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Thoughts of the Times

Overlapping silhouettes: The taunts of the ballpark and the student soldiers of the Yeosu Memorial

Recently, a cheering culture sparked at a high school baseball tournament sent shockwaves through our society. An arena for youth and competition was affected by mockery and derision directed at the opposing side. The aftermath brought an unprecedented six-month suspension, followed by mutual apologies, forgiveness and the heavy burden of mandatory history education. While many are quick to condemn this uncomfortable spectacle as deviance of immature youth, a memory lingers in the corner of one’s heart. Over the silhouettes of those school uniforms trading thoughtless taunts, there emerges an overlapping image of another group of uniforms from over 70 youths who were forced to bear a burden of a different magnitude. Every year around this time, a memorial service is held in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, to honor the student soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War. In July 1950, when the Korean Peninsula faced the imminent threat of communist subjugation, countless students from Yeosu and the broader “honam” or the southwestern region comprising both the South and North Jeol

11h agoBy Kim Chee-ho
Overlapping silhouettes: The taunts of the ballpark and the student soldiers of the Yeosu Memorial
Thoughts of the Times

Imcheonggak

Imcheonggak, located in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province where I served in the past few years, is sacred ground for Korea's independence movement. The traditional hanok building is listed as a national memorial by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. As one of the largest private residences remaining from the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, Imcheonggak has been preserved for more than 500 years. Imcheonggak was named after a line from a powem by Tao Yuanming: “Climbing the eastern hill, I whistle long / by the clear stream, I compose a poem.” Imcheonggak will open a history and culture hall in August. In the grand compound of Imcheonggak, visitors enjoy Gunjajeong pavillion and the four main buildings, including the “Well Room” where several ministers were born. All the buildings in Imcheonggak are arranged in harmony with the surrounding beauty of Yeongnam Mountain and the Nakdong River. Imcheonggak was first built in 1519 and was restored in 1767. It originally consisted of 99 rooms, but several auxiliary buildings were destroyed during Japanese colonial rule when the Gyeon

1d agoBy Kim Ae-ran
Imcheonggak
Thoughts of the Times

Smart power diplomacy in a troubled international order

Amid growing turbulence in the international order, the United States is expected to exercise smart power in diplomacy more effectively to establish a stable balance of power capable of ensuring durable peace and security in the Middle East. Such an approach should involve Iran, Israel and Lebanon as principal stakeholders in a comprehensive regional security framework. In the current uncertain international order, Korea should pay more attention to smart power. Combining soft and hard power in a sustainable, strategic manner will strengthen Korean smart power to a broader range of countries and widen international cooperation, including with the U.S., Japan, China and many others. In a prior column, I mentioned Seo Hui’s persuasive ability in repelling successive waves of Khitan aggression during the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392) and Syngman Rhee's success in persuading Dwight Eisenhower to sign the U.S.-South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty. Smart power is inherently linked to public diplomacy. Public diplomacy relies on the activities of non-state actors, including private organizations,

Jul 15, 2026By Heo Mane
Smart power diplomacy in a troubled international order
Thoughts of the Times

The inevitability of change

It has been almost a year since I moved into a new studio apartment near my school, Sunchon Nation University, in South Jeolla Province. Looking out the window from the fourth floor of my building these days has left me reflecting on how rapid and marvelous change can be. The view I have is not what many would consider intriguing. From my experience, most people specifically search for houses with mountain, river or street views, or from the side of a building where sunlight enters directly. What my new home lacks, it makes up for in being just five minutes away from campus and a view of a small farm. Looking at this piece of land, which the farmers (a man and woman who I presume are a married couple) usually visit on the weekends, I have been reminded of how inevitable change is in our human lives. Just a couple of months ago, looking at the same farm land, their grape trees had no leaves. Even the persimmon trees, from which fruits had been harvested, had dried up and looked dead. In the winter, there were no signs the tree would ever bear fruit again. The grass on the farm had also d

