The Korea Times

'Season of Creation' 2026

Water is the most basic, essential and precious element of life. Water stands for renewal, blessing, restoration, vitality and hope. How can we survive a single moment without water? As a person who drinks two bottles of water early in the morning as soon as I get up, I really appreciate the vitality that the water gives me every day. According to the United Nations, 1.7 billion people lack basic hygiene services at home and 2.1 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water. This water shortage is one of the serious issues in the world today. Some of the challenges are water being unaffordable for the poor, the industrial discharge of chemicals and other pollutants into rivers, increasing water consumption, serious droughts and floods and rising sea levels. Regardless of denomination, whether Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, Evangelical or Catholic, we are all in the same boat. As a result, 14 Christian organizations are involved in the Season of Creation Ecumenical Steering Committee to work on this year's topic, "Living Water." The Season of Creation was begun by the Orthodox Chu

15h agoBy Kim Ae-ran

Thoughts of the Times

Iran's shipping deal is not a nuclear deal

There is a version of diplomatic success that looks, on television, almost identical to failure. Oil tankers move again through the Strait of Hormuz. Insurance rates fall. A White House podium fills with talk of a deal "moving along very nicely." And somewhere in Natanz or Fordow, centrifuges that were never dismantled keep spinning. This is the trap now forming around the Trump administration's Iran diplomacy: Washington is on the verge of accepting a narrow shipping arrangement as if it were a substitute for the nuclear settlement the war was supposed to produce. Since June, when Washington and Tehran signed a framework meant to resolve the Strait crisis and open a path to nuclear talks, Iran has negotiated the shipping question with real urgency while treating its nuclear program as a matter for another day. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the Hormuz arrangement the "immediate deal" and denuclearization "the ultimate deal." That formulation is honest, but if the ultimate deal keeps arriving after the immediate one, it may never arrive at all. Reopening Hormuz relieves the pain

1d agoBy Brabim Karki

Iran's shipping deal is not a nuclear deal

Thoughts of the Times

What is life?

After brief greetings, we set off by car toward the lake. On the way, one of my friends suddenly asked, “Does life after death exist?” His abrupt question electrified the atmosphere, filling the car with energy. In the rush of daily life, we rarely pause to contemplate such profound matters, let alone share them aloud. His question revealed the depth of trust among us as friends who first met in college more than forty years ago. After decades of busy careers teaching high school students, serving as principals and directing overseas education programs, we reunited a few years ago and now meet every month for climbing. Time has carried us into our 70s. Our bodies have grown fragile yet our spirit remains unbroken. It is the same spirit that refuses to surrender to challenges — the courage to keep accomplishing what we can, however small, so that when the day comes to look back, we will not be ashamed of how we lived. With this in mind, each of us strives to serve both ourselves and our community until the final spark fades. One friend mediates family disputes in court. Another te

2d agoBy Lee Eung-tae

Thoughts of the Times

The freedom to be out of the loop

Not long ago, I was with friends laughing about a video I had never seen. “You haven’t seen that?” someone asked. I laughed it off, but on my way home, I opened my phone to see what I had missed. It was trivial. Another video would soon replace it. Still, I felt one beat behind the world. Trends once gave people a common language. Missing a popular TV show might leave you out of a conversation, but it rarely felt like falling behind in life. That has changed. Our phones now show each of us different videos, music and news. In the same cafe, one person watches financial commentary, another a travel vlog, while someone else scrolls through short clips. We may think we are seeing what matters now, but we are often looking at different worlds. As we have become more connected, our common ground has shrunk. Algorithms create personalized streams of attention. We live in the same era, yet experience different versions of it. And still, we fear missing out. We feel it when everyone else understands a meme we do not, or when a day away from social media makes the conversation seem to have mov

Aug 20, 2026By Park Myung-kwan

Thoughts of the Times

When a shirtless runner becomes a police matter

A friend of mine was eating a pork cutlet when his phone rang. It was his landlord calling. Assuming something serious had happened, he picked up. A barrage of questions followed. His Korean was not good enough to comprehend everything, but the urgency in his landlord's voice was unmistakable. Had there been a fire? Had someone broken into his apartment? He hurried home and found several police officers waiting outside. Then one of them explained what had happened. An older man in the neighborhood had called the police after seeing a man walking around without a shirt. My friend was that man. What the caller failed to mention was that the runner was wearing running shorts, carrying a water bottle and sweating in the middle of the day. He had just finished running and had taken his singlet off just meters from his home. The police explained that seeing a shirtless man walking around a residential neighbourhood in Korea might have people assume he is drunk, behaving like a "pervert" or otherwise causing trouble. Having lived in Korea long enough to become familiar with some of its social norm

