An iconic figure when it comes to golf in Korea, Pak Se-ri left behind a 18-year career at the LPGA after the U.S Women’s Open this past weekend. Pak, who earned her stardom at the U.S. Women’s Open in 1998, bid farewell to her pro career 18 years later at the same event, when she failed to make the cut after the second round on Saturday. 

Pak was in the limelight two decades ago when she inspired Korea, which was undergoing economic turmoil from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, with her performance in the U.S. Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wisconsin. Then-rookie Pak took off her shoes and socks to hit a ball on the edge of a water hazard and went on to achieve what was considered impossible - a Korean golfer winning a major U.S. event. The entire nation was touched by her boldness and some say it motivated Korea to push forward to end the economic crisis earlier than expected. The end to her career was as emotional as the start. After Saturday’s round, Pak was unable to control her emotions and sobbed until compatriots Choi Na-yeon and Ryu So-yeon came to console her. “I am overcome with emotion right now,” said Pak after the day, unable to speak clearly. “I thought I was going to be OK but I was wrong.” 

After submitting her scorecard, she was greeted by Karrie Webb, a hall of famer from Australia who Pak spent many years playing alongside. “Webb has been my idol and a good friend,” Pak said. “It is very meaningful that I am being sent off from the LPGA by Webb.” Pak may show up for the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship, set for Korea this October. However, before the U.S. Women’s Open, Pak announced that this was going to be her last LPGA event in the United States. Pak took part in the U.S. Women’s Open this year through an invitation by the United States Golf Association (USGA), the host of the event. After battling a shoulder injury last season, she had no notable records to speak of, which meant she could not qualify for the major event on her own. Well aware of the situation, the USGA decided invite her. “The U.S. Women’s Open is where my life as a pro golfer really took off so I consider the event more special than any others,” according to Pak. “It means a lot to me that I was able to play my final match in such an event.” 

Pak, who was inducted to the LPGA Hall of Fame in 2007 to become the first Korean to achieve the feat, still holds Korean records in number of LPGA wins with 25, including five major championship victories. Although her career as a player is ending, she will begin the new chapter of her life as a golfer as the head coach of the Korean female golf team in August during the Olympics.

There has been much debate surrounding the death penalty and life sentence. The debate is usually about human rights and money.

Nowadays, another issue is on the rise - denying life-extending medical procedures to the terminally ill. The difference is that these people are not criminals and have not long time to live.

Current advanced medical equipment and technology can keep a person alive for so long that they live longer than expected. Even those who did not have long to live are now living a lot more than the time of death had been set for them.

The terminally ill must live under conditions of heavy and extensive treatments in hospitals to stay alive. Many patients do not prefer the excessive treatments but rather choose less aggressive care methods. Also, they don’t like being locked up in hospitals but rather go to hospice. They’d prefer a more free life than onehooked up to machines.

However, some patients prefer longer lives instead of more freedom. Their families also want to keep them alive longer, though it be under machinery.

Of course, there is the matter of humanity. Many think it wrong to let someone die if there is a way to keep them alive. If there is the chance, then they should have that chance. Opponents of life-extending medical procedures argue that, even though they can live longer, it would be under very bad conditions. Living under those circumstances are not humane either.

The problem concerning money is also significant. The cost of keeping one alive is not cheap. Families pay the expenses for doctors, medicine and other various treatments. Around $55 billion was the average used by Medicare to keep patients alive for two additional months. This is not an ignorable amount. Not only the family, but also insurance companies are burdened.

However, others state monetary value cannot be applied to a life, and that human lives are invaluable. They say it is right to keep them alive at any costs.

The government announced Monday that it plans to build high-speed rail lines in a 2.06 trillion won ($1.8 billion) project to connect Chuncheon to Sokcho, two big cities in Gangwon. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and Korea Development Institute (KDI), a state-run think tank, finished the preliminary evaluation for the project and approved the plan on Friday. It took more than two years to approve the project. “We will try to push forward to start the construction as early as the second half of next year as the project is finally approved,” Ko Yong-seok, a director at the Transport Ministry said. The construction will take about eight years. 

