Cho Won-kyeong
The author is a professor of economics at Sejong University.
The year 2025 was a revealing one in regard to global asset markets. Gold and Bitcoin, once grouped together as "alternative assets," have clearly diverged paths. While gold has continued to set record highs, Bitcoin remains the subject of sharply divided views on its trajectory for 2026.

This difference is not simply a result of price movements. It reflects the questions that we must ask about capitalism itself. Gold's rise is not driven by a narrow return to safe haven preferences. Global liquidity has expanded, fiscal deficits have become structural rather than cyclic and financial sanctions and geopolitical tensions are now part of the everyday landscape. In such an environment, central banks and governments are less concerned with yield than with monetary sovereignty and trust.
Gold stands out because it is not based on anyone's promise. It cannot be excluded from settlement systems through political decisions or financial sanctions. That is why demand for gold does not easily weaken even as prices rise. It functions more like insurance. Few people cancel an insurance policy simply because the premium has increased.
Silver presents a different profile. It often moves alongside gold but has a distinct identity as an industrial asset. The global push toward energy transition and the expansion of AI infrastructure are structurally increasing demand for silver. At the same time, its price is far more sensitive to the business cycle and shifts in technology outlooks. Silver frequently appears cheap, but that perception can be misleading if its dual nature is misunderstood.
Bitcoin, once described as "digital gold," currently sits far from the traditional definition of a safe haven asset. In a high interest rate environment, it is largely treated as a risk asset. It does not figure into central bank reserve strategies and is increasingly viewed as sharing the fate of technology stocks rather than that of monetary hedges. For Bitcoin to regain broader strength, the market's underlying focus would need to move away from returns and toward a more fundamental concern: whether the existing monetary system itself can continue to be trusted.
In this sense, the three assets are responding to different signals: Gold reflects anxiety about a dollar-centered monetary order; silver mirrors the direction of industrial transformation; and Bitcoin poses a challenge to the credibility of the current currency system.
Reading these divergent movements together offers a clearer picture of where modern capitalism stands today and what kinds of uncertainties are shaping investor behavior at this moment.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

Kim Won-bae
The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo.
Calls to relocate semiconductor fabs slated for the Yongin semiconductor cluster to Saemangeum in North Jeolla Province mark a departure from conventional regional lobbying for industrial projects. These demands seek to politically overturn a national strategic industry already approved and under construction by invoking access to renewable energy. Asking companies to move fabs that have already broken ground in Yongin is unrealistic and would impose enormous national opportunity costs. The semiconductor industry is not a matter of simply moving buildings. It depends on dense ecosystems of skilled workers, supplier networks and research infrastructure.

The controversy escalated ahead of local elections after some North Jeolla politicians raised the idea and Climate, Energy and Environment Minister Kim Sung-hwan publicly echoed concerns about whether factories should move to regions with more power capacity. Attempting to use central government authority to relocate operating or soon-to-be-operating fabs to areas that have yet to meet basic location requirements is anachronistic and inappropriate. Advocates cite the principle of local production and local consumption of energy, yet it is unclear whether Saemangeum actually meets that standard better than existing sites.
According to the government's Power Statistics Information System, South Chungcheong Province generated the most electricity in 2024 at 103,618 gigawatt-hours, largely due to its concentration of thermal power plants. In terms of self-sufficiency, North Gyeongsang, South Jeolla and South Chungcheong all exceeded 200 percent, producing more than twice their own consumption and exporting the surplus. North Jeolla produced 15,878 gigawatt-hours, about 15 percent of South Chungcheong's output, with a self-sufficiency rate of 73 percent. While plans exist to build an RE100 industrial complex in Saemangeum, renewable sources with limited generation hours cannot reliably supply the massive and continuous power demand of semiconductor fabs.
If this logic were applied consistently, regions with higher existing output or self-sufficiency could demand that fabs be moved to their jurisdictions once they add renewable capacity. Such arguments would never end. Political pressure that distorts corporate location decisions ultimately harms the industry and the national economy.
At the same time, the current model in which the Seoul metropolitan area functions as a black hole absorbing provincial power and resources is not sustainable. Regional grievances are clear. Electricity is largely produced outside the capital area, yet power-intensive factories are concentrated around Seoul. While tax revenues collected in the capital are redistributed through grants and subsidies, that mechanism alone can no longer justify persistent concentration.
The solution is equally clear. Instead of pressing the central government to force relocations, regions must compete to create sites companies cannot ignore. Stable electricity supply is necessary but insufficient. Abundant industrial water and livable environments that allow skilled workers to settle, including housing, education and health care, must also be in place.
Japan's Kyushu region offers a useful comparison. Through long-term coordination between local governments and companies, it built infrastructure, talent pipelines and supply chains to become a semiconductor hub. Investments by firms such as Sony and Taiwan's TSMC flowed to Kyushu not because it was rural but because it was competitive.

The same applies to Texas in the United States. In 2024, Texas ranked first in U.S. natural gas production, with gas accounting for 44 percent of power generation. Wind made up 24 percent and solar 10 percent, while nuclear and coal provided additional stability. Combined with aggressive state tax incentives and work force programs linked to universities, this energy mix ...

Oh Se-jung
The author is a professor emeritus of physics and astronomy and a former president of Seoul National University.
Just over three years have passed since OpenAI released ChatGPT in late November 2022, yet AI is already reshaping daily life and industrial workplaces. Tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft's Copilot and Google's Gemini now excel at tasks such as document summarization and information retrieval and are widely used in schools and companies.

Universities are struggling to respond as students increasingly rely on AI for essay assignments and even examinations. AI is also beginning to transform the labor market. Law firms are cutting back on hiring junior lawyers who once specialized in researching past cases. As AI systems become capable of writing computer code, many IT companies are reducing recruitment or laying off programmers. In the United States, even graduates from top universities with computer science degrees are reportedly facing difficulties finding jobs.

What makes this challenge more serious is the speed of change. Major U.S. technology firms are investing enormous sums in AI development, effectively staking their corporate futures on it, while Chinese companies are rapidly joining the race. Competition between the United States and China has intensified as both sides believe leadership in AI will determine the fate of companies and nations alike. Against this backdrop, predictions that artificial general intelligence, or AGI, could emerge within the next decade are gaining traction.
Even today's AI systems, which remain limited to specific domains, are already exerting a significant social impact. If AGI were to appear, the scale of change would be difficult to imagine. It is not clear whether human society could adapt. This may well be a turning point in human civilization. At such a critical moment, even a brief lapse could alter a nation's trajectory. Korea has responded by making its goal of becoming one of the world's top three AI powers a key national priority.
Policies pursued under this banner include expanding AI computing infrastructure, developing sovereign AI systems, fostering AI-related industries and training AI specialists. All of these measures are necessary. Yet they share a fundamental limitation: they are supply-side policies. As noted earlier, AI is a technology that affects society as a whole, not only those who develop or deploy it. Every citizen will feel its impact.
The World Economic Forum, which champions an AI-driven Fourth Industrial Revolution, has predicted that two-thirds of children entering elementary school today will work in jobs that do not yet exist. If society is set to change this profoundly, preparation cannot be limited to a small group of AI professionals. All citizens must be equipped to navigate the AI era, and education is the only way to build that capacity.
Can Korea's education system meet this challenge? The greatest obstacle is that it remains trapped in the "catch-up" model of the industrialization era. Memorization still dominates most classrooms. The multiple-choice format of the College Scholastic Ability Test stifles creativity rather than nurturing it. Compounding the problem, education policy moves at a glacial pace. The national curriculum that was revised in 2015 was not fully implemented until 2020, and it took another three years before it was fully reflected in the college entrance exam. Discussions about introducing descriptive questions to foster creative thinking have dragged on for more than a decade and remain unresolved.

