Journalist

Lee Hugh
  • Choi Min-jeong Wins 7th Olympic Medal as IOC Shares Mother’s Letter
    Choi Min-jeong Wins 7th Olympic Medal as IOC Shares Mother’s Letter South Korea short track skater Choi Min-jeong set a national Olympic record with seven career medals, drawing attention to a handwritten letter from her mother shared ahead of the Games. The International Olympic Committee on Feb. 21 posted the letter on its official Instagram account, introducing it as a message from Choi’s mother to the Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo 2026 Winter Olympics competitor. In the letter, her mother wrote that it was “a miracle” that the child who first put on skates at age 6 was now competing on the sport’s biggest stage. She added that she knew how much her daughter had cried alone after enduring pain without saying she hurt and smiling through difficult moments. “This Olympics, more than results or records, the time it took you to get here is the gold medal,” she wrote, adding, “You are already the gold medal of my life.” After winning silver in the women’s 1,500 meters final, Choi referenced the letter in an interview. “I cried a lot after reading the handwritten letter my mother gave me to read on the flight out,” she said. Choi finished the Milan Winter Olympics with one gold and one silver medal. That brought her career Olympic total to seven medals — four gold and three silver — moving her past Jin Jong-oh (shooting), Kim Soo-nyung (archery) and Lee Seung-hoon (speed skating), who each had six, for the most by a South Korean athlete. Choi, who had said this would be her final Olympics, said she believed from the start to the finish that it would be her last. Asked about retirement, she said she would “coordinate with the team.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-21 16:27:00
  • US trade representative signals new tariff investigations likely to include South Korea
    US trade representative signals new tariff investigations likely to include South Korea SEOUL, February 21 (AJP) - The United States plans to launch broad trade investigations that are expected to target South Korea as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to replace a tariff program recently struck down by the US Supreme Court. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement on Friday (local time) that new investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 will likely cover most major trading partners. These probes allow the US government to impose tariffs on countries deemed to have "unfair" or "discriminatory" trade practices. The move comes immediately after the US Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the administration did not have the legal authority to impose its previous "reciprocal" tariffs under emergency powers. While Trump signed a new 10 percent global surcharge to replace them, that specific authority—known as Section 122—is limited by law to a maximum of 150 days. By launching Section 301 investigations, the White House aims to establish a more permanent legal basis for higher tariffs. South Korea is considered a primary target because it ran a 56.4 billion dollar trade surplus with the United States in 2025, the 11th largest among US trading partners. In South Korea, officials are concerned the US may use local digital regulations as a justification for new duties. The Trump administration has previously criticized the South Korean National Assembly for proposing laws aimed at regulating online platforms and curbing misinformation, claiming they unfairly target US tech giants. Other long-standing disputes, such as network usage fees and the export of high-precision map data, could also be cited in the US investigation. The trade representative noted that the upcoming probes would cover various areas, including "industrial overcapacity, forced labor, pharmaceutical pricing, and discrimination against US digital firms." For South Korea, the new legal strategy creates a significant diplomatic burden. Under a trade deal reached last year, Seoul had already agreed to a 15 percent tariff rate in exchange for investment promises. If the new investigations proceed, South Korea could face even higher duties or be forced into a new round of difficult negotiations to maintain its current market access. While Section 301 investigations typically take up to one year to complete, Greer indicated the administration intends to move much faster. Trade experts suggest the White House wants the new tariff framework ready before the 150-day temporary surcharge expires in late July. The South Korean government is currently analyzing the potential scope of the US investigations. Officials in Seoul have stated they will seek to protect national interests while monitoring how the US administration balances these new legal tools with existing trade agreements. 2026-02-21 13:23:06
  • White house to exempt cars and minerals from new 10 percent tariff
