The Korea Times

The promise and peril of AGI

NEW DELHI — The prospect of artificial general intelligence (AGI) — systems capable of performing any human cognitive task — has inspired both hope and anxiety. While AGI could usher in an unprecedented increase in global living standards, it could also sharply reduce demand for human labor, fueling unemployment, social unrest, and conflict. Much of the AI debate in recent years has swung between these two extremes. Strikingly, one of the most insightful analyses of the promise and peril of AGI came from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. In a blog post originally published in 2023 and updated in 2025, Altman displayed a measure of philosophical skepticism uncommon among tech optimists. “We want AGI to empower humanity to maximally flourish in the universe,” he wrote, while recognizing that doing so would require “successfully navigating massive risks.” To be sure, some skepticism is warranted when assessing the potential benefits of technological advances. Since the Enlightenment, humanity has increasingly rejected superstition and dogma in favor of the skeptical spirit of scientifi

1h agoBy Kaushik Basu

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New risks lurk for Korea-US shipbuilding partnership

On June 5, U.S.Rep. Jared Golden's amendment passed the House Armed Services Committee as part of the FY 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), now heading to a House vote. Intended to promote the U.S. domestic shipbuilding industry, the amendment prohibits any FY 2027 NDAA funds from being used to obtain battle force ships and parts built in foreign shipyards. Historically, the U.S. Navy has never purchased a battle force ship from a foreign country. This practice is also codified in existing law: Under 10 U.S.C. 8679, the military is generally prohibited from procuring major components of the hull or superstructure of any such vessel from foreign shipyards. The Golden amendment would close off any remaining flexibility, prohibiting foreign procurement of battle force ships and parts entirely. The problem is that the ban the amendment proposes directly goes against where U.S. defense strategy has been heading. Facing workforce shortages, the U.S. ability to sustain sea operations through battle force and commercial ships is a known vulnerability across the Pacific. According

3h agoBy Daniel Choi

New risks lurk for Korea-US shipbuilding partnership

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Was Brexit inevitable?

FIESOLE, ITALY — In a short essay published almost 40 years ago, the French author Emmanuel Carrère observed that counterfactual history—imaginative accounts of what might have been—is driven by an abiding sense of intolerance for inevitability. For many in the nineteenth century, for example, it was simply intolerable that Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo and exiled to Saint Helena. One must rebel against the idea that it could not have been otherwise, Carrère claimed. Carrère’s argument is newly relevant now that we are marking the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum, when a slim majority of voters in the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union. To understand how that outcome came about, we need to look back at least another decade, to the heyday of European integration. Starting in 2004, ten countries, including eight former Communist states, joined the EU in what was the largest expansion in the bloc’s history. The euro had entered circulation two years earlier, and the Schengen system (visa-free travel) had opened borders that previously separated p

2d agoBy Fabrizio Tassinari

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How to conserve tropical forests

STANFORD — Six months after last year’s United Nations Climate Conference (COP30), the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) has gone from being a headline-grabbing promise to a test of whether climate finance can survive contact with markets, politics, and time. The TFFF’s purpose—conserving tropical forests—is of paramount importance. Tropical deforestation and land-use changes have contributed to nearly one-fifth of the world’s cumulative carbon dioxide emissions since 1850. Tropical forests are also among the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems and home to many Indigenous Peoples and local communities. But tropical countries face opportunity costs when conserving forests, so it falls on northern countries to compensate them for conservation efforts that benefit everyone. Such was the reasoning behind the Brazilian COP presidency’s TFFF proposal. Within the TFFF is a Tropical Forest Investment Fund (TFIF) that seeks to raise $125 billion, part of which will be invested in emerging and developing economies. The hope is that, with sponsor capital, guarantees, and a hig

Jun 25, 2026By Bård Harstad

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After K-food’s global success, a question about health

For many Koreans, the global success of Korean food is more than a business story. It is emotional. It carries memories of home, family, school snacks, street markets, late-night meals and, in many cases, a quiet sense of pride that Korean culture has finally become familiar to people far beyond the peninsula. I still remember how Korean food was first introduced to many international viewers through "Dae Jang Geum," also known as "Jewel in the Palace." In that drama, food was not presented simply. It demonstrated care, discipline, seasonality and devotion. The kitchen was not just a place for cooking. It was a space where knowledge, patience and affection were expressed through ingredients. Since then, the global image of Korean food has changed dramatically. In the 2010s, mukbang videos brought Korean eating culture into the digital world. Later, Korean fried chicken, instant noodles, tteokbokki, bibimbap and kimchi have become familiar to people across the world. Today, it is no longer surprising to see international consumers themselves trying extra-spicy Korean instant noodles or

Jun 25, 2026By Shin Go-eun

After K-food’s global success, a question about health

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Korea should strengthen defense ties with Southeast Asia

