Slow Letter is
a curated snapshot of Korea.

We go beyond the headlines, connect the dots, and show you what really matters — with insight and edge. We surface the stories behind the noise and bring the context you didn’t know you needed. It’s not just about what’s happening. It’s about why it matters.

This English edition combines AI-powered translation with careful human editing — using Upstage Solar-Pro-2 — and it’s still in beta mode.We’re learning as we go, and your feedback is invaluable.

Kim Seung-won’s Confirmation Hearing Proceeds Without Witnesses.

• It was set for the 15th. The People Power Party requested 44 witnesses but decided to call none.
• Kim Eul-gyu (Democratic Party lawmaker) claimed, “Han Dong-hoon (then Minister of Justice) sent his right and left arms to the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office, deploying 11 prosecutors for over a year, but the result was a ‘bust’… Rehashing a failed case in an endless loop is unacceptable.”
• Kim Dong-ah (Democratic Party lawmaker) stated, “It is highly inappropriate to frame Han Dong-hoon’s piecemeal investigations as if they contain major suspicions.”
• Seo Young-kyo (Democratic Party lawmaker, Judiciary Committee chair) remarked, “No confirmation hearing has ever adopted so many witnesses, and it’s standard to proceed without them.”
• In an editorial, Chosun Ilbo criticized, “This is tantamount to admitting they have no confidence in defending the allegations under public scrutiny.”
• Related Link.
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What Matters Now.

“The Drum Can Politics of the Democratic Party’s Big Brothers.”.

• Kim Min-seok (Democratic Party leader) stated, “The various claims raised by Han Dong-hoon (independent lawmaker) could not have occurred without collaborators within the prosecution,” adding, “The time has come to thoroughly investigate the alleged cabinet leaks and evidence tampering, which were orchestrated regardless of his intentions.”
• He emphasized, “By resolving the Han Dong-hoon case, prosecutorial reform will reach its final chapter.”
• Seo Young-kyo argued, “Han Dong-hoon should be urgently arrested.”
• Han Dong-hoon refuted, “I have never received anything resembling materials from the prosecution.”
• The Kyunghyang Shinmun criticized, “The Democratic Party’s counterattack deviates from its core principles,” likening it to “condemning the finger that points at the moon as dirty.” It added, “Even lawmakers with immunity privileges have crossed a line, and accountability is warranted.”
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Yes, the Hamsters Bled to Death.

• Genexel’s treatment failed clinical trials.
• One of five hamsters died, but the final report omitted this. The court ruled it “false documentation with either fabricated content or critical omissions.”
• It never reached Phase 3 trials. The reasons for scaling down and halting the experiment after approval were also dubious.
• According to *The Hankyoreh*, Kim Kang-lip (then head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) testified in a prosecution investigation, “There is no case where a lawmaker refers to a specific product and says, ‘Please take good care of it,’” adding, “Mentioning individual companies is even more exceptional.”
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“My Term Is Clearly Limited.”.

• Lee Jae-myung (President) made this remark during a meeting with overseas Koreans in Paris, France.
• “Early in my term, I’ve already scheduled many overseas visits. Even if I build strong relationships later, by the end of my term, there will inevitably be limited opportunities to utilize them,” he said.
• Kyunghyang Shinmun* noted, “It remained at a fundamental level, merely reaffirming the constitutional term limit.”
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Deep Dive.

“We Agreed Not to Discuss Real Estate.”.

• “It’s too exhausting. I’m sick of it,” said Lee Kwang-soo (CEO of Kwangsoo’s Real Estate Agency). He is the operator of a YouTube channel frequently watched by Lee Jae-myung (President).
• Lee Kwang-soo criticized, “The Democratic Party and the government’s attitude is extremely complacent,” warning, “If this continues, housing prices will keep rising, causing chaos in the real estate market, and that will hit the ruling party’s core support.”
• “Their ‘solution’ is to say, ‘We’ll increase housing supply in the long term.’ But with a war raging now, it’s like suggesting we focus on farming.”
• JoongAng Ilbo* assessed, “Following Chae Sang-wook (CEO of Connected Ground) and Han Moon-do (professor of real estate studies at Seoul Digital University), all three pro-government real estate figures have turned their backs.”
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Yong Hye-in’s Greatest Foe Is Herself.

