[Vishal Gupta] An old tool to assess AI‘s ability

“AI passes US medical licensing exam.” “ChatGPT passes law school exams despite ‘mediocre’ performance.” “Would ChatGPT get a Wharton MBA?” Headlines such as these have recently touted (and often exaggerated) the successes of ChatGPT. These successes follow a long tradition of comparing AI‘s abilities to those of human experts, such as Deep Blue’s chess victory over Garry Kasparov in 1997, IBM Watson’s “Jeopardy!” vict

March 9, 2023

[Wang Son-taek] Solutions bared swiftly. Is it audacity or surrender?

On Monday, the South Korean government announced solutions regarding the issue of forced labor, one of the sources of diplomatic friction between South Korea and Japan. If Korea-Japan relations improve, Seoul can expect to have a positive impact on responding to the North Korean nuclear threat and expanding diplomatic space toward a global theater. However, whether the situation will unfold as the Yoon Suk Yeol government wishes is unclear. This is because the Yoon administration announced solut

March 9, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] “Reverse mentoring” and the harmony of “digilog”

Recently, two of my friends sent me two radically different articles on the MZ generations. A Korean friend of mine sent me an interesting piece of writing that presumably someone had posted on the internet. The title was “An Era of Super-reversal and Reverse Mentoring.” An American friend of mine sent me an article titled, “Gen Z Is Apparently Baffled by Basic Technology” by Victor Tangermann. The article on reverse mentoring solemnly announces, “We are now living

March 8, 2023

[Paul Scharre] How to counter China’s scary use of AI tech

Nowhere is the competition in developing artificial intelligence fiercer than in the accelerating rivalry between the United States and China. At stake in this competition is not just who leads in AI but who sets the rules for how it is used. China is forging a new model of digital authoritarianism at home and is actively exporting it abroad. It has launched a national-level AI development plan with the intent to be the global leader by 2030. And it is spending billions on AI deployment, trainin

March 7, 2023

[Martin Schram] One-China policy can be win-win for all

Tweets and texts were popping all over the place on Wednesday. Not only were China’s economic experts surprised -- but their leaders were actually satisfied. China’s economy had just rebounded quite strongly, as the country reopened after its full-stop COVID shutdown. February’s numbers showed China’s manufacturing sector registered its largest growth in a decade. So, this may be a good time to remind China’s President Xi Jinping of something I warned him about just

March 7, 2023

[Mariana Mazzucato, Rosie Collington] Consultants and the crisis of capitalism

In recent years, McKinsey & Company has become a household name -- but for all the wrong reasons. One of the “Big Three” consulting firms, its work for major corporations and governments has increasingly become a source of scandal and intrigue around the world. In the United States, for example, McKinsey agreed to pay nearly $600 million for its role in the deadly opioid epidemic, following allegations that it had advised Purdue Pharma on how to “turbocharge” sales of Oxy

March 6, 2023

[Song Young-gil] Lessons from France’s energy policies

Increasing the share of nuclear energy to replace renewable energy is considered a move against carbon neutrality. Whenever the current South Korean government insists on the legitimacy of its pro-nuclear energy policy, France, a powerhouse in nuclear energy, is cited as a successful case. However, a closer look at France’s nuclear power policy within the framework of its energy mix shows that Korea and France are quite different in many aspects. The two nations' energy policies share

March 6, 2023

Bulgaria marks National Day

The Bulgarian Embassy celebrated its National Day on March 3, marking the nation's liberation from the Ottoman Dominion. Bulgarian Embassy commemorated Bulgarian volunteers who fought and liberated Bulgaria during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, leading to the re-establishment of Bulgarian statehood. Delivering welcome remarks at the ceremony, Bulgarian Ambassador Petko Draganov recalled his country’s diplomatic relationship with Korea forged 33 years ago in acknowledgment o

March 3, 2023

[James A. Goldston] Ukraine and the rebirth of human rights

As democracy has receded in many parts of the world, “human rights” -- and the language, institutions, and framework of laws to which the concept has given rise over the past 75 years -- have increasingly attracted criticism. Of course, realities on the ground have always fallen short of the lofty aspirations enshrined in our patchwork global human-rights system, from the first initiatives under the League of Nations to the 1945 United Nations Charter and the treaties subsequently

