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Expectations for the Daejeon Town Hall Meeting - At the Center of Science and Livelihood The upcoming Daejeon Town Hall Meeting has been selected by President Lee Jae-myung as the second national tour for communication. The event, subtitled 'Listening to the Heart of Chungcheong', is scheduled to be held on July 4, 2025, at the Daejeon Convention Center. This schedule reflects not just a simple public event but also the President's intention to engage directly with citizens, listening to their life stories and incorporating them into policy. Daejeon, not only a geographical center but also a long-standing hub for science and technology, has played a vital role as the heart of national R&D. We anticipate how the President will incorporate the voices from the field into policy through the keywords of science and livelihood during this Town Hall Meeting. Scientific and Technological City Daejeon – The Heart of National R&D Daejeon is a key city for Korea...

Provocation or Manipulation – The Beginning of the Problem On the night of October 8, 2024, a drone appeared over Pyongyang. This drone, which dropped leaflets near the North Korean Ministry of Defense, immediately sent ripples through the Korean Peninsula's situation. It was an incident that would typically lead to a conventional military confrontation, but North Korea remained silent, and reports emerged that the South Korean president 'clapped and celebrated.' What happened that night? There are allegations that this incident was not a simple mistake in a military operation or an unforeseen circumstance, but rather a meticulously planned and controlled operation. According to revelations by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byeong-joo, only specific military commanders were given information on the day of the operation, while the majority of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Ministry of Defense were deliberately excluded. Additionally, the Minister of Defense awarded bo...

I. The Reality of the Emotions of Nostalgia and Deep Gratitude The expression that first came to mind while watching the animation "K-Pop Demon Hunters" was, "It truly feels like a generational change. I am overwhelmed with emotion." Back in the 1990s, we admired Japanese animation, marveling at their strong characters, world-building, and animation technology. At that time, Korean animation faced limitations in scale and planning, making it difficult to compete both commercially and artistically. However, now, "K-Pop Demon Hunters," produced by Sony Pictures Animation and released on Netflix, completely flips that gap. It's not just a matter of technical standards. The important fact is that our narratives, emotions, and identities are confidently reaching audiences around the world. At the historical foundation of this transformation is President Kim Dae-jung. He saw the advancement of Korean culture as a core driving force of national governance...

AI is an irreversible change. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) has established itself not as a choice but as an irreversible change that is reshaping work and society as a whole. Technologies that were considered science fiction just a few years ago have become a reality, and this change raises fundamental questions about human roles and values beyond mere technological advancement. Analysis tasks that once took a week can now be completed in just two days using AI. Particularly in research, policy analysis, and tasks that require high-level thinking, AI is demonstrating remarkable performance. The response time to inquiries is only 2 to 3 seconds, and through conversational interfaces, humans now have the foundation for deeper thinking and discussion. As we witness this change, we must acknowledge an important fact: this transformation is irreversible. Within the next five years, by 2030, AI will replace or optimize much of human labor and will no longer be a technology used in...

Prologue: The start of the stage begins within In early summer of 2024, on the terrace of the Dream Factory in Seoul. The breeze gently brushes by, and the sound of birds chirping beyond the voice of the interviewer, Kim Young-dae, weaves itself into Lee Seung-hwan's words like a rhythm. The profound conversation reveals his artistic obsession, human anxiety, and some solid beliefs. He says, "I live on stage." The performance is not just about 'showing,' but rather a way of life itself. Act 1: The Other Side of Glamour – The Reason for Becoming the 'Emperor of Live' Lee Seung-hwan defines himself as a "highly introverted person." However, the person we know is the most energetic performer on stage. His actions of crossing the stage, kicking the microphone stand, and raising anything in his hand above the audience are deeply engraved in the minds of the spectators. Yet, that drive does not stem from self-awareness but from anxiety. He s...

The evolution of AI technology and the arrival of its popularization By 2024, AI technology existed with a somewhat skeptical view. The term 'AI bubble' was circulating, and debates about 'limits to scaling' continued. There was skepticism that even with large-scale data and enormous computational resources, performance wouldn't improve beyond a certain level. Additionally, users strongly perceived the technology as unstable and somewhat lacking. However, as we entered 2025, the situation rapidly changed. Major AI models such as OpenAI's GPT, Anthropic's Claude, Google's Gemini, and Meta's LLaMA advanced at an unprecedented pace. Most notably, a significant change was that high-performance models became available for free. The top-tier AI performance that had required a monthly payment of over $20 until 2024 began to be offered to free users, resulting in an explosive increase in the number of users. Moreover, the evolution of AI interfaces playe...