Measured against the pace of AI development, five or 10 years is an eternity. Yet that is how long educational reform routinely takes in Korea. This mismatch is untenable.
To adapt to AI technology advancing at near light speed, education must become more agile. The first question should be what schools ought to teach in the AI era. Just as there is little reason to emphasize mental arithmetic in an age of...

Climate, Energy and Environment Minister Kim Sung-hwan has acknowledged the flaws of the nuclear phaseout policy pursued under the Moon Jae-in administration and recognized the need for nuclear power. It is a rare moment of self-reflection from the Lee Jae Myung government's top energy policymaker, who had previously been a leading advocate of denuclearization during the Moon government.
Speaking at the Second Policy Forum on a Desirable Energy Mix on Wednesday, Kim said Korea must operate its power system stably because it hosts key industries such as semiconductors. While he said he would like to rely entirely on renewable energy if possible, he acknowledged that it is not easy given the reality of ensuring a stable power supply. He also noted that Korea's short east-west span limits the amount of sunlight available for solar power generation, adding that he had only recently come to recognize the seriousness of this constraint.
Kim further said it was awkward that Korea refrained from building nuclear plants at home while exporting nuclear technology abroad during the Moon administration. His remarks amounted to an admission that new nuclear power plants are necessary.
Kim had once been one of the ruling camp's most prominent advocates of a nuclear phaseout, declaring that denuclearization was an irreversible global trend. However, after becoming the minister in charge of energy policy, he appears to have confronted the reality that nuclear power is indispensable for meeting the surging electricity demand of the AI era and for compensating for the intermittency of renewable energy.
As an environmentalist, Kim may also have concluded that clinging to the nuclear phaseout debate would make the more urgent goal of carbon reduction unattainable. At the first forum, he said it was regrettable that five years were lost under the Moon government amid prolonged disputes over nuclear power, during which coal could not be phased out more quickly.
Though belated, this shift in perception is welcome. The challenge is translating recognition into action. The central issue of the current forum is whether to build two new nuclear reactors. These reactors were already included in the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, agreed upon by both ruling and opposition parties early last year.
The ministry has reopened the issue for public discussion and plans to finalize the decision in the 12th plan, scheduled for the second half of this year.
While prospects for new nuclear construction have improved, the timeline remains unhurried. With the government pledging to shut down coal-fired power plants by 2040 to address the climate crisis, nuclear power remains the only realistic alternative. As the global race for AI leadership intensifies, countries are fiercely competing to secure affordable and reliable energy.
The United States and Europe are expanding nuclear capacity and even Japan, despite the Fukushima disaster, has resumed reactor operations. There is neither reason nor time to delay a project that has already been agreed upon. Having taken a forward-looking stance, the government should promptly finalize its plans and reduce the uncertainty facing the industry.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

This article is by Lee Jae-lim and read by an artificial voice.

Samsung Electronics' estimated operating profit more than tripled to 20 trillion won ($14 billion) for the September-December 2025 period compared to the year before, beating even heightened market expectations amid a semiconductor supercycle driven by the AI boom.
The estimate blew past the market consensus of 18.5 trillion won provided by market tracker FnGuide, marking a whopping 208.17 percent surge from the same quarter a year earlier. Projected revenue provided by the chipmaker stood at 93 trillion won, also surpassing the market forecast of 91.47 trillion won and an increase of 22.71 percent on year.
Detailed figures per business division were not given during the preliminary guidance. The company is scheduled to release full earnings later this month.
Analysts expect the chip segment to post a record operating profit of more than 16 trillion won, the highest quarterly result in the unit's history. The previous peak was 13.65 trillion won in the third quarter of 2018 during the last chip upcycle.

A golden age for memory semiconductors... and foundries?
By division, memory's operating profit is expected to come to 17.7 trillion won, with 15.5 trillion won from dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and 2.2 trillion won from NAND flash chips, driven by memory price increases from supply shortages, according to an SK Securities report. However, the report forecast chip manufacturing and chip design divisions, combined, to log 1.1 trillion won in operating loss.
Supply constraints are not limited to high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in AI accelerators. As global chipmakers prioritize HBM production, supplies of conventional DRAM and NAND chips are also tightening, benefiting Samsung across its broader memory portfolio.
"Major server customers are planning for faster server build-outs to meet surging token demand, prioritizing supply chain stability over pricing," Daishin Securities analyst Ryu Hyung-keun said. "As a result, server DRAM prices in the first quarter of 2026 are projected to rise 40 to 50 percent quarter-on-quarter."
Analysts note that memory manufacturers are becoming more cautious in capacity planning amid the AI boom, increasing the risk of supply shortages as demand shifts from predictable consumer electronics to hyperscale AI data centers capable of driving sudden demand spikes.
"With supply prepared cautiously and AI-driven demand rising in stepwise bursts, the industry is increasingly exposed to severe shortages in 2026 and 2027," Meritz Securities analyst Kim Sun-woo said. "Chip price momentum is expected to persist throughout the year, reinforced by the seasonality of conventional demand, with memory makers' share prices likely to move in tandem."
Although Samsung's foundry business is still projected to post losses for now, industry observers expect it to swing back to black later this year following new deals with U.S. Big Tech companies, including Qualcomm.

Qualcomm is reportedly in talks with Samsung over the contract manufacturing of two-nanometer chips for mobile processors, according to an exclusive report by the Korea Economic Daily. The report cited recent comments from Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon at CES 2026. If confirmed, the deal would mark Qualcomm's return to Samsung as a key customer after five years, following its shift to TSMC in 2022 due to Samsung's manufacturing challenges.
Jun Young-hyun, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and head of its chip business, said the foundry division is "at the threshold of its next leap forward" in his New Year's address on Jan. 2, following a major $16.5 billion deal with Tesla signed in July 2025.

Shares skyrocket
Investment firms have unanimously maintained buy ratings on the stock. Daishin Securities set the highest six-month target price at 180,000 won, matching targets from Korea Investment & Securities and KB Securities. DB Securities set a target of 174,000 won, while Eu...

This article is by Lee Jae-lim and read by an artificial voice.

