The ancient Korean ideal that could heal a polarized world The world today is being torn apart by widening polarization. Few places illustrate this more vividly than the United States. President Donald Trump’s “MAGA (Make America Great Again)” agenda—centered on reviving American manufacturing, cutting taxes, and tightening border controls—did produce short-term economic gains and job growth. Yet it also deepened the divides between the wealthy and the working poor, between regions, and across racial and cultural lines. The political aftershocks were unmistakable: the election of a progressive Democrat as mayor of New York and the rise of a 30-something female mayor in Seattle signaled a powerful pushback against elite-centered conservatism. This pattern is hardly confined to America. Across Europe, far-right and far-left parties are gaining ground simultaneously, hollowing out the political center. In Asia and Latin America, economic and social fractures are growing deeper. More troubling still, global polarization is increasingly intertwined with international conflict. The wars in the Middle East have ignited explosive combinations of religious rivalry and geopolitical competition, destabilizing economies far beyond the region. The Russia–Ukraine conflict has revealed how ethnic and national tensions can metastasize into global fractures with alarming speed. These are not merely territorial disputes—they are collisions of faith, identity, culture, and history. And they push the world further into darkness. How do we reverse this trajectory? No single policy or institutional fix will suffice. Polarization is not only about wealth gaps or political disagreements. At its core, it is a crisis of values—a loss of shared purpose, a fading sense of community, a withering belief that humanity is bound together rather than broken apart. This is where an ancient Korean philosophy, passed down from the era of 'Dangun', offers a surprisingly relevant guide. The principle of 'Hongik Ingan'—rooted in the teachings of 'Cheonbu-gyeong', 'Samil-singo', and 'Chamjeon-gye-gyeong'—is often translated as “to broadly benefit humankind.” But its meaning runs far deeper. The 'Cheonbu-gyeong' emphasizes the harmony of the universe and reminds humanity that its prosperity is inseparable from balance with nature and society. The 'Samil-singo' teaches that the human mind is fundamentally one—a call for unity over division. The 'Chamjeon-gye-gyeong' lays out principles of righteous leadership, insisting that true authority serves all people, not just privileged groups. Far from being a narrow cultural concept, Hongik Ingan is a universal ethic—a framework for a world searching for cohesion. The global conflicts we face today arise from losing the ability to see others as part of “us.” Politicians manipulate anger to win votes. Economies sacrifice the vulnerable in the name of efficiency. Nations elevate national interest above global responsibility. The result is isolation for individuals, fragmentation of communities, and escalating confrontation among nations. 'Hongik Ingan' offers a counter-current powerful enough to slow this tide. It calls for politics that serve the many, not the few; economies that value fairness as much as growth; and societies that pursue coexistence rather than perpetual conflict. It is a philosophy that aligns remarkably well with the moral imperatives of the 21st century. To put the world back on a path toward integration, what we need is not merely structural reform, but a deeper shift—an ethic of empathy, a restoration of values, a renewed commitment to coexistence. The ancient Korean ideal of Hongik Ingan may be centuries old, but its relevance today is striking. It offers a vision capable of addressing the crises that define our era: inequality, religious conflict, ethnic wars, and national division. What the world needs now is not the politics of “Who will win?” but the philosophy of “How can we live together?” 'Hongik Ingan' is not only an ancient principle. It may be the starting point for global healing. The author is the chairman of Asia-Pacific Economic and Culture Association. 2025-11-22 08:09:07

School cooks speak up and walk out as Korea's free-lunch system strains livelihoods SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - In South Korea, school lunches are free — but the expectations are anything but modest. The national obsession with high-quality meals for students, coupled with strict hygiene standards and demanding palates of children and their parents, has long placed the burden squarely on the shoulders of cafeteria staff. This week, many of them stepped away from the steam-filled kitchens and into the streets. On Friday, about 94,000 members of the National Solidarity Council of School Irregular Workers launched a nationwide strike. The group represents non-teaching staff who keep schools running — cafeteria cooks and assistants, childcare workers, meal distributors, administrative aides. Negotiations with the Education Ministry and 17 provincial and metropolitan education offices have stalled over wages, safety conditions, and benefits. The strike began in Seoul, Incheon, Gangwon, Sejong, and North Chungcheong, and will expand southward over the coming days: