Crisis of Confidence

The hottest product on South Korea's biggest TV shopping channel is not the latest kimchi fridge or camera phone. It's a do-it-yourself kit for Koreans wanting to emigrate to Canada. More than half of Koreans in their 20s and a third of thirtysomethings say they want out, according to a recent Gallup poll. That might sound strange for a country whose rapid economic development has made it a model for other Asian nations. But it says a lot about the despair of Koreans, who face a sagging economy, a seething nuclear crisis across the border, rancorous local politicsand an embattled leader...