Category: Essays
We aim to examine major economic, social, and cultural issues unfolding in Korea with depth and balance.
This section explores why certain events occur, what underlying forces shape them, and how we should understand and interpret these developments.
At the intersection of current issues and broader social questions, we seek to explore the spirit of our time and the values we must collectively shape moving forward.
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Because of these words, I will be buried by Joseon society
Yet I choose to speak and die, rather than rot away in silence. In 1934, during the Japanese colonial period,a short essay was published in the magazine Samcheolli.Its title was A Confession of Divorce.The author was Na Hye-seok. She was known as Korea’s first female Western-style painter and a “New Woman.”After her divorce, she wrote…
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Please Do Not Delete Coupang.
The Coupang data breach revealed more than a failure of security. It exposed the reality of a system-driven corporation that millions depend on for work, consumption, and survival. This essay examines Coupang not as a moral villain, but as a piece of modern infrastructure—raising a difficult question: to leave, or not to leave.
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A Life Built Over Thirty Years, Erased in Forty-Eight Hours
On December 5, 2025, Dispatch reported that actor Cho Jin-woong (born Cho Won-jun) had been involved in a violent juvenile incident thirty years ago. The controversy quickly escalated into a nationwide debate over the purpose of juvenile justice, the possibility of rehabilitation, and the standards by which a public figure’s past should be disclosed. Within…
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“We could only watch the fire. We were all the same.”
The blaze at Hong Kong’s Tai Po “Wang Fuk Court,” which spread across multiple high-rise blocks during exterior renovation work, revealed a convergence of structural vulnerabilities: flammable construction materials, malfunctioning fire alarms, and resident warnings that had gone unheeded. This tragedy raises a pressing question—why do disasters built into the system keep repeating?
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What Do Humans Live On in the Age of AI?
A growing divide defines the AI era: while some gain new high-skill opportunities, many workers fear AI as a quiet signal of future layoffs. This essay examines Korea’s rising anxiety, global restructuring trends, and what it means for human dignity and the right to live well in a world where machines take on more human…
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NewJeans: A Year of Defiance, Defeat, and the Return of the ‘Five’
NewJeans is returning to ADOR after a year-long conflict involving lawsuits, injunctions, and internal disputes following Min Hee-jin’s dismissal. Their attempt to rebrand as “NJZ” and pursue independent activity collapsed after the court upheld ADOR’s exclusive contract through 2029. While the group’s creative identity—once shaped by Min Hee-jin—was widely praised as a breakthrough in K-pop,…
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Stablecoins: To Use or Not to Use
Stablecoins ask the old question anew: What is money? In the name of innovation, monetary power is shifting — from nations to private hands.
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TO OUR PARTNERSHIP AND THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD!
On an autumn night in Seoul, three of the world’s most powerful CEOs shared fried chicken, beer, and a vision for the future of technology — a moment that would go down in history.
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Is the Dollar America’s Currency—or the World’s?
As the U.S. demands a $350 billion “cash investment” from South Korea, the debate over America’s deficit deepens: is it a burden—or the engine of the global economy?
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The 64 Koreans Who Returned from Cambodia
A deeper look into the repatriation of 64 Koreans from Cambodia — a story of deception, survival, and moral awakening.