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  • 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

  • The feather on my arm

    While playing pickleball at the public town court the other day, I began noticing something beyond volleys, dings and serves. More visiting players arrived as the weather warmed, bringing with them not only different playing styles but also colorful tattoos. They seemed to belong mostly to a younger generation than mine. One woman especially caught my attention. An advanced pickleball player, she wore an intricate ivy design peeking across her back just above her waist. It was surprisingly graceful, more like a botanical illustration than what I had once imagined a tattoo to be. I found myself wondering what story it told. My earliest memory of tattoos was quite different. I associated them with sailors. A tattoo of Popeye flexing on a muscular forearm — or a faded image of a scantily clad woman —seemed to belong to a rough world far removed from my own. That image stayed with me for years since childhood. Today, tattoos are seen everywhere. Our town's Main Street even has a business devoted to tattoo removal. I often pass the shop and wonder if there are enough tattooed people to s

    By Shin Freedman

  • It's the economy, stupid! South Korea in an age of hyper-uncertainty

    By Chang Se-myeong

  • The government Gen Z brought to power is already being tested

    By Brabim Karki@contributor@koreatimes.co.kr

  • Teenage struggles

    By Park Si-yul

  • America's next financial crisis

    By M.A. Hossain

Read more

Thoughts of the Times

The feather on my arm

While playing pickleball at the public town court the other day, I began noticing something beyond volleys, dings and serves. More visiting players arrived as the weather warmed, bringing with them not only different playing styles but also colorful tattoos. They seemed to belong mostly to a younger generation than mine. One woman especially caught my attention. An advanced pickleball player, she wore an intricate ivy design peeking across her back just above her waist. It was surprisingly graceful, more like a botanical illustration than what I had once imagined a tattoo to be. I found myself wondering what story it told. My earliest memory of tattoos was quite different. I associated them with sailors. A tattoo of Popeye flexing on a muscular forearm — or a faded image of a scantily clad woman —seemed to belong to a rough world far removed from my own. That image stayed with me for years since childhood. Today, tattoos are seen everywhere. Our town's Main Street even has a business devoted to tattoo removal. I often pass the shop and wonder if there are enough tattooed people to s

10h agoBy Shin Freedman
The feather on my arm
Thoughts of the Times

It's the economy, stupid! South Korea in an age of hyper-uncertainty

The world we currently inhabit has already completed its transition from the age of globalization to the age of economic security, reflecting a systemic shift from absolute to relative gains. Alongside hard and soft power, there is now a third form of power that demands our attention: supply chain power. The hegemonic rivalry between the United States and China manifests as a supply chain war. A tit-for-tat economic battlefield has become the norm: its weapons sanctions and export controls, its commanders and economists and executives serving national directives, and its measure of strength primacy in finance and technology. South Korea, structurally sensitive to shifts in the global trading environment, now finds itself living inside a weaponized global economy as economic instruments such as trade and finance have grown openly coercive, becoming forms of leverage. If oil was the axis of great-power diplomacy and military strategy in the 20th century, that axis has now shifted to critical minerals. Just as oil underpinned transport, power generation and the chemical industry — and w

1d agoBy Chang Se-myeong
It's the economy, stupid! South Korea in an age of hyper-uncertainty
Thoughts of the Times

The government Gen Z brought to power is already being tested

Ten months ago, Nepal’s young anti-corruption protesters helped oust a prime minister and propelled a new political force to a landslide victory. The movement promised a decisive break from the old order. Yet barely 100 days into the new administration, many of the same young supporters are back on the streets, frustrated that the change they expected has not materialized. Three months is too short to judge any government comprehensively. Structural reforms take time but expectations for a government elected on the promise of rapid transformation are naturally higher. That gap between expectation and delivery is becoming politically significant. Last Sunday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Singha Durbar Plaza carrying placards reading “End atrocity against the poor” and “Respect human rights.” Their demands were directed not at the traditional political establishment but at Prime Minister Balen Shah’s government. The immediate trigger was the death of 25-year-old gig worker Ganesh Nepali, who set himself on fire outside Kathmandu’s passport office on July 9 after wha

Jul 23, 2026By Brabim Karki@contributor@koreatimes.co.kr
The government Gen Z brought to power is already being tested
Thoughts of the Times

Teenage struggles

There is a globally observed pattern called the “gender paradox of suicide.” In sum, women generally attempt suicide more often, but men are more likely to die from it. However, the suicide rate among girls in Korea is higher than that of boys among those aged 10 to 19. In 2013, the suicide rate of boys and girls was 5.5 and 3.4 per 100,000 people, respectively, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. However, the suicide rate among adolescent girls has increased by 156 percent over the past decade, surpassing the rate for boys for the first time in 2023 (7.1 vs. 8.8) and again in 2024 (7.4 vs. 8.7). The 2025 statistics have not been announced, but the gender paradox has reversed. While the rate of suicide are much higher among adults, such a sharp increase is seen only among girls. Other age groups showed single- or double-digit increases or even decreases over the past 10 years. Korean teen girls are in crisis. President Lee Jae Myung seems genuinely committed to suicide prevention. At his first Cabinet meeting, the day after the inauguration, his first question was wh

Jul 22, 2026By Park Si-yul
Teenage struggles
Thoughts of the Times

America's next financial crisis

For decades, a comfortable global bargain sustained the financial system: The United States ran up massive debts and Japan purchased U.S. Treasuries to cover the bill. This setup granted America cheap borrowing costs and allowed export-driven Japan to accumulate massive dollar reserves while keeping its own interest rates low. Today, that bargain is cracking under the weight of severe currency depreciation. The dramatic decline of the Japanese yen — which recently hit a four-decade low of nearly 160 yen per dollar — is far more than a domestic issue for Tokyo. It is a symptom of deep structural imbalances that could ultimately spark a sovereign debt crisis in the United States. The root of the yen's decline lies in the widening chasm between the U.S. Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes and the Bank of Japan’s ultralow rate policy. This disparity triggered a massive yen carry trade, where investors borrowed cheaply in yen to purchase higher-yielding dollar-denominated assets. While this flooded global markets with liquidity, it placed relentless selling pressure on t

Jul 21, 2026By M.A. Hossain
America's next financial crisis
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

Jul 20, 2026By 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

Jul 19, 2026By 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
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