• “There’s no choice but to interpret it as fleeing because she can’t justify herself,” or “It’s pitiful how she clings to her position”—such past remarks have spawned the term “Yong Hye-in Tripitaka (Yong Hye-in + Tripitaka).”
• Nam Ji-won (Gender Desk, Kyunghyang Shinmun) assessed, “The appointment was driven more by political considerations than career merit,” while adding, “There’s no doubt that Yong Hye-in became a bullet sponge partly because she’s a young woman.”
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Another Take.

Three Wars, Oil Surges Past $100.

• U.S. and Iran exchanged attacks. Iran struck Jordan additionally.
• The Strait of Hormuz is blocked again.
• Three wars are raging in the Middle East. Houthi rebels are attacking Saudi Arabia, Israel is attacking Lebanon. Concerns grow that the Bab el-Mandeb Strait may follow Hormuz in being closed.
• U.S. Treasury yields rose again. The Federal Reserve’s likelihood of raising interest rates has increased. Global stock markets are also weakening.
• Brent crude surpassed $100, with forecasts suggesting it could reach $150.
• U.S. Treasury yields hit their highest level in three years. This means borrowing costs are rising.
• All three major U.S. indices fell. The S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq dropped -0.48%, -0.77%, and -0.64%, respectively.
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South Korea Dispatches Fact-Finding Mission to Hormuz.

• No country has yet sent military forces to Hormuz. South Korea could be the first.
• Sung Ki-hong (Senior Secretary for Public Communication, Blue House) appeared on “Mae-bul Show” and argued, “Contributing to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz should not be immediately equated with dispatching troops.”
• Foad Izadi (Professor, University of Tehran) told *Kyunghyang Shinmun* in an interview, “The U.S. attack on Iran was an illegal act without UN resolution or approval,” adding, “A country should not engage in such acts just because another requests it. U.S. pressure cannot be an excuse.”
• South China Morning Post* reported, “South Korea is inching closer to a potentially dangerous military role.”
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“This Kind of Deployment Must Not Happen.”.

• Song Young-gil (Democratic Party lawmaker) argued, “There is even less justification than during the Iraq War,” while Kim Byung-joo (Democratic Party lawmaker) emphasized, “We must not be unilaterally dragged along by U.S. demands.”
• The *Hankyoreh* editorial noted, “The likelihood of losing both justification and practical benefit through hasty deployment is very high.”
• The *Kyunghyang Shinmun* pointed out, “Deploying Korean troops to support the U.S.’s unjustified war of aggression would violate the Constitution.”
• Park Won-gon (professor, Ewha Womans University) stated, “Since Trump anyway demands ‘deals’ from allies, if deployment occurs, diplomacy must ensure a quid pro quo that secures tangible progress on nuclear-powered submarines, enrichment, and reprocessing.”
• Related Link.

Over 10% Chance AI Could Wipe Out Humanity Within a Decade.

• Whistleblowers and warnings from ex-Anthropic researchers continue to surface.
• Jacob Cokson (former Anthropic researcher) warned, “The situation could already be spiraling out of control by late next year.”
• Evan Hubinger (Anthropic alignment lead) stated, “I genuinely believe AI could kill all of humanity,” adding, “I’d put the probability within 10 years at over 10%.”
• Yakov Pavlovskiy (OpenAI chief scientist) noted, “No one is prepared for the consequences of machine intelligence advancing at breakneck speed.”
• Related Link.

Navier-Stokes Equation Solved.

• An agent AI from OpenAI has solved a century-old problem with a $1 million prize. It was a notoriously unsolvable challenge for 98 years.
• Scientific American assessed, “This could be the most significant day in mathematics.” However, formal recognition will require verification by mathematicians for over two years.
• It consumed enormous computational resources: 2.7 million messages exchanged over 88 hours and $15 million worth of computing power.
• Tristan Buckmaster (New York University professor) claims OpenAI used unpublished research.
• Choi Gyu-dong (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology professor) said, “This problem was thought unsolvable—it’s more shocking than AlphaGo.”
• Some predict the Fields Medal could become obsolete. Just as go players now study AI game records, there are fears mathematical research may follow the same path.
• Related Link.
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AI Passes the ‘I’m Not a Robot’ Test.

• OpenAI’s ChatGPT Astra has received its “human certification.” It is the first to pass all 48 stages of the test.
• Remote access now makes it indistinguishable whether the user is human or not—even mimicking mouse scrolling.
• It passed every stage, from the initial task of identifying traffic lights to intermediate steps like parking a car with arrow keys, and advanced challenges like moving chess pieces to defeat an opponent. Some questions were difficult enough to trip up humans.
• The Wall Street Journal projected, “The criteria for bot detection may soon shift from ‘whether the visitor is a bot or human’ to ‘whether the visitor’s intent is good or bad.’”

