[Andrew Sheng] Three-body problem in geoeconomics

Asian economies are still anxiously assessing how to compete for trade with the United States after missing the Aug. 1 deadline for the Trump administration’s tariff negotiations. The Philippines’ tariff rate for exports to the US is reportedly down to 19 percent. However, one Filipino lawmaker says it’s 6 percent. Indonesia’s rate is down to 19 percent; Vietnam’s is down to 20 percent. Hours before the deadline, Malaysian, Thai and Cambodian leaders seemed to be on the cusp of reaching deals wi

Aug. 5, 2025

[Cory Franklin] Try to adapt to weather extremes

When it comes to reporting on the comparative health of nations, there is ample bias in the national and international press about American shortcomings. Some of it is justified -- disproportionate numbers of obesity and firearm deaths are usually cited by medical and nonmedical sources, as well as the relatively high infant mortality. But no less important are environmental deaths, specifically those related to hot and cold weather, which are rarely cited. The US figures are far more impressive

Aug. 4, 2025

[Yoo Choon-sik] What South Korea must see beyond US tariff deal

South Korea’s last-minute trade agreement with the United States — concluded just under two days before the deadline — has dominated headlines and conversations both domestically and internationally. The attention is understandable. Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term earlier this year, US tariff policy has emerged as one of the most destabilizing forces in the global economy. For South Korea — a country that relies heavily on manufacturing and exports — the stakes could

Aug. 4, 2025

[Lee Byung-jong] Boss politics in Korea and US

Despite vastly different political histories, South Korea and the United States are beginning to resemble each other in one critical respect: the rise of boss politics. This style of personality-driven leadership, defined by charismatic control over political parties and unwavering loyalty from supporters, has become increasingly evident in both countries. It marks a shift from institutional politics to one dominated by individual influence — where dissent is punished and power is concentrated a

Aug. 1, 2025

[Wang Son-taek] Subtler signals in Kim Yo-jong’s statement

On Monday and Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong, deputy director of the North Korean Workers’ Party and sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued statements filled with strong and resolute language targeting both South Korea and the United States. She declared that, regarding South Korea, “We have completely exited the era of perceiving them as compatriots,” and told the US, “Contact between North Korea and the US is only America’s wish.” At first glance, these remarks might suggest that North Korea

July 31, 2025

[Kim Seong-kon] Metamorphosis: Painful but worthwhile

Children are fascinated by the metamorphosis of an ugly caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. They are also amazed by the sight of a cute baby bird hatching from an egg. Watching these marvelous processes, children dream about their own metamorphoses that could turn them into an enchanting prince- or princess-like figure someday. The transformations that take place inside a cocoon or an eggshell occur over a prolonged waiting period. When the time comes, the gorgeous butterfly or cute baby bir

July 30, 2025

[Grace Kao] Real K-pop idols cover animated ‘KPop Demon Hunters’

What does it mean when real-life K-pop idols cover songs from an animated film about K-pop demon hunters inspired by K-pop? A lot, actually. The Netflix film “KPop Demon Hunters” has just reached a new milestone. It is the first Netflix film to hit a new weekly viewing high more than a month after its initial release. In week 5, it garnered 25.8 million views, its biggest week ever. It’s No. 1 among Netflix films in the US as I write. It is on its way to being one of the top 10 most-watched Netf

July 29, 2025

[Paul Joseph Junhwan Kang] K-dash leads Korea’s cultural future

Korea stands at a crossroads. Twenty years ago, few could have predicted that a small peninsula would become the epicenter of global cultural fascination. Today, the "K" prefix has become synonymous with excellence across industries — from entertainment to beauty, from technology to cuisine. But success breeds vulnerability, and Korea's cultural dominance now faces its greatest test: how to evolve before others replicate what made it special. The answer lies not in protecting the K-brand, but in

July 29, 2025

[Lee Kyong-hee] Fake news, false reports, conspiracy theories

Within hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Dec. 3, a rabid right-wing YouTuber contended that 99 Chinese spies were apprehended at an election management facility and transported to a US military base in Okinawa, Japan. Thereafter, social networks were rife with rumors that the Chinese accounted for 30 percent of anti-Yoon protesters demanding his impeachment. Nonsensical online demagoguery? Of course. But to many supporters of the disgraced YouTube-addicted former presid

July 28, 2025

[Gautam Mukunda] Beware, AI is ultimate yes-man

I grew up watching the tennis greats of yesteryear with my dad, but have only returned to the sport recently thanks to another family superfan, my wife. So perhaps it’s understandable that to my adult eyes, it seemed like the current crop of stars, as awe-inspiring as they are, don’t serve quite as hard as Pete Sampras or Goran Ivanisevic. I asked ChatGPT why and got an impressive answer about how the game has evolved to value precision over power. Puzzle solved! There’s just one problem: Today’

July 28, 2025

[Robert J. Fouser] Japan lurches right

To date, an election for the House of Councilors, the upper house of the Japanese Diet, would not have been big news, but results from the recent election on July 20 changed that. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Komeito party, lost their majority while recently formed populist far-right parties performed surprisingly well. In particular, the Sanseito party led by right-wing provocateur Sohei Kamiya won 14 seats, pushing up its total in the chamber from one seat

July 25, 2025

[Wang Son-taek] As NATO falters, the SCO advances

When the Cold War ended in 1991, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization inevitably faced serious concerns over its continued existence. NATO had been a multilateral alliance ensuring peace and stability against potential invasion by the Soviet-led socialist bloc. But with the collapse of the Soviet Union and other socialist forces, the justification for NATO’s existence disappeared. After much deliberation and debate, NATO has sought to redefine its role by emphasizing its function as a supporte

July 24, 2025

[Lee Jae-min] Calm thinking on quiet quitting

Korea still works hard. The country is known for its long working hours. A recent OECD survey in April 2025 puts Korea at No. 5 out of 38 countries surveyed with 1,900 hours per year per person. On top of that, Korea has long championed a strong work ethic with which people are educated and told to "do their best" on the job. The "do-your-best" mentality arguably underpins the economic success story of the resource-scarce country. Korean workplaces are now seeing seismic changes in this "hard wo

July 24, 2025

[Kim Seong-kon] South Korea: 'Humpty Dumpty' sitting on a wall

The famous English nursery rhyme “Humpty Dumpty” is about an egg sitting on a wall that falls to the ground and is broken irreparably. There are a variety of Humpty Dumpty animation videos on YouTube for children to watch. The main lyrics go like this: “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again.” An egg is protected by an eggshell, and yet it is fragile. It is unstable even on a flat surface and th

July 23, 2025

[Lim Woong] A reform idea for math education

In the age of artificial intelligence, reforming math education in Korea isn’t just a good idea — it’s long overdue. AI runs on mathematics. Not just any math, but the kind that quietly powers how machines “think,” recognize patterns, and make decisions. One of AI’s core ideas is similarity — figuring out how close or far apart things are. To quantify this, early machine learning models leaned on fundamental mathematical concepts: spatial relationships, distances, and proximity. Optimization lie

July 22, 2025