The Korea Times

It's Trump's war, not Seoul's

South Korea faces an uncomfortable question: How much should an ally sacrifice for a war it did not choose? U.S. President Donald Trump increasingly appears to expect Seoul to answer: more. As the U.S. war with Iran enters its seventh month, Washington is pressing Seoul to contribute to efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz. Seoul has sent an inspection team to the United Arab Emirates and is considering possible contributions to maritime security, but says no decision has been made to deploy troops. Any military deployment would require parliamentary approval. South Korea has legitimate reasons to care deeply about Hormuz. The strait is critical to its energy security, and disruptions have contributed to rising oil prices. Brent crude recently climbed above $107 a barrel as fighting and attacks on regional energy infrastructure intensified. But an economic interest in keeping the waterway open is not the same as an obligation to join a U.S. war. That distinction has been blurred by Trump’s increasingly unilateral approach to alliances. The most troubling aspect of Washington’s pressu

Sep 14, 2026By Shim Jae-yun

World

Uzbekistan turns past to narrative for future

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — As the last light faded over New Tashkent on Friday, hundreds of drones rose into the sky, forming moving images for a celebration of Uzbekistan's 35th anniversary of independence. Music swept across the open-air venue. Uzbek dancers and musicians shared the stage with international stars, including British soprano Sarah Brightman, Italian tenor Alessandro Safina and Spanish tenor José Carreras. Giant 3D projections, robotics, lighting effects and an aerial display turned the evening into a carefully choreographed mixture of history, technology and spectacle. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev joined the ceremony and delivered a speech outlining an ambitious national agenda for the decade ahead. The country's official Independence Day falls on Sept. 1, but this year's principal celebrations were staged several days earlier. For nearly a week, international journalists in Uzbekistan had been observing a quiet effort to shape the country's image abroad. From Aug. 24 to 29, Tashkent and Samarkand hosted the international media forum “Islamic Civilization: A New Perspec

Sep 2, 2026By Shim Jae-yun

Uzbekistan turns past to narrative for future

Opinion

OPINION Trump's Korea gamble: Putting politics ahead of vital alliance

U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest moves on the Korean Peninsula should alarm Seoul — not because Washington is considering renewed dialogue with Pyongyang, but because the president appears increasingly willing to subordinate a longstanding alliance to short-term political calculations. On the eve of the annual South Korea-U.S. military exercise, Trump ordered the Pentagon to “substantially” scale back the drills, citing their cost and allegedly provocative nature. More revealingly, he invoked his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. He also complained that President Lee Jae Myung had declined his request for South Korean support for U.S.' military campaign against Iran. A day later, Trump said Kim had responded to his latest outreach for dialogue. The timing is difficult to dismiss as coincidence. Trump appears to be reviving the playbook of his first term: reduce military pressure on North Korea, emphasize his personal rapport with Kim and seek a dramatic leader-to-leader bargain. But the circumstances have changed profoundly. North Korea is mo

Aug 19, 2026By Shim Jae-yun

Opinion

Staunch president, docile diplomats

For decades, Korea’s foreign policy establishment has prided itself on caution, restraint and alliance management. Its diplomats often described these traits as sophisticated — the habits of a mature middle power navigating a dangerous neighborhood. Yet the recent handling of the Israeli seizure of aid vessels carrying two Korean activists exposed the dark underbelly of that carefully cultivated image: a culture of bureaucratic self-preservation that too often mistakes timidity for prudence. The situation revealed not only a disagreement over diplomatic tactics, but the widening gap between a Korean public that increasingly demands a confident, sovereign foreign policy and the entrenched elite in those circles who are conditioned to avoid discomfort at almost any cost. In particular, the episode highlighted the contrast between political pressure for transparent and assertive action and the instinctive caution of Korea’s traditional diplomatic establishment. Figures such as National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina symbolize this mindset, whi

May 26, 2026By Shim Jae-yun

Opinion

COLUMN Mr. Trump, do not shift the burden

The United States cannot expect its allies to assume the risks of a crisis it has largely shaped, nor can it redefine alliance obligations to fit the needs of a single policy moment. Yet these concerns have resurfaced in Washington’s call for military participation in securing the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with Iran. Protecting a vital global shipping route is, in principle, a shared interest. But principle alone cannot determine policy. The current situation has developed through a sequence of decisions that has narrowed diplomatic options while increasing the likelihood of confrontation. Under such conditions, calls for immediate burden-sharing appear less like a collective strategy and more like an effort to distribute the consequences of escalation. Recent international responses underscore this reality. Several European Union member states have declined to participate, citing the absence of a clear mandate and the need for de-escalation. China has maintained a cautious distance. South Korea, despite its close alliance with Washington, has likewise approached the

Mar 18, 2026By Shim Jae-yun

[COLUMN] Mr. Trump, do not shift the burden

Opinion

Humanity at precipice of the singularity

We stand today at an extraordinary point in human history. Technological progress has always seemed gradual, yet change occasionally accelerates exponentially, reaching a tipping point that transforms everything. Futurists call this moment “the singularity.” And we are now at its summit, a moment akin to a roller-coaster reaching its highest peak. The thrill and tension are palpable, but the real challenge begins as we descend. The coming years promise not incremental change but a rapid, disruptive plunge — one that will redefine work, society and even what it means to be human. The first stage of this descent is the emergence of artificial general intelligence (AGI) — machines capable of understanding, learning and applying knowledge across domains, much like a human mind. Unlike narrow AI, which excels at specific tasks such as language translation or image recognition, AGI possesses adaptability and reasoning skills across contexts. Leading tech companies and research groups suggest we are already at the threshold of this milestone. Yet AGI is only the beginning. The next st

Mar 8, 2026By Shim Jae-yun

Humanity at precipice of the singularity

Editorial

ED Proxy adviser or de facto rule-setter?