Gwangju, Jeolla, and Jeju on Saturday; Gyeonggi, Daejeon, and South Chungcheong on Dec. 4; and the Yeongnam region on Dec. 5. Many traveled for hours in winter weather to join the walkout — even if it meant leaving behind the children they feed daily. None of their long-standing demands — from raising meager base pay to installing basic ventilation systems — have been met. “People think we just serve food,” said Baek Jin-hee, 57, a kitchen worker at Bitgaram Elementary School in Naju, South Jeolla Province. “Some say we are holding children hostage. That hurt deeply. Anyone who has seen how sincerely we feed our kids would never say that.” Baek joined the strike after the local education office backed out of its promise to install ventilation systems following the diagnosis of a Gwangyang cook with lung cancer. Another colleague, aged 49, lost her hand in a kitchen accident last year. “We grind garlic and ginger by hand to make kimchi every day,” she said. “When friends die of lung cancer, it’s terrifying to return to that kitchen.” Progressive teacher unions and 125 civic, labor, and political groups expressed solidarity. The conservative Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations (KFTA), the country’s largest teachers’ body, condemned the walkout for disrupting school operations and students’ rights. Due to the strike, about 1,000 of the nation’s 3,298 schools couldn’t provide proper meals. Many replaced hot lunches with bread and juice; some after-school care programs — known as Neulbom classes — were suspended. The Education Ministry largely kept its distance. “Since this is a legitimate strike under the Labor Union Act, it is difficult for us to comment,” a ministry official said. “However, even if lawful, it would be best if there were no disruptions to meal services for students.” Below-minimum pay — and carcinogenic fumes According to the Seoul education office, a kitchen worker’s base monthly salary is 2,066,000 won ($1,403) — lower than the legal minimum wage when converted into a standard monthly rate of 2,096,270 won for a 40-hour week. Even with seniority, family, and hazard allowances, an 11-year veteran earns roughly 2.7 million won, and many receive no pay during school holidays. The gap is sharper for roles involving hot oil, boiling trays, and 20–30 kg rice sacks. This year’s base pay for “Type-2 education public employees” — cooks, administrative assistants, office support staff — remains 30,270 won below the minimum wage. Hazard pay is 50,000 won ($34) per month, despite daily exposure to toxic cooking fumes. The World Health Organization classifies cooking fumes as a Group 2A carcinogen. To date, 175 cafeteria workers have had lung cancer recognized as an occupational disease; at least 15 have died. Mixed reactions inside schools On campuses, the mood ranged from resigned to supportive. “Kids actually enjoy eating bread for once. Some bring their own meals — one even brought mala xiangguo,” said a teacher at an elementary school in Bucheon. “Most teachers understand the strike’s purpose and quietly support it.” Working parents face the sharpest inconvenience. A mother in her 40s said, “I’m a working mom. If I have to pack lunch, I need to wake up at dawn before work. It’s exhausting.” Another mother in her 50s said, “It breaks my heart to think about how hungry my boys must be when they can’t eat properly.” Others sympathized with the workers. A father in his 50s said, “My daughter will also become a worker one day. If improving labor conditions means a few days of inconvenience, that’s worth it.” A mother with two high school daughters added, “As a parent, I support them. Eating bread for a few days won’t harm their health.” A growing workforce with shrinking visibility Today, around 180,000 people work in non-teaching education roles — roughly 40 percent of the country’s 450,000 teachers. Job categories have ballooned to more than 80, from sports instructors to childcare aides, yet their struggles often fade from public conversation, overshadowed by debates on teacher rights and educational reform. Their walkout this week forces a closer look at a system that offers free lunches for students — but leaves those who prepare them fighting for a living wage, a ventilated kitchen, and recognition of their role in schools. 2025-11-21 17:41:59

Coupang, latest breach in Korea, with no effective guardrail in sight SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - Coupang has emerged as the latest flashpoint in Korea's widening cybersecurity crisis, with customer data leaking yet again as major companies — from telecom operators to card issuers — continue to fall victim to preventable attacks under a regulatory system that seldom imposes meaningful penalties. Coupang said late Thursday that an "unauthorized third party" accessed the personal information of more than 4,500 customers. According to the company's emergency notice, the exposed data included names, email addresses, phone numbers, delivery addresses, and each user's five most recent order records. The company said it immediately blocked the intrusion route and has so far found no evidence of misuse. It apologized to affected customers and advised them to contact its service center for assistance. The