beauty who was sent by King Gou Jian of Yue to Fu Zha, the king of Wu, during the Spring and Autumn period in ancient China. Defeated by the Wu kingdom, Gou Jian sent Xi Shi to distract Fu Zha and finally take over Wu. While such a bribe would be a criminal offense under modern law, there was no law to punish such a transaction in ancient China. Bribery is a product o…

Jan 14,2004

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