Jul 14, 2026By Bambot Valentine
The inevitability of change
Thoughts of the Times

The bottleneck AI can't fix

Artificial intelligence (AI) keeps getting faster, but work doesn't feel any easier. That gap is the real story, and it starts with a question most offices rarely consider: faster at what, exactly? Eliyahu Goldratt tackled a similar question in his 1984 business book, "The Goal." His main idea, which he called the theory of constraints, is straightforward. Every system moves only as fast as its slowest part. If you improve everything except that slow point, the whole system still moves at the same speed. The improvements are real but the results don't change. Goldratt explained using this example: A product goes through framing, roofing and wiring. Roofing is the slowest step. If you add more framers or give them better tools, the framing pile just grows faster than the roofers can keep up with. The total output doesn't increase. Today, offices are doing something similar but with software instead of framers. AI writes emails, makes slides and summarizes meetings. But these tasks were rarely the slowest part. The real bottleneck has always been judgment — deciding whether to trust a n

Jul 14, 2026By Choi Hee-jin
The bottleneck AI can't fix
Thoughts of the Times

Discovering Brâncuși: From Romania to the world

My long-standing interest in art and cultural heritage recently led me to attend a special event celebrating the legacy of Constantin Brâncuși (1876-1957) titled "Brâncuși – From Romania to Paris and the World," held at the Seoul History Museum. I was invited by Romanian Ambassador to Korea Cezar Manole Armeanu to attend the opening ceremony of the exhibition on July 3. The program featured a photo exhibition showcasing some of Brâncuși’s most representative masterpieces, offering opportunity to explore the vision of the artist widely regarded as the founding father of modern sculpture. Standing there, surrounded by photographs of his masterpieces, I found myself thinking less about art history and more about how desperately we need his philosophy right now. To commemorate the occasion, the exhibition featured a screening of a film by Cornel Mihalache, a prominent Romanian director and senior TV journalist who was recently appointed manager of the Brâncuși Center in Târgu Jiu. A long-time scholar of Brâncuși, Mihalache has spent decades documenting the sculptor’s life

Jul 13, 2026By Choe Chong-dae
Discovering Brâncuși: From Romania to the world
Thoughts of the Times

Social language

In my English as a second language classes, I always give a list of the most popular words in American English and example short constructions using them. Topping that list is the definite article: “the." Recently, I have thought about presenting a list of the most common or popular short phrases in American English. Immediately coming to mind was the phrase, “I love you.” Surely it would be right up there with others! However, research proved me wrong — nevertheless, it was the most common emotional or romantic phrase. The most common short phrases in English are “Thank you” and its variations “Thanks” and “Thank you very much;” “You’re welcome;” “Excuse me;” “How are you?;” and “Have a nice day.” These are phrases we use continuously in our interactions with other people. They of course express civil pleasantness, the act of being agreeable, polite, courteous and friendly. I am of the opinion that the aforementioned phrases are the ones people should learn most immediately in whatever new language they study. I’m now learning the phrases in Fars

Jul 12, 2026By William R. Jones
Social language
Thoughts of the Times

Neo-liberalism and women's lives

The emergence of one-person households as the most common household type in 2012, the rise of the "non-marriage" trend, the deepening social polarization evidenced by the term "dirt spoon" in 2015 and the phenomenon of the total fertility rate dropping below 1.0 in 2018 have culminated in low birthrates and a decline in the school-age population. This has led to an operational crisis for various institutional universities and seminaries. Furthermore, the decline in social trust toward the Korean church and the decrease in congregants due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 have exacerbated the difficulties in managing seminaries. The tide of neo-liberalism, which accelerated in the late 2000s, spread values of individualized effort, the entrepreneurial self, self-development and self-management. This influence prioritized practicality and tangible benefits as supreme values, causing a crisis for women's studies or feminist theology courses and departments. Consequently, interest in feminism and feminist theology weakened, or a backlash against feminism emerged, leading to the cancellation