Introduction: The Path of Acceptance Rather than Conflict in Prosecutorial Reform Since the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung administration, judicial reform has once again emerged as a central political agenda. Previous administrations also grappled with the concentration of power and institutional monopolization by the prosecution, but the process has always been confrontational and sometimes escalated into outright conflicts between the prosecution and the government, resulting in political backlash. In particular, during the Moon Jae-in administration, conflicts between the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution intensified under the banner of 'dispersing prosecutorial power,' leading to internal turmoil such as backlash from within the organization, resignations en masse, and the breaking of seniority norms. While the need for judicial reform was clear, the approach made the prosecutorial organization more assertive, ultimately resulting in the side effect of 'pol...

Introduction: The Exiled One Returns In 2022, the Yoon Seok-youl government established the 'Policing Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety' to take control of police personnel authority and command structure. This sparked controversy over excessive police intervention by the administrative power and led to collective resistance within the police. At the center of this was the 'General Police Meeting.' Police superintendents from across the country voluntarily gathered to advocate for the political neutrality of the police and the independence of the organization during the meeting, but most attendees faced demotion or disadvantages as a consequence. One of them, Kim Jong-kwan, the then-chief of the Seoul Police Station, remained in a lesser position as the Director of Welfare Policy after his demotion. However, in 2025, with a change of government, he made a return. Moreover, he was appointed to the position of 'Director of Personnel,' which can...

The temptation of power, the trap of broadcasting Every time the regime changes, it is a familiar scene in Korean society that the president of the public broadcaster changes, the stance of the news department shifts, and the faces of the anchors alter. When a president changes, personnel adjustments appropriate to the new administration are carried out at the broadcasting company, leading to a corresponding adjustment in the tone of broadcasts, which has essentially been recognized as a 'custom.' Broadcasting has not merely been a public medium but an extension of the power the regime wishes to hold. In this context, a noticeable political declaration has emerged: the passage of the 'Three Broadcasting Laws' led by the Democratic Party. This was an unprecedented decision to self-regulate the ruling party's influence and personnel authority over broadcasting. It is highly unusual in Korean political history for the ruling party to declare that it will voluntaril...

The door to reopened North American dialogue In the summer of 2025, the global diplomatic stage is entering a new phase. In particular, the possibility of a North American summit is resurfacing, heightening international interest surrounding the Korean Peninsula. Following Donald Trump's announcement of his candidacy for re-election, he has been emphasizing his image as a mediator of global conflicts and showing movements to restore past North American dialogues. Some suggest that the upcoming APEC summit in San Francisco in October could serve as an opportunity for a North American meeting at Panmunjom. However, behind this optimism lies deep-rooted skepticism. Since the 2018 Singapore summit and the breakdown in Hanoi in 2019, North Korea has developed a profound distrust towards the U.S. unilateral stance. Although Trump utilized the diplomatic achievements gained from the meetings for domestic political purposes, there were no tangible rewards returned to North Korea. Now, ...

Introduction: An Unexpected Shock, The Beginning of a New Order At the end of June 2025, the first real estate policy of the Yoon Seok-yeol government was announced abruptly. However, this measure was not a conventional real estate regulation. Beneath the exterior of 'real estate,' the essence was a rigorous control over 'finance.' This policy, implemented at a time unexpected by both experts and the market, and with a higher intensity than anticipated, demonstrated a speed and completeness akin to a military operation. This policy targets the structural maladies that Korean society has been grappling with for decades, namely the accumulation of household debt mediated by real estate, the structuring of speculation, and the parasitic profit models of financial institutions. It is not merely a measure to control short-term prices, but rather a paradigm shift that seeks to change market perception and alter the rules of the game. The Reality of Measures: Uncompromis...

Will for restoring people's livelihoods and normalizing the economy President Lee Jae-myung emphasized from the beginning of his remarks that prioritizing the people's livelihoods is of utmost importance. Immediately after taking office, the president activated an emergency economic monitoring system as his first directive, explaining that it allows for daily analysis of economic conditions and strengthens policy responses. He specifically mentioned that a supplementary budget plan totaling 30.5 trillion won has been organized to recover consumer spending and stimulate the economy. This supplementary budget includes recovery support funds in the form of local currency, measures to alleviate the burden of high interest rates, emergency financial assistance, and budget allocations for coupons to boost local consumption. In response to questions about the support fund policy, the president stated his clear position. He noted that past experiments with local currencies have con...