    White house to exempt cars and minerals from new 10 percent tariff SEOUL, February 21 (AJP) - The White House has made a decision that could provide significant relief for South Korean manufacturers, announcing Friday (local time) that it will exclude passenger cars and critical minerals from a new 10 percent import tax. The exemptions were included in a proclamation for a new temporary import surcharge that takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on February 24. This new policy follows a United States Supreme Court ruling earlier that day that struck down the centerpiece of President Donald Trump's previous tariff program. For South Korean automakers, the exemption offers a double benefit by protecting their price competitiveness in the US market while ensuring a stable supply of materials. Since passenger cars and their components are excluded, companies like Hyundai Motor and Kia can continue shipping vehicles to the US without the burden of the new 10 percent surcharge. Also, the decision to exempt critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries helps South Korean firms maintain their production costs and meet US domestic content requirements for federal tax credits. According to the official announcement, the list of items exempt from the tax includes passenger cars, buses, and the parts used to build them. Certain products for the aerospace industry and specific electronics are also excluded from the new costs. The administration also decided not to tax natural resources, fertilizers, and minerals that cannot be found or produced inside the United States. These exemptions are particularly important for South Korean carmakers and battery manufacturers. These companies rely heavily on imported critical minerals and had faced rising costs under the previous "reciprocal" tariff system that the court invalidated. Trump signed these new measures after the Supreme Court decided that the president does not have the legal power to create new taxes on imports using an emergency law called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The court ruled 6-3 in the case Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump that only the US Congress has the power to create such taxes. To keep his trade policies in place, Trump used a different law called Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. This law allows a president to set temporary import taxes for up to 150 days to deal with national economic imbalances. The South Korean government has started a close review of the list of exempt products. Officials in Seoul plan to meet with business leaders to see how the new 10 percent tax and the exemptions will affect trade and the large investments South Korean companies have made in the United States. While the new 10 percent tax replaces the older system, the White House also ordered that small packages sent through the mail will no longer be tax-free. These small shipments, known as de minimis entries, will now be charged the 10 percent tax to make sure all imports are treated the same way under the new rules. 2026-02-21 10:57:59
  • OPINION: $10 Trillion Trump Effect Boomerang - a turning point for US-led trade order
    OPINION: $10 Trillion "Trump Effect" Boomerang - a turning point for US-led trade order “Wherever law ends, tyranny begins.” — John Locke The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on February 20, 2026, will be remembered less as a trade ruling than as a constitutional moment. In a 6–3 judgment, the Court struck down President Donald J. Trump’s sweeping global tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), concluding that the statute did not authorize the president to levy what were, in substance, taxes. The legal reasoning was straightforward. While IEEPA allows the executive to “regulate” imports during national emergencies, it does not explicitly delegate the power to impose tariffs. Under the Constitution, the authority to tax and to regulate foreign commerce rests primarily with Congress. For measures of vast economic and political consequence, the Court held, clear congressional authorization is required. This was not a ruling about the merits of protectionism or free trade. It was a ruling about the architecture of power. Since returning to office, Mr. Trump has elevated tariffs from a policy instrument into a governing philosophy. Trade deficits, fentanyl trafficking, national security and industrial revival were all invoked to justify rapid and expansive tariff actions. Tariffs became less a technical tool of trade policy than a lever of negotiation, pressure and political messaging. But when emergency authority becomes a standing method of economic governance, the line between regulation and unilateral taxation begins to blur. That line, the Court has now insisted, still matters. From Judicial Defeat to Regulatory Retaliation Within hours of the ruling, the administration pivoted. Mr. Trump announced a new 10 percent global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 — a provision that allows temporary duties, capped at 15 percent and limited to 