When this construction is complete, travel time from Yongsan Station in Seoul to Sokcho will be 1 hour and 15 minutes. The new rail lines will be 93.9 kilometers (58.3 miles) long connecting Chuncheon to Sokcho and will allow trains to travel up to 250 kilometers (155 miles) per hour. The train will stop in three stations between the Chuncheon to Sokcho route at Hwacheon, Yanggu and Inje and is expected to run 36 times a day. The bus, which currently is the only transportation option available for the routes, takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes. In fact, Gangwon residents longed for the project for some 30 years, or since 1987 when former President Roh Tae-woo announced the project as one of his campaign promises. This was the fourth time the project was evaluated as others were found not as cost-effective. The government found the cost was bigger than its foreseen benefits in 2001, 2010 and 2012. “The current administration has revised some of the projects that would have direct impacts on the local economy to have them get approved such as this railway project since 2013,” said Ko at the Transport Ministry. 

According to the ministry, they have reduced the total amount of the railway project by 64 billion won to get it approved. President Park Geun-hye also emphasized the importance of the project recently. “There are a number of projects such as Chuncheon-Sokcho railway that local people have longed for a long period of time,” said Park at a meeting to discuss trade and investment last week. “These projects can become new growth engines for the local economy when one can find ways to collaborate them with other industries such as tourism and healthcare.” The Trade Ministry said it will help people to travel from the Seoul metropolitan area to northern Gangwon area and will help companies distributing their goods. Additionally, the Trade Ministry added that it will boost Gangwon’s local economy significantly by attracting more tourists. 

The Finance Ministry also approved two other railway projects in the Seoul metropolitan region. One will be 3.5 kilometers long, connecting Ochon Station in Hwaseong, in Gyeonggi, to the major high-speed railway for Seoul to Busan. The travel time from Incheon to Busan will be reduced from 3 hours and 28 minutes to 2 hours and 40 minutes. Another rail line, of 4.7 kilometers, will be built to allow the KTX train to stop at Suwon Station in Gyeonggi. These two projects will cost another 638.7 billion won.

As human beings, we all have “rights.” Some are obvious, some not so. There are newly recognized rights that we have fought to get. One of those that are now being debated is the right to be forgotten. The right to be forgotten ensures individuals the right to request their information to be either deleted from the web database or become unsearchable.

As the name itself suggests, the right to be forgotten is a “right” to be protected. It is distinct from privacy rights. Privacy rights deal with information that is not publicly known, whereas the right to be forgotten involves publicly known information as well. It includes photos and videos of oneself once publicly known. If there is information containing data about him/her that the individual wishes to be removed, then it should be granted based on this right.

There is criticism against the right to be forgotten. If this right is recognized, it may violate one of the most important human rights ― freedom of speech. It could also constitute censorship and a reduction in the freedom of expression.

This right would also make the search results biased, which hurts the neutrality of the Internet. Information shown on search engines would only show the information people want to see, not theunbiased truth.

Also, big data companies would have to go through great lengths to identify third parties with other people’s information to remove it. It would also mean that these ‘big’ data companies many not be as big as they were, with a vast number of information people would request to be eliminated.

On the other hand, people argue with these criticisms saying that the web was not so unbiased before. They claim the net is a big fused storage containing numerous information written by billions of people, so it cannot be neutral. The right would not change the neutrality of the web.

Moreover, as stated before, it is a “right” and it needs to be kept. The information that a person can erase can only be about him/herself and not somebody else’s, so why oppose the right to be forgotten? Everyone has a past that they want people to not see, and this right enables them to make a fresh, clean start.

There is much debate about the right, whether it should be kept or not and to what extent should we allow the obliteration of our past? Still, the question remains: how far do we go to protect the right to be forgotten?

The number of single households in Korea topped the five million level for the first time last year, and some 60 percent of those people were married at least once. According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the number of single households hit 5.11 million in October 2015, up 171,000, or 1.3 percent, compared to the previous year. Among the total, 59.2 percent were or are married but are living alone, up 3.5 percent from a year ago. “Many of them said they are living alone because their spouses have passed away or they have divorced,” a Statistics Korea official said. “And the rest said they have spouses that don’t live with them for various reasons such as jobs or education.” 

South Gyeongsang recorded the largest ratio of single households, 33 percent of total households. It was followed by South Jeolla (32.8 percent) and Gangwon (32.1 percent). The ratio was the lowest in Incheon at 24 percent. “Rural areas tend to have more single households since the population in general is aging out there compared to big cities in the nation,” said Shim Won-bo, a director at Statistics Korea. Meanwhile, there were a total of 11.86 million married households as of last October, and in 43.9 percent of them, or 5.21 million households, both spouses work. The ratio of dual-income households was the highest on Jeju Island at 61.4 percent, while it was the lowest in Busan at 37.6 percent. “The figure was high in regions where there are many jobs related to agriculture, fisheries and restaurants,” Shim said. 

