Opinion - The Korea Times

ED Real test behind market surge

For decades, Korea’s stock market was synonymous with untapped potential. Home to some of the world’s most competitive manufacturers and tech firms, the country nevertheless remained trapped beneath what became known as the “Korea discount” — a chronic undervaluation driven not by weak corporate capability, but by structural flaws in the market itself. Unpredictable regulation, inconsistent policies, opaque corporate governance and weak shareholder protections long discouraged global investors from granting Korean equities the premium valuations enjoyed by their counterparts in other advanced economies. Now, however, Korea stands at a rare and consequential inflection point. The recent surge in Korean equities is not merely another cyclical rally fueled by liquidity and optimism. It reflects something more important: the growing possibility that the Korean market is finally beginning to shed the institutional limitations that have constrained it for years. Powered by the global artificial intelligence (AI) boom and a semiconductor supercycle, Korean stocks have rallied sharply

May 7, 2026

ED Priority should be on safe return of Namu, crew

Two months into the Iran war, an explosion and fire Monday aboard a Korean ship in the Strait of Hormuz has brought new stakes to the situation. As the U.S. and Israel's war on Iran brings prolonged volatility and heightened uncertainties, Seoul must move swiftly and transparently to assess the cause and prepare a response. The Iranian Embassy in Seoul put out a statement Wednesday denying any military involvement in the recent explosion. "The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran firmly rejects and categorically denies any allegations regarding the involvement of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the incident involving damage to a Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz," the embassy said in a statement, rebuffing U.S. President Donald Trump's claims. U.S. President Donald Trump said that the Panama-flagged cargo ship operated by Korean shipper HMM was attacked by Iran on the first day of "Project Freedom" — a U.S. effort to assist ships stranded in the strait. "By the way, their ship was shot at. They were not in the cavalcade of ships they had. They decided to go i

May 6, 2026

[ED] Priority should be on safe return of Namu, crew

Ghostwriter in the newsroom

Not long ago, a newsroom sounded like a kind of music — clattering keyboards, ringing phones, arguments over a lead. Today, in many digital outlets, that noise has faded to the hum of servers as large language models churn out articles with clinical efficiency. We are witnessing, in real time, the industrialization of the written word. Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer confined to transcription or spell-checking. It has become a central architect of what might be called the commodity news ecosystem. As algorithms claim the terrain of the factual — the “what” and the “when” — a deeper question presses in: What becomes of journalism when its pulse is automated, and what, if anything, remains the province of the human reporter? The shift began quietly. For years, organizations like The Associated Press and Reuters have used automation to cover corporate earnings, turning structured financial data into publishable briefs in seconds. But generative AI has expanded the scope from data processing to narrative construction. A 2024 study by the Reuters Institute for the Stud

May 6, 2026By Samuel Len

ED Ruling DPK pushes questionable bill

The June 3 local elections are less than 30 days away. Taking place a year after President Lee Jae Myung won a snap election in the wake of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's December 2024 martial law declaration and subsequent impeachment, it will be the first real chance for voters to assess Lee's administration. Elections in Korea are usually loud and even celebratory, especially in picking grassroots leaders. However, that is not the case this time. Internal party dynamics seem to be the driving force behind how the local elections are playing out, with the ruling majority Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) looking all but sure to win a considerable number of local offices. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP), stuck with low approval ratings hovering at15 percent, has had difficulty fielding new candidates and chose to rely on nominating incumbents, despite voter disapproval. Amid this imbalance, the DPK has proposed a controversial new bill that would allow an independent counsel to withdraw indictments in ongoing trials, and also calls for investigations into "fabricated indi

May 5, 2026

[ED] Ruling DPK pushes questionable bill

ED Crime across borders

A district court in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, issued an arrest warrant on Sunday for a 51-year-old drug dealer who was repatriated to Korea on May 1 after being apprehended in Thailand. Identified only by the surname Choi, he is accused of smuggling 10 billion won worth of illegal drugs, including methamphetamine, into Korea and selling them online. Choi was arrested weeks after Park Wang-yeol — one of the most notorious Korean drug dealers in Southeast Asia — was repatriated from the Philippines in late March. Choi and Park are reportedly business partners, an allegation Choi denies. Southeast Asia has emerged as a haven for Korean drug dealers and drug trafficking. Having once operated within Korea, many traffickers relocated to Southeast Asia, where law enforcement is comparatively weaker. There, they collaborate with local manufacturers to supply drugs to customers in Korea. The dark web and platforms like Telegram connect these overseas dealers with Korean users. Orders are placed online, and the drugs are smuggled into Korea through intermediaries and then delivered to end us

