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Tue, July 17, 2018 | 11:14

Opinion > Columnists > John Burton >

Korea's emerging fault lines

On May Day, I was quietly munching my Big Mac at a McDonald’s on the edge of Insa-dong when a group of about 50 shouting young protesters burst into the restaurant to demand higher wages and better working conditions for part-time workers. At least three busloads of police soon followed and stand-off developed before the protesters dispersed.

John Burton | 2015-05-06 16:39

A gloomy economic outlook

On the face of it, the Korean economy is not performing too badly against its advanced industrial peers. Its gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 2.7 percent for the fourth quarter of 2014 was slightly better than the U.S. (2.4 percent) and Canada (2.6 percent) and much better than Japan, Germany, France or Italy. Korea compared well even with the British economy, which at 3 percent was the best-performing among the major European countries.

John Burton | 2015-04-22 16:50

Do lead, Madam Park!

This week was already expected to be an emotional one as the nation marks the first anniversary of the Sewol tragedy, which uncovered a nexus of corruption between government and industry in the maritime sector.

John Burton | 2015-04-15 18:09

Jindo wants to put Sewol tragedy behind

Lee Kuan Yew's dangerous legacy

Lee Kuan Yew was the Dorian Grey of the global elite. He represented the secret wish fulfillment of many leaders - East and West - who paid him profuse eulogies after the former Singapore prime minister died last month at 91.

John Burton | 2015-04-08 16:03

The perils of cheap labor

One of the bright spots in the beleaguered administration of Park Geun-hye has been the appointment last summer of Choi Kyung-hwan as finance minister. Choi has generally won plaudits from local and international investors for his pragmatic policy in reviving economic growth.

John Burton | 2015-03-25 17:09

The Confucian Cowboy

I find the rivalry between Samsung Electronics and Apple fascinating because of their contrasting management styles as they compete to see who will come out on top. It is tempting to say that Samsung's consensus-driven management is Confucian, while the entrepreneurial Apple model represents the cowboy ways of America.

John Burton | 2015-02-25 16:43

What's best about Korea?

Having lived in Seoul on and off for 15 years, sometimes it’s nice to be reminded of the good things about Korea that one takes for granted after being here for awhile. I was reminded of that when I was recently reading the postings on Quora, a U.S. question-and-answer website, in response to the question: "What does South Korea do right?"

John Burton | 2015-02-11 17:01

Korea's Cuba solution

"In Cuba, we are ending a policy that was long past its expiration date. When what you're doing doesn't work for 50 years, it's time to try something new," said President Obama last week in his State of the Union address to defend his decision to normalize relations with Havana and to relax the trade embargo against the communist-run island.

John Burton | 2015-01-28 16:25

Transparency counts

Park Geun-hye can be seen as a tragic figure. In the space of five years, while in her 20s, she saw first her mother being murdered in 1974 and then her father in 1979 in politically motivated crimes.

John Burton | 2014-12-17 16:56

Is the foreign media leaving Korea?

There has been a discussion recently in the Korean press about what is perceived as an exodus of foreign journalists from Korea, blamed partly on the uncommunicative nature of the Park Geun-hye administration. Worries have been expressed that this could result in a less sympathetic treatment of Korea in the international media in the future.

John Burton | 2014-12-03 16:46

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