Ahn Cheol-soo
AlphaGo and Our Future
First there was shock. Then there was hope. Then there was fear and defeat. Last summer, one of the world’s best go players was defeated by artificial intelligence in a highly publicized series of matches at a five-star hotel in downtown Seoul. It was a humiliating loss of man
A Eulogy for Another Radical Centrist
So this upstart politician — the son of a doctor, the renegade, and a center-liberal candidate who claims to be neither right nor left — appeared to some voters in the recent presidential election to be the only hope (or the lesser evil) to prevent the worst case scenario from taking place.
S Korea Election Day: Voter Snapshots in Seoul
A year ago today, Park Geun-hye probably would have had no idea how May 9 2017 would unfold. She would’ve imagined carrying out her official duties as president, albeit a lame duck president. She would’ve been thinking about the presidential election that would take place&
S Korea's Election Season: You've Got Mail
With just over a week left until South Korea’s presidential election, candidates are making last-ditch efforts to win voter support. The National Election Commission (NEC) recently mailed out packages containing pamphlets put together by each candidate. Last week, one of the packages arrived at my family’s home
Ahn Cheol-soo: Not So Fresh Anymore
At the press conference, Ahn Cheol-soo’s voice nearly broke with emotion. He took long pauses between sentences before saying, “I declare my candidacy for the 18th presidential election.” A chorus of cheers rose, and a group of Ahn’s supporters broke into delirious chants of his name. That was
Captivating Moments from South Korea's Unexpected Election Season
In less than three weeks, South Korea will have a new president. It’s a little crazy how quickly things have moved in the past few months: Former president Park Geun-hye’s ouster from office on Mar. 10, which immediately kicked off the 60-day presidential race, and the fierce competition
Reading List: Our 2017 Election Coverage
2017 is an interesting year for South Korean politics. A president has been ousted from office for the first time under the democratic constitution. The ruling conservative party is in shambles, splintered into three parties. The leading presidential candidates are mostly those that identify with the left, which means the
Top Presidential Contenders Pledge to Fix South Korea's Air Pollution
South Korea is in the midst of the country’s first springtime election campaign since 1971. And it has brought the issue of fine particle dust to the fore, as voters are irritated by air pollution in the lead-up to the May 9 vote. At this point, the 60-day race
What's With South Korea's Fuss About the Fourth Industrial Revolution?
The so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution is rapidly emerging as South Korea’s latest fashionable concept. With the country recently labeled “2017’s most innovative country” by Bloomberg, the government appears to be trying its best to live up to expectations — by issuing certificates. On Mar. 28, the Ministry
[Updated] Guide to South Korea's Presidential Election
The National Assembly impeached her. The Constitutional Court stripped her of presidency. Prosecutors have summoned her for questioning. She is now holed up in her house in Gangnam, not seen after moving out of the presidential Blue House on Mar. 12. Since the Choi Soon-sil gate broke