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Korea Herald
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
[Kim Seong-kon] We should be free from the specters of the past
One of the problems of South Korean politicians is their pertinacious obsession with the nation's past. Instead of envisioning the future of their country, many of them are hopelessly haunted by the specters of history, never having overcome their accumulated grudges. When our left-wing politicians seized political power in 2017, they immediately implemented a committee for investigating the past and consequently disgraced and ruined so many people's lives. According to recent press reports, Democratic Party of Korea politicians are once again planning to launch an investigation committee for 'insurgency' should they win the election in June this year. We hope that our politicians will stop dragging the country into the labyrinth of bygone eras. Instead, they should try to build a bright future for us. They should learn from Peter Burke in the American crime drama series 'White Collar,' who says: 'There are things in the past that live in the past. Not my life anymore.' Some radical politicians here have the delusion that South Korea is still in a colonial situation or under a dictatorship. Because of this, they believe that the fight for liberation and democracy is still going on. Stuck in the past, they do not seem to realize that South Korea is no longer a colony, whether culturally or economically, and no longer under military rule. Our right-wing politicians, too, do not seem to be completely free from the past. Recently, some of them tried to impose martial law, a remnant of the military dictatorship. Perhaps they did not know it, but martial law may have been possible four or five decades ago but is no longer valid in this era of smartphones and social media. South Koreans who are living in an advanced country with cutting-edge technology will no longer tolerate such an outdated, tyrannical measure. In fact, many Korean people want their politicians not to retreat into the past, but to foresee the future and prepare for the worst-case scenario in looming global crises. 'The Guardian,' too, recently wrote that Korean politicians face 'a stark choice: embrace the will of the people or retreat into South Korea's dark past.' The 2019 American movie, 'Ready or Not,' illustrates what to do with the dark past. 'Ready or Not' is a story about those who die because of an obsession with the dark past. Indeed, the solemn message of the movie is 'If you cling to the past, you will never be free from the chain of the diabolic curse lurking there.' In 'Ready or Not,' Alex, the estranged son of the rich le Domas family marries Grace, who has been raised in a foster family. After the wedding ceremony, Grace is informed that Alex's ancestor made a deal with a man named le Bail to bring fortune to the le Domas family. However, there was one condition: the family of le Domas must observe a ritual ceremony for new members of the family by pulling out a game card from le Bail's puzzle box at midnight and playing accordingly. Grace draws a 'Hide and Seek' card. At first, she thinks that it is a harmless initiation ceremony to become a family member. To her surprise, however, it turns out to be a deadly hunting game. Each family member grabs ancient weapons and chases Grace to kill her before dawn. If they cannot eliminate her before dawn, all the family members will die. Grace manages to survive the nightmarish night, and the bright sun rises at last. Then, every family member of the le Domas dies by exploding. Everyone in the le Domas family is cursed with the nightmares of the past. Although sometimes they harbor doubts, the le Domases never try to escape their dark past. Instead, they keep torturing or killing a new family member and call the diabolic ritual a 'family tradition.' The fact that the le Domas family members use ancient weapons to kill Grace reminds us of our past-obsessed politicians who provoke us to fight against our past adversaries with bamboo spears in these times of drones and artificial intelligence. In that sense, 'Ready or Not,' superbly illustrates the chronic problem of ideology-oriented politicians in South Korea who are hopelessly preoccupied with unresolved grievances in the past. 'Hide and Seek' reminds us of Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Fall of the House of Usher.' In Poe's story, Roderick Usher, too, lives in the past, calling it a family tradition. Eventually, the House of Usher collapses, just as the haunted house of le Domas burns down in the end. Likewise, our country, too, will stumble if we cannot overcome the gloomy past. We urgently need a future-oriented leader who does not retreat into the past. If we are lost in the past, 'ready or not,' our past nightmares will haunt us until we perish. If we forget the past and move on to the future, we will surely have a bright future. The choice is ours.
