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Desk Columns

The fine line between policing facts and silencing critics

New revisions to the Information and Communications Network Act, which will take effect in July, will hand Korea one of the most decisive legal tools yet devised against online falsehoods. For a country that has watched deepfakes and manipulated clips spread faster than fact-checkers can debunk them, this is surely a step worth welcoming. But it also deserves to be implemented with care, so that a sound principle does not curdle into overreach. The revision targets influential online information producers, such as YouTubers with more than 100,000 subscribers or creators averaging over 100,000 monthly views. If such creators knowingly spread false or fabricated information and cause harm, they now face punitive financial damages of up to five times the loss incurred. Large platforms, defined as those with over a million daily users on average, must also establish formal reporting and response systems for disinformation. The case for action is persuasive. The Hyundai Research Institute has estimated that fake news costs the Korean economy roughly 30 trillion won annually, about 1.9 perce

4 MIN READBy Park Jin-wan

Olympic Park rallies: Peace is more powerful than violence

Korea’s younger generations have demonstrated how collective action can unite a community rather than divide it. Their creative, caring rallies offer a glimpse of hope in an increasingly fragmented world. While protesting what they view as violations of citizens’ voting rights in the June 3 local elections, they have organized rallies that are interactive and engaging. At Olympic Park in Seoul’s southern Songpa District, tens of thousands of citizens — many in their 20s and 30s — have gathered daily since June 4, the day after local elections were held nationwide. They chant slogans urging politicians to overhaul the National Election Commission (NEC) and demanding that local elections be redone. Instead of carrying professionally printed banners, many participants hold handwritten signs. When the rallies conclude, volunteers collect trash and clean the venue, helping to keep the area safe and welcoming. Olympic Park has evolved into a caring community. A man who introduced himself as having a science Ph.D. offers free math tutoring to school-age children accompanying their par

4 MIN READBy Kang Hyun-kyung

Second female PM

Timing is often an unruly thing. Many pundits have stressed the importance of timing in life. What I mean to say is, it is high time that Korea usher in another woman into a higher government office. The nation produced its first female president, Park Geun-hye, who served from 2013 until her disgraceful removal from office in 2017, and its first female prime minister, Han Myeong-sook, who served in the Roh Moo-hyun administration from 2006-07. Han Seong-sook, the current minister of SMEs and startups, has been tapped to become the next prime minister by President Lee Jae Myung. If she passes muster at the parliamentary hearings — which she did once before assuming the small and medium-sized enterprises ministership by promising, among other things, to sell off some of her real estate — she will become the second woman to become prime minister in Korean history. As Korea shifts gears to go headlong into the era of artificial intelligence (AI), Han's earlier career at IT company Naver is key. Her business background is different from the two women, Park and Han Myeong-sook who were

3 MIN READBy Kim Ji-soo

When nobody wants a piano anymore

I was in the fourth grade when my parents bought me a piano. I had been taking lessons for two years and wanted one desperately. When it arrived in the room I shared with my brother, I felt as if I had the whole world. Part of the excitement came from the sense of privilege. Few children in my class had a piano at home, and I suddenly became one of them. The instrument my parents bought was not new. It was a secondhand upright piano. Yet that hardly mattered to me. What mattered was that I finally had a piano to practice on — and, to be honest, to show off to friends who visited me at home. That sense of pride stayed with me for years. In fact, the piano remained in my childhood room longer than I did. When I left home for college, it stayed. When I graduated from graduate school and started working, it was still there. In 2008, when I was 28, the piano moved to my aunt's apartment in Seoul, where it served her two children, then ages 7 and 10, who were learning to play. Years later, she passed it on to an acquaintance. Three years ago, another piano entered my life. An acquaintance of

