Two worrying trends are sweeping the financial market in South Korea. First, a growing number of investors are jumping on the feverish cryptocurrency bandwagon. Second, investors tend to increase their holdings of red-hot US stocks rather than putting their money in the lackluster local stock market. The daily trading volume of the country’s top five cryptocurrency exchanges surpassed 20 trillion won ($14.4 billion) last week, outpacing the combined 19 trillion won of the main bourse Kospi

Horrible endings are better than never-ending horrors, or so the German saying goes. Many in Germany probably felt that way earlier this month, as they watched the collapse of the most unpopular government in recent German history, led by the most unpopular chancellor. The fierce political bickering that ensued was not particularly desirable, but it was better than more of the same. Though the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s “traffic-light” coalition -- Scholz’s Soci

In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election, The New York Times reported on a clash of views between two Democratic members of the US Congress. “Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” said Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts. “I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete

The Supreme Court’s confirmation of conviction of former lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang for embezzling donations, is a reminder of a legal maxim that justice delayed is justice denied. Last Thursday the top court confirmed the second-trial judgment that had given her a one-year and six-month jail sentence, suspended for three years, for pocketing money donated to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. The final judiciary conclusion came f

As the dust settles from the 2024 US elections, many US allies and partners, including South Korea, are wondering what happens next as Donald Trump returns to the White House in January. As with any democratic transition, uncertainty exists as a new leader enters office. But this is not any leader. This is former US President Donald Trump who speaks about dictators in friendly terms, demands up to 20 percent tariff increases from US trading partners and openly criticizes security alliances. US a

Kim Min-gi never imagined that a song with only eight lines would change his life forever. It was 1970. A freshman art major, Kim loved playing guitar and writing songs between painting. One summer morning, a stroll through a graveyard near his workroom inspired him to compose his short verse. He named it "Morning Dew” (Achim Iseul). Soon, completely unintended consequences overwhelmed him. By the standards of Korean popular music at the time, the song was stunningly innovative. Its p

The results of last week’s US presidential election shocked much of the world. Ahead of the vote, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris appeared tied, but Trump ended up winning by a comfortable margin, both in the popular vote and the Electoral College. Anger over inflation and a desire for change were too much for Harris to overcome in her short campaign. Republicans also took the majority in the Senate and narrowly held their majority in the House of Representat

With former US President Donald Trump having prevailed in his bid for a second nonconsecutive term, a host of effects are hitting countries across the globe, and South Korea is no exception. In particular, Seoul’s financial markets are fluctuating amid growing concerns about future shocks linked to Trump’s trade policies. The main bourse Kospi tumbled below the 2,500 level to close at 2,482.57 on Tuesday, down 1.94 percent from the previous day. Investors also worried about the weake

The United States 2024 election results make clear: The Asian American electorate has shifted further right. The trend portends a new future for this voting bloc that bodes well for the Republican Party. And it has been brewing for years. Asian Americans did back Kamala Harris, who received 54 percent of their vote, according to Edison Research exit polls conducted with a consortium of news organizations. Yet the 39 percent who supported Donald Trump -- despite Harris’ South Asian backgrou

It's been a week since the world learned that Donald Trump would return to the White House. For many around the globe, this news brought a wave of shock and concern. His comeback has stirred a mixture of fascination and apprehension, as people brace for potential disruptions and shifts his leadership might bring. Many of us, myself included, made assumptions about this election that didn’t align with reality. Now, as we reflect on the unexpected outcome, it’s time to capture the

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is intensifying its pressure on the nation's courts ahead of their initial rulings on cases involving the party's leader. Decisions on two charges facing Lee Jae-myung -- violating election law and suborning perjury -- will be made tomorrow and Nov. 25, respectively. Lee is accused of violating election law by giving false information to voters in the 2022 presidential election. He claimed ahead of the election that Kim Moon-ki, senior mana

In poll after poll, Americans say they care about climate change. But then again, they also say they care about democracy, women’s rights and other such ideals. And yet for the second time in three elections, they have chosen to give ultimate political power to someone loudly and diametrically opposed to them. For the climate, the best we can hope is that the aftermath of the 2024 election will remain just short of catastrophic. The progress made by President Joe Biden is significant and i

Once again, Americans have elected Donald Trump as the leader of their country for the next four years. As the New York Times headline said, “his comeback victory signals a different kind of country” and it seems that Americans still want change. The world is now watching the deja vu while pondering the future of America and its allies. Supporters of Trump must be joyous because they believe that Trump will "make America great again” by banning undocumented immigrants,

The first half of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s five-year term has largely been disappointing. Instead of pushing for key policy initiatives, Yoon has been dragged down by a host of controversies and challenges amid plunging approval ratings. More worrisome is that Yoon shows no sign of making fundamental changes in his stances on controversial issues, including the soaring public criticism over first lady Kim Keon Hee. Yoon did apologize at a rare press conference Thursday to mark the second

I teach graduate courses about AI and mathematics education, and my students -- mostly working professionals -- often express concerns about their future, not the distant future but the next two or three years: "Is AI going to take over my job?" Especially when some AI tools already seem to outperform their best work, it is quite a valid worry. My response is that while AI might make some jobs obsolete, it will also create new opportunities, such as AI device designers, AI ethics speci

On Nov. 14, 2024, the Korean College Scholastic Ability Test will be administered in Korea. Approximately 522,000 Korean high school students will take the day-long exam, and their results will determine their college placement and career paths. It’s a national event where additional police are sent to test sites to direct traffic, and air traffic control limits aircraft takeoff and landing around 1 p.m., so as to not distract students during the English listening comprehension part of the

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea held a rally in Seoul on Saturday, substantially calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down. The party was going to hold a rally in Daejeon after the first one near Seoul Station on Nov. 2, calling for a special counsel probe of first lady Kim Keon Hee’s alleged illegal intervention in state affairs. It changed locations by holding its rally near a separate rally by civic groups including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which ha

The US Federal Reserve trimmed its benchmark rate by 0.25 percentage points, reflecting cooling inflation and other economic data. But the Fed's monetary easing comes at a tricky moment as President-elect Donald Trump signaled the coming of a host of drastic changes in fiscal and economic policies. Given the close economic and financial relations between South Korea and the US, the forthcoming changes offer a difficult choice for Korea’s policymakers and central bankers. The country c

It is always heartwarming to meet a close friend after a long time. I experienced such a joyful moment last week when I reunited with a former colleague I had worked with at the same company, in the same area of macroeconomic reporting, after many years, during his visit to Seoul for a holiday. We discussed many topics, ranging from our daily lives since leaving the company several years ago to our thoughts on the outcome of the US presidential election -- which had been decided just hours befor

On Nov. 16, President Yoon Suk Yeol will participate in the APEC Leaders' Summit in Lima, coinciding with his official visit to Peru. This is a significant occasion as Korea will assume the presidency of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation for 2025, a forum which serves as the primary platform for economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Over the past 35 years, APEC has effectively promoted trade and investment integration in the world's most dynamic economic region, which curren