March 3, 2023

[Jean Pisani-Ferry] Reinventing the European Union

Tectonic changes in the global system are forcing all countries to redefine their strategic outlooks and growth models. But while changes are affecting every country, the European Union faces a far more serious challenge that could put its very existence at risk. This is not the first time that the EU has found itself at a crossroads. Global crises tend to throw the bloc into an existential spiral that calls into question its priorities, structure and purpose. Whether Europe remains a major glo

March 2, 2023

[Lee Kyong-hee] Princesses of North Korea’s Kim dynasty

The massive military parade in Pyongyang on Feb. 8 lived up to North Korea’s reputation as a “theater state.” Monster missiles rolled through the brightly illuminated Kim Il Sung Square; impeccable columns of marching soldiers shouted loyalty to their Supreme Leader and his sacred bloodline; and a sea of spectators cheered and wept with joy. But the most memorable image was a child, Kim Ju-ae, standing at center stage alongside her father, Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. The specta

March 2, 2023

[David C. Logan] Why Putin suspended START

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow would suspend implementation of New START, the last remaining treaty between Russia and the United States limiting deployed nuclear weapons. New START limits the number of “strategic” nuclear warheads that Russia and the United States can deploy to 1,550 and the number of deployed strategic nuclear-capable missiles and bombers to 700. The agreement, like its predecessors, was important in limiting arms race pressu

March 1, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] Living dangerously in this apocalyptic moment

Recently, one of my American friends sent me an insightful article by John Semley, “We’re All Living under Gravity’s Rainbow.” Semley writes engagingly about our current historical moment in light of Thomas Pynchon’s groundbreaking novel, "Gravity’s Rainbow": “Looming apocalypse, paranoid conspiracies, rocket-obsessed oligarchs. As Thomas Pynchon’s novel turns 50, it’s world feels unnervingly present.” Indeed, though publish

March 1, 2023

Slovakia eyes more battery, EV cooperation with Korea

Celebrating 30 years of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Slovakia, the European country's top envoy in Seoul said the country expects more cooperation in the field of battery and electric vehicle production in the near future. Noting the rapidly developing automotive industry in the country, Slovakia's Ambassador to Korea Jan Kuderjavy said Korean companies could take advantage of a regional financial incentive scheme and a preferential tax regime for research and development. &

Feb. 28, 2023

Kuwait recalls Korea’s support during Gulf War on 62nd National Day

Kuwait’s top envoy to Seoul recalled the firm stance of Korea to support Kuwait during the 1990-1991 Gulf War while celebrating his country’s 62nd National Day in Seoul last week. Korea supported Kuwait's rights during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 by sending troops to Kuwait to help liberate the Gulf state. Kuwait’s national day, which falls on Feb. 25, marks the commemoration of the day Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah became the ruler of Kuwait in 1950. Al-Sabah

Feb. 28, 2023

[Joseph E. Stiglitz] Who stands for freedom in US party politics?

The Republican Party has long wrapped itself in the American flag, claiming to be the defender of “freedom.” The party believes individuals should be free to carry firearms, spew hate speech, and eschew vaccines and face masks. The same goes for corporations: Even if their activities destroy the planet and permanently change the climate, the “free market” should be trusted to sort things out. Banks and other financial institutions should be “liberated” from re

Feb. 28, 2023

[Elizabeth Shackelford] Ukraine’s outsized reliance on US is a risk for the world

One year into Russia’s assault on Ukraine, a few things are clear. Ukraine remains highly motivated, punching well above its weight against a far bigger and more experienced foe. The Russian military, meanwhile, has underperformed to nearly the same degree, though it continues to muster bodies and ammunition to throw at the front. It is also clear that the US role has been essential in giving Ukraine a fighting chance. Thanks to a successful American campaign to become the indispensabl

Feb. 27, 2023

[Robert J. Fouser] Joe Biden visits Kyiv

Today marks one year since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. US President Joe Biden marked the occasion by making a surprise visit to Kyiv to underscore the depth of the US commitment to Ukraine. The day after Biden’s visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech saying that Russia will continue the war indefinitely. He also stated that Russia would suspend the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) with the US that caps its number of intercont

Feb. 24, 2023

[Wang Son-taek] Manage crisis and more to ease tension with NK

Military tensions on the Korean Peninsula have sharply risen to a dangerous level as North Korea launched the Hwasong-15 missile, one of the intercontinental ballistic missiles, on Feb. 18. North Korea's launch of long-range ballistic missiles was a severe provocation against international norms and order, as the UN Security Council’s resolutions on North Korea prohibit. Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and deputy department director of the Workers�

Feb. 23, 2023