The international order is undergoing rapid transformation. As the U.S.-led unipolar system gradually weakens and China's military and economic influence continues to expand, the Indo-Pacific region has emerged as a focal point for global security. Security tensions surrounding the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait are steadily increasing, prompting regional countries to seek new frameworks of cooperation to safeguard their national interests and security. Under these circumstances, Korea can no longer remain merely a beneficiary of security provided by the U.S. It must expand its role as an active participant and contributor to regional security cooperation. At the heart of this effort lies defense diplomacy. Defense diplomacy is far more than the sale of weapons. It is a comprehensive diplomatic instrument encompassing military cooperation, education and training, technology sharing, industrial collaboration, and the cultivation of strategic trust. Major defence-exporting nations such as the United States, France, and the United Kingdom have long used arms exports and military co

Jun 25, 2026By Moon Keun-sik

Korea should strengthen defense ties with Southeast Asia

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Bosnia must stand on its own

STOCKHOLM — Bosnia needs a political reboot. More than three decades after the Dayton Accords ended the devastating 1992-95 war, it is high time that the country bear full responsibility for its own future. As part of the 1995 settlement, an international High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina was established to help coordinate and implement all the civilian and political provisions of the peace agreement. A massive NATO force would remain responsible for separating the military forces, but it was agreed that an independent political office was needed to bring the country back together. That task fell initially to me as the first in a series of high representatives. My immediate priority was to set up the office and get the country’s institutions working, as outlined in the new constitution that had been agreed in Dayton. So, that is what I did. But the high representative was never supposed to be a permanent institution with powers to intervene directly in the country’s governance. Had any participant in the Dayton talks dared to propose such a thing, the idea would have

Jun 24, 2026By Carl Bildt

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Trump’s gesture, Pyongyang’s calculations

As a ceasefire memorandum of understanding to end the Iran war came within reach, U.S. President Donald Trump posted a striking photograph on his social media channel. It showed Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walking side by side during their 2018 Singapore summit. There was no caption, yet the message seemed clear: After Iran, North Korea may be Trump’s next diplomatic agenda. Trump has reasons to revive the North Korean issue. With U.S. midterm elections only four months away, the political outlook for Republicans is uncertain. The prolonged war with Iran has pushed up oil prices, fueled inflation and weakened public support for Trump. If he seeks a dramatic event to shift public attention, few options rival another summit with Kim. Trump has also long sought to portray himself as a peacemaker. Few issues fit that image better than North Korea’s nuclear program. The Nobel Peace Prize may remain an unfulfilled ambition. Trump has repeatedly signaled his willingness to meet Kim again. He did so during last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Korea

Jun 24, 2026By Ma Young-sam

Trump’s gesture, Pyongyang’s calculations

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AI sovereignty is about options, not ownership

ÉVIAN — The U.S. government’s sudden decision, on June 12, to restrict foreign access to some of Anthropic’s most advanced models is further confirmation that AI is now a geopolitical issue of the highest order. Until recently, countries competed by building services, infrastructure, and applications on top of frontier artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Now, access to the systems themselves is a strategic concern. The prevailing assumption used to be that AI would follow the logic of globalization. Countries would rely on a handful of frontier models, mostly developed in the United States, while competing in downstream services, semiconductors, data, and applications. Access to the most advanced AI systems was largely taken for granted. But if this assumption no longer holds, the central question is not which model is best, but which can be accessed at all. With frontier capabilities becoming an issue of national security and diplomacy, governments will be tempted to pursue “AI sovereignty” through the development of national champions or domestic alternatives to the lead

Jun 23, 2026By Ren Ito

AI sovereignty is about options, not ownership

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Korea's role at G7 summit in Evian

On the plane heading home from Evian, France, I reflected on a flurry of meetings of the past few days. As a Sherpa preparing the 2026 G7 Summit for the leaders, I could feel the shifting dynamics of global governance. This year’s gathering, hosted by France, included not only the G7 members but also pivotal global actors, such as Brazil and India. Watching the intensive debates among these leaders, it became very clear that Korea’s presence carried a distinct strategic weight. When French President Emmanuel Macron extended his invitation to President Lee Jae Myung to attend the summit in Evian, it reminded me of the recent assertion by Marc Julienne, director of the Center for Asian Studies at the French Institute of International Relations. He noted in an article in November 2025 that opening up the G7 to like-minded democracies such as Korea is essential to protect multilateralism and strengthen global cooperation. We were not there merely to occupy a seat or join a commemorative photo. I felt that the international community now actively seeks Korea's participation to find a co

Jun 23, 2026By Kim Hee-sang

Guest Columns

The promise and peril of AGI

New risks lurk for Korea-US shipbuilding partnership

Was Brexit inevitable?

How to conserve tropical forests

After K-food’s global success, a question about health

Korea should strengthen defense ties with Southeast Asia

Bosnia must stand on its own

Trump’s gesture, Pyongyang’s calculations

AI sovereignty is about options, not ownership

Korea's role at G7 summit in Evian

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