According to Statistics Korea, more than 50 percent of Koreans in their 40s and 50s belong to dual-income families, and the ratio of dual-income households rose in all age groups except for people in their 40s. The stats also showed a rise in couples who live apart because of work. There are some 543,000 households where spouses are living in different locations due to their jobs, up 3.7 percent from the previous year. “We didn’t ask specific reasons why they are living separately, but we believe the location of workplaces plays a big part,” Shim said. “Additionally, we think that Sejong City, where thousands of civil servants are being transferred, might have had a slight impact on this figure.” Average working hours per week for men in dual-income households recorded 46.7 hours, 5.8 hours more than the 40.9 hours of women. Working hours for men and women dropped 0.1 hours and 0.5 hours each compared to the previous year. 

Why do nations form alliances? According to realists, nation states are the key actors and the survival under anarchic system with no global government is a major concern. 

Different sectors of the society are looking into the use of artificial intelligence as a key component for improvement and positive change. Good examples are oil and gas companies turning to artificial intelligence to cut costs and increase productivity and telecommunications companies incorporating artificial intelligence to make systems automated and standardized. Artificial intelligence is seen as a game changer and an indispensable feature of the future. However, there are also concerns regarding the threats that it poses to earth and its people.

At the U.N. Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) held in Geneva on April 11 to 15, 2016, different state parties and representatives of the Human Rights Watch, a non-profitinternational organization that is known to perform studies germaneto the development of the society and a human rights group that supports different advocacies, brought up the issue concerning the development of “killer robots.” 

Officially called “lethal autonomous weapons systems,” these “killer robots” are weapons equipped with a different level of artificial intelligence as they are able to engage targets and make life-and-death determinations without meaningful human control. Artificial intelligence experts predict that the creation of such robots capable of surpassing the abilities of humans may come soon. The famous AlphaGo already exists, and robots that have deep learning abilities are being developed in countries with high-tech militaries.

During the said convention, experts and human rights advocates highlighted the importance of maintaining meaningful human control over critical functions of weapons with artificial intelligence. They emphasized that human control should not only be over the overall outcomes of operations but over every individual attack made by any machine.

As a way to maintain meaningful human control over lethal weapons with artificial intelligence, the creation of an international law that will mandate human control over the new class of weapons that may be created in the future was discussed during the convention. It is proposed that the law should prohibit the use of fully autonomous weapons, and that humans should remain in control of every weapon used, regardless of it being a device with artificial intelligence or a simple lethal weapon.

This year’s convention on lethal autonomous weapon systems is the third of its kind. It was first held on May 13 to 16, 2014. The second one was held on April 13 to 15, 2015. The same agenda—the emergence of a new kind of weapon that may be a threat to the human populace, is discussed every year.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is an interim deal between Iran and the UN Security Council's permanent members (P5+1), namely China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America plus Germany, that requires Iran to lessen its uranium deposits and centrifuges. The agreement includes the assurance of lifting nuclear-related economic sanctions on Iran which will allow economic and social development in Iran and its neighboring countries. 

Prior to the agreement, Iran was isolated from international banking systems because its revenues from oil and other products were severely affected by its nuclear-related sanctions. The country’s economy was crippled by the UN Security Council sanctions as well as the economic and financial embargoes imposed on Iran's banks, insurance, investment, petrochemical, oil, gas, and automobile industries by the United States and the European Union. 

Because of these sanctions, the GDP of Iran significantly decreased which led to the increase in the prices of basic commodities and the loss of employment for many Iranians. However, through the new nuclear deal, it is predicted that Iran’s GDP may increase by up to 10 percent in the next few years which will snowball into creating better living conditions and opportunities for Iran and its citizens.

In terms of international relations, if Iran is able to live up to its end of the deal, then foreign investors may bring back their trust and confidence in the country. This would pave the way for more investments and business deals that will once again be advantageous to Iran’s economy. Also, without the sanctions, Iran will be more capable of funding its oil production. This would bring Iran back as a major player in the oil market as it is expected to produce 5 percent of the international daily output of oil.

