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The Korea Times

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19. Steven L. Shields

Just a few days ago, something unusual happened in the U.S. state of Michigan. Seeking to bring a close to the weeks-long strike against the automakers, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain invoked the teachings of Jesus as relevant to the striking workers in what many observers see as a resurgence of the 'social gospel.' Fain argued the righteousness of the labor union in helping address the social problem of fair wages, among other issues. He demonstrated that not only does religion belong in politics and economics, but Jesus’s teachings also have much to tell Christians about their tr...

2023-11-21 16:35

The world’s best alphabet

I began learning the Korean language almost 50 years ago. Perhaps the most basic error I made, and the error of my language teacher, was to spell out Korean words in the familiar alphabet of many European languages: Latin or Roman. Only later did I begin to understand the simple beauty of Hangeul and its straightforward representation of Korean language phonetics. Most people can learn to read Hangeul with only a few hours of work. Writing takes a bit more practice, and although I have been reading and writing Hangeul for most of my life, my handwriting is poor (but then, my English handwrit...

2023-10-22 16:35

What it means to love

Except for the heat wave, this summer was like any other. Groups of people fanned out over the city with placards denouncing the LGBTQIA+ community. They even coerced the Seoul Metropolitan Government to cancel a permit for the annual Pride event at City Hall Plaza. These people were mostly concerned with what their placards called “homosex.” I suppose we can imagine what they mean. They went so far as to position themselves outside the World Cup Stadium during the closing ceremony of the recent World Scout Jamboree. Scouts who saw the campaigners told them to “f-off” and included the well-k...

2023-09-25 16:35

“Jamboree” is the quintessential Scouting camp experience. Scouts, of course, do a lot of camping, hiking, and other skill-set learning. Every few years, though, thousands of Scouts gather from around a region or country, or in the case of the 2023 World Scout Jamboree held in Korea this month, from more than 150 countries. Scouts can be assured of some things regardless of the venue and the attendees. First, an exciting camp experience where they can compete and share skills and knowledge with thousands of other Scouts. Second, new friends from faraway places are sure to be made. Some of th...

2023-08-22 16:35

AI, big data, and the end of humanity

It happened again this morning. I pressed my bank's smartphone app, and a warning message popped up. “Keep your data safe by updating to the newest app.” Bug fixes, hackers smarter than the programmers, and data breaches are reported all the time. I get similar messages when I go to my bank's website. I access the website a couple of times a month. Each time I log in, I get sent to the security page and am asked to download several “safety” measures. The programs I downloaded last time are no longer good enough for some reason.

2023-07-30 16:35

Sanctuary for saints or hospital for sinners

Pharisees abound. As I do my daily business in the city, I often run into Pharisees, especially in places with high pedestrian traffic.

2023-07-06 17:38

Peace: Bad for business

I grew up during the Vietnam War. I was safely tucked away in the mountains of the western United States, but the specter of war was ever-present. Neighbors and friends were being drafted to go to that faraway place to fight a war that few people supported. Family members in the U.S. military were deployed to the war.

2023-06-01 16:48

Outpost of grace

If there is one thing that Korea has an overabundance of, it is churches. An old tourist joke used to be that flying over the city (when Gimpo was the main airport), one imagined it was a cemetery because there were so many red-lighted crosses. Since the new airport opened more than 20 years ago, many travelers have never seen the blanket of crosses that covers the city.

2023-05-15 17:00

SOS: save our subway

The International Radio Telegraphic Convention in 1906 adopted the Morse code equivalent of the letters S, O and S as an international maritime distress call. The sequence was chosen because it was distinctive. The letters did not represent any words. Years later, in popular usage, mnemonic phrases were (and still are) often used, such as “Save Our Ship” or “Save Our Souls.” Today, the letters SOS are used widely as a sign for emergency services. Such labels are on emergency telephones or call boxes throughout cities in many countries.

2023-04-18 16:45

Can we learn from Gwangju?

I've learned a few things about Gwangju over the past several years. First, the events in Gwangju in 1980 were horrifying. Second, many unanswered questions surround the tragic days and their aftermath. Lots of blame going in several directions. Lots of denials and counter-denials from many quarters. Finally, there are so many opinions and claims of evidence that not only are solid facts elusive, but the truth is even more elusive than that. Could it be there are more critical lessons still to be learned?

2023-03-26 16:50

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