OPINION: As aging deepens, South Korea confronts growing consumption slowdown

SEOUL, October 22 (AJP) - South Korea’s economy expanded modestly in the second quarter, with gross domestic product rising 0.6 percent from a year earlier, reflecting persistent weaknesses in consumer spending that threaten to slow long-term growth. According to government data, private consumption increased 0.9 percent from a year earlier, while government spending rose 2.6 percent. Construction investment plunged 11.4 percent, offset by a 3.4 percent gain in facility inve

October 22, 2025

OPINION: Coupang can't build Korea's AI future alone

SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - Artificial intelligence is fast becoming the engine of global economic growth. According to Precedence Research, the global AI market is projected to expand from 1,033 trillion won this year to more than 5,020 trillion won — about $3.68 trillion — by 2034. That figure is seven times South Korea’s annual budget and roughly half the size of the United States’ federal spending. Against this backdrop, South Korea has set its sig

October 21, 2025

OPINION: Stricter regulations push young people's dreams of owning home further out of reach

SEOUL, October 17 (AJP) - "I waited for the government to bring housing prices under control, but now it's almost impossible to buy a home even with dual incomes," lamented one salaried worker. Two years ago, he put off purchasing a home, but his dream has now collapsed, following a new set of even stricter real estate and loan regulations announced earlier this week by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Under the measures aimed at curbing soaring ho

October 17, 2025

OPINION: Korean rice could find second life — in a glass

SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - For generations, rice has been more than just food for Koreans — it has been the foundation of daily life and the symbol of a shared table. But that symbol is fading. In the 1970s, the average Korean ate more than 130 kilograms of rice each year. By 2024, that number had fallen to just 55.8 kilograms. As bread, noodles and ready-to-eat meals became more convenient, rice quietly lost its central place in the national diet. The decline is

October 14, 2025

OPINION: South Korea's illusion of peace

At the recent United Nations General Assembly, President Lee Jae Myung unveiled his "END Initiative," a plan aimed at ending the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula through exchange, normalization, and denuclearization. While presented as a flexible, multi-pronged approach, the initiative raises a critical, uncomfortable question: Does South Korea still suffer from the fatal illusion that North Korea can be coaxed away from its nuclear arsenal? The reality is that Lee&rs

September 29, 2025

OPINION: Technical roadmap for Korean AI models

South Korea's global ambition in the AI transformation — a goal of both national significance and export potential — hinges on mastering challenges that continue to plague tech giants in the U.S. and China. The key to success won't be model size alone, but a technical focus on building trust, combating deception, and ensuring truthful, ethically aligned AI behavior. The most immediate technical hurdle is the phenomenon of hallucination — the AI's

September 29, 2025

South Korea Bets $100 Billion on AI: A Risky Gamble?

SEOUL, September 26 (AJP) - South Korea's $100 Billion AI Bet: A Risky Gamble? The New York Times recently likened data centers to thermometers of the tech industry's health and symbols of the AI bubble. This duality highlights the contradictions of the AI era. Building a data center costs billions, requiring GPUs, cooling technology, power grids, and stable sites. Despite this, companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are increasing investments. Countries like Jap

September 26, 2025

OPINION: Bogota's first metro train is wake-up call for South Korea

In September 2025, Bogota welcomed its first-ever metro train, a sight that many Colombians thought they might never live to see. After seven decades of delays, false starts, and political infighting, the arrival of a sleek Chinese-built train was celebrated across the Colombian capital as a long-awaited triumph. But for South Korea, watching from afar, it should serve as something else: a moment of reckoning. As someone who worked closely on infrastructure cooperation betwee

September 25, 2025

Georgia immigration raid prompts calls for special visa program for South Korean workers

SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Despite Seoul's massive $350 billion investment pledge to Washington, a sweeping U.S. immigration raid early this month led to the detention of hundreds of South Koreans working at a joint electric vehicle battery plant under construction in Georgia. The incident severely disrupted South Korean companies' plans to send skilled workers to the U.S. for productivity and quality control. The raid underscores the need for clear and consistent v

September 18, 2025

OPINION: China keeps 'doing right thing'

SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Recent surveys by multiple international polling agencies show that global public opinion toward China continues to improve, with the country's image gaining wider recognition around the world. This growing recognition reflects China's commitment to "doing the right thing"

September 18, 2025