Samsung Electronics' estimated operating profit more than tripled to 20 trillion won ($14 billion) for the September-December 2025 period compared to the year before, beating even heightened market expectations amid a semiconductor supercycle driven by the AI boom.
The estimate blew past the market consensus of 18.5 trillion won provided by market tracker FnGuide, marking a whopping 208.17 percent surge from the same quarter a year earlier. Projected revenue provided by the chipmaker stood at 93 trillion won, also surpassing the market forecast of 91.47 trillion won and an increase of 22.71 percent on year.
Detailed figures per business division were not given during the preliminary guidance. The company is scheduled to release full earnings later this month.
Analysts expect the chip segment to post a record operating profit of more than 16 trillion won, the highest quarterly result in the unit's history. The previous peak was 13.65 trillion won in the third quarter of 2018 during the last chip upcycle.

A golden age for memory semiconductors... and foundries?
By division, memory's operating profit is expected to come to 17.7 trillion won, with 15.5 trillion won from dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and 2.2 trillion won from NAND flash chips, driven by memory price increases from supply shortages, according to an SK Securities report. However, the report forecast chip manufacturing and chip design divisions, combined, to log 1.1 trillion won in operating loss.
Supply constraints are not limited to high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in AI accelerators. As global chipmakers prioritize HBM production, supplies of conventional DRAM and NAND chips are also tightening, benefiting Samsung across its broader memory portfolio.
"Major server customers are planning for faster server build-outs to meet surging token demand, prioritizing supply chain stability over pricing," Daishin Securities analyst Ryu Hyung-keun said. "As a result, server DRAM prices in the first quarter of 2026 are projected to rise 40 to 50 percent quarter-on-quarter."
Analysts note that memory manufacturers are becoming more cautious in capacity planning amid the AI boom, increasing the risk of supply shortages as demand shifts from predictable consumer electronics to hyperscale AI data centers capable of driving sudden demand spikes.
"With supply prepared cautiously and AI-driven demand rising in stepwise bursts, the industry is increasingly exposed to severe shortages in 2026 and 2027," Meritz Securities analyst Kim Sun-woo said. "Chip price momentum is expected to persist throughout the year, reinforced by the seasonality of conventional demand, with memory makers' share prices likely to move in tandem."
Although Samsung's foundry business is still projected to post losses for now, industry observers expect it to swing back to black later this year following new deals with U.S. Big Tech companies, including Qualcomm.

Qualcomm is reportedly in talks with Samsung over the contract manufacturing of two-nanometer chips for mobile processors, according to an exclusive report by the Korea Economic Daily. The report cited recent comments from Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon at CES 2026. If confirmed, the deal would mark Qualcomm's return to Samsung as a key customer after five years, following its shift to TSMC in 2022 due to Samsung's manufacturing challenges.
Jun Young-hyun, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and head of its chip business, said the foundry division is "at the threshold of its next leap forward" in his New Year's address on Jan. 2, following a major $16.5 billion deal with Tesla signed in July 2025.

Shares skyrocket
Investment firms have unanimously maintained buy ratings on the stock. Daishin Securities set the highest six-month target price at 180,000 won, matching targets from Korea Investment & Securities and KB Securities. DB Securities set a target of 174,000 won, while Eu...

This article is by Sarah Chea and read by an artificial voice.

[INTERVIEW]
LAS VEGAS — Zachary Jackowski, head of humanoid development at Boston Dynamics, highlighted the technological edge of their robots over Chinese counterparts that focus on flashy "kung fu" moves, dismissing such displays as lacking practical and economic value.
His remarks directly rebut market skepticism over the delayed launch of its Atlas humanoid compared to Chinese rivals amid a surge of robot unveilings by Chinese front-runners such as Unitree Robotics and UBTech Robotics at this year's CES in Las Vegas.
Boston Dynamics, which is 90 percent owned by Hyundai Motor Group, unveiled Atlas for the first time at CES 2026 and announced plans to deploy it at a Hyundai factory in 2028.
"When you think about value, it's one thing to have a robot that can walk around or do kung fu moves. It's an entirely different thing to have a robot capable of complex manipulation tasks that actually bring value to customers," Jackowski said.
"That's where Boston Dynamics is already leading, and we will continue to double down on bringing the most value with the highest capabilities in real applications for humanoids," he added. "We're very focused on leading the market not only in robot performance but also on delivering a robot that provides the most value to customers.
Oh Se-uk, head of the Robotics Business Innovation Group at Hyundai Mobis, agreed with Jackowski, pinpointing the lack of technical prowess of Chinese firms.
"Chinese companies focus more on imitating human behavior," Oh said. "Boston Dynamics is designed to outperform humans on actual production lines. That gap is what you need to understand."
Hyundai Mobis, a parts affiliate of Hyundai, has been selected as the major supplier of actuators for Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot production, making it one of the biggest beneficiaries of Hyundai's expanded robot strategies. Actuators, which turn energy into physical force, account for about 50 to 60 percent of a robot's cost.
Hyundai Motor is planning a U.S. factory with an annual capacity of 30,000 units, targeting mass production by 2028.
"We believe our experience developing core automotive parts gives us a competitive edge since many components are similar to those used in robots," Oh said.
"The electric power steering we currently mass-produce has a similar structure. We are developing ultracompact, high-density actuators for robots based on that technology, including motors and reducers," he added. "We are also hiring specialists because Boston Dynamics' products require high-performance, high-spec parts."
Oh hinted that Mobis could enter the gripper market after actuators.
"We also consider sensors such as batteries, radar and LiDAR — which we already secure for autonomous driving — as core components for robots," Oh said.
Prototype production of the actuators is scheduled for midyear at Hyundai Mobis's R&D center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi. Mass production is expected to focus near Boston Dynamics' factory, likely in Georgia, where Hyundai has a massive EV plant.

This article is by Sarah Chea and read by an artificial voice.

LAS VEGAS — At this year's CES, Chinese electronics makers wowed visitors with massive booths and oversized products — yet some exhibits featured designs strikingly similar to Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.
At the TCL booth in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center — a spot historically secured by Samsung for years — the company showcased its "NXT HOME" concept, displaying a range of TVs including the A300 series. This time, TCL removed the "NXT FRAME" name from its products after losing a lawsuit against Samsung.

Samsung originally launched The Frame concept in 2017, debuting a TV designed to double as a gallery for artwork or personal photos, even when it is powered off.
TCL launched a similar concept, the "NXT FRAME," at IFA 2024, Europe's largest electronics show.
Samsung sued TCL, accusing the Chinese manufacturer of copying its design and concept. In February last year, TCL's German subsidiary lost the case, with a German court ruling that "NXT FRAME" violated Samsung's trademark.
Hisense also styled its booth around its "Canvas TV" and "Deco TV" lines, featuring models enhanced with interior design elements.
Among the displays was a portable screen named "FollowMe," which bore a strong resemblance in design and color to LG Electronics' megahit "StanbyME."

Chinese brand Dreame, best known for its robot vacuum cleaners, unveiled a pet-focused air purifier, the Dreame Purcatch Air Purifier FP10, highlighting its ability to efficiently capture pet hair and dander while hygienically disposing of dust via a sealed antibacterial dust box.
The device's design, however, closely mirrored LG's PuriCare AeroCat Tower, with both units incorporating a seating platform atop the purifier. LG's product was first unveiled a year ago at CES 2025.

