[Editorial] Lack of sincerity

The Korean government’s boycott of a memorial service held on Sado island in Japan on Sunday for Koreans forced into labor in gold mines on the island during its colonial rule of Korea stemmed from Japan’s lack of sincerity. In order to get the Sado mines inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage list, the Japanese government pledged to exhibit data on former Korean workers and hold an on-site memorial service jointly with the Korean government each year if it consented to the designa

Nov. 26, 2024

[Andrei Hagiu] Which products will benefit and which will be disrupted by generative AI

Generative AI’s ability to create or improve products and services means it has to potential to commoditize some businesses, while greatly enhancing the competitive advantage of others. In what follows I will discuss the characteristics that make products or services susceptible to disruption by generative AI, and those that make them more resilient. To illustrate, I will then compare Chegg and Duolingo, two businesses which have been impacted very differently by the emergence of generativ

Nov. 25, 2024

[Solomon D. Stevens] Male insecurity and US election

Donald Trump recently said he would protect women, whether they like it or not. What did he mean by this? What is implied by this? It is an important statement and, unfortunately, tells us a great deal about why Trump won the election and his priorities as president. For the last several years, leading Republicans have warned that there is a war on masculinity in America. Indeed, manly men are being replaced, they say, by effeminate men or gay men or -- even worse -- by men who want to become wo

Nov. 25, 2024

[Yoo Choon-sik] What changing US AI policy means to South Korea

Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election earlier this month, securing another four-year term as the leader of the world’s most powerful country, has sent shockwaves across the globe and through various sectors on a magnitude and scope not seen in many years. Not only experts and scholars but also the general public, including small retail investors and office workers, have actively debated the changes Trump is likely to bring about when he takes office in two months and

Nov. 25, 2024

[Editorial] Shift in fiscal policy

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration has focused on maintaining fiscal soundness as a key economic policy. But its policy showed signs of change last week amid growing concerns about the toxic mix of sluggish domestic demand and a continued slowdown in economic growth. “In the first half of this year, the government has made efforts to revitalize the economy by helping the private sector lead the way,” President Yoon said at an event Friday. “In the second half, the government will

Nov. 25, 2024

[Editorial] Growth challenge

South Korea’s economic growth, long a hallmark of its transformation, appears increasingly constrained, a negative development that calls for more decisive policy action from the government. The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday projected that the country could post a modest 2 percent expansion for 2025, a downward revision from the 2.2 percent forecast issued just last month. The IMF’s revised forecast clearly signals diminished expectations, illustrating the mounting structu

Nov. 22, 2024

[Lee Byung-jong] Bromance with President Trump?

Now that former President Donald Trump has won the US presidential election, should President Yoon Suk Yeol practice golf and get used to hamburgers? By indulging in Trump’s favorites, can President Yoon win the US leader's heart and build a bromance with him for the sake of South Korea’s national interests? Unfortunately, these seemingly playful questions have become a serious topic lately in Seoul’s political and diplomatic circles. That is because as the most powerful l

Nov. 22, 2024

[Editorial] Security void feared

The leadership of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has said that the party will consider impeaching Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun. A member of its supreme council said in a council meeting on Monday that the Defense Ministry is “amplifying tension with North Korea again by neglecting launches of anti-North Korean leaflets” by South Korean activists, adding that it is “playing with fire to save first lady Kim Keon Hee.” Claiming that the Defense M

Nov. 21, 2024

[Frank Pasquale] The coming battle over Trump tech policy

Over the past three years, one of the US’ top tech regulators has been Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan. Since publishing her remarkable Yale Law Journal article “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox” in 2017, Khan has been a leading voice fighting concentrated corporate power and protecting consumers in the US Her FTC sued Amazon, and other big tech companies, for anti-competitive practices. It has also vastly improved its privacy enforcement efforts, and has compreh

Nov. 21, 2024

[Wang Son-taek] Guidance comes from Moon, not golf

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, leaders worldwide are grappling with the implications. Cooperation with the US president is critical for most countries, as it significantly affects their national interests. For South Korea, this is especially true. On issues of security and trade, collaboration with the United States is not just beneficial -- it is vital. Trump's past remarks, including a suggestion of demanding a $10 billion defense cost-sharing settlement from South Korea,

Nov. 21, 2024

[Tyler Cowen] US expat taxes too complicated

President-elect Donald Trump pledged last month to eliminate “the Double Taxation of overseas Americans.” Never mind the clumsy wording -- taxes on US citizens working abroad aren’t excessive so much as excessively complicated -- this is one campaign promise that may actually be fulfilled, given the Republican control of both houses of Congress. That would be a good thing not only for those Americans but also for America. There is in fact a long-standing debate over getting rid

Nov. 20, 2024

[Kim Seong-kon] Farewell to the vanishing John Wayne era

Perhaps young people would not know, but for the older generation, the celebrated Hollywood star John Wayne represented America on the screen. Indeed, in the movies he starred in, John Wayne embodied traditional American values, such as the frontier spirit, true courage and unparalleled magnanimity. In his movies, Wayne was always like a caring, reliable big brother who was ready to help the weak in times of crisis, without expecting rewards, just like America in his time, which was called Uncle

Nov. 20, 2024

[Editorial] Outflow of capital

Two worrying trends are sweeping the financial market in South Korea. First, a growing number of investors are jumping on the feverish cryptocurrency bandwagon. Second, investors tend to increase their holdings of red-hot US stocks rather than putting their money in the lackluster local stock market. The daily trading volume of the country’s top five cryptocurrency exchanges surpassed 20 trillion won ($14.4 billion) last week, outpacing the combined 19 trillion won of the main bourse Kospi

Nov. 20, 2024

[Editorial] Absurd trial delay

The Supreme Court’s confirmation of conviction of former lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang for embezzling donations, is a reminder of a legal maxim that justice delayed is justice denied. Last Thursday the top court confirmed the second-trial judgment that had given her a one-year and six-month jail sentence, suspended for three years, for pocketing money donated to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. The final judiciary conclusion came f

Nov. 19, 2024

[Peter Singer] A lesson from Trump’s campaign

In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election, The New York Times reported on a clash of views between two Democratic members of the US Congress. “Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” said Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts. “I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete

Nov. 19, 2024