In The News

Korea Greets New Era of Multiculturalism

Shin Hae-in August 3, 2006
In a world of quick travel and increasing flows of people in and out of countries, South Korea is reflecting on its prejudices toward foreigners and Korean children of mixed race. A nation that has endured centuries of invasions from China and Japan, South Korea has long had a national goal of maintaining a uniquely Korean bloodline. Some citizens worry that recent government revisions to...

China’s Nomads Trade Up for an Easier Ride on the Range

Jim Yardley July 31, 2006
High up in the mountains of the Qinghai Province in China, the nomads who populate the region have switched from horses to motorcycles for transportation. The shift has a practical basis, with nomads moving tents and herding yaks and sheep back and forth between winter and summer pastures. Since the late 1980s, the herders no longer had to sell their animals at set prices to the government and...

Is Globalization Succumbing to Glocalization?

July 26, 2006
When it comes to retail, globalization does not always work as planned. For example, in South Korea, shoppers disdain the American Wal-Mart, yet love E-Mart, a Korean-owned store with all the accoutrements of a sophisticated US store. “Glocalization” – the term that describes the combination of “global standards and local preferences” – is a tempting label to describe why Wal-Mart, the world’s...

Stepping Up to the UN Plate

Takashi Oda July 24, 2006
Some of North Korea’s missile tests in early July may have failed, but Japan recognizes that the rogue nation has reliable Rodong ballistic missiles that could enable it to wage attacks on its closest neighbors. A military confrontation solely between Japan and North Korea would probably favor the latter, so Japan relies largely on diplomatic pressure and the use of sanctions to discourage North...

Time for a New Approach to Pyongyang?

Richard Halloran July 24, 2006
Ever since North Korea’s missile launch, the world has focused on diplomacy, sanctions and even hints of military action – all deemed ineffective or impractical. The Triple-I Strategy – ignore, isolate and implode – could be a worthy replacement. Led by the US, this action entails ending all official communications with North Korea, imposing substantial economic sanctions, and imposing military...

The Village That Refused to Die

Jonathan Watts July 19, 2006
Hydro-engineers making their way to the Chezhou village in rural China didn’t expect a warm welcome, but never imagined they would be held hostage by villagers angry about the construction of a dam that will force them to abandon their homeland. The government has proposed a dam for one of China’s most ecologically diverse and beautiful areas – the Tiger Leaping Gorge. While villagers have staged...

North Korea’s Missiles Backfire

Shim Jae Hoon July 18, 2006
North Korea’s missile launches in early July, despite repeated pleas by all, enraged an international community worried about a growing threat to global security. The launches even provoked North Korea’s longtime allies, China and Russia, prompting both parties to sign on to the UN resolution calling for sanctions. South Korea, which favored negotiations and reconciliation with the North, now...