The Korea Times

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

8h agoBy Ren Ito

AI sovereignty is about options, not ownership

Guest Columns

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

10h agoBy Kim Hee-sang

Guest Columns

Learning from the right sovereign wealth funds

NEW YORK — What’s not to love about a sovereign wealth fund? Gulf states’ sovereign wealth funds(SWF), which control roughly $6 trillion in assets, are no longer mere investment vehicles. They have become tools of statecraft, transforming kingdoms and emirates into power brokers and benefactors. Alongside splashy spending on sports and luxury retail — Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) bought the English soccer club Newcastle United, and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) owns the department store Harrods — these funds have poured money into strategic sectors such as AI, logistics, and renewables. They also provide economic support to allies, serving as a foreign-policy lever. The Gulf model is so appealing that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently launched an SWF, and U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish one. But neither Canada nor the United States can match the decades of hydrocarbon surpluses that form the backbone of the Gulf model. A more relevant example would be Latin America, which has run this experiment many times

1d agoBy Erika Mouynes

Learning from the right sovereign wealth funds

Guest Columns

Peace with Iran is all about Lebanon now

TEL AVIV—The ceasefire that was reportedly just agreed between the United States and Iran reflects U.S. President Donald Trump’s desperation to escape the quagmire that he created. Gone is the muddled array of objectives he touted in the war’s early days. All the Trump administration has reportedly secured in the new agreement is a promise to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before the war, and plans for new negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, which was already under discussion. But even these pared-down goals might prove unattainable if Israel continues its fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Trump is already fed up with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was Netanyahu who advised him in 2018 to abandon the nuclear deal then-President Barack Obama had reached with Iran three years earlier, putting Trump on the hook to deliver a better one. Netanyahu also convinced Trump to launch the current war by touting a heady vision of the world’s two most powerful air forces quickly annihilating the Islamic Republic’s military and nuclear installations and t

2d agoBy Shlomo Ben-Ami

Peace with Iran is all about Lebanon now

Guest Columns

30 years after OECD: Time to move beyond Korea’s developmental state

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Korea’s accession to the OECD. The OECD has assessed that Korea has achieved substantial quantitative growth, with per capita GDP approaching the OECD average, an improvement in addressing inequality and an overall rise in the quality of life, as reflected in longer life expectancy. The Korean economy achieved compressed growth through the developmental state model. In the 1960s, the government protected and nurtured infant industries. In the 1970s, it shifted toward export-heavy and chemical industries, creating an industrial structure centered on family-run conglomerates. Samsung, which began in the fertilizer industry, expanded into electronics. LG built the foundation for its electronics business with the help of the government’s radio distribution movement and import restrictions. Hyundai moved into the automobile and shipbuilding industries, based on national infrastructure construction, while Hanjin, after accumulating logistics experience during the Vietnam War, acquired Korean Air. From the 1980s onward, the government focused on fost

Jun 19, 2026By Lee Nae-chan

30 years after OECD: Time to move beyond Korea’s developmental state

Guest Columns

South Korea, Australia can learn from each other over nuclear submarine pathways

Australia and South Korea are both acquiring nuclear-powered attack submarines, a parallel step-change in their conventional deterrent capability. Though their discrete pathways to realise this common goal reflect different strategic circumstances and problems, they can still usefully learn from each other’s experience and cooperate. Viewed from Australia, where AUKUS still stirs controversy five years after the tripartite initiative was announced, South Korea’s recently announced framework to acquire nuclear powered submarines is a refreshing contrast. Unlike Australia, which is acquiring 2 different types of nuclear-powered submarine in close partnership with the U.S. and U.K., President Lee Jae Myung’s administration is seeking a largely made-in-Korea solution, with limited assistance from the U.S. To be fair, Seoul had no other realistic choice. Despite claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that Korea’s future nuclear submarines would be built in Philadelphia, following the surprise announcement on the sidelines of last October’s APEC summit in Gyeongju, Seoul has since pi

