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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King Sejong’s Tomb: A Walk Through Korea’s ‘Finest Land Under Heaven’
On Saturday, May 9, 2026, the courtyard in front of Yeongneung — the tomb of King Sejong in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province — was thick with the scent of ink. The Sejong National Hangeul Calligraphy Contest was underway, an annual celebration of the beauty of the Korean alphabet. In an age when digital keyboards have become…
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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…
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Should We Buy Gold Now?
Late on January 30 in the United States, reports emerged that Donald Trump had nominated Kevin Warsh as the next Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve. In response, stocks, Bitcoin, gold, and silver all moved lower at once.Gold in particular dropped by roughly 10 percent in a single day in the U.S. market. When the…
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“Not a Single Robot Allowed!” — Hyundai Union vs. Atlas
On January 22, 2026, the Hyundai Motor Company Labor Union officially announced its strong opposition to deploying the humanoid robot “Atlas,” a physical AI system developed by Hyundai Motor Group, into production sites. The union stated that “not a single robot will be allowed onto the shop floor without labor–management agreement,” warning that the introduction…
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We Are Not People Who Can Be Bought
January 18, 2026.In Nuuk, a woman gave an interview. Her name is Tillie Martinussen,a young Greenlandic politician. The moment she began to speak, I felt something I had not felt in a long time:the sensation of listening to a real politician.Not rehearsed sentences.Not calibrated messaging.But words spoken by someone who knows where she comes from,…