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Thoughts of the Times

Thoughts of the Times

Thinking in 3 languages

The biggest lesson I have learnt about language did not come from my Korean classroom. It came while reading an English essay written by my Korean student. Until recently, I assumed learning a language was mostly about memorizing vocabulary and grammar. After all, that is what language classes often seem to revolve around. Now, after studying English, Chinese and Korean, I have realized I was completely wrong. The hardest part of learning a new language is not learning new words or grammar. It is learning a new way of thinking. While marking my student's essay, I noticed a recurring pattern. He knew a lot of words and understood the grammar we had studied. Yet many of his sentences sounded awkward and unnatural. Every individual word was correct. Together, however, the sentences did not sound like English. Then I noticed something even more interesting. The mistakes were not random. They were predictable. Around the same time, a chapter in my Korean course at Korea University introduced the concept of language typology and explained that English, Chinese and Korean belong to three very di

10h agoBy Geoffrey Chen
Thinking in 3 languages
Thoughts of the Times

US and China compete for Nepali youth with skill programs: It's about who leads the next generation

The United States and China are competing to attract Nepali youth with skill programs following the deadly 2025 Gen Z protests in Nepal. Both nations have almost simultaneously opened applications for youth leadership and skill development programs in Nepal. This is classic long-game geopolitics and a smart move for influence with the future leaders in the Himalayan nation. Last year's Gen Z protests in Nepal, set off by a short- lived ban on social media and discontent at corruption and economic inequality, led to the resignation of the KP Sharma Oli-led government and the dissolution of parliament. The two-day Gen Z protests in Septemberresulted in 76 deaths and many injuries. Nepal's youth protests have changed the conversation and changed the rules of power. That protest was not just youthful rebellion, but a call for democratic renewal and reinvention. The programs were rolled out just a couple of months after Nepal’s rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, was sworn in as prime minister after his party scored a landslide victory in the election. The Chi

Jul 2, 2026By Brabim Karki@contributor@koreatimes.co.kr
US and China compete for Nepali youth with skill programs: It's about who leads the next generation
Thoughts of the Times

Creating blessings

While living in Andong in northeastern Korea, I enjoyed the profound riches of the so-called capital of spiritual (moral) culture. Every track I have walked is filled with the traces of various histories. I really appreciate the faithful and constant preservation of inveterate history of Andong since the prehistoric era around 40,000 years B.C. As I leave Andong due to recent personnel changes, I have a gracious memory of atmospheric and picturesque mountain paths. Among them, I remember the tracks from Dosan Seowon (Confucian Academy) to the Korea Seonbi Culture Training Center. “Seonbi” in Korean means moral and spiritual scholar. Seonbi Culture Training Center is dedicated to teaching Confucian values, history and the scholarly mindset (the spirit of Seonbi) of the Joseon Dynasty. Located near the Seonbi Culture Training Center is the Toegye Ancestral House, where the descendants of Toegye take turns maintaining the house. Among the descendants, the 16th is Lee Geun-pil, who founded the training center on the hopes it might inspire as many people as possible to realize moral rest

Jul 1, 2026By Kim Ae-ran
Creating blessings
Thoughts of the Times

Leveraging smart power in age of AI (I)

Diplomacy has long been an essential instrument for conducting negotiations and managing relations, both among states and among private actors, even back in the Middle Ages. Today, diplomacy has evolved into the fundamental art of communication and negotiation among states, as well as among public and private groups. In times of peace, it contributes to the consolidation of stability and cooperation; in times of war, it plays a crucial role in preventing escalation and facilitating the restoration of peace. Diplomacy can be broadly categorized into several forms. State diplomacy manages a country's official foreign affairs; public diplomacy advances the interests and values of public and private groups through engagement with foreign publics; and personal diplomacy serves the interests of individual rulers, monarchs or authoritarian leaders. In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), however, the role of diplomacy is undergoing profound change. Traditional diplomatic practices are no longer sufficient in a world that has rapidly moved beyond the digital age into the AI era. The unpre

Jun 30, 2026By Heo Mane
Leveraging smart power in age of AI (I)
Thoughts of the Times