The benefits of the JCPOA are also believed to affect other countries positively. The increased oil production of Iran will increase the supply in the market and lower retail prices for consumers. Moreover, with business flourishing in Iran, neighboring countries in the Middle East will also get international attention which may lead to a more positive international view of the Middle East as a whole.

People, especially Iranians, have high hopes for the JCPOA. Experts also think that if this deal proves to be successful in the future, it can be used as a framework for other countries that still have high nuclear deposits like North Korea.

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., more popularly known as Muhammad Ali, was one of the most iconic sports figures of his generation. The name Muhammad means “the one worthy of praise” while Ali is a name of an important figure in Shia view, a branch of Islam. People also call Muhammad Ali “the greatest,” “the people’s champion,” and “the Louisville lip.” 

He was a professional boxer whose influence extends beyond the ring. He first became interested in boxing when a police officer witnessed him get angered by a thief who was stealing his bicycle.He wanted to beat up the thief, but the police officer told him he needed to learn how to box first. 

Ali’s boxing style is characterized by his superior hand speed, excellent reflexes, jabs from unpredictable angles, strong footwork, and constant movement around the ring. As an amateur boxer, Ali’s boxing career took off in 1954. He bagged six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, and an Amateur Athletic Union national title. In 1960, he won the Light Weight gold medal in the Summer Olympics held in Rome. As a professional boxer, his career began to flourish in 1960 when he won the match against a professional boxer named Tunney Hunsaker. 

The boxing era during Ali’s time is often called the golden age of heavyweight boxing during which he defeated all top heavyweights. He was a three-time heavyweight champion. He received numerousacclamations from major sports magazines. He was also an International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee. On top of all these, a street was also named after him—the Muhammad Ali Boulevard in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Outside the ring, Ali was famous for his defiant stance against the Vietnam War. He cited that war is against the teachings of Quran. For this reason, he refused to serve in the army. His defiance to step forward during his induction into the Armed Forces in 1967 led to his arrest and his loss of his boxing license and title. Knowing what were at stake, Ali’s resistance became an inspiration to many African Americans including Martin Luther King, Jr.

On June 3, 2016, the world was saddened by the death of the great fighter Muhammad Ali. People from around the world mourned his death. American presidents, celebrities, other known American personalities, his Muslim brothers and sisters, and his fans paid their respects to the fallen American icon.

Permanent sterilization is one kind of contraception that involves surgical or other invasive procedures that would prevent individuals from having children. This procedure is available for men and women. For men, the procedure is called a vasectomy – a permanent form of contraception wherein the vas deferens aresevered or tied to prevent sperm cells from moving. For women, it is called tubal ligation – a procedure wherein the fallopian tubes are clamped, tied, or cut to prevent eggs from reaching the uterus for fertilization.

This kind of contraception is not widely accepted by society because of identified pros and cons. It is even surrounded by controversy because some people consider it immoral and unacceptable. They have identified several points that explain why they are against permanent sterilization. Some of them are as follows:

First of all, permanent sterilization completely takes away the body’s ability to reproduce. It can be irreversible, so there can be no way for people to change their minds when the procedure is done. It is such a big commitment that one should not decide to undertake in his or her lifetime.

Second, it is an invasive procedure that destroys a part of the body that is functioning properly. It is irrational and immoral to remove a perfectly functional body part just to prevent it from continuing to perform its purpose. 

Third, it affects people’s self-esteem and confidence because the procedure takes away something that physically defines masculinity and femininity. Being sterile may pose risks of depression and other undesirable psychological problems in the long run.

On the other hand, supporters of permanent sterilization rebut the statements mentioned by opponents by identifying some of its positive points and advantages. For these supporters, permanent sterilization is moral, acceptable, and even recommended.

First, choosing to undergo permanent sterilization is a decision made by an individual. It is a contraceptive method chosen from many other options, so that decision should be respected. Besides, people will always have different preferences and inclinations.

Second, permanent sterilization is a one-time procedure that requires minimal time and effort. It is a procedure that has to be done in one day, and its effectiveness is guaranteed to last a lifetime. It is a smart and practical choice to make, especially for those who are sure that they no longer want to have children.

Lastly, permanent sterilization makes people more secured and comfortable because they won’t be worried about unexpected pregnancies. Compared to other forms of contraception, permanent sterilization is the most effective one.