Jul 9, 2026By Lee Nan-hee
Neo-liberalism and women's lives
Thoughts of the Times

How Korea shaped its story on the world stage

Korea's image in foreign media has undergone a transformation, according to the culture ministry last month. Years ago, Korea was primarily associated with the threat posed by North Korea. Today, however, South Korea is increasingly described as a "cultural powerhouse," a "middle power" and one of the world's centers of influence. This is undoubtedly a success. But one important detail deserves attention: This new image did not emerge on its own, nor did it appear out of nowhere. Instead, it closely mirrors the image that Korea itself has spent years carefully building and promoting abroad. Seoul deliberately launched a long-term communications strategy to present itself as a country of extraordinary success. By 2026, this is precisely how much of the world sees it. If national reputations were once shaped primarily by outside observations and historical stereotypes, today they are formed through a feedback loop. Governments create narratives about themselves, and global media pick them up, amplify them and circulate them worldwide. As a result, Korea occupies a rather unusual position:

Jul 8, 2026By Oksana Vaneeva
How Korea shaped its story on the world stage
Thoughts of the Times

A pair of accompanying canes

An old man’s "jipang-i," or cane, is more than just a walking aid — it is a companion that supports mobility and offers reassurance. Unlike the double sticks used for skiing or mountain climbing in youth, the cane becomes a trusted partner in later years. Korea is already a "super-aged society," with 20 percent of its population 65 years old or older. While many retain their health, their mobility — in particular one's ability to walk — is one of the most worrisome concerns in life. The damage of cartilage in the knees or other joints have far more devastating consequences in old age. After suffering several falls on escalators and stone steps, I came to rely on my canes more than ever, grateful to the orthopedic doctors who helped me recover. Although it's a different situation, which can often reduce quality of life, including the subtle loss of confidence in having to rely on canes, I would like to draw on the items and the memories that my parents have passed on with their canes. At my octogenarian age, I keep two canes at home, each with its own story. One is a light alumin

Jul 7, 2026By Lee Sun-ho
A pair of accompanying canes
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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Letters to the Editor

  • COVID-19 vaccines for poor countries

    It's so encouraging to hear that the vaccines for COVID-19 from Pfizer and Moderna are becoming a reality and will soon be available to be deployed.Many advanced countries are competing to reserve their country's portion of the vaccines and in the case of Canada they have pre-bought enough vaccines for 10 times the population. The mechanism to help vaccines be bought and distributed to other countries has been set up and is called the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Now the question is, “Is there enough money in this envelope to buy and deploy the vaccines for the most vulnerable people?” South Korea is making concerted efforts to secure vaccines for its own people and the unification minister is very vocal about supplying vaccines for North Koreans.South Korea should definitely secure vaccines for its own people and North Koreans but also make sure it does its fair share by committing 1 percent of the country's domestic COVID-19 response to ACT, so that not only it serves its own people but the entire world. Sunnie KimGangbuk-gu, Seoul

  • Set the record straight

    Dear editor,We have seen an article titled “Human rights violations ― painful history shared by women in Korea, Kashmir” that was published in your newspaper on Sept. 8.The article is riddled with factual inaccuracies, false narratives and baseless allegations against India. Above all, it is politically motivated and divorced from ground realities. The purpose of writing this letter is to set the record straight and present the facts to your esteemed readers in an objective manner.Jammu and Kashmir is and has been an integral part of India since Oct. 26, 1947, when the then ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir signed the Instrument of Accession to bring about its lawful merger with the Union of India.This accession was completely lawful in terms of the Government of India Act, 1935, Indian Independence Act, 1947, and international law, and is total and irrevocable. On the contrary, Pakistan is in illegal and forcible occupation of Indian territories of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.On Aug. 5, 2019, the Parliament of India pass

