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Columnists

Chyung Eun-ju, Joel Cho

A controversial mission to bring AI to all: a public good or ill?

A prevalent question that has been around for decades is what happens when we have democratized expression? When tackling this question, we found ourselves debating on Stability Diffusion, a generative AI project that has been recently causing controversy, due to its approach to trust the public and make its technology open-source and free to use (anyone can view the code and...

2022-11-09 17:40

. John J. Metzler

UN panel slams Beijing's rights abuses in Xinjiang

A high-level U.N. panel has slammed Beijing's ongoing and egregious human rights abuses in the western Xinjiang regions of the People's Republic. China's human rights violations have been committed through the use of “severe and undue restrictions” that are “characterized by a discriminatory component, as the underlying acts often directly or indirectly affect Uyghur and othe...

2022-11-09 14:29

Cho Hee-kyoung

Only the good die young

There are supposed to be five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I can pinpoint to the exact moment when my disbelief and denial turned into anger over the Halloween disaster in Itaewon that has so far taken 156 lives.

2022-11-08 14:23

. Kim Won-soo

Hegemonic competition beyond new Cold War

The relations among nation-states are in flux. Many pundits are raising the alarm about the return of the Cold War. But this time around, the main frontier lies not between the United States and the Soviet Union, but between the United States and China, a fast-rising challenger to the U.S.-led international order.

2022-11-07 15:43

Peter S. Kim

China's new era under Xi

Last month, the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party put beyond doubt the fact that President Xi Jinping will rule the world's second-largest economy with an iron fist for years, if not decades. By extending the constitutionally mandated maximum term of 10 years, Xi is now the first leader since Mao Zedong to sit for an unlimited rule.

2022-11-06 17:00

. Mark Peterson

Sadness upon returning to Korea

After three years of carefully observing COVID-19 restrictions at home in America, I decided that, with five vaccination shots and a decline in the number of illnesses in both America and Korea, it was time for me to return to Korea. I have been struck with so many things about Korea after this long absence, but the most unfortunate, of course, is the tragedy in Itaewon.

2022-11-06 17:00

. Donald Kirk

From 'ppalli-ppalli' to tragedy

Blame it on Korea's culture of “ppalli-ppalli” - “quickly, quickly.” That was the simplistic explanation that a Korean gave me for the crowd surge in the narrow Itaewon alley where so many were trapped, crushed and died last weekend. “They were madly pushing each other,” she said. “It's in the genes.”

2022-11-03 14:35

. Andrew Hammond

Brazil brings end to Bolsonaro era

Brazil's vote on Sunday to end the controversial Bolsonaro era was close and divisive, but the nation now has a huge opportunity to unite and rebrand itself to the global community under President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

2022-11-02 14:06

Eugene Lee

Itaewon tragedy and bad governance as its cause

I like writing on political issues and governance and do it often. However, it breaks my heart to have to write this piece. I must start with words of condolence to all those affected. I wish them strength in the face of the irreplaceable losses that took so many lives last Saturday in Itaewon. What was supposed to be a night of fun turned out to be one of horror, especially ...

2022-11-01 17:18

. Bernard Rowan

Looking back and ahead

I moved this summer to a new home. I packed up my life over several decades and “put it” in a new place. In turn, I have begun to sort through my effects. There are books I am going to give to my school library. There are clothes, toys, and carpets to present to Goodwill, a charitable non-for-profit in America. However, I found treasures, not with monetary value, but for my s...

2022-11-01 17:08

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