breach comes amid a series of major security incidents across Korea's telecommunications and financial sectors this year, intensifying concerns over the country's ability to safeguard personal information despite its reputation as one of the world's most digitalized societies. SK Telecom is preparing for legal disputes over a large-scale USIM-related leak disclosed in April. The company has rejected a state mediation panel's recommendation to compensate the 23 million individuals affected at 300,000 won ($203.28) per person. It has already incurred more than 1 trillion won in costs related to the incident. KT customers experienced more direct financial losses after illegally smuggled femtocell devices were used to impersonate cell towers, intercept authentication codes, and trigger unauthorized small-sum mobile payments. Hundreds of victims have filed official complaints, and both police and the Korea Communications Commission are investigating the case. LG Uplus reported suspicious access attempts to its internal network around the same period, resulting in the confirmed leak of 300,000 customer records and fines exceeding 6 billion won. In the financial sector, Lotte Card suffered a major cyberattack that compromised nearly 300 million customer data files, amounting to about 200 gigabytes of internal records. Government data points to the scale of the problem. According to the Personal Information Protection Commission, 88.54 million pieces of personal information have been leaked across public and private institutions over the past five years. Public-sector breaches alone rose from 650,000 cases in 2022 to 3.52 million in 2023 and 3.91 million in 2024. Penalties, however, remain limited. Between 2021 and July 2025, Korea recorded 451 data-security incidents but issued only 87.7 billion won in fines and 2.49 billion won in administrative penalties, averaging just 1,019 won per leaked data entry. Korean law allows fines of up to 3 percent of company revenue, but firms may exclude revenue deemed unrelated to the violation when calculating penalties. This contrasts sharply with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, which permits fines of up to 20 million euros ($23.2 million) or 4 percent of annual global turnover. In 2021, Luxembourg imposed a 746 million-euro fine on Amazon for GDPR violations. A recent KAIST study found that widely used security plug-ins required by Korean financial and public institutions can themselves become attack pathways. These non-standard programs often conflict with the built-in security architecture of global web browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox, which follow unified W3C and WHATWG standards designed to maintain consistent security protocols. The study concluded that the vulnerabilities stem from Korea's continued reliance on proprietary, mandatory security software that can undermine rather than strengthen consumer protection, even as companies claim compliance with existing regulations. 2025-11-21 17:31:59

KOSPI, this year's stellar winner, crashes into year-end on AI bubble scare and FX pressures SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - South Korea’s KOSPI has been the strongest-performing major Asian index this year, but this week’s rout has laid bare its structural fragility — an equity market dominated by a few tech bellwethers and increasingly shunned by foreign investors as the won sinks to new lows. Until just days ago, enthusiasm bordered on euphoria. Forecasts that the KOSPI could surge to 5,000 or even 7,000 became commonplace. Even after Friday’s 3.8 percent plunge — the sharpest drop among major Asian markets — the benchmark is still up 60.5 percent for the year, rising from 2,399.49 at the end of 2024 to 3,853.26. Outsized weight of mega-caps and the AI fad Korea’s equity market has become more concentrated than ever. According to Leaders Index, the combined market-cap share of the top five conglomerates — Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor Group, LG, and HD Hyundai — rose from 45.9 percent at the start of the year to 52.2 percent as of Nov. 3. More than half of the KOSPI is effectively tied to a handful of corporate groups. AI-driven semiconductor giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix alone account for over a quarter of total capitalization. When they fall, the entire index buckles. On Friday, SK hynix plunged 8.76 percent to 521,000 won, while Samsung Electronics slid 5.77 percent to 94,800 won — the two steepest drops among Korea’s market heavyweights. Traders call it a “follow-the-leaders market,” with sector performance rarely diverging from the megacaps. Even power-related stocks — which should benefit from surging AI electricity demand — remain dominated by conglomerates. Hyundai Motor Group controls key nuclear-construction player Hyundai Engineering & Construction, while HD Hyundai owns transformer leader HD Hyundai Electric. Both fell sharply Friday: HD Hyundai Electric slid 7.85 percent to 751,000 won, and Hyundai E&C dropped 3.73 percent to 59,300 won. The squeeze on smaller companies is intensifying. A joint survey by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Korea Venture Capital Association found that 91.8 percent of