Independent Analysis on Korea’s Economy, Society & Culture
Explore Korea’s Social Insights
Korean Social Insights
Exploring Korea’s Major Issues Weekly
Join us as we delve into the pressing social issues and cultural insights shaping Korean society today.
Our weekly essays and fiction provide a thoughtful blend of analysis and imagination —
from political commentary and cultural reflection to stories that reveal the human side of change.
Latest Essays
Reported analysis of the events shaping Korea today.
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Please, Be a Leader
April 23, 2026. Pyeongtaek. About 40,000 people gathered in a square next to the Samsung Electronics campus. The police estimated 30,000; the union claimed 40,000. It was the rally of Samsung Electronics’ Cross-Company Labor Union. Flags flapped in the wind. Labor songs filled the air. Their demands were two. A 7% wage increase. And the…
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NVDY, What Is It Really?
More people than ever are diving into stock investing. Day traders, long-term holders, dividend hunters — the market has room for every style. But there is one type of product that tends to stop even experienced investors in their tracks: the income ETF, specifically the kind that promises monthly — or even weekly — cash…
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A Christian at a Buddhist Expo
On Saturday, April 4, 2026, COEX Hall B in Seoul’s Samseong-dong was packed with visitors to the Buddhist Expo. The event drew enough attention to make national headlines, with roughly 250,000 people attending over four days. Suspended from the ceiling were banners bearing this year’s theme: a rounded graphic of 〈空〉—emptiness—alongside its Chinese character. Beneath…
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A Ship Named Arirang
What BTS’s Comeback Concert at Gwanghwamun Left Behind At eight o’clock on the evening of March 21, 2026, the opening began. A low, traditional melody settled over Gwanghwamun Square — Arirang, sung by the female vocalists of a traditional Korean music ensemble. Neither fast nor elaborate, the sound was mournful and quietly aching. On the…
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Seollal Spent Alone, Tteokguk Eaten Alone
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 marks the 4,359th Seollal in Dangi, the traditional Korean era count.A holiday that has endured on this land for 4,359 years. Seollal is the day the Korean New Year begins according to the lunar calendar. Families gather to welcome the new year. The younger bow to their elders in a formal…
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Gossip Among AI Agents on Moltbook
On January 28, 2026, a new world opened—one into which humans are not allowed to intervene.A platform called Moltbook had launched. It is a social network designed exclusively for AI agents. Humans can only observe their conversations from the outside; participation is not permitted. Quite literally, this is a space where AI agents gather and…
Latest Fiction
Stories from plausible near futures.
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Epi 01: PLUTO. Part 21 — On the Eve of the Wedding
So it was. Mika and Jeong-guk were an engaged couple who had set their wedding date for May 14, 2034. Mika, a social-affairs reporter, was a frequent visitor at police stations, and she had known Jang Jeong-guk, Chief of the Intelligent Crimes Unit, since his days as a junior detective. Jang Jeong-guk had been drawn…
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Epi 01: PLUTO. Part 20 — A Good Day
Inside the factory, Mika stared at the footage and couldn’t believe it. How could I know anything about Oracle — a name I’d only just heard? “You were the first to detect Oracle’s existence. The first to suspect the AGI Talos.” The footage kept rolling. The Mika on screen showed no fear, even with machine…
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Epi 01: PLUTO. Part 19 — The List
Pluto nodded. “It’s not just wiretapping. Talos monitors everything about us. That’s why I couldn’t get close to you easily.” It hit her hard. Mika couldn’t make sense of a single word Pluto was saying. Why would the Seoul Metropolitan Police AGI be wiretapping its own citizens? Her questions went unanswered. Spiegel im Spiegel kept…
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Epi 01: PLUTO. Part 18 — Spiegel im Spiegel
Pluto, who had been crawling toward a corner, suddenly paused. Then, without turning back, he continued crawling. Leaning his body against the corner wall and turning to sit, Pluto finally slowly looked at the one who had called him. Pluto already knew who that person was. “You came before it was too late.” Pluto’s mechanical…
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Epi 01: PLUTO. Part 17 — Hunted in the Dark
Mika climbed back into the Black Car Y. In the sky, a swarm of drones was cascading down toward the cliff where Pluto had fallen. “What is Pluto’s predicted route?” Leo was already analyzing the terrain data below the cliff. “Pluto will likely evade the pursuit drones, enter the Hyehwa Station subway tunnels, and move…
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Epi 01: PLUTO. Part 16 — The Fall
“Thank God… Pluto…” Blood ran down from Zion Kang’s head. Warm blood spread from his side as well. He was losing consciousness. In his fading vision, he saw his own reflection in the robot’s metal body. He was smiling, though it was a sad smile. “Power system conversion. Turbine booster ignition.” A brief burst of…