Aug 20, 2026By Geoffrey Chen

When a shirtless runner becomes a police matter

Thoughts of the Times

Journey to Gunsan

My recent trip to Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, began with a surprisingly luxurious ride. Boarding an express bus with two friends on a hot summer morning, we were struck by its high-end, almost first-class interior — reclining seats, privacy curtains, personal screens and even complimentary bottled water. It was hardly the bus ride we had expected. Upon arrival, our first stop was Iseongdang, the city's legendary bakery. Even in the sweltering summer heat, waiting in line for fresh pastries and coffee felt like a joyful ritual before heading out for brunch. Our afternoon walk took us to the historic Gyeongnam-dong Railroad Village, where the nostalgic atmosphere and old-fashioned shop fronts felt strangely reminiscent of a Japanese “omatsuri,” or festival. It was fascinating yet surreal, as though a time machine had transported us to another country while we remained firmly in Korea — a true paradox of nostalgia and historical pain. That superficial charm, however, quickly gave way to a sobering reality at the Gunsan Modern History Museum. A neon sign bearing the words, “A n

Aug 19, 2026By Shin Hye-suk

Thoughts of the Times

By land or by sea

Recently, I happened to find an interesting article titled “By Land or by Sea: Continental Power, Maritime Power and the Fight for a New World Order” by Sarah C. M. Paine, William S. Sims University Professor of History and Grand Strategy Emerita at the U.S. Naval War College, through Foreign Affairs magazine. I read through the whole article with keen interest. As I expected, it was a long look at current international affairs concerning the fight for a new world order. The competition for power over international arenas originates from geography, and has produced two antithetical global outlooks: “continental power” and “maritime power.” In the continental world, the currency of power is land. Most countries inhabit a continental world with multiple neighbors, including hegemonic powers such as China and Russia. They funnel resources into their militaries to protect their borders, while also trying to conquer and intimidate their neighbors in wealth-destroying wars. The result is a vicious cycle. By contrast, maritime states with oceanic borders see money, not territory,

Aug 18, 2026By Lee Sun-ho

Thoughts of the Times

The religious life of uncle, my neighbor

"Mr. Kim," who is 85 years old, is a farmer. He lives in Goheung County, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City. As a retired elder, he goes to church twice a day, at dawn and at 5 p.m. There he prays for himself, his family and his church. He has continued this life of prayer for over 70 years, since he was 15 years old. One of the episodes he experienced during this period of incessant praying life was when a typhoon swept through his village. During the storm, his family tried to dissuade him from going to church, but he went nevertheless. Crossing a swollen stream, his Bible fell from his hand and into the water. He had to watch it float away. He immediately returned to his house and asked his children to help find the lost book. Fortunately, one of his children found it caught on a tree in the stream. Mr. Kim spent many days drying his Bible so it could be used again. His unwavering commitment to prayer has helped and guided him throughout his life. As an eldest son, Mr. Kim served his faithless parents even though conflicts arose. Conflicts for example, over performing ancestr

Aug 17, 2026By Kim Jin-heon

The religious life of uncle, my neighbor

Thoughts of the Times

Loving myself

All the Catholic churches in Korea are enthusiastically preparing for World Youth Day 2027. One of the most thoughtful programs is counseling for young people by Jeon Jin Sang Spirituality Center, a psycho-spiritual counseling center. Considering that Korea has the highest suicide rate in the world, counseling is one of the most valuable programs to prevent suicide. In every problem, the fundamental issue is how to love oneself as one is. "Loving Yourself for God's Sake," written by Adolfo Quezada and published by Resurrection Press in 1997, has become one of the spiritual classics. It is a gentle, simple, and concise guide to loving oneself, not based on selfishness but based on God's love — it is an invitation to value the self as God’s gift. Its Korean translation was first published in 2003. Since then, it has become a steady seller among Pauline books. Adolfo Quezada was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1940. He was raised and educated in Arizona. He earned a B.A. in political science and M.A. degrees in journalism and in counseling. A spiritual writer and a retired professional

Aug 13, 2026By Kim Ae-ran

Thoughts of the Times

A day in the life of a retiree

One of my favorite songs is "My Way," sung by Frank Sinatra. The song's quiet dignity in facing the closing chapter of life resonates deeply with me and often leads me to reflect on my own journey. Unlike the man in the song, however, I cannot claim that I have lived entirely my own way. Nor can I say that I have no regrets. My greatest regret is that I have few fond memories of my youth. Born into a poverty-stricken and socially unstable country, I spent my formative years amid hardship and uncertainty. Even so, I managed to overcome every obstacle that stood in my way and emerged into adulthood unscathed. By the time I graduated from college, Korea's remarkable economic rise was well underway, and I was fortunate to play a small part in it as a banker. After marrying, I worked tirelessly to provide for my family and, above all, to give my children a better upbringing than I had. They rewarded my efforts by growing into independent, responsible adults. After seeing them happily married, I felt a deep sense of fulfillment, knowing that I had done my duty as a parent. With a sigh of rel

Aug 12, 2026By Lee Hyon-soo

Thoughts of the Times

'Season of Creation' 2026

Iran's shipping deal is not a nuclear deal

What is life?

The freedom to be out of the loop

When a shirtless runner becomes a police matter

Journey to Gunsan

By land or by sea

The religious life of uncle, my neighbor

Loving myself

A day in the life of a retiree

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