VCs dependent on policy financing struggled to raise private capital this year. The IPO market, meanwhile, is frozen. As of Nov. 21, only seven companies had listed on the KOSPI — the same anemic tally as last year, when the index barely moved. FX volatility fans foreign outflows Tech concentration alone does not fully explain the KOSPI’s vulnerability. Taiwan’s TAIEX is similarly top-heavy — TSMC represents roughly 40 percent of the index, and the top five names exceed half of total market cap. Yet Taiwan has suffered far less from the global AI correction. The critical difference is currency risk. On Friday, the Korean won traded at 1,475.1 per U.S. dollar, down nearly 8 percent from the June average of 1,366.92. With Korea’s benchmark rate at 2.50 percent — far below the U.S. Fed Funds target range of 3.75–4.00 percent — the carry disadvantage leaves Korean assets exposed. A persistently weak won also deprives foreign investors of the chance to earn FX gains. Rate hikes are largely off the table. Korea’s economy is expanding at under 1 percent annualized, and household debt remains one of the highest among advanced economies. Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong has repeatedly noted the limits of intervention, saying the won’s weakness reflects external forces such as broad dollar strength and heavy Korean retail investment in U.S. equities. “Given Korea’s internal constraints, the country has little choice but to hope for external relief such as U.S. rate cuts,” said Cho Yong-gu, a researcher at Shinyoung Securities. Weaker FX buffers than regional peers South Korea’s foreign-exchange reserves stand at $420 billion, or about 23 percent of GDP — well below Taiwan’s $600.2 billion, which equals 77.4 percent of its GDP. The gap gives Taipei far stronger firepower to defend its currency or cushion capital-flow shocks. 2025-11-21 17:31:38

Samsung Electronics names new DX, DS co-CEOs and brings in global science talent in sweeping leadership reshuffle SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics unveiled a major leadership reshuffle on Friday, reinstating a two-CEO structure and appointing Harvard professor Hongkun Park and software veteran Janghyun Yoon to top technology roles as the company accelerates its transition toward next-generation semiconductor and AI innovation. TM Roh, head of the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business and acting chief of the Device eXperience (DX) Division, has been formally promoted to President & CEO of DX, joining Young Hyun Jun, Vice Chairman and chief of the Device Solutions (DS) Division, as co-CEOs. Both leaders will continue to oversee Samsung’s core mobile and memory businesses, respectively. The company also promoted Samsung Venture Investment CEO Janghyun Yoon to President, Chief Technology Officer of DX and Head of Samsung Research, leveraging his background in software platforms, IoT and Tizen development, and deep experience in frontier technology investments including AI, robotics, biotech and semiconductors. In one of its boldest talent moves in recent years, Samsung tapped Hongkun Park, a Mark Hyman Jr. Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Physics at Harvard University, as the new Head of the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT). Park, a leading global figure in nanoscience, quantum research and next-generation device physics, is expected to spearhead work on quantum computing, neuromorphic semiconductors and other future device platforms once he joins the company on Jan. 1, 2026. Samsung said the appointments reflect its “People First” philosophy and a strategy to secure top-tier scientific and engineering talent as geopolitical and technological competition intensifies. The reshuffle aims to strengthen execution under uncertain macro conditions while laying the groundwork for AI-driven business transformation. The company also adjusted responsibilities at the executive level. Vice Chairman Jun will continue as head of DS and Memory Business without concurrently serving as SAIT chief, while President Roh retains leadership over the MX Business alongside his expanded DX CEO role. Friday’s announcement follows a series of year-round promotions Samsung executed earlier in 2025. The company elevated Choi Won-joon to President and COO of the MX Business in March for his role in advancing Galaxy S25 development and global device competitiveness, and appointed Mauro Porcini—former chief design officer at PepsiCo and 3M—as DX’s Chief Design Officer in April. Samsung said it plans to maintain its rolling promotion system to secure high-performing leaders throughout the year. Samsung will soon announce its broader executive and organizational reshuffle for 2026, following Friday’s top-level appointments. 2025-11-21 17:20:47

