Recent Posts

Does Pres Lee dream of Putin? - Weekly Kontext

3 minute read

Why it matters: President Lee’s constitutional-reform feelers look less like a Putin-style bid to entrench himself than like the familiar last resort of a...

KOSPI 5000, Again; President’s Private Mortgage

7 minute read

The scorching heat in Seoul continues even as the sun reaches “start of autumn立秋” — but tending my garden yesterday, I could feel the evening cooling down, u...

What to make of the Olympic Park protests

4 minute read

Why it matters: The June 2026 Olympic Park protests may have ended up another fringe right-wing spectacle, but it has shown the deep grievance of Korean y...

Pork-Barrel Chips and an Inner-Party Civil War

7 minute read

Why it matters: As President Lee’s honeymoon abruptly ends in one year, his administration is subordinating macroeconomic strategy—most notably by weaponi...

June 3 election: Minjoo’s Pyrrhic Victory

5 minute read

Why it matters: Although the ruling Minjoo party secured a sweeping numerical victory in the local elections, its critical failure to capture Seoul and it...