[Jeffrey Frankel] Make America sick again

US President William McKinley died in 1901 from gunshot wounds that modern medicine could easily have treated. Though X-rays had been invented, they were not yet widely available, so McKinley’s medical team was unable to find one of the assassin’s bullets. And the antibiotics that could have prevented the onset of sepsis — McKinley’s ultimate cause of death — would not be discovered for another few decades. When US President Donald Trump talks about making America great again, this is the period

Sept. 1, 2025

[Lee Byung-jong] Korea’s role in global governance

At a time when the basic framework of world multilateralism seems to be decaying under the weight of rising nationalism in many parts of the globe, it may sound odd to call for South Korea to play a greater role in global governance. The two summit meetings President Lee Jae Myung just concluded in Japan and the United States attest to the necessity of Korea’s bilateral diplomacy rather than multilateralism. Yet, as a country that has benefited enormously from multilateral institutions over the

Aug. 29, 2025

[Wang Son-taek] The golden age of the Korea-US alliance

The Korea-US summit held in Washington on Monday began under tension, with the possibility of failure — or even fiasco — hanging over it. However, the summit ended in great success, as the two presidents, both inaugurated earlier this year, repeatedly staged scenes of broad smiles and praised each other as great leaders. Since the future of the Korea-US alliance was at stake in this summit, the majority of citizens in both countries are breathing a sigh of relief. They are now dreaming of a gold

Aug. 28, 2025

[Seo Ji-eun] Beyond fandom: BTS as Korea’s cultural mirror

I walked into a sea of purple, and the world shifted beneath my feet. Purple nails, purple hair, purple clothes — even purple hijabs — all moving in unison with an energy that was at once electric and strangely intimate. Hours before the concert began, the crowd had already transformed an ordinary suburb of Seoul into a festival of devotion, a global gathering that defied borders, languages and expectations. On June 13, the first day of the two-day finale of J-Hope’s world tour at Goyang Sports

Aug. 28, 2025

[Sheldon H. Jacobson] 'Smart' tech does not necessarily make aviation safer

Air travel is remarkably safe, based on several years of performance data. Yet near-misses, including the recent close call between a Delta airplane and an Aeromexico regional jet in Mexico City, give people pause to question whether current air travel risks are higher than historical trends suggest. In light of such concerns, and given the growth of “smart” technologies, it should be no surprise that such technologies have entered the world of air travel. Smart Landing and Smart Runway technolo

Aug. 27, 2025

[Kim Seong-kon] Looking forward to Korea’s multicultural future

Traditionally, Koreans have thought of themselves as homogeneous people, despite the absence of solid evidence for this view. Unfortunately, this preconception has often led to many foreigners finding it difficult to integrate into Korean society. However, these days things appear to be changing. Due to the significant influx of international students, immigrants and migratory workers, Koreans are now witnessing that their country is rapidly turning into a multicultural society. Accordingly, the

Aug. 27, 2025

[Lee Jae-min] Search for a new trade order beyond WTO, FTAs

Jamieson Greer’s declaration (New York Times op-ed on Aug. 7, 2025) that the World Trade Organization system has now run its course, and a new “Turnberry system” should take over, is sparking repercussions in the global community. After years of innuendos and insinuations, he finally points out the elephant in the room. As far as I can remember, this is the first time that a high-ranking official of the United States has officially mentioned a new "system" to replace the WTO instead of improving

Aug. 26, 2025

[Grace Kao] Rookies steal KCON spotlight

KCON LA 2025 was full of established artists such as NCT 127, aespa, Nmixx, Monsta X, i-dle, Jackson Wang, Key of SHINee, Zerobaseone, Ive and others. However, for some of the 37 acts that appeared at KCON, it was their very first KCON. I can attest that these rookie groups worked extremely hard and in some cases, performed more than some senior artists. They did so enthusiastically. 82Major is a six-member boy group who debuted in October 2023, with members Seongil, Yechan, Seongmo, Seongbin, S

Aug. 26, 2025

[Kim Hyung-ryong] Gates' visit inspires Korea's organoid research leadership

Last week, South Korea welcomed Bill Gates, whose special contribution to Korean press reminded us of our nation’s profound responsibility and opportunity to advance global health. In his article, Gates urged Korea to do three things: to invest in proven multilateral health programs, to apply our innovation capacity to global challenges, and to remind the world of the transformative power of health and development investments. There is one initiative that captures all three of these aspirations:

Aug. 25, 2025

[Lee Kyong-hee] ‘Mr. Tiger’ to Derpy, across a half century

As Netflix's “KPop Demon Hunters” captivates viewers worldwide (me included — repeatedly) to remain a global hit, I recall Zo Za-yong, a pioneer of Korea’s 20th-century folk art movement. Decades before today’s fascination with Derpy, a mysterious tiger messenger in the musical animation, Zo tirelessly collected, preserved and exhibited humorous tiger-and-magpie paintings and other folk works of art that came close to being destroyed and forgotten. In the 1960s and 1970s, when putting three meal

Aug. 25, 2025

[Robert J. Fouser] South Korea’s public libraries turn cool

On a hot mid-August day, I stopped at my local public library and noticed a sign at the entrance offering free bottles of cold water. It stated that the program was run through a collaboration between the Rhode Island state government, public libraries and local businesses. On the way out, I thought about public libraries in South Korea because I had given a lecture in late May at the recently remodeled Jjokgureum Public Library in suburban Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. Like my neighborhood lib

Aug. 22, 2025

Life well lived

It is only in their passing that some people’s lives come to light — especially the lives of those who lived in service of others. So it is with the late Bishop Timothy Yu Gyoung-chon, who passed away Aug. 15, just a month shy of his 63rd birthday, after battling cancer. Yu was ordained a priest in 1992. In December 2013, he was appointed bishop by Pope Francis, who had been elected pope in March that year. Yu took as his pastoral motto "you ought to wash one another's feet." The phrase from Joh

Aug. 21, 2025

[Wang Son-taek] Lessons from Kim Dae-jung’s diplomacy

This week marks the 16th anniversary of the passing of Kim Dae-jung, former president of the Republic of Korea. Few leaders in modern Korean history left as deep and lasting an imprint on the nation’s development as he did. Kim was a champion of democracy, a reformer who guided Korea through economic peril, and a statesman who dared to extend a hand of peace to the North. His life was one of survival and resilience — he overcame five near-death experiences — and those experiences shaped the phil

Aug. 21, 2025

[Vitit Muntarbhorn] Health care in a precarious world

Health care is pivotal for human well-being. Yet, in today’s precarious world, it is pressured by diminishing resources, demographic variables, warfare and violence, and environmental degradation. Sustaining health care thus requires insightful planning and implementation, no less for Thailand and the ASEAN region. The motivating factor is the global recognition that every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, with the state under an obligation to respect, protect an

Aug. 21, 2025

[Contribution] Securing cyberspace through global cooperation, innovation

By Park Sung-ju Vice Commissioner for Investigation at the Korean National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation The 21st century’s digital civilization has brought humanity remarkable advances in technology, transforming the way we structure our societies and lead our daily lives. However, technological advances do not always yield positive results. They often come with significant challenges and risks. Today, trust in cyberspace is under greater threat than ever, making it increasin

Aug. 20, 2025