POSCO removes Pohang steel plant chief after safety accidents SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - POSCO has removed the head of its Pohang steel mill after a series of safety incidents, including a toxic gas leak on Thursday that sent six workers to the hospital. The company said it will launch a special safety task force led by its newly established subsidiary, POSCO Safety Solutions. Industry sources said Friday that POSCO dismissed Pohang mill chief Lee Dong-ryeol after subcontracted workers and a POSCO employee were exposed to harmful gas during an outdoor cleaning operation. POSCO CEO Lee Hee-geun will temporarily take charge of the mill as the company investigates the incidents and rolls out additional safeguards. The gas leak was the latest in a string of accidents at the site. Earlier this month, a chemical leak at the mill’s stainless steel plant left one worker dead and three others injured. POSCO Safety Solutions, launched in September, will lead the new task force in partnership with Swiss safety consultancies SGS and DSS. The unit, headed by veteran safety specialist Yoo In-jong, is expected to identify root causes and craft measures to prevent further incidents. The company said it will strengthen oversight of high-risk operations by ensuring safety managers are present for all hazardous tasks. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-21 17:19:15

Asian stocks tumble across the board SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - All major stock markets in Asia fell more than 2 percent on Friday, with South Korea's benchmark KOSPI plunging nearly 4 percent. In Seoul, the KOSPI fell 3.8 percent to close at 3,853.26, while the junior KOSDAQ slumped 3.1 percent to 863.95. In large-cap stocks, Samsung Electronics plunged 5.8 percent to 94,800 Koren won ($64), and SK hynix dropped 8.8 percent to 521,000 won. Among the top 10 market-cap companies, only Kia gained 0.5 percent, while Samsung Biologics remained suspended from trading. The rest closed lower from the previous session. Foreign investors offloaded a net 2.82 trillion won ($1.9 billion) worth of shares, marking their largest single-day selloff of this year. Market sentiment soured following renewed talk of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven market bubble. Although Nvidia posted stronger-than-expected earnings overnight, U.S. stocks reversed early gains, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index tumbling 4.8 percent. Comments from a senior Federal Reserve official referencing the possibility of an AI bubble further unsettled investors. Japan's Nikkei 225 also fell 2.4 percent to close at 48,625.88. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index fell 2.5 percent to 3,834.89. 2025-11-21 17:07:05

Friendship Week returns to Shandong, boosting relations between South Korea and China SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - A special weeklong event is taking place this week in the Chinese city of Jinan, Shandong Province, the South Korean Embassy in China said on Friday. Under the banner of "Friendship Week," which was first launched in 2003, the event had served as a key platform for local cooperation between the two countries, promoting economic and cultural exchanges. This year's event marks both the first since the coronavirus pandemic and the first held in Shandong since 2012. The event follows the momentum generated by last month's summit between South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in the southeastern city of Gyeongju. Around 160 participants including embassy officials and business representatives, are taking part, with 106 Chinese and 69 South Korean companies in attendance. At the opening ceremony on Thursday, South Korean Ambassador to China Noh Jae-heon expressed hope that the event would usher in a new era of practical cooperation with Shandong. He highlighted the province's population, industrial base, and geographical advantages, emphasizing the need to expand cooperation in supply chains and emerging industries like biotech. Lin Wu, Shandong's Party Secretary, thanked Noh for his first visit to Shandong since taking up his post and highlighted the significant growth in trade since diplomatic ties were established, pledging a fair investment and business environment for South Korean companies in China. Shandong Governor Zhou Naixiang also expressed a commitment to expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), biotech, and pharmaceuticals, requesting support for Shandong companies investing in South Korea. Among the participants were representatives from the Korea Chamber of Commerce in China, as well as around 20 small and medium-sized enterprises from Gyeonggi Province. South Korean companies held one-on-one meetings to discuss projects for bilateral cooperation. Until Saturday, Qingdao's largest mall, Vientiane City, also hosts a promotional event featuring South Korean pavilion in collaboration with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-21 16:55:48

Deutsche Motors, BMW's South Korean distributor, under 'special' tax probe SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - South Korea’s National Tax Service has launched a tax probe into Deutsche Motors, the country’s official distributor of BMW vehicles. Industry sources said tax officials recently visited the company’s Seoul headquarters to secure documents and computer records as part of the inquiry. The investigation is being led by the Seoul Regional Tax Office and is classified as a "special" audit, according to the sources. Deutsche Motors has faced heightened scrutiny amid a stock manipulation scandal. Former Chairman Kwon Oh-soo received a suspended prison sentence in April in connection with the case. Separately, a special prosecutor team led by Min Joong-gi is examining whether prosecutors adequately investigated the matter after the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office declined to indict in July last year then-first lady Kim Keon-hee, who is suspected of being involved in the stock rigging case. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-21 16:45:42