The oddly familiar products notwithstanding, the presence of Chinese companies at CES 2026 — and their innovations — was impossible to ignore.
TCL showcased a 163-inch Micro LED TV, surpassing Samsung's 130-inch Micro RGB TV — also revealed at the show — by 33 inches.
It also showcased its SQD Mini LED, branded the "Super Quantum Dot," positioned to compete with Samsung's premium Neo QNED line.
Hisense introduced a 116-inch RGB Mini LED TV, promoted as the world's longest RGB Mini LED TV, alongside a 150-inch laser TV displayed in a dedicated space.

This article is by Ko Suk-hyun, Lee Su-jeong and read by an artificial voice.

Korean shipbuilders regained a 20 percent share of the global shipbuilding market in 2025, with the nation's shipyards now focusing on liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and naval ships to sustain profitability this year, even as the global ship market continues to shrink.
Global ship orders in 2025 totaled 76.78 million compensated gross tons (CGT) — equivalent to 3,235 vessels — down 27 percent from the previous year, based on data released Wednesday by British maritime industry tracker Clarkson Research. Of that, Korea accounted for 21 percent, or 11.6 million CGT across 247 vessels, placing second after China, which took 61 percent, or 35.37 million CGT from 1,421 vessels.
Korea's market share had dropped to 17 percent in 2024 but rebounded to the 20 percent range last year, driven by an 8 percent increase in order volume. China's orders, by contrast, declined 35 percent over the same period.
The global shipbuilding outlook, however, continues to worsen, while Chinese shipbuilders are escalating their price-based competition. The Export-Import Bank of Korea's Overseas Economic Research Institute expects global ship orders to fall 14.6 percent by volume and 15.2 percent by value this year.
"As new ship prices show a gradual decline, shipowners are increasingly taking a wait-and-see approach," said Yang Jong-seo, a visiting professor of naval architecture and ocean engineering at Seoul National University.
Korean shipbuilders are turning to high-value and specialized vessels such as LNG carriers and naval ships to compete. While China now dominates the container ship and bulk carrier markets, Korea retains a technological edge in LNG shipbuilding.

The so-called Big Three — HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), Hanwha Ocean and Samsung Heavy Industries — are expected to secure $46.7 billion in new orders this year, a 28.65 percent increase from the $36.3 billion recorded in 2025, according to shipbuilding and securities industry forecasts.
HD Hyundai, which includes KSOE, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HD Hyundai Samho, has set a 2026 order target of $23.31 billion — up 29.14 percent from the $18.05 billion it achieved last year. While Hanwha Ocean and Samsung Heavy Industries have not disclosed their goals, Daol Investment & Securities estimates $12.3 billion for Hanwha Ocean and $11.1 billion for Samsung Heavy Industries. Financial data firm FnGuide projects the combined operating profit of the three shipbuilders at 7.62 trillion won ($5.26 billion).
Additional momentum is coming from the Make American Shipbuilding Great Again project, or MASGA, a Korea-U.S. initiative to rebuild American shipbuilding. The U.S. legislative ban on the construction or sourcing of U.S. military vessels and components from overseas may also be eased.
"If the [legal ban] is amended, it could pave the way for Korean shipbuilders to supply blocks and bare hulls to the United States," said Choi Kwang-sik, a researcher at Daol Investment & Securities. "That would be a key opportunity for HD Hyundai and Hanwha Ocean. While Samsung Heavy Industries does not have a portfolio in warships, it is expected to benefit from its partnership [with U.S.-based shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO and Korean engineering firm DSEC] to bid for the U.S. Navy's next-generation logistics support ship program, the NGLS."

Korean shipbuilders have also started the new year with fresh wins. KSOE signed a 1.5 trillion won contract with a North American shipping company to build four LNG carriers. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries secured a contract to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services for the 41,000-ton U.S. Navy cargo ship USNS Cesar Chavez.
"LNG carrier orders have risen since the second half of last year due to the emergence of new gas fields," Yang said. "Korean shipbuilders will continue to compete in high-value ship orders. And while they already have about ...

This article is by Sarah Chea and read by an artificial voice.

LAS VEGAS — An aching lower back, a chronically stiff neck — does a trip to a clinic or hospital have to be the only answer? What if care could be easily delivered from the comfort of your own home?
Ceragem may have an answer at CES 2026, where it is showcasing a broad portfolio of products from circulation-enhancing chairs designed to improve blood flow to a "brain booth" that analyzes children's stress levels and boosts concentration.
Ceragem does not see itself as a luxury furniture or interior design company, but as one rooted fundamentally in medical technology — at least, that is how Ceragem CEO Lee Kyung-soo defines the company's core distinction from Korean electronics giants such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.
"Our starting point is medical devices. Even when it comes to beauty devices, we ask ourselves how we can deliver treatments at a dermatology-clinic level," Lee said in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at CES 2026 on Jan. 7.
"What kind of wallpaper should go into a child's room? What materials make a home healthier for children? Ceragem exists to answer those questions."

Ceragem's booth at CES was divided into three zones, each tailored to different age groups: teenagers and young adults, middle-aged consumers and seniors in their '70s and '80s. Every tour began in a zone where visitors can measure their stress levels, depression markers and other mental health signals, along with blood pressure, blood glucose and body composition.
The zone designed for teenagers features an AI-powered bed that learns a child's sleep patterns, study hours, and emotional state to understand the rhythm of their day, allowing focus, rest and recovery to flow more naturally.
During periods that require deep concentration, the "Brain Booth with AI Coach" transforms into a personalized learning space. By analyzing brain waves and biometric signals, it calibrates study and focus time based on fatigue and attention levels, while automatically controlling lighting, sound and oxygen levels to sustain immersion.

For middle-aged users, Ceragem introduced the "Home Therapy Booth," which allows users to enjoy a sauna-like experience at home, equipped with an internal display for content consumption and an optional opaque mode for privacy.
The "Balance AI Shower System," reminiscent of a shower filter, was also displayed, with a front-mounted 3-D scanning sensor that optimizes water temperature, while fingerprint recognition loads individual user profiles, enabling family members to personalize their shower experience.
For senior users, the "Master V9" provides a thermal massage calibrated to body temperature, designed to help alleviate symptoms associated with herniated discs.
The "Home Medicare Bed," featuring motion-bed functionality, analyzes users' health conditions through embedded sensors as they lie on it. An aroma diffuser integrated into the headboard promotes deeper, more restful sleep.
Looking five years ahead, Ceragem aims to move beyond providing wellness-focused interiors to delivering entire wellness residential spaces. As a step toward that goal, the company is preparing to open a nursing care facility in northern Seoul.
"Our ultimate goal is to offer silver towns or short-term residential spaces under names such as Ceragem Wellstown or Wellstay," Lee said. "Ceragem will be a brand like Starbucks or McDonald's, while simultaneously becoming a data-driven company like Baedal Minjok."
Lee also hinted that he is targeting an initial public offering (IPO) in 2028, with plans to pursue pre-IPO investment beginning this year.
Ceragem currently operates around 2,500 stores globally. Of those, 1,200 are in China, each serving an average of 1,500 customers.
It is also looking to expand into Europe. It is set to participate in the Milan furniture fair with its circulation chair, a seated device designed to improve blood circulation and relieve mus...