A planned seminar in Seoul by Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) has exposed an uncomfortable truth about modern capital markets: The distance between advice and authority has become dangerously thin. Although ISS portrays the event as a technical briefing on its publicly available voting policies, the setting, timing and sponsorship highlight how proxy advisers increasingly operate as de facto rule-setters, without the obligations that normally accompany such power. ISS will hold its first Korea-focused seminar on Feb. 12 at IFC Seoul, just as listed companies and investors are preparing for their annual general meetings. These meetings determine the fate of board members, executive pay packages, restructuring plans and shareholder proposals. Hosting a policy seminar at precisely this moment is not neutral in effect, regardless of intent. It places ISS at the center of decision-making during the most consequential period of the corporate calendar. The event is being organized by Bside Korea, a shareholder engagement platform that has become closely associated with Korea’s acti

Feb 8, 2026By Shim Jae-yun

[ED] Proxy adviser or de facto rule-setter?

Opinion

Why did President Lee refer to Xi's remark as 'the words of Confucius'?

When President Lee Jae Myung said that he understood Chinese President Xi Jinping’s remark about “standing on the right side of history” as “the words of Confucius,” he was making a carefully calibrated diplomatic statement rather than a philosophical observation. His comment reveals how South Korea seeks to manage sensitive relations with China without compromising its own national interests or international positioning. President Xi’s phrasing has been interpreted widely as carrying political weight. In recent years, China has used moral and historical language to frame global issues, sometimes implying that other countries should align with China’s vision of world order, particularly in contrast to U.S.-led alliances. Against this backdrop, Xi’s remark raised speculation that China was subtly urging South Korea to distance itself from U.S.-centered cooperation. Lee’s response deliberately defused that interpretation. By describing the remark as “the words of Confucius,” he reframed it as a universal moral teaching rather than a geopolitical directive. Confucius

Jan 8, 2026By Shim Jae-yun

Why did President Lee refer to Xi's remark as 'the words of Confucius'?

Opinion

Raids on clergy reveal fragility of informal diplomacy

In international relations, it is often the unexpected domestic event, not the summit meeting or the formal negotiation, that reshapes a country’s strategic environment. South Korea’s recent law enforcement raids on two high-profile Christian leaders, Reverend Billy Kim and Pastor Lee Young-hoon, are one such case. Though rooted in local legal processes, these actions carried consequences that extended well beyond national borders, stirring concern among some American political circles and prompting an unusually sharp response from U.S. President Donald Trump, who described the raids as part of a “purge” and “very vicious.” This reaction did not emerge in a vacuum. Kim and Lee are not only respected religious figures in Korea; they also possess long-standing personal relationships with influential evangelical leaders in the United States and, by various accounts, proximity to Trump-aligned networks. These connections do not make them diplomats, but they have positioned them within the informal fabric of Korea-U.S. ties that run parallel to, and sometimes soften the rigidit

Dec 3, 2025By Shim Jae-yun

Raids on clergy reveal fragility of informal diplomacy

Opinion

A short life, a long breath: Farewell to my father

My father passed away recently at the age of 86, his final breath stilled by respiratory failure complicated by pneumonia. Sitting by his bedside, I watched the slow fading of life’s most vital sign — the breath — and realized how thin the line between life and death truly is. It is, quite literally, a question of whether one can breathe or not. Though his suffering lasted only two days, his passing was peaceful, like slipping into a gentle sleep. True to his nature, he left quietly, sparing us additional pain. His final act was an echo of a lifetime marked by modesty and care. In a world where many endure prolonged suffering, I am grateful his farewell was merciful. We chose to lay him to rest in a forest burial site in the northern mountains of Gyeonggi Province. Surrounded by sunlight, gentle winds and the quiet dignity of nature, I find comfort imagining him there — finally free to breathe without struggle. My father was a man of few words, stoic and reserved. Sometimes, after a modest drink, he would share a brief, tender insight — a glimpse of a steady and deep love bene

Oct 22, 2025By Shim Jae-yun

Shim Jae-yun

Read more

It's Trump's war, not Seoul's

Uzbekistan turns past to narrative for future

OPINION Trump's Korea gamble: Putting politics ahead of vital alliance

Staunch president, docile diplomats

COLUMN Mr. Trump, do not shift the burden

Humanity at precipice of the singularity

ED Proxy adviser or de facto rule-setter?

Why did President Lee refer to Xi's remark as 'the words of Confucius'?

Raids on clergy reveal fragility of informal diplomacy

A short life, a long breath: Farewell to my father

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