  • Help developing countries cope with COVID-19

    After record-long rainy days and their damage plus the disastrous effects of the COVID-19 resurgence, one would wonder if there's any end to the tunnel anywhere.President Moon Jae-in is largely surrounded by criticism that comes with the second half of his mandate. and a growing number of people have begun to voice the opinion that he can't seem to do anything right. Understandably, the patience of Koreans is beginning to run thin. Yet all is not negative. Among the better news that has transpired over the past few days is that Doctors Without Borders was able to secure a six-month moratorium on restrictions on TB diagnostic and treatment supplies to be shipped to North Korea. While many might think that it's probably wrong to focus on people outside of South Korea at this time, we must remember our dreadful days of a developing nation just a few decades ago.We must build solidarity with those who do not have the wherewithal to defend themselves from the pandemic. So it's great the South Korean government announced a $50 million package to make COVID-19 therapeutics and diagnostics a

  • COVID-19 and US hegemony at crossroads

    America today stands at a crossroads, one that questions the very legitimacy and longevity of its imperial hegemony. As a Korean American studying in the U.S., I worry that I am committing myself to a country that is now a falling order, an imploding structure.Several questions must be asked. American scientists are some of the smartest, and its economy is unparalleled in size ― how is it, then, that it has failed so miserably in responding to this virus? The U.S. harbors some of the largest tech giants, too ― why is it, then, that even basic tech infrastructure for contact tracing is lacking?What is really challenged here is American ideology. Consider how Congress paid for a $2.4 trillion stimulus package when it could not afford basic needs, such as testing and masks. The priority here was placed not on public health, but on economic progress. Unfortunately, in this pursuit of economy over public health, the U.S. lost both, posing a great challenge of legitimacy to the American neoliberal ethic.And why are Americans so uniquely against wearing masks? Consider, here, the importance

  • How to deal with 'corona blues'

    These are strange times we are living in. The new coronavirus has us all practicing social distancing, and staying away from large social gatherings such as school as much as we possibly can. This is no doubt critical for our physical health. But it's certainly creating a lot of challenges for mental health. The fact that I can't meet up with friends, get proper exercise, or go anyplace without wearing a mask … I have to admit it's stressing me out.I did some research on this phenomenon. It turns out that there's a term for it: the “corona blues.” All around the world, people are stuck at home feeling anxious, lonely and depressed. It can result in bad digestion, headaches and insomnia.Because all of us struggle with this situation in different ways, I wanted to pass on some useful tips I got from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Stay safe and healthy everyone! Five tips for dealing with the corona blues:1. Take care of your body: Eat healthy, well-balanced meals, and avoid junk food and fast food. Get enough sleep, and open a window for s

Thoughts of the Times

  • Overlapping silhouettes: The taunts of the ballpark and the student soldiers of the Yeosu Memorial

    Recently, a cheering culture sparked at a high school baseball tournament sent shockwaves through our society. An arena for youth and competition was affected by mockery and derision directed at the opposing side. The aftermath brought an unprecedented six-month suspension, followed by mutual apologies, forgiveness and the heavy burden of mandatory history education. While many are quick to condemn this uncomfortable spectacle as deviance of immature youth, a memory lingers in the corner of one’s heart. Over the silhouettes of those school uniforms trading thoughtless taunts, there emerges an overlapping image of another group of uniforms from over 70 youths who were forced to bear a burden of a different magnitude. Every year around this time, a memorial service is held in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, to honor the student soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War. In July 1950, when the Korean Peninsula faced the imminent threat of communist subjugation, countless students from Yeosu and the broader “honam” or the southwestern region comprising both the South and North Jeol

    By Kim Chee-ho

  • Imcheonggak

    By Kim Ae-ran

  • Smart power diplomacy in a troubled international order

    By Heo Mane

  • The inevitability of change

    By Bambot Valentine

  • The bottleneck AI can't fix

    By Choi Hee-jin