Malaysian Reserve
20-05-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Securities Litigation Expert Dr. Jan Jindra Joins The Brattle Group as Principal
SAN FRANCISCO, May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Brattle Group has welcomed Dr. Jan Jindra to its San Francisco office as a Principal in the firm's Securities Class Actions and White Collar Investigations & Litigation practices. A former financial economist and Assistant Director at the US Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC's) Division of Economic and Risk Analysis, Dr. Jindra has 20 years of experience advising clients on complex securities litigation and regulatory investigations. Dr. Jindra's expertise spans the valuation of complex securities, insider trading, market manipulation, investment advisor fraud, disclosure violations, initial public offering (IPO) allocations, investor harm, and hedge fund performance, among other topics. He has served as a testifying expert and consultant in both civil and criminal proceedings – including in complex matters involving insider trading, disclosure violations, analysis of trading strategies, enterprise valuation, and valuation of complex securities – for the SEC, the US Department of Justice, and the Federal Trade Commission. 'With his deep industry experience and his wide-ranging securities expertise, Jan will be a tremendous asset to Brattle's clients. Likewise, his collaborative nature and emphasis on developing the next generation of experts make him a wonderful fit for our firm,' said Torben Voetmann, Brattle President & Principal. At the SEC, in addition to providing expert testimony, Dr. Jindra led teams and actively participated in witness interviews and depositions, settlement negotiations, and the preparation of expert reports. He also oversaw staff development and played a key role in mentoring the next generation of expert witnesses within the agency. 'Brattle is known for its collegial culture and its top-notch team of experts, and I am thrilled to transition back into consulting at such a reputable firm,' said Dr. Jindra. 'I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues, developing the next generation of experts, and helping clients answer complex economic, finance, and regulatory questions.' Prior to his tenure at the SEC, Dr. Jindra taught finance courses at The Ohio State University and Menlo College. He also authored numerous peer-reviewed articles in highly reputable finance academic journals. Earlier in his career, he was a Senior Manager at an international economics consultancy. To learn more about Dr. Jindra, please see his full bio at ABOUT BRATTLEThe Brattle Group answers complex economic, finance, and regulatory questions for corporations, law firms, and governments around the world. We are distinguished by the clarity of our insights and the credibility of our experts, which include leading international academics and industry specialists. Brattle has 500 talented professionals across four continents. For more information, please visit
Business Wire
01-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Barnes & Thornburg Secures Decisive Victory on Behalf of Bitcoin Exchange Operator Maximiliano Pilipis
INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A team of Barnes & Thornburg attorneys in the White Collar, Compliance and Investigations practice secured a full dismissal of all criminal and civil charges on behalf of their client Maximiliano Pilipis, an early adopter of Bitcoin and former operator of a virtual currency exchange. 'This is a monumental win for our White Collar, Compliance and Investigations practice,' said Andrew J. Detherage, Firmwide Managing Partner at Barnes & Thornburg. 'This result reflects the strength and sophistication of our team when navigating highly complex disputes.' Mr. Pilipis operated AurumXchange, a virtual currency exchange, during the cryptocurrency industry's formative years. Although the Department of Justice (DOJ) began investigating him in 2010, Mr. Pilipis was not indicted until 2024, when prosecutors seized or froze nearly all of his assets. The government alleged that Mr. Pilipis operated an unlicensed money services business from 2009 to 2013 and then laundered the proceeds beginning in 2018, years after AurumXchange closed. Barnes & Thornburg's team argued in a motion to dismiss the indictment that Mr. Pilipis's business was not subject to registration requirements under the regulations in effect at the time, and therefore, no criminal conduct occurred. Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson, a senior district judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, granted the motion to dismiss the indictment in an order issued February 13, 2025, finding that AurumXchange was not subject to registration requirements at the time it operated. After initially appealing the dismissal, the DOJ ultimately withdrew its challenge and moved to dismiss both the criminal and civil forfeiture cases in full. On April 23, 2025, Judge Magnus-Stinson granted those motions and dismissed the criminal and civil cases with prejudice. Barnes & Thornburg is currently working to secure the return of Mr. Pilipis's assets. The Barnes & Thornburg team representing Mr. Pilipis includes partners Katie Matsoukas, Josh Minkler and Aly Hughes, along with counsel Katie Mills and associate Anne Parrish. 