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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS