[Chris McKinney & Henry Haggard] Why AI needs more time

On Sept. 12, leaders of the most powerful artificial intelligence firms in the United States asked the government to regulate them and slow down AI development. What AI risks are driving their fears, and why are they only asking for these radical steps now? The simplest answer is that AI capabilities are outrunning our ability to understand and control them, and the problem of aligning AI with human values remains unsolved. There is no better example of this than the July OpenAI–Hugging Face inc

2026-09-29 05:30:04:00

[Lim Woong] Old habits linger on in high places

The tension began in January, when the judicial council that screens candidates put forward four names to serve on the Supreme Court. By custom, the chief justice and the Blue House are supposed to consult and settle on a final nominee. But the two offices remained deadlocked for months; in March, the retiring justice left the bench with no successor. On Aug. 18, Chief Justice Jo Hee-de broke with custom and nominated one of the stalled candidates in writing; 10 days later, the Blue House refuse

2026-09-29 05:30:03:00

The loophole that led to Korea's foreigner pension controversy 한국의 외국인 연금 논란을 촉발한 허점

For Koreans already worried about the future solvency of the National Pension, reports that foreigners could pay into the system for only a few months, make years of retroactive contributions and qualify for a lifelong pension were bound to be provocative. 국민연금의 미래 지급 능력을 이미 우려하고 있던 한국인들에게, 외국인이 단 몇 달만 보험료를 낸 뒤 수년치를 소급 납부해 평생 연금을 받을 자격을 얻을 수 있다는 보도는 논란을 일으킬 만한 것이었다. One case can be enough to prove a failure. It is not always enough to prove a pattern, especially when it touches a mandatory pensi

2026-09-28 10:00:00:00

No turning back 되돌릴 수 없는

Last Thursday, the government announced a plan to supply more than 230,000 housing units in the Seoul metropolitan area. 지난 목요일 정부는 수도권에 23만호 이상의 주택을 공급하겠다는 계획을 발표했다. However, Yongsan Park was not included in the plan. 그러나 그 계획에 용산공원은 포함되지 않았다. On the same day, Ha Joon-kyung, senior presidential secretary for economic growth, said in a radio interview following the announcement of the real estate measures that "it is necessary to provide housing on the Yongsan Park site." 같은날 하준경 청와대 경제성장수석은 부동산

2026-09-28 10:00:00:00

[Graphic News] Average parental age of S. Koreans rises

Average parental age of S. Koreans rises 한국인 평균 부모 연령 상승 South Korean parents are having their first child about two years later than they did a decade ago, reflecting a continued trend toward later marriage and childbirth, data showed. 한국에서 첫 아이를 낳는 부모의 연령이 10년 전보다 약 2년 늦어진 것으로 나타났다. 만혼과 출산 연령 상승 추세가 이어지고 있는 데 따른 것으로 풀이된다. In 2025, first-time fathers were 35.4 years old on average, while first-time mothers were 33.2, up from 33.7 and 31.2, respectively, in 2015. 2025년 첫째 아이를 낳은 아버지의 평균 연령은 35.4

2026-09-28 10:00:00:00

Unilateral drift 일방적인 변화

An alliance can survive disagreement. It is harder to sustain when one side learns about a major security decision from social media. 의견이 맞지 않는다고 해도 동맹은 지속될 수 있다. 그러나 한쪽이 중요한 안보 관련 결정을 소셜미디어를 통해 알게 된다면 이를 견뎌내기는 어렵다. That is what happened as South Korea and the US began this year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he had ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea, citing their cost and saying t

2026-09-28 09:06:00:00

Cucumber perilla oil noodles

This is a light and refreshing noodle dish perfect for hot days. The chewy buckwheat noodles and crunchy cucumber come together for a satisfying meal that will wake up your appetite. Best of all, this simple noodle dish takes just 15 minutes to make. Try this recipe from W Table. Main ingredients: Seasoning ingredients: Instructions: Wash the cucumber and thinly slice it into rounds. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the sliced cucumber to 500 ml of water. Let it soak for about 10 minutes. Lightly ri

2026-09-28 08:00:00:00

[Editorial] A brief respite

South Korea recorded 24,275 births in July, up 11.1 percent from a year earlier and the highest July figure in seven years. Births in the January-July period exceeded 170,000, rising 14.7 percent from the same period of 2025. July marriages also reached 22,282, the highest for the month in 11 years. The numbers may appear encouraging. Yet they are easy to misread. The recent improvement reflects cohort dynamics as much as a change in reproductive behavior. Marriages postponed during the COVID-19

2026-09-28 05:30:00:00

[Yoo Choon-sik] When headline growth tells only half the story

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has sharply raised its forecast for South Korea’s economic growth this year to what would be the fastest pace in five years, citing an extraordinary boom in semiconductor exports fueled by the prolonged surge in global investment in the artificial intelligence sector. The OECD now expects South Korea’s economy to grow 3.7 percent this year, an unusually large upward revision from the 2.6 percent it forecast just three months earlier. That

2026-09-28 05:30:00:00

[Man-Ki Kim] Test Encinal project feasibility

The proposed 6.3-gigawatt gas-fired power plant in Encinal, Texas, is welcome news. As the first project under the $350 billion Korea-US agreement, it could create opportunities for Korean businesses and strengthen the alliance’s economic security cooperation. However, committing $22.3 billion in public capital requires rigorous feasibility assessment and public scrutiny. On Tuesday, the National Assembly’s Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee held a closed-door government briefi

2026-09-28 05:30:00:00