[Robert J. Fouser] Choosing green space over development

A Supreme Court ruling on Nov. 6 has thrust Jongmyo, the stately Confucian royal shrine in central Seoul, into the heart of a debate over heritage preservation and development. The court ruled in favor of a city ordinance to relax height restrictions near Jongmyo as part of a redevelopment plan for the area around Sewoon Sangga. The ruling prompted a strong response from the Korea Heritage Service, the central government agency in charge of heritage preservation. Jongmyo became one of the first

Nov. 14, 2025

[Shinichi Fukuda] Our hopes for the new prime minister in Japan

On Oct. 21, 2025, Sanae Takaichi became Japan's 104th prime minister and the country's first female leader. Takaichi is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, which has recently lost public support due to political funding scandals and has suffered successive historic defeats in major elections. Takaichi, who served as a close aide to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and has clearly articulated conservative policy stances, is expected to rebuild the party's waning support and political streng

Nov. 13, 2025

[Wang Son-taek] The difference between SSN and SSBN

The recent agreement between South Korea and the United States regarding the development of a nuclear-powered submarine has sparked intense debate at home and abroad. Some hail the decision as a long-awaited milestone, arguing that it strengthens South Korea’s deterrence posture against North Korea’s nuclear threat and signals that Seoul is finally acquiring the prestige of a major power. Others, however, warn that it may look like a step toward nuclear proliferation, undermining decades of Kore

Nov. 13, 2025

[Kim Seong-kon] What to learn from 'KPop Demon Hunters'

Sometimes, especially when it comes to politics, it is tempting to believe that the world is made of good and evil, and that, fundamentally, there are those who are on the side of the angels and then there are the demons. We might think that we are angels, and that others are demons who we would do well to hunt down and eliminate from society. In these moods, it seldom occurs to us that there may be bad humans and good demons — or beings who are half-human, half-demon. “KPop Demon Hunters” delve

Nov. 12, 2025

[Christophe Andre] The rise in government debt in OECD countries must be contained

Government debt has risen markedly in most OECD countries over the past decades, reaching an average of more than 110 percent of GDP in 2024, nearly 40 percentage points above its 2007 level, prior to the global financial crisis (GFC). Within the seven major OECD economies, government debt ranged from 62 percent of GDP in Germany to 222 percent of GDP in Japan. In Korea, it slightly exceeded 50 percent of GDP. All big countries continue running budget deficits, from 2 percent of GDP in Japan to

Nov. 12, 2025

[Andrew Sheng] China’s path to strong national finance

Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the Fourth Plenum in Beijing last month outlined the guidelines for the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). There was a clear determination to focus on technological self-reliance, building a “high-quality productive forces” economic model based on innovation and a strong industrial base that would be resilient against external threats and headwinds. At the Beijing Finance Street Forum at the end of October, Vice Premier He Lifeng stressed the need

Nov. 11, 2025

[Lim Woong] When a robot becomes one of us

Not long ago, I watched a humanoid robot with AI chips inside hold a short conversation onstage. It blinked, smiled faintly, and nodded in just the right rhythm as the interviewer spoke. The audience laughed — some nervously, some in awe. When the robot hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering, a strange hush swept through the room. For that tiny moment, it felt as if the machine were thinking. We weren’t simply watching an object that could move and talk; we were in the company of

Nov. 11, 2025

Accelerating development of sensor-rich AI compute for smart industry

By Lee Hee-man, AMD AECG Korea sales lead Designing and scaling industrial computers is becoming tougher as the variety and number of sensors grow to fulfill the exploding appetite for manufacturing data. Furthermore, industrial and medical systems adopting automation are increasingly infused with AI, ML, data analytics software and intelligent displays. This drives the need for greater levels of diversified compute. Adaptive compute platforms designed for sensor-rich applications can accelerate

Nov. 10, 2025

[Alix Fraser, Liana Keesing] Quickest way to democratic demise

In 2016, Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, declared an economic emergency to confront the country’s spiraling financial crisis. What was billed as a temporary measure quickly expanded — and never truly ended. The “state of emergency” was renewed repeatedly, granting the president sweeping authority to rule by decree. Venezuela’s legislature was sidelined, dissent was criminalized and democratic institutions were hollowed out under the guise of crisis management. That story may feel distant,

Nov. 10, 2025

[Yoo Choon-sik] Wings of AI ambition, shadows of dependence

South Korea stands again at an inflection point as technology, ambition and geopolitics intertwine with the dawn of the “age of physical AI,” when artificial intelligence leaps out of servers and screens into robots, vehicles and factory floors. The timing could hardly be more symbolic for a nation that, built on manufacturing prowess, now attempts to merge its industrial DNA with the algorithms shaping the 21st-century economy. The headlines, filled with meetings and handshakes between Presiden

Nov. 10, 2025

[Lee Byung-jong] APEC summit and free trade

The APEC summit held last week in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, brought South Korea several diplomatic gifts. Through his summit with US President Donald Trump, President Lee Jae-myung secured concessions regarding US tariffs and investment issues, while his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping resulted in what both sides called a “full restoration of bilateral relations.” Lee also met Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, reaffirming their commitment to maintaining friendly tie

Nov. 7, 2025

[Wang Son-taek] 5 moments in Gyeongju that may change the world

The recently concluded APEC summit in Gyeongju, Korea, offered more than a ceremonial diplomatic gathering. It delivered scenes so symbolic and revealing that they may well be remembered as inflection points when the world caught a glimpse of future directions. Among countless interactions and formal declarations, five moments stood out for their power to reframe thinking and reshape global dynamics. First, it was a tech titan who stole the show: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. In Seoul, Huang sat shou

Nov. 6, 2025

[Robin Berjon] Europe needs fewer cloud scares

We tend to take for granted the infrastructure on which our economies and societies run — until something goes wrong. Just ask residents of Spain and Portugal, who were suddenly faced with a total blackout last April, when a series of cascading voltage surges shut down their electricity grids. Both Spain and Portugal are now pursuing massive investments in strengthening their grids’ resilience. But citizens should not have to wait until after disaster strikes for their leaders to commit to inves

Nov. 6, 2025

[Kim Seong-kon] Living in a house of dynamite

APEC Korea 2025 drew to a close with a grand finale. The Korean press reported that the event turned out to be a success, especially for this country. For example, Korea and the US finally agreed on the details of their trade deal at the summit in Gyeongju. Korea also secured approval from US President Donald Trump to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. These two fruitful outcomes will undoubtedly stabilize our economy and national security, at least for now. In the long run, however, we are sti

Nov. 5, 2025

[Rummnan Chowdhury] A comparison of small and large language models.

For the past several years, artificial intelligence has been defined by its obsession with scale. The prevailing narrative has been: Bigger models, better intelligence. But the future of AI may not belong to the most massive models — it may belong to the most efficient. Small language models (SLMs) are quietly emerging as the smarter, more sustainable, and strategically superior alternative to their massive cousins, the large language models (LLMs) that currently dominate headlines and data cent

Nov. 5, 2025