Fiscal guardrails 재정적 안전장치

A semiconductor boom is a curious time to discover a taste for fiscal restraint. As global demand for artificial intelligence lifts corporate earnings, South Korea’s tax coffers are swelling. The Lee Jae Myung administration wants to capture part of that windfall in a new fiscal fund exceeding 100 trillion won ($72.1 billion). 반도체 호조를 누리고 있는 시기에 긴축 재정에 관심을 갖는다는 것은 호기심을 불러일으킬만 하다. 세계적인 인공지능 수요로 기업 이익이 늘어나면서 한국의 세수 재원은 크게 증가하고 있다. 이재명 정부는 그 뜻하지 않은 수익의 일부를 100조원이 넘는 새로운 재정지금의 형식으로 확보하고자 한다. The Fut

2026-10-02 10:00:00:00

[Graphic News] Seoul ranks 4th among Asia’s most revisited destinations

Seoul ranks 4th among Asia’s most revisited destinations 서울, 아시아 재방문 여행지 4위 Seoul ranked No. 4 among Asia’s most revisited travel destinations in the first half of the year, as South Korea saw a surge in foreign visitors driven by growing interest in Korean culture. 서울이 올해 상반기 아시아에서 가장 많이 재방문한 여행지 4위에 올랐다. 한국 문화에 대한 관심이 높아지면서 한국을 찾는 외국인 관광객도 크게 늘어난 것으로 나타났다. According to travel platform Agoda, Seoul ranked No. 4 among Asia’s top destinations for repeat visitors based on accommodation bookings du

2026-10-02 10:00:00:00

[Robert J. Fouser] Don’t bank on Trump

Every year, New York becomes the epicenter of diplomacy as world leaders pour in to speak at the UN General Assembly. Few of the addresses made the news, but those by the leaders of the US, Iran and Israel struck a defiant tone amid war in the Middle East. President Lee Jae Myung’s speech was one of the most notable by a South Korean leader in years. Hoping to ease tensions with North Korea, Lee outlined a three-step plan toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The first step is a freez

2026-10-02 05:30:00:00

[Editorial] Multipolar trade reality

Trade policy used to be judged by a familiar ledger: exports on one side, imports on the other. That arithmetic is becoming obsolete. As major economies reshape supply chains and trade barriers, commerce is being reorganized around competing blocs, strategic dependencies and negotiated rules. Against that backdrop, South Korea is weighing entry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The government's latest assessment, unveiled on Monday, offers a useful s

2026-10-02 05:30:00:00

Penalties for obstructing personal data breach probes, stronger sanctions for collusion

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Personal Information Protection Act Proposed by Rep. Park Min-kyu (Democratic Party of Korea) Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act Proposed by Rep. Lee Kang-il (Democratic Party of Korea) Pending Bill: Class Action Act Proposed by Rep. Park Kyoon-taek (Democratic Party of Korea) Promulgated Bill: Personal Information Protection Act Competent Authority: Personal Information Protection Commission Administrative Annou

2026-10-01 10:26:04:00

Hoping To Heal 상처가 나아지기를

Dear Annie: I've been married for 35 years and have four children and seven grandchildren. We are a blended family. All the children lived with, and were raised by, my husband and me. One of my daughters was always kind of a black sheep, always doing things outside the box. As a young child, teen and adult, she always did it differently. So much so that, as she got older, it actually started to hurt our family and the other children. She moved out in her early 20s, and I thought things would get

2026-10-01 10:00:00:00

Candied chestnuts

Candied chestnuts are made by cooking peeled chestnuts with sugar and oil for a sweet, delicious treat. A sprinkle of black sesame seeds adds a nutty flavor and a slight crunch, making this a perfect traditional snack that you can easily enjoy at home. Try this recipe from W Table. Main ingredients: Seasoning ingredients: Instructions: Peel the chestnuts and place them in a heatproof container. Add a small amount of water and cook for about 8 minutes. Add the cooking oil and sugar to a pot or fr

2026-10-01 08:00:00:00

[Lee Moon-won] Wellness is a relationship

A message came from Dubai of the United Arab Emirates. The sender was a patient who had visited my clinic, Lee Moon Won Oriental Medicine Clinic, in Seoul months earlier for a consultation on hair loss treatment, received a prescription and returned home. The message was short: "I'd like to continue. Is that possible?" I sat with that message for a long time. This person was not asking about Seoul. They were asking for me — not a place, but a relationship. In that moment, what I do was redefined

2026-10-01 05:30:00:00

[Wang Son-taek] Politicization of security issues in South Korea

There is an old maxim in foreign policy that “politics stops at the water’s edge.” The principle suggests that partisan competition should not be allowed to undermine the national interest in dealing with the outside world. However, that principle is increasingly difficult to uphold. Complex diplomatic maneuvers and sensitive military procedures are too often drawn into partisan disputes. Security issues should be debated vigorously in a democracy. But when they are judged primarily by their use

2026-10-01 05:30:00:00

Seoul’s youngest council speaker from Gwanak-gu vows unity, balance

This summer, Im Man-gyun made history when he became both the youngest speaker of the Seoul Metropolitan Council and the first speaker from Gwanak-gu. Im won the speakership on June 29 in a six-candidate race and immediately put council reform and innovation at the center of his agenda. He has outlined plans to broaden public engagement, build a more open council and create an institutional foundation that allows members to focus fully on their legislative duties. In his role leading 118 council

2026-09-30 12:48:22:00