'We're proud to clear Mr. Pilipis's name after years under a cloud of investigation and prosecution,' said Katie Matsoukas, White Collar, Compliance and Investigations Co-Chair. 'As digital currencies emerged while regulations lagged behind, early adopters who operated in good faith had to navigate evolving legal frameworks. Mr. Pilipis should never have been subject to this retroactive enforcement and unjust application of the law.' 'This victory puts an end to an incredibly difficult process which spanned many years. It is personally impactful, but it is also a meaningful moment for the Bitcoin community and for others working to innovate with integrity in emerging spaces within uncertain legal or regulatory environments,' said Pilipis. 'I'm appreciative of the Barnes & Thornburg team's tireless dedication to my defense.' The case is United States of America vs. Maximiliano Pilipis, case no. 1:24-cr-00009-JMS, argued before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division. With more than 800 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, Boston, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, South Florida, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us at
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NEWS OF THE WEEK: Matt Bomer reflects on being outed by tabloids: 'It felt kind of unfair'
During an interview for the Dinner's on Me podcast on Tuesday, the actor described how he was the subject of rumours in the media amid his rise to fame after landing the role of Neal Caffrey in the TV series White Collar back in 2009. "It was that time when folks could kind of take over your own personal narrative before you even had a chance to. I remember outlets talking about my personal life before I had ever had a chance to even do it myself. And it wasn't because I didn't want to, I didn't even have an opportunity to."
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Matt Bomer looks back on being outed by tabloids: 'It felt kind of unfair... that was stolen'
Matt Bomer feels he was the subject of "unfair" treatment by the media early in his career. On Monday's episode of the Dinner's on Me podcast with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Bomer recalled a time "when folks could kind of take over your own personal narrative before you even had a chance to." He specifically referenced "outlets like Perez Hilton," which appeared to relish in "talking about my personal life before I had ever had a chance to even do it myself. And it wasn't because I didn't want to; I didn't even have an opportunity to." Bomer publicly came out as gay during a 2012 awards speech, calling his husband, the publicist Simon Halls, and their three children "my proudest accomplishment." But by that time, the rising actor had been the subject of numerous items in celebrity news sites and gossip blogs that speculated on his sexuality. In 2024 he revealed he was told being outed this way cost him the role of Superman in a film to be directed by Brett Ratner. Though there was rampant and damaging speculation, Bomer told Ferguson that "no media outlet was ever going like, 'Hey!'" - as in, they were happy to print rumors, but not inclined to give Bomer the platform to tell his story on his own terms. "I just didn't have a career that warranted that," he explained. "And so it felt kind of unfair to me, that that was stolen by people who did have a microphone at the time." "It was a weird time," Bomer reflected, because he never hid his sexuality in public. "Even when we were walking around in the streets, you know, there'd be pictures of Simon and our kids and I," he explained. Leading up to a planned speech at the 2012 Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards in Palm Springs, Calif., Bomer began thinking that he didn't want his family "to feel like they were some kind of shameful secret or, something I was sweeping under the rug so I could have a great career."Though he lost the role of Superman in 2013's Superman: Man of Steel to Henry Cavill, Bomer's career began to flourish in the early 2010s, with a plum role in the USA Network series White Collar and a big-screen break in the form of Magic Mike. But both characters had begun to cast him in the mold of "a straight leading man." "I didn't have anything to fall back on," Bomer continued. "But what I had was a loving family. That was my safety net. And I was like, you know what? If the worst that happens is that I don't work again and I have this beautiful family who I love and who loves me, then so be it."The actor has gone on to star in series like Fellow Travelers, a historical series set in the world of politics in the 1950s, which explores the deleterious psychic effect that being forced to live in the closet can have on LGBTQ people. Speaking about his character Hawk to Entertainment Weekly in 2023, Bomer noted, "Hawk does have a public persona that he needs to survive and maneuver in the world that he's in, but underneath it all is a real 'f--- you.'" The actor called that, "So refreshing to get to play, but it was also really refreshing to see — not that every intimate gay relationship is like that, but to see an aspect of gay sex brought to life in such an authentic and unflinching way." You can listen to the rest of Bomer's interview with Ferguson on the Dinner's On Me podcast above. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
