Technology

AI’s next phase is shaped less by smarter models than by where memory lives and how much it costs to keep close

Foreign-operated satellite networks, major data breaches and a government data-centre failure reveal how essential Korean services now depend on systems outside national authority, pushing operational sovereignty to the centre of Seoul’s policy agenda.

AI is no longer a futuristic accessory but the core mechanism for policy recalibration. Properly designed, it can price risk, reward equity, and realign incentives across Korea’s unbalanced medical economy—if, and only if, the state owns the code that governs care.

The redesign was meant to modernize KakaoTalk; instead it unsettled millions who had treated it as a fixed part of daily life.

Across gaming chats, YouTube feeds, and political forums, humor and grievance merge into identity. A closer look at how technology, psychology, and culture intertwine to radicalize both the young and the old.

In 2025, South Korea faced an unprecedented wave of hacks that paralyzed telecom carriers, financial institutions, and online retailers. Technical debt, weak oversight, and centralized ID systems turned the world’s most connected nation into a prime target for espionage, extortion, and fraud.

Inside Korea’s smart city experiments—Busan Eco-Delta City and Sejong 5-1—where high-tech pilots work, but full-city integration lags behind.

Confidence scores look clinical. Precise. Coldly rational. But in practice? They often say more than they know—and less than they claim.

KRW-pegged stablecoins could soon reward Koreans for walking, learning, and creating — if lawmakers and the Bank of Korea align on regulation.

AI-generated content is creating a cycle of shallow, formulaic articles that distort search results. As AI content grows, popularity drives results over accuracy, reinforcing biases and limiting our understanding. How can we break this cycle?

Despite Korea's tech-forward reputation, its public software system remains dominated by outdated procurement rules, short-term contracts, and rigid project scopes — all of which undermine innovation and exclude high-growth firms.

Despite the appearance of constant busyness, most office workers spend less than three hours a day in focused work. This section uncovers the disconnect between activity and output in white-collar jobs.