Jun 17, 2026By Euan Graham

South Korea, Australia can learn from each other over nuclear submarine pathways

Guest Columns

Culture to security: The strategic evolution of Korea-Indonesia relations

For many Indonesians, Korea first arrived through the infectious beats of K-pop, the emotional hooks of K-dramas and the overarching phenomenon of the Korean wave, also known as hallyu. The establishment of the Korean Cultural Center in Jakarta in 2011 institutionalized these connections, introducing the Korean language, arts and cinema to a wider Indonesian audience. Today, however, the relationship is entering a fundamentally different phase. President Prabowo Subianto’s historic state visit to Seoul from March 31 to April 2 marked an important milestone in the evolution of bilateral relations. During the visit, both countries agreed to elevate their ties from a Special Strategic Partnership to a Special Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This upgrade signals a deeper, far more calculated commitment to security and economic resilience. The upgrade represents far more than a diplomatic gesture. It reflects a growing recognition in both Jakarta and Seoul that traditional trade frameworks are no longer sufficient to navigate modern geopolitical realities. The state visit yielded 16

Jun 17, 2026By Rika Mayasari Harahap

Culture to security: The strategic evolution of Korea-Indonesia relations

Guest Columns

The AI revolution mirrors the green transition

CHICAGO/NEW YORK — The artificial intelligence (AI) race is already generating forces that are transforming the global economy. That makes it surprisingly similar to the green transition, given the potential of both to upend traditional industries, labor markets, and geopolitical balances. Both call for trillions of dollars in upfront investments in exchange for significant benefits over the medium and long term. The promise of AI is that it will cut unnecessary costs, boost labor productivity, and help humans solve previously intractable problems. Equally, the green transition would do nothing less than contain climate change, the mother of all global externalities. It would eliminate the risk of both “climateflation” (higher prices caused by climate-driven supply shocks) and “fossilflation” (when hydrocarbon supply shocks, like the one caused by the current closure of the Strait of Hormuz, reverberate through the world economy). It would also improve public health, increase economic resilience, create jobs, preserve fragile ecosystems, and deliver many additional benefits.

Jun 14, 2026By Adam Michael Bauer and Gernot Wagner

The AI revolution mirrors the green transition

Guest Columns

Reinventing cooperation to fix fragmented world

We stand at a critical moment in history. For decades, the global order was built on the free exchange of ideas and the free flow of capital and goods across borders. Today, that once-interconnected world is increasingly under strain. The world is poles apart, driven partly by shifting geopolitical dynamics, global supply chain disruptions, fierce technological competition and a growing turn toward inward-looking national policies. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran and heightened tensions in the South China Sea — where traditional maritime security concerns are increasingly intertwined with emerging technological and cyberthreats — all these signal a new era of fragmentation and composite warfare. International institutions like the United Nations, once considered the bedrock of global cooperation and conflict resolution, now find themselves hamstrung as countries build walls and close borders in increasingly insular strategies. At the same time, the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry and growing geopolitical tensions have contributed to global frag

Jun 14, 2026By Kang Jeong-sik

Reinventing cooperation to fix fragmented world

Guest Columns

When healing becomes a product

Modern Korean life is fast, efficient and relentlessly demanding. Academic pressure, social expectations and digital overload have created a population that is now deeply familiar with the term “burnout.” In response, a counterculture has naturally emerged — one focused on slowing down, resting and healing. But instead of developing organically, this healing culture has quickly taken on a more commercial, polished and curated form. A K-turn, perhaps. Healing has become a language — appearing everywhere from menus and social media to convenience store shelves. It’s no longer a concept or a suggestion. It has become an industry and it raises an uncomfortable question: Is Korea truly healing, or has healing itself become something to consume? Massages used to be an occasional luxury. Now, many households invest in massaging reclining sofas, often costing between 1 million ($660) and 2 million won. Drinks are branded with words like “detox,” “reset,” “cleansing” or “calming.” Many retreats — often labeled luxury — promise transformations in just a few days. Re

Jun 11, 2026By Han Sang-hee

Guest Columns

AI sovereignty is about options, not ownership

Korea's role at G7 summit in Evian

Learning from the right sovereign wealth funds

Peace with Iran is all about Lebanon now

30 years after OECD: Time to move beyond Korea’s developmental state

South Korea, Australia can learn from each other over nuclear submarine pathways

Culture to security: The strategic evolution of Korea-Indonesia relations

The AI revolution mirrors the green transition

Reinventing cooperation to fix fragmented world

When healing becomes a product

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