[Seo Ji-eun] Beyond fandom: BTS as Korea’s cultural mirror

I walked into a sea of purple, and the world shifted beneath my feet. Purple nails, purple hair, purple clothes — even purple hijabs — all moving in unison with an energy that was at once electric and strangely intimate. Hours before the concert began, the crowd had already transformed an ordinary suburb of Seoul into a festival of devotion, a global gathering that defied borders, languages and expectations. On June 13, the first day of the two-day finale of J-Hope’s world tour at Goyang Sports

Aug. 28, 2025

[Sheldon H. Jacobson] 'Smart' tech does not necessarily make aviation safer

Air travel is remarkably safe, based on several years of performance data. Yet near-misses, including the recent close call between a Delta airplane and an Aeromexico regional jet in Mexico City, give people pause to question whether current air travel risks are higher than historical trends suggest. In light of such concerns, and given the growth of “smart” technologies, it should be no surprise that such technologies have entered the world of air travel. Smart Landing and Smart Runway technolo

Aug. 27, 2025

[Kim Seong-kon] Looking forward to Korea’s multicultural future

Traditionally, Koreans have thought of themselves as homogeneous people, despite the absence of solid evidence for this view. Unfortunately, this preconception has often led to many foreigners finding it difficult to integrate into Korean society. However, these days things appear to be changing. Due to the significant influx of international students, immigrants and migratory workers, Koreans are now witnessing that their country is rapidly turning into a multicultural society. Accordingly, the

Aug. 27, 2025

[Lee Jae-min] Search for a new trade order beyond WTO, FTAs

Jamieson Greer’s declaration (New York Times op-ed on Aug. 7, 2025) that the World Trade Organization system has now run its course, and a new “Turnberry system” should take over, is sparking repercussions in the global community. After years of innuendos and insinuations, he finally points out the elephant in the room. As far as I can remember, this is the first time that a high-ranking official of the United States has officially mentioned a new "system" to replace the WTO instead of improving

Aug. 26, 2025

[Grace Kao] Rookies steal KCON spotlight

KCON LA 2025 was full of established artists such as NCT 127, aespa, Nmixx, Monsta X, i-dle, Jackson Wang, Key of SHINee, Zerobaseone, Ive and others. However, for some of the 37 acts that appeared at KCON, it was their very first KCON. I can attest that these rookie groups worked extremely hard and in some cases, performed more than some senior artists. They did so enthusiastically. 82Major is a six-member boy group who debuted in October 2023, with members Seongil, Yechan, Seongmo, Seongbin, S

Aug. 26, 2025

[Kim Hyung-ryong] Gates' visit inspires Korea's organoid research leadership

Last week, South Korea welcomed Bill Gates, whose special contribution to Korean press reminded us of our nation’s profound responsibility and opportunity to advance global health. In his article, Gates urged Korea to do three things: to invest in proven multilateral health programs, to apply our innovation capacity to global challenges, and to remind the world of the transformative power of health and development investments. There is one initiative that captures all three of these aspirations:

Aug. 25, 2025

[Lee Kyong-hee] ‘Mr. Tiger’ to Derpy, across a half century

As Netflix's “KPop Demon Hunters” captivates viewers worldwide (me included — repeatedly) to remain a global hit, I recall Zo Za-yong, a pioneer of Korea’s 20th-century folk art movement. Decades before today’s fascination with Derpy, a mysterious tiger messenger in the musical animation, Zo tirelessly collected, preserved and exhibited humorous tiger-and-magpie paintings and other folk works of art that came close to being destroyed and forgotten. In the 1960s and 1970s, when putting three meal

Aug. 25, 2025

[Robert J. Fouser] South Korea’s public libraries turn cool

On a hot mid-August day, I stopped at my local public library and noticed a sign at the entrance offering free bottles of cold water. It stated that the program was run through a collaboration between the Rhode Island state government, public libraries and local businesses. On the way out, I thought about public libraries in South Korea because I had given a lecture in late May at the recently remodeled Jjokgureum Public Library in suburban Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. Like my neighborhood lib

Aug. 22, 2025

Life well lived

It is only in their passing that some people’s lives come to light — especially the lives of those who lived in service of others. So it is with the late Bishop Timothy Yu Gyoung-chon, who passed away Aug. 15, just a month shy of his 63rd birthday, after battling cancer. Yu was ordained a priest in 1992. In December 2013, he was appointed bishop by Pope Francis, who had been elected pope in March that year. Yu took as his pastoral motto "you ought to wash one another's feet." The phrase from Joh

Aug. 21, 2025

[Wang Son-taek] Lessons from Kim Dae-jung’s diplomacy

This week marks the 16th anniversary of the passing of Kim Dae-jung, former president of the Republic of Korea. Few leaders in modern Korean history left as deep and lasting an imprint on the nation’s development as he did. Kim was a champion of democracy, a reformer who guided Korea through economic peril, and a statesman who dared to extend a hand of peace to the North. His life was one of survival and resilience — he overcame five near-death experiences — and those experiences shaped the phil

Aug. 21, 2025

[Vitit Muntarbhorn] Health care in a precarious world

Health care is pivotal for human well-being. Yet, in today’s precarious world, it is pressured by diminishing resources, demographic variables, warfare and violence, and environmental degradation. Sustaining health care thus requires insightful planning and implementation, no less for Thailand and the ASEAN region. The motivating factor is the global recognition that every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, with the state under an obligation to respect, protect an

Aug. 21, 2025

[Contribution] Securing cyberspace through global cooperation, innovation

By Park Sung-ju Vice Commissioner for Investigation at the Korean National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation The 21st century’s digital civilization has brought humanity remarkable advances in technology, transforming the way we structure our societies and lead our daily lives. However, technological advances do not always yield positive results. They often come with significant challenges and risks. Today, trust in cyberspace is under greater threat than ever, making it increasin

Aug. 20, 2025

[Kim Seong-kon] Agenda for the Korea-US summit meeting

Next week, there will be a summit meeting between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump in Washington. Besides the tariff issue on which the two countries recently reached an agreement, experts say that there will be a lot to discuss at the meeting, such as cost-sharing for the US troops deployed in Korea, changing the role of US troops on the Korean Peninsula, and transferring wartime operational control of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command. The Korean people will be anxiously

Aug. 20, 2025

[Andrew Sheng] Options in the eye of the storm

As Typhoon Trump sweeps over trading partners and foes alike, even as US stock markets are breaking record highs, there is an eerie feeling that one is trapped inside the eye of the hurricane, with no guidance on what to do and where to go. There is misinformation and disinformation everywhere, since we have no objective and independent verification on the real casualties and devastation in the Ukraine and Gaza wars, nor whether Trump can deliver a truce with Putin when they meet soon, or rein i

Aug. 19, 2025

[Grace Kao] Pretty Boys P1Harmony ‘Killin’ It’ with ‘Duh’

P1Harmony — a fourth-generation K-pop boy group comprising members Keeho, Theo, Jiung, Intak, Soul and Jongseob — was a featured act at KCON LA 2025, performing on the M Countdown Stage and Meet and Greet on Day 1 and Artists Stage on Day 3. Many fans I spoke to at KCON told me that P1Harmony was a major reason for their attendance at KCON LA 2025. Their name came up unsolicited by me. Ann Marie Uy, 48, from LA, mentioned that she was excited to see many groups, including P1Harmony. Brooke Shell

Aug. 19, 2025