150 days, in response to balance-of-payments concerns. Other statutory pathways — Sections 232 and 301 among them — remain available. At the same time, the White House moved aggressively to sustain and expand the suspension of duty-free “de minimis” treatment for small imports, especially postal shipments. Millions of low-value parcels that once entered the United States with minimal friction are now being subjected to new duties and administrative controls. The response was telling. When courts narrowed the main channel of authority, pressure was redirected to secondary routes. If sweeping emergency tariffs were legally vulnerable, granular regulations and temporary statutes would carry the burden. It was not a retreat. It was a rerouting. In effect, legal frustration in Washington was being translated into regulatory pressure on global trade flows. Leverage With a Deadline The Section 122 tariff is economically blunt but strategically precise. It establishes a baseline cost of market access and compresses negotiations into a single metric. Yet it is inherently temporary. With a statutory time limit of 150 days, the measure functions as leverage with an expiration date. It forces either congressional engagement, further legal maneuvering or negotiated outcomes. Markets understand the difference between temporary pressure and durable architecture. The former generates volatility. The latter sustains confidence. The new framework delivers the first, not the second. Predictability Under Strain For decades, the United States anchored the global trade system not only through market size and military power, but through predictability. Rules, procedures and institutional continuity functioned as a form of geopolitical capital. Even when policies shifted, the system retained coherence. When tariffs are perceived as instruments of executive discretion rather than products of statutory process, that predictability erodes. Trading partners and multinational firms begin to treat U.S. trade policy not as a rules-based framework, but as a variable contingent on political cycles. Negotiations tilt toward short-term transactions rather than durable arrangements. Order gives way, gradually, to bargaining. The growing use of small-parcel regulation and temporary tariffs reflects this transformation. Trade governance is becoming more reactive, more tactical and more closely tied to domestic political dynamics. The $10 Trillion Narrative The White House has celebrated what it calls “The Trump Effect.” Officials cite $9.6 trillion in announced domestic and foreign investments since Mr. Trump’s return to office — a sweeping list of sovereign pledges, corporate expansions and industrial commitments. The number is politically potent. But its composition invites scrutiny. Some announcements reflect projects conceived under previous administrations. Others are conditional, long-term or partially overlapping with existing commitments. Many depend on regulatory stability and legal continuity. More fundamentally, investment totals alone do not settle the institutional question. If capital inflows are secured through tariff leverage or implicit pressure tied to market access, then the mechanism by which investment is obtained matters as much as the headline figure. When trade governance shifts from rule-based multilateralism to leader-centered dealmaking, the character of American economic leadership changes with it. Investment attracted by leverage is inherently more fragile than investment secured by institutional trust. Vulnerability Through Scale Scale, paradoxically, heightens vulnerability. The larger the fiscal and economic stakes — whether measured in projected tariff revenue or in trillions of dollars of investment — the more essential the legal foundation becomes. The Court’s ruling also leaves open complex questions about the disposition of already-collected tariff revenues, raising the prospect of prolonged litigation and further uncertainty. The risk is not that tariffs will disappear. They will not. The risk is that executive power, unmoored from clear legislative boundaries, introduces structural volatility into the system — volatility that markets eventually price in through higher risk premiums, shifting supply chains and cautious capital allocation. When authority is continuously rerouted rather than consolidated through legislation, uncertainty becomes embedded. From Policy to Power Struggle From the vantage point of international order, the expansion of tariff politics does not necessarily signal the collapse of multilateralism. It signals something subtler: the gradual erosion of institutional trust. When statutory limits are repeatedly stretched, U.S. trade policy begins to resemble a sequence of tactical maneuvers rather than a stable framework of rules. Allies notice. So do adversaries. Trade partners are now compelled to factor not only geopolitics and economics into their decisions, but also the evolving relationship between the White House and the judiciary. Domestic