Taiwan's problem lies in national identity and the lack of a sense of self-determination, South Korean philosopher Kim Young-oak said yesterday.
"Many people might feel offended when I ask, `is Taiwan a country?'" Kim said. "Taiwan's history clearly tells us one thing: Most Taiwanese people seldom think about Taiwan as an independent country. Taiwan's history is a colonial history and this colonial ideology makes its people anticipate that someone will govern them, rather than establish a country of their own."
Taiwan's political independence was important, but its cultural independence was more significant, Kim said at a book launch in Taipei. The 58-year-old is known as "The King-Maker" for campaign strategies that helped South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun get elected three years ago.
Known for his versatility in South Korea, Kim obtained master's degrees in comparative philosophy from National Taiwan University and the University of Tokyo before getting a doctorate at Harvard University. He founded the Korea Institute for Classical Studies in Seoul.
When Kim met President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in August 2003, he predicted that Chen would be re-elected in the following year's presidential election, which later proved true.
Council for Cultural Affairs Vice Chairman Wu Ching-fa (吳錦發), who spoke at the same event, likened thinkers such as Kim to "ballast" that helps give a country stability.
Wu said Taiwan and other Asian countries must make efforts to form Asian values rather than accepting US values and thinking such values were their own.
Because both Taiwan and South Korea were once ruled by the Japanese and struggled through poverty, Wu said the two countries must work together for a brighter future.
National Policy Adviser to the President Chin Heng-wei (金恆煒) held a similar view to Kim on the Constitution, saying that only rectifying the national title and writing a new constitution would help ensure Taiwan's sovereignty.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
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