중앙데일리

McDonald’s: A route to world peace?

“No two countries that have a McDonald’s have fought a war against each other since each got its McDonald’s.” That might sound like a silly joke. Even Thomas Friedman, an acclaimed columnist for the New York Times, couldn’t believe it when the idea first occurred to him. But surprisingly, the assumption appears to almost always holds true. The foreign affairs writer was a McDonald’s customer whenever he had an overseas assignment. That…

Jan 13,2004
Ethics issues solved with look in mirror

The German ambassador to England was one of the most respected diplomats of the early 20th century. The dignitary was on the fast track in his public career, headed for the foreign minister’s position, if not the chancellorship of Germany. But one day in 1906, he suddenly resigned as ambassador. At the time of his resignation, the German delegation in London was busy preparing for a banquet celebrating the fifth year of the reign of Edwa…

Jan 12,2004
Keep an eye on U.S.-China ties

China emerged as the biggest export market for Korea last year. According to an estimate based on customs clearance records, exports to China last year amounted to $35.7 billion, 18.4 percent of total exports. Exports to the United States made up 17.6 percent of the total, and exports to Japan were 8.9 percent. Even more notable is the rate of growth of exports to China. They have grown by 30 to 40 percent every year for the last coup…

Jan 12,2004
In politics, reality, ideals don’t mix

Representative Oh Se-hoon of the Grand National Party is a ballet lover. When he was practicing law before becoming a lawmaker, he once performed on stage with the Korea National Ballet Company’s production of Le Corsaire in 1994. The piece was choreographed by the classic ballet master Marius Petipa. Mr. Oh is the adviser of the ballet company’s operation. Last year, Mr. Oh provided commentary on ballet performances as a critic. A few…

Jan 09,2004
‘Smart crowd’ could easily turn into mob

As Korea leads the worldwide cultural revolution of information and communication, Koreans have invented new forms of cultural collision and experiments. The last presidential election produced the world’s first president with online support. The latest social movements and demonstrations show that the era of the “smart crowd” has begun. The conventional student and labor protests are no longer effective in Korea. In sociopsychology, …

Jan 09,2004
The industry of politics

Politics is also a kind of industry. While other industries produce goods, politics produces power. Traditional industries require capital, technology and a labor force, but the industry of politics is fueled by human nature only. Politics is an industry that generates values without capital. If the gross national product, which is calculated every year, is a measure of evaluating the sovereign competitiveness of industries, national elect…

Jan 07,2004
The shrine still grates

The meaning of yasukuni is “peaceful country,” but Japan’s Yasukuni Shrine is serving a very different purpose. The Shinto shrine in Tokyo is a symbolic battlefield of pride and friction between Korea, Japan, and China after World War II. The Japanese justify Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visits to the shrine because it is a tomb of patriots and heroes of the country. But Koreans and Chinese say that the prime minister’s visits are …

Jan 06,2004
A century of Korean baseball

A young missionary boarded a Korea-bound boat at the port of San Francisco in August 1901. Twenty-seven-year-old Philip Gillette had been a vicar of the YMCA at Yale University until he decided to leave for the East to preach the gospel. Mr. Gillette, who was a fan of baseball, had a ball and a glove in his bag. Upon arrival, Mr. Gillette adopted a Korean name, Gil Ye-tae, and tried to become friends with Koreans. One day, he spotted an…

Jan 05,2004
The writer and the world

“I shall proclaim that Dreyfus is innocent. I guarantee his innocence with my 40-year literary career and everything I have earned from my life... My fiery protest is simply the cry of my very soul.” The French newspaper L’Aurore published an open letter to the French president written by Emile Zola on Jan. 13, 1898, entitled “J’Accuse...!” or “I Accuse.” In works such as “L’Assommoir: The Dram Shop,” Mr. Zola, a journalist-turned-novel…

Jan 04,2004
The absolute power of debt

Forty-something businessman Mr. Debt is not happy to start a new day. With over 100 million won on his credit card balance, he has spent the past year alternately feeling afraid and powerless. He paid off the debt on one credit card with a cash advance from another, and recently received an overdue notice from the card companies. Finally he began receiving calls from collection specialists for the credit card companies, pressing him for …

Jan 02,2004

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