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.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
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