May 4, 2026

ED US troop cuts in Germany

U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed threat to reduce American troop levels in Germany is more than a routine adjustment of military posture. It signals a deeper shift in how Washington conceives of alliances — not as enduring commitments grounded in shared interests and values, but as conditional arrangements subject to political alignment and transactional calculation. In doing so, it risks unsettling not only transatlantic security but also the broader architecture of U.S. alliances worldwide. Germany has long hosted a significant portion of America's military presence in Europe. With tens of thousands of troops stationed there, along with key command structures and logistical hubs, it is indispensable to NATO’s deterrence and rapid response capabilities. A drawdown, especially one framed as a response to perceived political disloyalty in its war against Iran, introduces a new and destabilizing precedent: that U.S. security guarantees may hinge on a narrow and shifting definition of cooperation. The impact of this development has already reverberated across Europe. Leaders in

May 3, 2026

ED Coupang must face Korean law

The decision by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) to designate Coupang Chairman Kim Bom-suk, better known as Bom Kim, as the company’s controlling shareholder marks a necessary reaffirmation of legal principle over corporate convenience. By replacing the previous designation of a corporate entity with that of a person, regulators have moved to align formal oversight with the reality of who exercises effective control over Coupang. This shift, prompted in part by the FTC citing evidence of managerial influence involving Kim’s brother, Kim Yoo-seok, closes a gap that had allowed accountability to remain ambiguous. At its core, the ruling underscores a simple proposition: Companies that derive their growth, profits and market power from Korea must be subject to Korean law. Coupang’s argument that it is already regulated in the United States is not persuasive. U.S. securities regulation and Korea’s fair trade regime serve fundamentally different purposes — the former prioritizes investor protection, while the latter seeks to curb excessive concentration of economic power and

Apr 30, 2026

ED Legislative clash

A rare confrontation has emerged between lawmakers in Korea and the United States, as politicians from both countries engage in a war of words over the Korean government’s investigation into Coupang regarding a massive consumer data breach first reported last November. Several U.S. members of Congress have alleged that the probe is politically motivated, warning that if it proceeds, Chinese e-commerce platforms could move in to fill any resulting gaps. Korean lawmakers have strongly rejected this claim, insisting the investigation is fair and grounded in law. They have, in turn, accused their U.S. counterparts of attempting to influence the probe in Coupang’s favor — an act they argue undermines Korea’s sovereignty. On Tuesday, 96 South Korean lawmakers sent an open letter to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul expressing concern over what they described as violations of Korean sovereignty. They characterized an April 21 letter from U.S. House Republicans to Korean Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha as an attempt to interfere in an ongoing law enforcement investigation, calling it a clear breach

Apr 29, 2026

ED Regretful departure of AI aide

The resignation of Ha Jung-woo, former senior presidential secretary for AI policy and future planning, to run in a parliamentary by-election is more than a routine career move. It raises deeper questions about political priorities, policy continuity and the credibility of a government that has placed artificial intelligence (AI) at the center of its national agenda. From the outset, President Lee Jae Myung framed AI as a cornerstone of Korea’s future, pledging to elevate the country to one of the world’s top three AI powers. The creation of a dedicated senior secretary position — unprecedented in itself — was meant to signal urgency and seriousness. Ha, recruited from the private sector for his expertise, was not merely another aide; he was positioned as a key architect of a long-term national strategy at a time widely described as a critical “golden window” for AI development. Against this backdrop, his departure after just 10 months in office is difficult to reconcile with the administration’s stated ambitions. While public officials have every right to seek elected of

Apr 29, 2026

ED Excessive demands

The looming strike by workers at Samsung Electronics is no longer a routine labor dispute. It has evolved into a high-stakes confrontation with implications that extend far beyond a single company, touching the stability of global semiconductor supply chains and the broader trajectory of the Korean economy. Recent events have already offered a glimpse of the potential fallout. During a recent labor action, nighttime output reportedly fell sharply, with foundry production dropping by more than half and memory output declining significantly. These figures, disclosed by the union itself, underscore the degree of leverage that workers hold over a highly complex and tightly calibrated production system. The union has since warned that a full-scale strike could result in losses exceeding tens of trillions of won, using this projection to justify demands for performance bonuses amounting to a substantial share of projected annual operating profits. Framed bluntly, the message risks sounding less like negotiation and more like coercion. At the heart of the dispute lies a fundamental disagreeme

Apr 28, 2026

Editorial

Editorial

ED Real test behind market surge

ED Priority should be on safe return of Namu, crew

Ghostwriter in the newsroom

ED Ruling DPK pushes questionable bill

ED Crime across borders

ED US troop cuts in Germany

ED Coupang must face Korean law

ED Legislative clash

ED Regretful departure of AI aide

ED Excessive demands

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