Journalist
Lee Hugh
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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 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 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 -
Cha Jun-hwan and Lee Hae-in invited to 2026 Milan Olympic figure skating gala Cha Jun-hwan (Seoul City Hall) and Lee Hae-in (Korea University) will skate in the figure skating gala at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. The International Skating Union said it announced on Feb. 21 the seven women’s singles skaters selected for the gala, which will be held at 4 a.m. Feb. 22 (Korea time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy. The gala features medalists in men’s and women’s singles, pairs and ice dance, along with “special invitation” skaters chosen based on competition results and fan requests. Lee was named as a special invitee after placing eighth in women’s singles with 210.56 points. Her gala music selection is the theme song from the Netflix animated series “K-Pop Demon Hunters.” Cha, who finished fourth in men’s singles, had already been confirmed for the gala. His program is “Not a Dream,” performed by musician Song So-hee. With Lee added, two South Korean skaters will take part in the figure skating gala.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-21 04:33:00 -
Park Ji-woo, Lim Ri-won Finish 21st and 28th in Women’s 1,500 at Milan-Cortina Olympics South Korea’s Park Ji-woo (Gangwon Provincial Government) and Lim Ri-won (set to enroll at Korea National Sport University) finished in the lower half of the field in the women’s 1,500 meters. They skated in the final on Feb. 21 at the Milan speedskating stadium at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Park placed 21st in 1:58.26, and Lim was 28th in 1:59.73. Lim, skating in the third pair, went through the first 300 meters in 26.49 seconds, starting faster than Erura Groenewoud, but was passed after the midway point. It was Lim’s first Olympic race. She had originally qualified only for the mass start, but was added to the 1,500 after an opening in the field and was notified three days earlier that she could compete. Park raced Austria’s Shanin Rosner in the fifth pair and opened in 26.26 seconds for the first 300 meters. She held a slight edge early, but the gap grew in the closing laps as she finished 21st. Both skaters were preparing for the mass start later Feb. 21. The gold medal went to the Netherlands’ Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong in 1:54.09. Rijpma-de Jong, who won silver in the women’s team pursuit, earned her first gold of the Games to become a multiple medalist. Norway’s Ragne Wiklund took silver in 1:54.15, and Canada’s Valerie Maltais won bronze in 1:54.40. Japan’s Miho Takagi, the women’s 1,500 world record holder, finished sixth in 1:54.86. 2026-02-21 02:33:00 -
Korea’s Won Yoon-jong Elected IOC Athletes’ Commission Member, Vows to Speak Up for Athletes Won Yoon-jong, the first Korean winter-sport athlete elected to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission, pledged to “speak up when needed to protect the rights and interests of all athletes.” Speaking at a news conference Feb. 20 (local time) at Korea House for the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, held at Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan, Won said, “As an Athletes’ Commission member representing winter sports, I think I can do a good job speaking for them.” On Feb. 19, Won won the IOC Athletes’ Commission election held during the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, finishing first with 1,176 votes. The vote selected the top two finishers out of 11 candidates. He will serve an eight-year term with the same authority as regular IOC members. Won became South Korea’s third IOC Athletes’ Commission member, following Moon Dae-sung, a taekwondo gold medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and a men’s singles table tennis gold medalist. Won is the first from a Korean winter sport. Won described the tension as he awaited the result. “Every minute and second felt incredibly long,” he said. “Because the announcement came in a quiet setting, the tension peaked and I was anxious.” He credited his win to sincerity. “The one thing I kept in mind while preparing was sincerity,” he said. “I thought the first step was meeting athletes in person, communicating and listening to their voices. I started campaigning with that mindset and kept it to the end, and I think athletes responded positively and voted for me.” The election is decided by votes from athletes competing at the Olympics. With events spread across northern Italy, Won said the campaign became a physical grind. He recalled saying when he entered the race that he would “run until three pairs of sneakers wear out.” “With