Korea's late-40s breast cancer spike: researchers identify a surprising risk group SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - Overweight and obesity are the most common drivers of post-menopausal breast cancer in American women — but for Koreans, new evidence suggests the opposite: being underweight may be the greater risk factor. New data highlight that breast-cancer risk in Korea follows a markedly different biological pathway from that of Western populations, where excess body fat typically fuels tumor development after menopause. In Korea and Japan, breast-cancer incidence peaks in women’s late 40s — nearly two decades earlier than in the United States — and researchers say this divergence may stem from hormonal patterns unique to lean Asian women entering menopause. A study led by Kangbuk Samsung Hospital and Seoul Asan Medical Center tracked 4,737 Korean women for seven years and found that underweight participants (BMI <18.5) experienced a temporary surge in estrogen and breast-tissue density during the early menopause transition. Both factors increase breast-cancer risk. The findings were published in Breast Cancer Research in October 2025. Korea’s national cancer registry recorded 29,729 new breast-cancer cases among women in 2019, with a median diagnosis age of 52.8. Women in their 40s accounted for the largest share. Incidence has risen 4.8-fold since 2000, underscoring an age-specific vulnerability among Asian women. Breast density is another key differentiator. Korean women have among the highest rates of dense breasts in the world — a characteristic that raises cancer risk and reduces mammographic accuracy. In Korea, dense-breast prevalence drops sharply from about 78 percent in the late 40s to 30 percent in the 50s. Western cohorts show only a modest shift, from roughly 47 percent to 44 percent. Researchers say these rapid hormonal and anatomical changes compress Asian women’s risk window into a narrower, younger age band. Clinicians say lifestyle patterns may further amplify this vulnerability. “Korean women tend to show much more extreme BMI distributions than Western women — they are often either very underweight or severely obese, with relatively few in the normal range,” said Shim Kyung-won, a family medicine specialist at Ewha Mokdong Hospital. “Many girls and young women grow up under strong pressure to stay thin, which leads to unnecessary dieting and early exposure to hormone-regulating or weight-control medications. This frequent hormonal exposure at a young age can contribute to infertility issues and potentially raise breast-cancer risk later in life.” Shim noted that Korean women frequently have higher body-fat percentages and more abdominal fat than Western women of the same weight because of carbohydrate-heavy diets and lower muscle mass, placing additional metabolic strain during their 30s and 40s. American data show the opposite dynamic. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 716,000 obesity-associated cancers occurred in 2022, including 495,000 among women. Post-menopausal breast cancer is the most common obesity-linked cancer in American women, driven by hormone-responsive pathways tied to excess fat. Recent U.S. research has identified a biological mechanism behind this trend. Leptin — a hormone produced by fat cells — was found to promote estrogen receptor-positive tumor growth by increasing activity of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), a metabolic enzyme that fuels cancer cell proliferation and motility. “Our data indicate that the combined upregulation of leptin and SCD identifies a subgroup of breast cancers with poorer recurrence-free survival,” the research team said. Blocking SCD “almost completely counteracted the pro-tumorigenic effects driven by leptin,” said Dr. Barone, suggesting the enzyme’s potential as a therapeutic target for obese ER-positive patients. Korean clinicians say shifting family patterns may also be reshaping risk. “We are seeing earlier menopause among younger women today,” Shim said. “Delayed marriage and childbirth, a rise in never-married women, shorter or absent breastfeeding, and increasing use of fertility treatments all contribute to greater hormonal fluctuation. Many young patients present with health issues linked to extremely unbalanced lifestyles.” She added that “a growing number of underweight young women mistakenly believe they are overweight due to unrealistic beauty standards,” reinforcing the need for healthier weight perceptions. These contrasting biological pathways show that American and Korean women face opposite risk profiles: obesity drives hormone-dependent breast cancer after menopause in the West, while low BMI may trigger hormone-density spikes that push Korean women into earlier cancer onset. 2025-11-21 16:36:05