3 MIN READBy Kim Se-jeong

Guest Columns

  • 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

    4 MIN READBy Ren Ito

  • 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

    3 MIN READBy Kim Hee-sang

Tribune Service

  • Kevin Warsh can’t succeed without help from the White House

    Kevin Warsh faces a truly daunting task. The new chairman of the Federal Reserve must avoid provoking a president he had to charm to get the job. He needs to repair relations with the Fed’s other policymakers, many of whom he recently criticized — not least, former Chair Jerome Powell, who remains on the central bank’s board for now. While contending with all that, he must also affirm the Fed’s commitment to get inflation back down to 2%. After his first meeting as leader of the Fed’s policymaking committee, Warsh left no doubt that he means to make a difference. But rising to these challenges — while achieving steady growth and stable prices — will require allies on the Federal Open Market Committee and room for maneuver from the White House. With luck, the president will see that an independent Fed is in his own interests, too. The most recent reading on inflation hasn’t helped. Tariffs and high energy costs thanks to the conflict with Iran have pushed consumer price inflation back above 4%. The annual rate has now been running at more than the 2% target for more than

    3 MIN READ

  • Trump is losing his war on offshore wind power

    New York Attorney General Tish James, along with AG counterparts in 17 other states, have prevailed over Donald Trump’s capricious attempts to derail offshore wind energy projects all around the country by imposing a moratorium on approvals and even the issuance permits or leases for already-approved projects. Having lost before a federal trial judge in Boston, the administration abandoned its own appeal, likely recognizing that it had no ability to actually defend this on the merits. We’ve no doubt that the administration undertook these efforts not for any real specific economic or environmental or military reasons but simply as another plank in its obsession with owning the libs, which makes it worth pointing out that this antipathy towards renewable energy and wind in particular harms everyone — liberals, conservatives, MAGA, in red states and blue states, in cities and suburbs and rural areas. Nobody is happier or safer or healthier for having higher prices at the pump, dirtier air, more reliance on volatile international energy imports or uncertain supply chains and the loss

    2 MIN READ

  • Leftist ‘martyr’ now tries to save his own rear

    Many progressives elevated accused killer Luigi Mangione to folk-hero status after he was arrested and accused of gunning down a health insurance executive in cold blood in New York City in late 2024. The horrifically twisted theory is that executing business executives should be celebrated if it seemingly advances some left-wing cause du jour. But it’s quite telling how this leftist vigilante has now gone weak-kneed when it comes to sacrificing for his misguided cause. On Wednesday, CBS News reported that Mangione’s defense “will argue that he was suffering from an extreme emotional disturbance” when he killed Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. This could allow a jury to convict him on the lesser charge of manslaughter. It’s not an insanity defense, but it is an effort to blame psychiatric problems for Mangione’s actions. “It seems like they are giving up the question of who did it,” legal expert Richard Schoenstein told the network. “This is a defense when you are conceding that he is the person who pulled the trigger. You’re not fighting that anymore. Yo

    2 MIN READ

Columnists

  • Bernard Rowan

    Bernard Rowan is an associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University.

  • Michael Breen

    Michael Breen is the CEO of Insight Communications Consultants, a public relations company, and author of "The Koreans" and "Kim Jong-il: North Korea's Dear Leader."

  • Park Jung-won

    Park Jung-won, Ph.D. in law from the London School of Economics (LSE), is a professor of international law at Dankook University.

  • Min Seong-jae

    Min Seong-jae (smin@pace.edu) is a professor of communication and media studies at Pace University in New York.

  • Song Kyung-jin

    Song Kyung-jin led the Institute for Global Economics (IGE), based in Seoul.

  • Chun In-bum

    Chun In-bum is the former commander of the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command.

Read more

Tribune Service

Kevin Warsh can’t succeed without help from the White House

Kevin Warsh faces a truly daunting task. The new chairman of the Federal Reserve must avoid provoking a president he had to charm to get the job. He needs to repair relations with the Fed’s other policymakers, many of whom he recently criticized — not least, former Chair Jerome Powell, who remains on the central bank’s board for now. While contending with all that, he must also affirm the Fed’s commitment to get inflation back down to 2%. After his first meeting as leader of the Fed’s policymaking committee, Warsh left no doubt that he means to make a difference. But rising to these challenges — while achieving steady growth and stable prices — will require allies on the Federal Open Market Committee and room for maneuver from the White House. With luck, the president will see that an independent Fed is in his own interests, too. The most recent reading on inflation hasn’t helped. Tariffs and high energy costs thanks to the conflict with Iran have pushed consumer price inflation back above 4%. The annual rate has now been running at more than the 2% target for more than