six clusters separated, getting around was especially difficult,” he said. “In places like Livigno, where it snowed or it was cold, it could be dangerous. After standing 14 to 15 hours, it felt like my knees and back wore out more than my shoes.” Won said he drew on Yoo’s campaign during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. “I heard President Yoo walked more than 30,000 steps a day, and I did it with a similar feeling,” Won said. “From morning to night, I communicated with everyone — athletes, volunteers and staff. It’s meaningful that I approached it with sincerity.” Looking ahead, Won said he wants to broaden support for athletes in countries with limited winter-sports infrastructure. “I’m interested in helping athletes from many countries, including those without snow, understand the value of sport and ultimately support them so they can take part in the Olympics,” he said. “I’ve helped Jamaican sled athletes and supported athletes from Thailand and others who competed at the Youth Olympics as they transition into senior competition, and I want to expand that work.” Asked about changes to Olympic events, Won said he has heard concerns from athletes about potential cuts. “In the case of Nordic combined or snowboard alpine (parallel giant slalom), I heard athletes say on site, ‘There are lots of spectators and it’s fun — why should it be removed?’” he said. “I think my role is to listen carefully to athletes’ messages and deliver them to the IOC.” Won said he hopes that after his eight-year term, athletes will say they chose well. “I’d like to hear athletes say, ‘We picked a good representative,’” he said. “I want to do work that repays the trust they placed in me.” 2026-02-21 00:51:00 -
Alysa Liu Wins Olympic Women’s Figure Skating Gold, First for U.S. Since 2002 Alysa Liu of the United States, who stepped away from skating because of burnout, climbed to the top of the Olympic podium with a comeback gold in women’s figure skating singles at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Liu won the free skate on Feb. 20 (Korean time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, scoring 150.20 points for a total of 226.79. After placing third in the short program, she delivered a clean free skate to move into first. It was the first Olympic gold for an American in women’s singles since Sarah Hughes at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, ending a 24-year drought. Liu emerged early as a U.S. figure skating standout. In 2019, at age 13 years, 5 months, she won the U.S. championships to become the youngest champion in event history. In 2018, she drew attention by landing a triple axel in international competition. She placed sixth at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and third at the world championships later that year, but announced a sudden retirement at age 16, citing burnout. She then focused on school and took time away before announcing her return in 2024. After coming back, Liu skated with a looser style, winning the 2025 world championships and the 2025-2026 International Skating Union Grand Prix Final in succession. In Milan, she again looked unburdened as she won over the crowd. After clinching gold, Liu said, “I did the things people told me not to do,” adding, “I hope my story can inspire many people.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-20 23:30:00 -
Olympic Big Air Bronze Medalist Yoo Seung-eun Vows to Improve Slopestyle After Missed Runs Yoo Seung-eun, the first South Korean female skier or snowboarder to reach an Olympic podium, said she wants to strengthen her slopestyle performance after winning bronze in her main event, big air. Speaking at a news conference at Korea House in Milan on Feb. 20 (local time), Yoo said, “I feel relieved now that the competition is over,” but added, “I’m disappointed and regretful because I couldn’t land all my runs in slopestyle.” Yoo, a high school student born in 2008, won bronze in women’s snowboard big air on Feb. 10, delivering South Korea’s second medal of the Games. It was the country’s third Olympic medal in skiing and snowboarding and the first by a woman. In slopestyle, Yoo qualified for the final in third place, but made mistakes on all three runs and finished last among the 12 finalists. “The moment I remember most is my first run in the big air final,” she said. “In slopestyle, I realized I still have a lot to work on.” She added that she is weaker on rails and thought she “might have finished mid-pack” in slopestyle. Yoo said she reached the Olympics despite suffering ankle and wrist fractures since 2024. “A lot of people around me helped and supported me. I never could have made it here on my own,” she said. On her condition, she said her ankle has recovered, though it can hurt briefly when she takes a hard impact on the board. She said her