• 
  OPINION: The end of tariffs is not the end of risk The possible judicial dismantling of Donald Trump’s so-called “reciprocal tariffs” has been greeted by parts of the global market with cautious relief. The assumption is straightforward: fewer tariffs mean less friction, smoother trade flows and a calmer world economy. But that assumption risks mistaking the removal of a symbol for the resolution of a problem. Tariffs were never the core issue. Uncertainty was. Trump’s tariff policy, controversial as it January 12, 2026
• 
  OPINION: America First, rewired as Trump mixes tech with national security SEOUL, January 12 (AJP) - When the Donald Trump administration unveiled two national strategies in November and December 2025 — the AI-focused Genesis Mission and a new National Security Strategy (NSS) — I read them not as separate policy documents, but as a single statement of intent. Together, they recast “America First” and “Make America Great Again” for a technological age, fusing industrial policy, military power and economic coercion into a January 12, 2026
• 
  Scenes From the CES 2026: Rise of physical AI and rise testing Korea The artificial intelligence now has a ‘body,’ not just words The CES 2026 no longer felt like a stage for showcasing what technology might do. It looked more like a declaration that the technology is already operating inside real industries. At the center was “physical AI.” If generative AI handles language and images, physical AI drives robots, machines and vehicles. At this year’s show, the shift moved from promises to execution. One January 11, 2026
• 
  OPINION: Musk may be wrong on doctors — Seoul still needs to listen Elon Musk has a habit of compressing time. What most people describe as decades, he calls years. What institutions treat as distant futures, he presents as near inevitabilities. The result is often exaggeration. Occasionally, it is also illumination. Musk lately suggested that humanoid robots could surpass the world’s best human surgeons within three years. The remark, made on the Moonshots podcast hosted by physician and engineer Peter Diamandis, was quickly dismissed by January 11, 2026
• 
  OPINION: Maduro's fall: the arrival of warfare of algorithm In the early hours of Jan. 3, 2026, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro was captured and taken away by U.S. special forces. At first glance, it looked like another dramatic military raid. In reality, it marked something far more consequential: the moment a dictator was hunted down, located and neutralized not primarily by soldiers, but by data. This was not just the fall of a regime figure. It was the execution of what I would call the world’s first &ldquo January 11, 2026
• 
  OPINION: Focus on Kazakhstan's agriculture and development of remote areas SEOUL, January 10 (AJP) - President Tokayev Meets with Mayors of Local Governments Last year, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed a dialogue platform for rural akims (mayors), outlining his vision for the long-term development of remote areas. Kazakhstan’s Political Reforms: Evolution Instead of Shock Change President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is implementing a large-scale January 10, 2026
• 
  OPINION: Time to open the next chapter for BTS and Bang Si-hyuk BTS is a global phenomenon. Yet its stature cannot be measured by sales figures, chart rankings, or stadium records alone. The group’s true significance lies in its origin story: seven unknown young men, without elite credentials, inherited privilege, or a glamorous starting line, rising to the top through discipline, creative labor, and mutual trust. That narrative itself became culture. For young people around the world, BTS offered a quiet but powerful lesson: it is not January 9, 2026
• 
  OPINION: Religion is not sanctuary For centuries, religion has served as a moral compass, illuminating the inner lives of individuals and offering communities a shared ethical horizon. Through faith, people have asked the most enduring human questions—about meaning, suffering, and responsibility to one another. At its best, religion has nurtured solidarity and restrained power. But something changes when religion begins to orbit power and capital. Faith loses its sacred gravity, and institutions begin to mist January 9, 2026
• 
  OPINION: Why FX stability is a must for South Korea South Korea is one of the world’s most open economies, with trade accounting for roughly 75% of GDP, and it depends entirely on imports for energy. In this structure, exchange-rate stability is not merely an economic policy issue but a matter of national resilience. When the won weakens, import prices rise, energy and raw-material costs surge, and pressure mounts on both corporate competitiveness and household finances. The won–dollar exchange rate has recently st January 9, 2026
• 
  OPINION: The won's slide is about confidence, not crisis The won traded around 1,360 per U.S. dollar when the Lee Jae Myung government took office in early June 2025. It weakened into the 1,470s in November and the 1,480s in December. Although it has since eased back to the 1,440s, the exchange rate — along with real estate — has emerged as one of the most visible risk factors confronting the new administration. A high exchange rate itself is not new. The won remained weak throughout the Yoon Suk Yeol government. What req January 9, 2026