6h ago
Guest Columns

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

9h agoBy Ren Ito
AI sovereignty is about options, not ownership
Lee Jong-eun

Upgrading Korea's election system

On June 3, Korea held its local elections. The election procedures, however, became subject to widespread public outrage over the National Election Commission’s (NEC) mismanagement, including insufficient ballots at multiple polling stations. For more than a week, crowds of mostly young people gathered in Seoul to protest, with some even demanding a new election. Political figures have also weighed in on the controversy. Some have used the controversy to spread election conspiracy theories. Many others have called for government audits or special prosecutor investigations into the NEC to restore public trust in election administration. Beyond overhauling the NEC’s operations, broader policy debates will likely arise from the ongoing controversy regarding reform of election and campaign procedures. As a professor who teaches courses on U.S. politics and elections, I compare how elections are conducted in Korea and the United States. Such a comparison may help Koreans evaluate both the strengths and limitations of their current election system. Korea establishes a fixed time frame fo

12h agoBy Lee Jong-eun
Upgrading Korea's election system
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

12h agoBy Kim Hee-sang
Korea's role at G7 summit in Evian
Desk Columns

The fine line between policing facts and silencing critics

New revisions to the Information and Communications Network Act, which will take effect in July, will hand Korea one of the most decisive legal tools yet devised against online falsehoods. For a country that has watched deepfakes and manipulated clips spread faster than fact-checkers can debunk them, this is surely a step worth welcoming. But it also deserves to be implemented with care, so that a sound principle does not curdle into overreach. The revision targets influential online information producers, such as YouTubers with more than 100,000 subscribers or creators averaging over 100,000 monthly views. If such creators knowingly spread false or fabricated information and cause harm, they now face punitive financial damages of up to five times the loss incurred. Large platforms, defined as those with over a million daily users on average, must also establish formal reporting and response systems for disinformation. The case for action is persuasive. The Hyundai Research Institute has estimated that fake news costs the Korean economy roughly 30 trillion won annually, about 1.9 perce

1d agoBy Park Jin-wan
The fine line between policing facts and silencing critics
  • Fake news: Paradox of democracy
  • Problem of combating fake news in a globalized world
Tribune Service

Trump is losing his war on offshore wind power

New York Attorney General Tish James, along with AG counterparts in 17 other states, have prevailed over Donald Trump’s capricious attempts to derail offshore wind energy projects all around the country by imposing a moratorium on approvals and even the issuance permits or leases for already-approved projects. Having lost before a federal trial judge in Boston, the administration abandoned its own appeal, likely recognizing that it had no ability to actually defend this on the merits. We’ve no doubt that the administration undertook these efforts not for any real specific economic or environmental or military reasons but simply as another plank in its obsession with owning the libs, which makes it worth pointing out that this antipathy towards renewable energy and wind in particular harms everyone — liberals, conservatives, MAGA, in red states and blue states, in cities and suburbs and rural areas. Nobody is happier or safer or healthier for having higher prices at the pump, dirtier air, more reliance on volatile international energy imports or uncertain supply chains and the loss

1d ago
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
Bernard Rowan

In praise of Korean-US relations

As the United States of America approaches its 250th birthday next month, there are many kinds of columns written to celebrate two and a half centuries of life in pursuit of democracy, liberty and equality. Many choose to focus on aspects of the present in need of minor or major repair. My celebratory column will concern America’s friendship with South Korea. It has been a blessing, forged of necessity in war but hewn and made more fundamental through over 70 years of cooperation. The people of the United States owe much to their friendships and alliances, in particular to the people of South Korea. The United States entered the 1950-53 Korean War after North Korea attacked South Korea on June 25, 1950. Pushed all the way to Busan, the joint forces fought back and eventually established armistice boundaries along Panmunjeom. This place, featured in high-profile visits by recent South and North Korean Presidents and by Donald Trump, still marks the fact that the Korean War hasn’t concluded. This sobering fact occasions some comments about superpower relations. We now somewhat regula

2d agoBy Bernard Rowan
In praise of Korean-US relations
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
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