This article is by Shin Ha-nee and read by an artificial voice.

At the intersection of the new and the familiar — where Y2K retro nostalgia meets the AI surge — sits singer Chuu's first full-length album "XO, My Cyberlove." The milestone is also the point at which her tumultuous journey, now nearing a decade, gives way to a new one.
As Chuu enters her 10th year in the industry, the 26-year old says the timing feels right to fully show who she is as an artist with a full-length album, an increasingly rare format in the K-pop industry, where many artists instead opt for EPs or singles.

"This felt like the right timing," said Chuu during a roundtable interview on Wednesday in southern Seoul, the day of the latest album's release. "Not because I saw it as the destination of my story, but as a new starting point for stories I wish to tell, which have now become clearer."
Chuu, whose real name is Kim Ji-woo, debuted as a member of girl group Loona in 2017, but left the group in 2022 amid a legal dispute with BlockBerry Entertainment over the validity of her exclusive contract and unfair profit distribution. She ultimately won her case in 2024.
Chuu launched her solo career under ATRP in 2023 with her first EP "Howl."
Her first full-length album "XO, My Cyberlove," comes about eight months after her third EP, "Only cry in the rain" (2025), and consists of nine songs: the title track, along with B-sides "Canary," "Cocktail Dress," "Limoncello," "Teeny Tiny Heart," "Love Potion," "Heart Tea Bag," "Hide & Seek" and "Loving You!"

The title track, "XO, My Cyberlove," leans into a dreamy pop sound with its lyrics centered on the "emotional resonance between a human and an AI connected through a virtual messenger," according to ATRP.
"Cyber love" was a 1990s buzzword in Korea, referring to online dating, which was a novel phenomenon at the time. The music video, which portrays Chuu as an AI personification falling in love with a human, also amplifies the song's nostalgic, dreamy atmosphere through retro-inspired visuals.
"In today's highly digital-driven era, expressions of love take the form of text messages, emojis and photos sent to each other," Chuu said. "I wanted that to be the core premise of the song's storytelling."

Yet the song and its music video feel less like a commentary about human-machine dynamics or the digital age and more like an exploration of the idea of affection and yearning — the deeply human desire to love and be loved — which also serves as a central theme that runs throughout the album.
"Diverse forms of love, depicted in many different perspectives, appear throughout the album," Chuu said, adding that her goal was to have her genuine emotions resonate with listeners through the music.
"I believe love is not something that can be forced — it's something that exists among us in daily lives, floating in the air," she said. "The power of love, for me, lies in noticing it in small, everyday details and embracing it as a driving force going forward."

Admitting that the idea of being in the 10th year of her career still feels awkward and unreal, Chuu said that she hopes to become a singer who continues to improve and ultimately establishes a distinct musical identity of her own.
"Someday, I want to become a singer who can fill an entire concert only with songs, and someone audiences can trust and look forward to seeing."

This article is by Lee Jian and read by an artificial voice.

"No going shirtless."
Displayed on a sign, the warning is aimed at runners in Yeouido Park in western Seoul — one of the many public outdoor spaces where running crews and solo joggers have come to dominate the paths in recent years.
Running didn't used to be this big in Korea. But over the past few years, it has ballooned into a mainstream lifestyle. Industry experts estimate that about 10 million people, roughly one in every five Koreans, now run regularly.
Seoul, in particular, is a great city to run in, with dozens of long, mostly uninterrupted riverside paths along the Han River and routes around major landmarks and parks that keep runners largely away from traffic. People in flashy shoes and polyester clothes are now a familiar part of Seoul's landscape, striding along scenic riverside paths, tracing palace walls and filling neighborhood parks.
The boom, however, has also sparked a wave of complaints from those who say public spaces are being treated like private training grounds, citing revealing outfits, shouted chants and other inconsiderate behavior. As increasingly hostile signs pop up around the city, can Seoul stay runner-friendly?

Running took off as a mainstream sport in Korea with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which shut down sports facilities and made team activities seem riskier to participate in. Running surged as the rare workout that was cheap, solo-friendly and outdoors. As the pandemic waned, the practical workaround turned into a culture as social media filled with after-work "running crew" meetups and post-run selfies.
The domestic running market was valued at about 4 trillion won ($2.77 billion) in 2024, according to the most recent data from Euromonitor International. It is up from roughly 2.77 trillion won in 2021 and 3.41 trillion won in 2023. The running shoe market alone is now widely described as an over 1 trillion won category, as sneaker consumption shifts from lifestyle fashion to performance and function.
But along with the wellness frenzy has arisen unexpected cultural pushback.
"I don't want to see shirtless runners during my walks. It is unpleasant," read a Naver community post in October. "They shout at me to move to make way for like a group of eight runners," read another post. Others argue that the problem is taken too seriously. "People are too critical," read a comment on the same community thread.
As the issue continued to mount for a year, local governments began to take action to promote a set of guidelines for runners in public spaces.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government launched a campaign in September, promoting "etiquette" for outdoor runners, including running in single file and the use of headphones instead of speakers and "neat" clothing.
Running shirtless is not illegal in Korea, though it was punishable by law under the Act on the Punishment of Minor Offenses, until the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled it unconstitutional in 2016.
Individual districts have also taken action to advocate similar runner guidelines. Major paths for runners around the city are now lined with new signs — some rather bluntly — reminding runners to be more mindful of the regular pedestrians in the city.
The Seocho District Office in southern Seoul restricts runners in groups bigger than five people at Banpo Sports Complex. Songpa District, also in southern Seoul, advises that runners run in groups of fewer than three at the Seokchon Lake Park. Jongno District in central Seoul also set up large signs by the pedestrian way along the Gyeongbok Palace's outer walls, reminding runners to be quiet and keep to a single line.
Seoul city claims that it is not its intention to make the city hostile to runners, but rather to "create an atmosphere where all Seoul citizens can enjoy themselves," said an official from the city's sports tourism desk, "and we will continue to support the mindful behavior of the runners."

This article is by Han Chan-woo, Lee Ah-mi and read by an artificial voice.

A job posting on the e-commerce app Karrot offering 30,000 won ($20) to wait in line drew 30 applicants on Dec. 26 last year.
It was a precursor to what followed days later.
On the night of New Year's Eve, long lines stretched outside bars, restaurants and arcades in the Hongdae area in western Seoul, even as a cold snap drove temperatures to minus 8 degrees Celsius (17 degrees Fahrenheit).
A person surnamed Park stood among the crowds after working as a professional queuer for more than five years.
"Requests to wait in line for high-end hotel restaurants and bars have increased a lot recently," Park said. "I earn 4 million to 5 million won a month on average. During the Covid-19 period, some people made up to 8 million won, so some treat it as their main job."
Posts seeking queuers have appeared outside Seoul as well. A user on Karrot in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, wrote, "I'm looking for someone to stand in line at a bar in Sangnam-dong for 50,000 won on Jan. 1."

