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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

Hallyu meets heritage

The world's biggest pop group could have chosen virtually any backdrop for its latest teaser. Instead, BTS stood beneath the graceful eaves of Seonhyewon, a centuries-old hanok, a traditional wooden courtyard house, in Seoul, where polished floors, paper doors and quiet open space carried as much visual weight as the seven members themselves. It was a setting built not for spectacle but for reflection — an unlikely stage for one of the world's most recognizable entertainment acts. Built for reflection, contemplation and the slow rhythm of daily life, these traditional structures are increasingly serving as stages for global pop culture — broadcasting carefully crafted performances to millions around the world. That evolution hints at the next chapter of hallyu, the Korean wave that has propelled Korea's popular culture onto the global stage. For more than two decades, Korea's cultural success was measured largely by export metrics — streaming figures, overseas box-office receipts and positions on global music charts. Traditional culture often appeared as visual decoration, featured

A century of loving silence

Manhae Han Yong-un (1879-1944) was a remarkable man. He was a Buddhist monk, a thinker, a radical reformer of Korean Buddhism, a poet, a novelist and a major figure in the struggle for Korean independence. He cared passionately about younger generations growing up in a rapidly changing land, deprived of its true identity. He was born on Aug. 29, 1879. On Aug. 29, 1910, Korea was officially annexed by Japan. On Aug. 29, 1926, Manhae published the collection of poems for which he is best remembered, "Nimui Chinmuk." His birth name was Han Yu-cheon. In 1905, when he became a Buddhist monk, his meditation master gave him the name Yong-un (Dragon Cloud). Manhae (Ten thousand seas) was his pen-name. "Nimui Chinmuk" was published just 100 ago this year. Celebrations have been organized, but we might wonder how many Koreans today spend much time reading its 88 poems, written in a language which is far removed from the Korean spoken or written today. But those who grew up reading it in Korean language textbooks in school never quite forget the resonance the poem of same title evoked. On the cen