A beautiful, rich life

We met in a theater class in college and became friends. Thanks to the friend who was a vegetarian, I became interested in veganism and began to read related books. I came to know how animals are raised and killed in the factory farming system, one of the major causes of ecosystem destruction. I gradually went vegan. Some people may think that going vegan will limit their lives. Nonetheless, it can be a way to live a beautiful, rich life. Two years ago, I stayed in Sinwol-ri in Inje, Gangwon Province. In the rural village, there was a sanctuary for five cows who were rescued from an unlicensed dog farm. Villagers and young vegan people were building a vegan community together. That autumn, I had an opportunity to experience rural life in the village with other vegans. Our mentor in the village said, “You can harvest any vegetables in my field freely.” We sometimes cooked and ate the fresh vegetables together. All the participants and our mentor were good chefs. They made sprout bibimbap with lettuce and pancakes with yellow squash flowers. The dishes they made included but were not

Jun 29, 2026
A beautiful, rich life
Thoughts of the Times

The secrets of living well and dying happy

When I first came across a book titled "The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die," I brushed it aside. Are there really secrets to living well? The title struck me as another attempt to package ancient wisdom into a self-help formula. After all, people have wrestled with this question for a long time. Aristotle pondered what constitutes a good life. He argued that true happiness comes from fulfilling one's potential and living with purpose and virtue. A meaningful life, he suggested, is not measured by wealth or status but by becoming the best version of oneself through work, creativity, service and meaningful relationships. The question has accompanied me throughout my adult life. What was my life meant to fulfill? What was I uniquely supposed to accomplish in this world? Later, I encountered the writings of Viktor Frankl, a student of Freud and a survivor of Nazi concentration camps. Frankl believed that the search for meaning is the ultimate human drive. His insight resonated deeply with me. As I grow older, I find myself returning to these questions. How do we discover the

Jun 28, 2026By Shin Freedman
The secrets of living well and dying happy
Thoughts of the Times

Why did Jensen Huang refuse to see the future?

On the June 10 episode of tvN's "You Quiz on the Block," host Yoo Jae-suk asked Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to choose between perfect foresight and unbreakable resilience. Huang answered without hesitation: resilience. His reasoning was arithmetic. One option is impossible for any human to hold. The other anyone can be built. There was nothing to weigh. Set that beside the second question Yoo posed. Speak with your past self or your future self? Huang chose the future. He declined the chance to correct past mistakes and instead walked toward his future self. Two answers, one worldview. He does not try to reach back and control time. He bets on enduring whatever arrives and standing up again. Nvidia is the proof. In 2006, when the market was focused on graphics cards and nothing more, Huang poured a fortune into CUDA. For nearly a decade, investors looked away, and the company's value once fell below $10 billion. He has spoken often about the mid-1990s, when Nvidia came within weeks of collapse. He did not survive by predicting the artificial intelligence wave. He survived by surviving the

Jun 25, 2026By Choi Hee-jin
Why did Jensen Huang refuse to see the future?
Thoughts of the Times

Nostalgia on the rails

In the early 1960s, few families in Korea could afford a watch, television or even a radio. My parents, like many of their generation, relied on the distant whistle of a passing train to know when to begin their day. In those years, the railway was far more than a means of transportation; it was a dependable marker of daily life and a powerful symbol of modernity in a rapidly changing society. Yet Korea's rail story extends beyond the locomotives of older generations. Long before today's high-speed trains, trams introduced a new vision of urban mobility, bringing modern transportation directly into city streets. On the Korean Peninsula, this innovation arrived early. Seoul's first tram line began operations in 1899 during the 1897-1910 Korean Empire, connecting Seodaemun and Cheongnyangni along an 8-kilometer route. At the turn of the 20th century, the tram became a visible symbol of modernization and international engagement. For residents and foreign visitors alike, it reflected a city embracing new technologies while opening itself to the wider world. There is something romantic abou

Jun 24, 2026By Choe Chong-dae
Nostalgia on the rails
Thoughts of the Times

SpaceX public listing makes history

Way back on July 20, 1969, the United States made history when astronaut Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon and, with great drama, verbally confirmed the historic event back to earth. Now Elon Musk and SpaceX have achieved a somewhat comparable milestone. On June 12, the much-anticipated and highly-hyped initial public offering of SpaceX proved a success of stratospheric proportions. The stock quickly rose 19 percent. Musk has become the first trillionaire in history. Make that the first trillionaire on earth. Musk is anxious not only to explore other planets but also populate them. There is no doubt that he is a visionary, in multiple meanings of that term. When he talks, we should pay attention – though not necessarily agree. SpaceX quickly became the sixth most valuable publicly listed company, boasting a capitalization of $2.1 trillion. Shares began trading at $150, 11 percent above the initial public offering price of $135, The share price at the end of the first trading day was $160.95. Significantly, the five companies with greater initial value than SpaceX are all c

Jun 23, 2026By Arthur I. Cyr
SpaceX public listing makes history
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