Other posts listed different reasons. One said the writer wanted to enter a venue the moment midnight struck. Another said the writer did not want to waste time with their partner.
Queuing jobs once centered on limited-edition luxury goods. The work now extends to restaurants, bars and bakeries as crowds return to nightlife districts.
The market has grown since the late 2010s and demand rose further during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, with some workers treating queuing as specialized part-time work.
Recent spikes in demand have followed the popularity of specific shops and desserts. Customers have flocked to Sungsimdang, a well-known bakery in Daejeon, and to cafes that sell a trendy dessert such as the Dubai chewy cookie.

Most of these jobs pay around the minimum hourly wage of 10,320 won. Some listings include extra pay depending on the time, location and weather.
"Outdoor waiting pays more, and rates during peak seasons like the end of the year and New Year's rise by about 50 percent," said the owner of a queuing service business.
Experts said the rise of platforms that facilitate such arrangements and shifting consumer attitudes drove the sharp increase in people who willingly pay for someone to stand in line.
"Consumers once accepted inconvenience as part of shopping, but many now treat time and effort as transaction costs and pay extra to reduce them," said Choi Chul, a professor of consumer economics at Sookmyung Women's University.
Others said the shift also reflects how online platforms make it easier to turn that demand into paid services.
"Internet and platform growth make it easy to connect people offering even small services with those who need them," said Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer studies at Inha University. "Services driven by more specific demand, such as paying someone to wait in line for a bar, will keep emerging."
The trend has also drawn criticism.
"Standing in line for someone else does not break current law, but it can draw ethical criticism because people use money to secure limited goods and services," Kwak Jun-ho, an attorney at the law firm Chung, said.
Other lawyers said the practice can also raise legal issues.
"There is no regulation for organized queuing businesses," Chun Jung-min, an attorney at the law firm Daeryun, said. "Some stores explicitly ban it, and if someone refuses to leave after a store orders them out, the situation could lead to a legal dispute."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

This article is by Lee Jae-lim and read by an artificial voice.

[NEWS ANALYSIS]
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, which oversees the management and development of semiconductor facility projects, drew a clear line on the location dispute surrounding the chip cluster in Yongin, saying the project will move forward as planned.
A mega-sized land plot in Yongin, Gyeonggi, billed as a site for the world's largest chip complex, has become the center of political strife, after Climate Minister Kim Sung-whan raised the need to reconsider the location selection due to the area's lack of electricity supply.
"The proposal is not under consideration, and no review is planned," an Industry Ministry official in charge of the semiconductor project told the Korea JoongAng Daily.
"Most supply agreements — for electricity, industrial water and other utilities — have already been concluded," the official added. "It is true that detailed power-supply plans beyond 2039 have not yet been finalized. But arrangements for the earlier phases are firmly in place, and we are working to make sure the project proceeds on schedule and without disruption."
Led by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the project's sheer scale is unprecedented. It spans 11.44 million square meters (123 million square feet) of land and has attracted investment pledges of 360 trillion won ($248 billion) from Samsung Electronics and 600 trillion won from SK hynix so far, envisioned as a cornerstone of the country's future semiconductor supply chain.
Kim said that supplying sufficient power to the Yongin semiconductor industrial complex "will not be easy" during a radio interview on Dec. 26, 2025. Behind the scenes, the ministry is already knee-deep in a dilemma over the issue, as it works to persuade the energy-abundant southern regions to accept the new grid and transmission projects required to supply power to the Yongin cluster.

"If Samsung Electronics and SK hynix move into Yongin, the total amount of electricity the two companies would require is equivalent to the output of about 15 nuclear reactors — around 15 gigawatts," Kim said.
"That raises the question of whether the cluster truly needs to be located there, or whether, even at this stage, it should be relocated to other regions with greater electricity capacity. There is a growing sense that the country must rethink its approach: instead of feeling compelled to supply power wherever businesses happen to be built, we should be encouraging companies to base their production activities in areas where electricity is more abundant."

Korea's historic chip project tainted by political wrangling
Speculation over relocation intensified after President Lee Jae Myung used his New Year's address to outline plans for a "southern semiconductor belt," part of a broader strategy to spur rural growth and reduce the country's reliance on capital-focused infrastructure.
"From a semiconductor belt in the energy-rich southern region to AI demonstration cities and renewable energy clusters, we will design a structure in which the growth of advanced industries is directly linked to regional development," Lee said.
The remarks have largely been interpreted as a push to create new semiconductor complexes in Yeongnam and Honam, integrating AI and renewable-energy industries into a southern high-tech hub. Lee, however, did not specify whether the proposal would shift the Yongin cluster southward or establish separate facilities there.

Several lawmakers have criticized the relocation debate online, warning that politicians are framing the issue in terms of regional populism ahead of Korea's local elections in June. They note that rural regions, though relatively rich in energy resources, face serious disadvantages: a limited talent pool and the absence of the dense supplier ecosystem required for semiconductor manufacturing.
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, took to Facebook to rebut the proposal. Lee Jun-seok represents ...

This article is by Lee Jian and read by an artificial voice.

Office worker Kim Yoon-jin has run four marathons since 2023. But each year, she becomes less sure if this is the best after-hours hobby.
"I love running, but lately, it feels kind of fraught with stress," she said.
The number of registered marathon races in Korea has skyrocketed in recent years, from 19 in 2020 to 254 in 2024, a more than 13-fold increase, according to the Korean National Police Agency data. In 2025, 498 running events, including quirky running events like Disney- and superhero-themed races, were registered on the local runners' platform Online Marathon.
The seemingly positive running boom, however, is being trailed by a wave of social blowback. With more races taking over roads and parks, frustrations are rising on all sides — from residents disrupted by closures to runners facing crowding, higher fees and uneven safety management — putting the sport's core identity to the test: Can running remain an easy, low-barrier pastime?

The tension is most evident in Seoul, where running already struggles with weekend traffic and protest roadblocks. The number of civilian complaints tied to marathons reported to the Seoul government office, including jammed roads, unavailable public transportation, noise and loitering, rose from 15 in 2021 to 350 just from January through September of 2025.
"The bus had to skip my usual stop because of the road closures from a marathon," reads a post on local search portal Naver in April. "Even the pedestrian walkways were partially closed, and I ended up being late to my part-time job."
Some problems go far beyond mere inconvenience, like the 25-year-old male who died in November after being hit by a truck while running a marathon in Incheon, a major city located about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) west-southwest of Seoul.
Over the past five years, 179 marathon-related accidents were reported to the Korean National Police Agency, with the annual total rising steadily and reaching an all-time high of 72 last year.

But improvements have been slow as governmental action remains perfunctory.
Under Korea's National Sports Promotion Act, the event organizer is responsible for establishing a safety management plan and conducting safety inspections for sports events with 1,000 or more participants. The average number of participants in major marathons ranges from 3,500 to 25,000.
Unlike rallies or demonstrations, marathons are treated as cultural events and are therefore not subject to police reporting requirements. Police officials say they try to minimize disruption by encouraging races to take place on weekend mornings, when traffic is lighter, and by implementing phased traffic controls by section.
Ultimately, it is local governments that approve permits, rent out public spaces and collect venue fees from private events. Seoul has reportedly collected about 1.5 billion won ($1 million) over the past five years from renting venues to private marathon organizers.