wrist still makes it difficult to brace directly with her hand, but it does not affect daily life. South Korean snowboarding set a single-Games record for medals, with Kim Sang-gyeom’s silver in men’s parallel giant slalom, Yoo’s bronze in big air and Choi Ga-on’s gold in halfpipe. “I’m not a rider who’s naturally great — I’m someone who works hard,” Yoo said. “Including Ga-on, everyone rides so well and seems really talented.” She said she was impressed watching Choi fall hard on her first run but still execute her third run. “She’s my friend, but I respect her,” Yoo said. Yoo said her preparation focused on big air, with airbag training in Japan. She said she prepared for slopestyle mainly by riding rails for about a month in Italy. “I’ll work to become a rider who can do both well,” she said. Yoo said she had been focused only on this Olympics and had not thought much about what comes next, but added, “At the next Olympics, I’ll practice more so I can show an even better performance.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-20 22:00:00 -
South Korea’s Lee Seung-hoon reaches Olympic men’s halfpipe final, a first for the country South Korea set a new Olympic milestone in freestyle skiing as Lee Seung-hoon (Korea National Sport University) advanced to the men’s halfpipe final, the first Korean to do so. Lee qualified on Feb. 20 (Korean time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. He scored 76.00 points and finished 10th, earning one of 12 final berths. Halfpipe is judged on aerial tricks performed while riding up and down a semicylindrical course. In qualifying, athletes take two runs, with the higher score counting. Lee posted his 76.00 on his first run, linking five tricks smoothly as the 13th skier to start. On his second run, he increased the difficulty but lost balance on the landing of his third jump, leaving his score unchanged. Lee has shown promise internationally. He was runner-up at the 2021 junior world championships and won bronze at a World Cup event in Calgary, Canada, in February 2024 — South Korea’s first freestyle skiing World Cup medal. He also won halfpipe gold at last year’s Harbin Asian Winter Games. The Olympic final is scheduled for 3:30 a.m. Feb. 21 at the same venue.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-20 21:06:00 -
South Korea Speedskating Faces Medal Drought at Milan-Cortina Olympics South Korean speedskating is facing a crisis on the Olympic stage. Long one of the country’s most successful Winter Olympic sports after short track, speedskating has yet to win a medal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Games, raising the possibility of finishing empty-handed. South Korea’s Olympic speedskating medal history began at the 1992 Albertville Games, when Kim Yoon-man won silver in the men’s 500 meters. Over the next six Olympics, the team added five gold, 10 silver and five bronze medals. As of the 20th, short track remains South Korea’s top Winter Olympic medal sport (27 gold, 17 silver, 13 bronze), with speedskating traditionally next. At the 2010 Vancouver Games, speedskating won three gold and two silver medals, earning more gold than short track at the same Olympics. But with three days left before the closing ceremony, South Korea still has no speedskating medals in Milan. In the women’s 500 meters, Lee Na-hyeon of Korea National Sport University placed 10th and Kim Min-sun of Uijeongbu City Hall finished 14th. In the men’s 500, prospect Kim Jun-ho of Gangwon Provincial Office placed 12th. Among the remaining events, the most realistic medal hope is Jeong Jae-won of Gangwon Provincial Office in the men’s mass start. He is scheduled to race at 11 p.m. on the 21st at the Milan speedskating stadium. Jeong is a leading national team skater who won silver in team pursuit at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and silver in the mass start at the 2022 Beijing Games. In his third Olympics, he is trying to win a medal for a third straight Games. Jeong has shown steady form this season, winning two silver medals in mass start across ISU World Cup stops 1 through 4 in 2025-2026. Cho Seung-min, who is set to enter Korea National Sport University, will also compete in the men’s mass start, along with Park Ji-woo of Gangwon Provincial Office and Lim Ri-won, also set to enter Korea National Sport University, in the women’s mass start. Their medal chances are viewed as relatively lower. If South Korea fails to add a medal, it would mark the team’s first Olympic speedskating medal drought since the 2002 Salt Lake City Games — a span of 24 years. South Korean speedskating won medals at five straight Olympics from the 2006 Turin Games through the 2022 Beijing Games. This year’s results are expected to determine whether that run continues.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-20 20:06:00