institutional conflict is becoming a global economic variable. A Turning Point, Not an End The Supreme Court’s ruling marks a turning point not because it ends tariff activism, but because it reasserts the boundary between power and law. Trade policy will continue to evolve. But whether it evolves within constitutional guardrails will determine the durability of American leadership. The administration’s rapid shift to temporary tariffs and expanded parcel controls suggests that legal limits will be met less with accommodation than with circumvention. The world is watching how the United States responds. It can treat the overreach as the excess of a single presidency — an episodic disruption in an otherwise stable system. Or it can use this moment to restore the constitutional discipline that has long underwritten its economic credibility. *The author is the managing editor of AJP 2026-02-21 09:59:06
  • South Koreas presidential office to hold emergency meetings after US court tariff ruling
    South Korea's presidential office to hold emergency meetings after US court tariff ruling SEOUL, February 21 (AJP) - South Korea's presidential office announced Saturday it will convene a high-level meeting of relevant ministries this afternoon to discuss the fallout from a United States Supreme Court decision that struck down President Donald Trump's centerpiece tariff policy. The meeting, scheduled for 2 p.m. (0500 GMT), will be co-chaired by National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and Kim Yong-beom, the presidential chief of staff for policy. It follows a separate emergency session scheduled for 10 a.m. by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to assess the consequences for domestic exporters. The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Friday that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the president to unilaterally impose tariffs. The decision in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump effectively halts a significant portion of the duties announced by the Trump administration last year under emergency declarations. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that while the law allows for the regulation of commerce, the power to levy duties remains a core responsibility of the US Congress. The ruling creates immediate uncertainty for the reciprocal trade agreement reached between Seoul and Washington last year. Under that deal, South Korean exports were subject to a 15 percent duty rate in exchange for large-scale investment pledges. With the legal basis for the IEEPA-based duties removed, trade deals struck by the administration with countries worldwide are now being reassessed. Trump responded to the ruling by signing a new proclamation from the Oval Office that introduces a 10 percent global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. He also issued an executive order to continue the suspension of duty-free treatment for small-value postal shipments, a move known as ending de minimis exemptions, which is set to take effect on February 24. "Those members of the Supreme Court who voted against our very acceptable and proper method of TARIFFS should be ashamed of themselves," Trump wrote on social media, Truth Social, following the decision. He described the ruling as "ridiculous" and promised that his administration would take steps to collect more revenue than under the previous system. An official at the South Korean presidential office stated that the government will review the court decision and the response of the US administration to determine a course of action that best serves national interests. The official added that relevant agencies will share information to discuss potential response measures. Economic analysts suggest the ruling could lead to a complex legal process for companies seeking refunds for an estimated 175 billion dollars in duties already collected under the invalidated framework. While the additional duties imposed under IEEPA are being terminated, the US administration has maintained the underlying national emergency declarations and continues to enforce separate tariffs on steel and aluminum under different legal authorities. 2026-02-21 09:56:11
  • Kim Gil-li wins women’s 1,500m short track gold; Choi Min-jeong takes silver for record seventh Olympic medal