There is currently no cap to the maximum number of marathons that can be held in the city, as long as a venue can be legally secured. But the city government, in a statement, argued that it reviews the marathons' safety management plans before approving venue use, and assigns staff to be on-site on the day of the event to "reduce inconvenience to citizens and ensure safe event operations."
"As complaints have been received over citizen inconvenience amid a recent increase in marathon events, the city is currently exploring reasonable improvement measures to develop ways to ensure safe event operations while reducing inconvenience to residents," said an official from the city's Tourism and Sports Bureau.
During a November press conference, Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated: "Traffic control is also under the purview of the National Police Agency, but we will coordinate closely," stressing that organizers should be encouraged to design courses that allow for detours — and that t...

Moon Hong-kyu
The author is a principal researcher at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.
Only a few days have passed since I opened a new calendar. The days yet to come are still wound tight, like a spring. Numbers burst open each date as if a cuckoo were leaping from a clock to announce the day. Everyone knows that a day is the time it takes the Earth to rotate once with respect to the sun, and a year is the time it takes to complete one orbit. The problem begins after that.

Multiply 365 days by 24 hours and it should come out neatly to 8,760 hours. Yet, like coffee grounds stuck to the bottom of a cup, there remains an extra 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45.2 seconds in a year around the sun. That is why Feb. 29 is added and removed every four years.
Perhaps my eyesight has worsened again. I squint, glasses perched on the tip of my nose, trying to make out the tiny lunar calendar numbers. A lunar month, from full moon to full moon or from new moon to new moon, averages 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.9 seconds. Once again, there is leftover change in a year, about 13 hours.
The moon travels along an elliptical orbit, sometimes pulling away to a distance that is three or four times Earth's diameter farther than at its closest approach. As a result, each lunar month can vary by about seven hours from year to year. A supermoon is simply a full moon seen when the moon is closer to Earth.
What if a day, a month and a year fit together as precisely as interlocking gears, fixed at 24 hours, 30 days and 360 days, with the moon gliding elegantly along a perfect circle? Because of those remainders and that elliptical path, someone had to scrutinize the motions of the sun, moon and stars, grappling with calculations. Astronomy began that way.
Late last year, an overseas researcher visited the institute to present studies of exoplanets observed with the James Webb Space Telescope. The research captured signals of dimming light when so-called super-Earths and mini-Neptunes, with masses ranging from 1.2 to 9.6 times that of Earth, passed in front of their host stars.
Those worlds are heated to extremes, from temperatures comparable to grilling fish to conditions near molten lava. The likelihood of life there appears slim. Their years last anywhere from a day and a half to just 17 days as they skim close to their stars. Many are likely tidally locked, with their rotation period matching their orbital period so that a day and a year are the same.
In places where clocks and calendars coincide, life, too, might be correspondingly simple.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo.
There is a growing fear that Korea is once again heading down a losing path. After Poland, now Canada looms as the next test. Late last year, a Korean "one team" consortium led by Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries failed to win Poland's Orka submarine program, losing out to Sweden's Saab. Poland was expected to serve as a bridgehead for Korea's defense exports into Europe. Seoul even offered to transfer a retiring Jangbogo-class submarine free of charge. It was not enough.

There were multiple reasons behind Poland's choice, but the Polish defense minister repeatedly emphasized operational requirements in the Baltic Sea. The waters off Poland average just 50 (164 feet) to 100 meters deep. Facing Russia as its principal adversary, Poland wanted submarines capable of operating freely in such shallow seas. Korea, however, proposed a 3,600-ton diesel-electric submarine, the largest in its class. It was akin to recommending a fully loaded Genesis sedan to a customer looking for a compact Avante. Saab proposed a 2,000-ton platform.
Despite this background, President Lee Jae Myung told Poland's president during a meeting in New York last September that Korean weapons offered strong quality, value for money and reliable delivery schedules. With Lee having pledged to elevate Korea into the world's top four arms exporters, critics say he missed the strategic point.
A similar misstep now appears possible ahead of Canada's Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, or CPSP, with proposals due in early March. Canada plans to acquire up to 12 submarines. Including maintenance and life cycle costs over 30 years, the project could be worth as much as 60 trillion won (about $41 billion), making it the largest single defense export opportunity in Korea's history. Korea's rival is Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, from a country that is the birthplace of the U-boat. German submarines also served as the technological foundation for Korea's own fleet.
In October last year, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney personally toured Hanwha Ocean's shipyard in Geoje. Kim Min-seok, who accompanied him at the time, later recalled that Carney said he was not dealing with Hanwha as a company but with the Republic of Korea as a whole. The remark captured the essence of the competition.
As Carney suggested, large defense contracts are not corporate deals but government-to-government projects. Canada has sounded out Korea on an 18-item economic cooperation package tied to the submarine bid. At its core is support for Canada's domestic auto industry. Canada's industry minister has even floated the idea that Germany's Volkswagen proposed building an electric vehicle battery plant in the country, while asking whether Korean automakers would consider establishing local production facilities. Germany has gone further, offering offset arrangements involving critical minerals, liquefied natural gas and hydrogen cooperation.
Governments cannot dictate where private companies invest. For automakers already expanding U.S. production in response to Trump-era tariffs, building plants in Canada could add to management burdens. Still, governments can seek creative solutions by offering incentives, coordinating joint investments and encouraging cooperation among firms. As Germany has demonstrated, major countries are already aligning their domestic stakeholders behind government-to-government projects with urgency.
Yet with less than two months remaining before proposal submissions, there is little visible sign of such coordination between the Korean government and relevant companies. Some observers even speak of discord between the National Security Office and the National Policy Office.

Mega nuclear and defense export bids are, by nature, presidential projects. Both credit and blame ultimately rest with the president. That was the case with the Lee Myung-bak administration's nuclear power deal in the United...

Lee Hyun-sang
The author is a columnist at the JoongAng Ilbo.
Public reaction to former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee, has been marked not only by anger but by bewilderment. In a country that calls itself a democracy, the sight of a presidential couple crossing lines that power should never cross, without caution or restraint, has been jarring. Yoon's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, was shocking in constitutional terms. More troubling, at least to this writer, were the allegations surrounding Kim, including illicit financial dealings and the privatization of public authority. Korea often speaks of "imperial power," but there was little imperial dignity in how power was exercised.

