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For years, cheap money made debt look almost harmless. The bond market now offers a more expensive lesson. Long-term government bond yields have surged across major economies, with the US 30-year Treasury yield briefly topping 5.33 percent, its highest since 2007. Japan’s 10-year yield reached a three-decade high of 2.95 percent, while French, German, British and South Korean yields reached…
Finding himself caught in a grinding war with Iran, US President Donald Trump has turned to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for help. Trump’s most consistent trait is a desire to control the narrative in his favor. Reaching out to Kim now offers Trump a chance to return to the “peacemaker” image he projected in the early days of his second term. In a recent social media post referring to the…
A new global trend is taking hold. An increasing number of countries are adopting or considering measures to ban or restrict student smartphone use. The driving force is clear: Smart devices negatively affect the mental development and health of the younger generation. According to data from the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, updated in March 2026, 114 out of 197 education systems (58…
US President Donald Trump's sudden order to substantially reduce joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States has caused considerable confusion in Seoul. Trump further complicated the picture by saying he had received a positive response from the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, leaving many Korea watchers puzzled and skeptical. In the past, any sign of weakening US military…
Last Thursday, the government announced a plan to supply more than 230,000 housing units in the Seoul metropolitan area. However, Yongsan Park was not included in the plan. On the same day, Ha Joon-kyung, senior presidential secretary for economic growth, said in a radio interview following the announcement of the real estate measures that "it is necessary to provide housing on the Yongsan Park…
Due to the unprecedented popularity of K-pop, K-film and K-dramas, Korea is in the global spotlight these days. As a result, recent American television shows are reflecting this trend by frequently casting actors of Korean origin or showing the streets of Seoul to attract viewers’ attention. “The Blacklist,” an American thriller TV series that aired from 2013 to 2023, is a good example. In the…
An alliance can survive disagreement. It is harder to sustain when one side learns about a major security decision from social media. That is what happened as South Korea and the US began this year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he had ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea, citing their…
US President Donald Trump’s national security memorandum temporarily permits foreign shipbuilders with substantial, long-term investments in American shipyards to build up to two vessels overseas. The decision could signal a historic shift in US maritime strategy. The policy reflects a demanding reality that underpins US defense strategy: America must work with capable allies to expand near-term…
President Lee Jae Myung has reopened a debate that Korea has postponed for almost three decades. He has questioned whether the multiple-choice national college entrance exam educates students or harms them, and the National Education Commission is considering constructed-response and essay questions. The aim is sensible. In an age when artificial intelligence can select an answer or produce a…
Two Chinese nationals were arrested earlier this month for allegedly collecting classified information related to South Korea-US military exercises and intercepting fighter jet communications near an air force base, police said on Aug. 11. One of the suspects, a Chinese man in his 40s, allegedly recruited a South Korean civilian employee at Camp Humphreys, a major US military base in Pyeongtaek,…