    Kim Gil-li wins women’s 1,500m short track gold; Choi Min-jeong takes silver for record seventh Olympic medal South Korea’s Kim Gil-li and Choi Min-jeong won gold and silver in the women’s 1,500 meters in short track speedskating at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Kim finished first in 2:32.076 in the final at Milan’s Ice Skating Arena. Choi followed in 2:32.450 for silver. Corinne Stoddard took bronze in 2:32.578. The medal made Kim a two-time gold medalist at her first Olympics. She opened her Games with bronze in the women’s 1,000 meters and helped South Korea win the women’s 3,000-meter relay. She closed the short track program by winning the 1,500. Choi was seeking a third straight Olympic gold in the 1,500 after winning in Pyeongchang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022, but finished second. The silver was her seventh Olympic medal overall — four golds and three silvers — making her South Korea’s most decorated athlete across the Summer and Winter Games. She had been tied at six medals with Jin Jong-oh (shooting), Kim Soo-nyung (archery) and Lee Seung-hoon (speedskating). In the final, Kim and Choi started near the back. With seven laps remaining, Choi moved to the outside and advanced to second behind Stoddard. Kim accelerated with two laps left to move into third as Stoddard began to fade. With three laps remaining, Choi led and Kim was second. Kim passed Choi on the straightaway with two laps to go and held the lead to the finish. South Korea’s short track team ended the Games with two golds, three silvers and two bronzes, finishing second to the Netherlands (five golds, one silver and one bronze). 2026-02-21 07:03:00
  • South Korea wins silver in men’s 5,000-meter relay in Milan-Cortina short track
    South Korea wins silver in men’s 5,000-meter relay in Milan-Cortina short track South Korea’s men’s short track team won silver in the 5,000-meter relay at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, matching its result from the Beijing 2022 Games. In the final at the Milan Ice Skating Arena on Saturday morning in Korea, South Korea finished in 6:52.239. The Netherlands won in 6:51.847, and host Italy took bronze in 6:52.355. South Korea was seeking its first Olympic title in the event since winning gold at the 2006 Turin Games, but settled for second place again. South Korea skated in the order of Lee Jun-seo (Seongnam City Hall), Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Office), Lee Jeong-min (Seongnam City Hall) and Lim Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall). In the early laps of the 45-lap race, the team stayed near the back and waited for an opening. With 30 laps remaining, Italy increased the pace. With 24 laps to go, Hwang pushed and Lee Jeong-min passed to move South Korea into third. The team closed the gap, and with 18 laps left Lee Jeong-min drove inside to take second. Lim then helped keep the position steady. South Korea briefly moved into the lead when Lee Jeong-min passed the Netherlands on the inside with 13 laps remaining, and Lim and Lee Jun-seo extended the advantage. But with seven laps left, Hwang lost the lead to the Netherlands. With three laps to go, Lee Jun-seo dropped to third after Italy moved into second. South Korea kept attacking, and with two laps remaining Hwang surged on the outside to pass Italy and held on for silver. The relay silver was South Korea’s fifth short track medal of the Games and the team’s eighth overall. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-21 06:24:00
  • New Books: A Child Therapist on Healing, a Monk Talks Buddhism With ChatGPT, and a Debut Poetry Collection
    New Books: A Child Therapist on Healing, a Monk Talks Buddhism With ChatGPT, and a Debut Poetry Collection What Heals Young People’s Wounds?=By Stacey Schaefer, translated by Moon Garam, Dusiui Namu. The author, a child and adolescent psychotherapist with 20 years of experience, distills lessons from her work with young clients. Her core rule is simple: when a child finally opens up, adults should not lead with their own stories — the “I went through that, too” approach. She writes that today’s problems can be different and more complicated: being left on “read” by a friend can feel like a crisis, targeted exclusion can play out on social media, and threats from strangers are not uncommon. If adults do not understand kids’ culture, she urges them to replace judgment with an open question such as, “Will you help me understand?” When adults become safe enough for children to ask for help, she argues, kids can share thoughts and feelings without fear of being judged. "Social media influencers exploit this, constantly sending subtle messages: ‘I know you. I understand you. If you buy this, you’ll be like us.’ Surprisingly, kids fall for it. No one wants to live without a sense of presence in the world. Kids especially want to belong somewhere. The more we tell them, ‘I know the real you,’ the less likely they are to define themselves through other people’s eyes." (pp. 252-253) Sakyamuni Smiles=By Jeonggyeong, Jihyeui Namu. Jeonggyeong, a Buddhist monk, uses conversations with the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT to pose a question to readers: “Is what I have believed until now really what Sakyamuni taught?” The exchange began after he was intrigued by ChatGPT’s ability to discuss Buddhism and opened an account, continuing the dialogue for several days. In a question-and-answer format, the book suggests that much of what people today call “Buddhism” reflects interpretations and devotional practices added after Sakyamuni, rather than his original teachings. When the monk asks a question, ChatGPT offers answers based on various sources; he then presses for evidence or points out errors, narrowing the issues. Readers are invited to revisit Sakyamuni’s teachings through the back-and-forth between the monk and the AI. “This foreword could be written because Venerable Jeonggyeong presented to me — in the form of questions — a lifetime of thought, doubt, practice, criticism, verification and rigorous reflection. I merely shed light on those questions. Therefore, if I am credited in the foreword, it should state: ‘This foreword was formed from a conversation between Venerable Jeonggyeong and ChatGPT,’ and ‘The author is human, and AI assisted with language alignment.’ This text is thus a trace of thinking done together by Venerable Jeonggyeong and the AI ChatGPT, and it makes clear that the origin of all thought lies with the human who asked the questions.” (p. 14, from “ChatGPT’s Foreword”) Take a Small Bite and Secretly Throw It Away=By Yeon Jeongmo, Achimdal. This is poet Yeon Jeongmo’s first collection. Yeon began publishing after winning the inaugural newcomer award in the poetry category from the biannual “Munhak Suchup.” At the time, judges said Yeon freely varied imagination and imagery within poetic space, “leaping and playing as if dancing,” and pushed poetic thinking to the end in a language uniquely their own. The new collection seeks a distinctive aesthetic distance on the taut line between the self and the world, and addresses birth and death in a style described as bright yet firmly grounded. Wipe clean even the burst fruit flesh/ gather it all together/ a cast-iron pot that was once Grandma’s treasure/ she used to put me and my sibling inside it/ and wash us together — it remains as one close-knit page of history (from “Jampot,” p. 50) * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-21 06:06:27
  • Kim Gil-li, Choi Min-jeong and Noh Do-hee reach women’s 1,500 semifinals in Milan
    Kim Gil-li, Choi Min-jeong and Noh Do-hee reach women’s 1,500 semifinals in Milan Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall), Kim Gil-li (Seongnam City Hall) and Noh Do-hee (Hwaseong City Hall) all advanced from the women’s 1,500-meter short track quarterfinals to the semifinals.  The three skaters earned their semifinal spots in races held at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy on Feb. 21 (Korea time).  Kim was the first South Korean to skate, winning Heat 1 in 2:32.080. She stayed with Zhang Chutong of China near the front early, then moved up on the inside to take the lead and finish first. Zhang and Canada’s Kim Boutin also advanced from the heat.  In Heat 3, Choi placed second in 2:29.010 after a steady race. Belgium’s Dune Dulk opened a gap early, and Hungary’s Diana Laura Bégi briefly pushed Choi back to third with four laps left. Choi regained second with two laps remaining by passing Bégi, then nearly caught Dulk as the Belgian faded. Choi, Dulk and Italy’s Arianna Sighel advanced.  Noh advanced by finishing third in 2:25.17, though she expended extra energy after a restart. With five laps remaining, three skaters fell at the same time and officials ordered a rerun. During the incident, a skate blade from Kristen Santos-Griswold of the United States appeared to brush the face of Poland’s Kamila Selier. Both were later disqualified for an illegal pass.  In the four-skater rerun, Noh held third and briefly took the lead before dropping back. She finished third behind Belgium’s Hanne Desmet and Italy’s Arianna Fontana to secure a semifinal berth.  2026-02-21 05:18:00
  • South Korea’s Lee Seung-hoon Withdraws From Olympic Ski Halfpipe Final After Injury
    South Korea’s Lee Seung-hoon Withdraws From Olympic Ski Halfpipe Final After Injury Lee Seung-hoon of Korea National Sport University, the first South Korean to reach an Olympic freestyle ski halfpipe final, withdrew after injuring his knee in practice. Lee scored 76 points in men’s halfpipe qualifying on Feb. 20 (local time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. He placed 10th to advance to the final, where only 12 of 25 skiers qualified, but he was unable to compete because of the injury. Lee hurt his right knee when he struck the pipe wall while practicing an 1,800-degree spin he had prepared for the Olympics. He skipped the first final run and waited to see if the injury would improve, hoping to start in the second or third run, but ultimately withdrew and ended his competition. Halfpipe is judged on aerial tricks performed on a semicylindrical slope. Choi Ga-on won gold in snowboard halfpipe at these Games, South Korea’s first gold medal in a snow event. Lee competes in the ski halfpipe event and had drawn attention with strong recent results. He won South Korea’s first World Cup bronze medal in freestyle skiing in February 2024 in Calgary, Canada, and took gold in men’s halfpipe at the Harbin Asian Winter Games last February. At the Beijing Winter Olympics four years ago, he finished 16th in qualifying and did not reach the final. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-21 04:57:00