A similar pattern has surfaced in the local political arena of Dongjak District in Seoul. The allegations surrounding Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Kim Byung-kee and his spouse remain under investigation and await judicial judgment. Still, based on what has emerged so far, the logic by which power operates and justifies itself bears a striking resemblance to the Yoon-Kim former presidential couple saga. Claims of cash transfers involving a spouse, abuse of authority for private gain, mistreatment of aides and attempts to conceal evidence amount to what critics call a local version of the Yoon-Kim former presidential couple affair.
Kim Byung-kee, a former National Intelligence Service official, has styled himself as a "black agent" for President Lee Jae Myung. True to his background, his actions revealed through media reports appear meticulous and calculating. He allegedly approached a then-ruling People Power Party lawmaker he had once criticized as a key pro-Yoon figure to seek help in blunting an investigation into his wife. He reportedly recorded a colleague's plea for mercy as a precaution. His efforts to block the release of restaurant CCTV footage have fueled suspicions of evidence tampering. When faced with threats to survival and interest, he seemed to observe few boundaries.
It is telling that the scandal was triggered by allegations of abuse toward aides. Reports that staff were ordered to investigate a son's university transfer or were pressed into handling private moves despite being paid with public funds were startling. Parliamentary aides appeared to have been treated as personal servants. The episode exposed how a constituency, meant to be a space of public responsibility, had become a privately controlled domain.
More serious still is the alleged manipulation of candidate nominations. Petitions submitted by former district council members claim that cash was handed to Kim's spouse around the 2020 general election and later returned. The documents even suggest the spouse remarked that the amount was too large for a holiday gift but too small for a nomination contribution. There are also claims that a district council corporate card was handed over and used for private purposes. The facts must be established. Even so, it is difficult to avoid suspicion that public authority was turned into a tool for private transactions.
It would be naive to think such practices are confined to Dongjak. Allegations have already surfaced involving lawmaker Kang Sun-woo and a Seoul city council member over a 100 million won ($69,000) payment tied to nominations. When central politics effectively controls local nominations, it is reasonable to suspect that such shadowy dealings are structural rather than exceptional. Claims that tens of millions of won changed hands in snack shopping bags no longer sound implausible.
These cases show how easily local politics can be distorted when captured by the center. They also help explain why local councils repeatedly become entangled in licensing and permitting scandals. A system that funnels power and resources upward ultimately reduces local politics to a private instrument of national politicians. The observation by Gregory Henderson that Korean politics re...

China has moved to retaliate against Japan by banning rare earth exports, escalating economic pressure through the full prohibition of so-called dual-use materials that can be diverted for military purposes. The measure underscores Beijing's red line over the Taiwan Strait. It also includes the threat of a secondary boycott, warning that third countries reexporting Chinese rare earths to Japan would face punishment.
China has repeatedly wielded rare earths as a blunt instrument during diplomatic disputes. Last year, when Beijing tightened controls on rare earth magnet exports, Ford Motor temporarily halted production and the U.S. President Donald Trump administration eased some semiconductor export restrictions to China. In 2010, during the Senkaku Islands dispute, China suspended rare earth shipments to Japan, prompting Tokyo to release a detained Chinese captain within a day. The episode remains a touchstone for how quickly economic coercion can yield political results.
Although the current action targets Japan, the message to Korea is unmistakable. The timing is difficult to dismiss as coincidence: The announcement came during President Lee Jae Myung's state visit to China. Beijing appears to be signaling that if Korea takes steps deemed contrary to Chinese interests, including on Taiwan-related issues, it could face similar retaliation. At the same time, China has rolled out warm protocol and language of goodwill toward Seoul, while subtly attempting to drive a wedge between Korea and Japan. The calculus may also reflect Seoul's plans for President Lee to visit Japan later this month to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Korea cannot afford to choose sides in an intensifying China–Japan standoff. President Lee acknowledged as much at a recent press conference, saying Korea's role is limited for now. That candor reflects an increasingly constrained diplomatic space. Still, restraint is not the same as inaction. There is no alternative to managing relations with China while deepening cooperation with Japan. Avoiding entanglement must not become an excuse for being unprepared.
Beyond diplomacy, Korea needs urgent economic security measures to shore up its rare earth exposure. The numbers are stark. According to the Korea Customs Service, Korea depends on China for nearly 90 percent of its rare earth raw materials, far higher than Japan's reliance in the 70 percent range. More than 90 percent of permanent magnets essential for electric vehicles are sourced from China. Gallium, a key material for next-generation power semiconductors, is dominated by China with a 98 percent share of global output. Graphite, critical for battery anodes, also carries a China dependence of about 97 percent.
This structure leaves Korea acutely vulnerable. A squeeze on even a single item could reverberate across core industries. Diversifying supply chains, expanding stockpiles, strengthening mineral partnerships with countries such as Australia and Canada and investing in recycling technologies are no longer optional. They are preventive steps that must be taken before economic coercion becomes a reality.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

This article is by Sarah Chea and read by an artificial voice.

LAS VEGAS — From robots dealing blackjack to boxing opponents and running marathons, CES 2026 was a robotics spectacular, with nearly all of the standout innovations coming from Chinese companies.
Contrary to some assumptions, U.S. tensions with China did not keep Chinese firms away from the show. The Las Vegas Convention Center's North Hall ended up becoming effectively a showcase for Chinese robotics, with few competitors from other countries making a noticeable mark.
Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics stole attention with its G1 humanoid, decked out in a hat and suit while performing Michael Jackson's signature moonwalk.
Nearby, a robot dressed in boxing gear demonstrated its fighting prowess, fresh from winning the world's first martial arts robot championship.

Unitree, known for being the fastest mover in the robotics race in China, recently unveiled its R1 humanoid robot, priced at a $4,900 — a quarter of the estimated $20,000 cost for Tesla's upcoming humanoid Optimus. Unitree has partnered with e-commerce giant JD.com to open its first robotics store in Beijing, bringing humanoids directly to consumers.
That's shockingly cheap even compared to Boston Dynamics' robot dog Spot, with prices starting from $74,500. Its Atlas humanoid, still under development, is expected to exceed $100,000.
Meanwhile, visitors to the Nvidia booth at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas were greeted by AgiBot Innovation's guiding humanoid, which led attendees to the booth's starting point with a friendly, "Come follow me."
AgiBot recently became the world's first company to ship 5,000 humanoid robots worldwide.
Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics' Walker S2 was also on display at the trade show, running tirelessly at speeds of up to 7.2 kilometers per hour (4.47 miles per hour) and capable of swapping its own battery autonomously.

Amid the overwhelming presence of Chinese firms, Korea made a modest showing at the booth of M.AX Alliance, an associations of 1,300 Korean firms and organizations, including Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, and backed by Korea's Industry Ministry.
But most of the Korean demonstrations were limited to upper-body or hand movements, falling short compared to Chinese humanoids.
China filed 5,688 humanoid robot patents between 2020 and 2024, vastly outpacing the United States' 1,483 and Japan's 1,195, according to Morgan Stanley's "Humanoid 100" report.
"China is both the world's largest producer and consumer of robots, strategically deploying them to automate key manufacturing sectors, including electronics, automobiles and industrial machinery," said the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade in a recent report.

Last year alone, China installed 295,000 new industrial robots, a 7 percent increase from 2024, accounting for 54 percent of global installations.
"It's shocking how inexpensive China can make the robots," Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter told the Korea JoongAng Daily on the sidelines of the CES 2026. "I don't really think they're paying for themselves yet. The Chinese government is subsidizing," he added.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang predicted that humanoids could reach human-level capabilities within the year.
While Nvidia provides AI computing platforms to most of China's big robotics companies, such as AgiBot and Unitree, Korean companies have yet to gain access to these resources.