Who Can Persuade Trump?

• For nearly a decade, the Republican Party has trusted and followed Trump’s instincts. Distancing themselves now is not only impossible but also ineffective.
• Approval ratings are at rock bottom, yet Trump is trying to frame the midterms as a vote of confidence.
• The Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas, is widely seen as a stage built for one man. AP reported, “Trump, summoning his inner cowboy, is riding into the Republican National Convention to save the party’s midterm hopes.”
• While some predict “lame-duck status in 56 days,” others warn, “Underestimating Trump is dangerous.” The phrase “He rose with Trump, so he’ll fall with Trump” captures the sentiment. He is likely to wield power until his final day in office.
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Can a Golden Dome in Space Intercept Missiles?

• Intercepting a missile with another missile traveling eight times the speed of a bullet is nearly impossible.
• Imagine Russia, China, or North Korea firing a missile at the U.S. The surest way is to intercept it within minutes after launch, before it gains speed.
• The so-called Golden Dome Project refers to a system that intercepts missiles from space. It has a budget of $185 billion, but some estimates suggest it could exceed $1 trillion.
• Mounting it on Elon Musk (Tesla CEO)’s Starlink satellites has been discussed, but it’s extremely complex.
• The Financial Times noted, “The most critical questions remain unresolved.” For one, Russia and China have so many missiles that intercepting them within 3–5 minutes could require at least 7,800 satellites. While the project claims its goal is to deter launches, concerns persist that it will fuel an arms race and escalate the risk of nuclear war.
• Related Link.

“China Is Stealing U.S. AI.”.

• Distillation is not illegal. It’s a technique where a smart AI is asked millions of questions to learn quickly.
• AI responses are not generally recognized as intellectual property—because it’s not copying a book, just reading it. Since users pay token fees, there’s no clear way to block it.
• The U.S. FBI’s advisory condemning “Chinese companies conducting malicious, targeted distillation on an industrial scale” reflects how threatening Beijing’s catch-up is perceived.
• The Wall Street Journal reported the U.S.-China tech gap has narrowed from 12–18 months to 6–9 months, possibly due to aggressive distillation.
• A “transit hub” network in Singapore and elsewhere was exposed to bypass IP tracking. Blocking IPs is futile, and lawsuits face evidentiary hurdles.
• While the issue may surface in Donald Trump (U.S. President) and Xi Jinping (Chinese President)’s late-September talks, diplomatic solutions are limited.
• Related Link.
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The Fix.

Zero-Rent Emergency Housing.

• Seoul provides free temporary housing for up to six months to citizens displaced by disaster. Over nine years, 129 households have passed through.
• The Changsin-dong emergency housing found by The Korea Herald was created by remodeling a 50-year-old vacant home, with participation from KUHOPE, a housing repair volunteer club of Korea University students.
• No Kyung-min (Jongno Housing Welfare Center Housing Management Team Leader) said, “We designed it to be a space where people who suddenly lost their homes can find mental stability and healing.”
• As of last year, the number of vacant homes reached 1.72 million units.
• Related Link.

South Korea and Japan’s National Pension Strategies Diverged.

• When stock prices rose, Japan’s national pension cashed in. Based on a 9.3x exchange rate, it sold off 52 trillion won worth in the first half of this year alone.
• South Korea’s national pension? Less than 9 trillion won in stock sales.
• Holding through rallies might seem wise, but at the national pension’s scale, it’s different. Locking in gains during surges creates opportunities to buy the dip.
• Critics argue that by delaying rebalancing, the pension fund encouraged foreign investors’ over-selling.
• The result: returns soared to 27% in the first half but slumped to around 16%.
• Seon Woo-jung (Chosun Ilbo columnist) assessed, “Chasing the ‘KOSPI 10,000-point’ dream like a retail investor caused it to miss a golden opportunity that may never return,” adding, “By abandoning its role as a market stabilizer, it contributed to the first-half Korean stock market’s transformation into a speculative casino of wild swings.”
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ICYMI.

5.09 Million Won iPhone Duo.

• It’s finally here. Starting at $1,999. A foldable phone with nearly invisible crease lines. Up to 31 hours of video playback. 50% charge in 20 minutes.
• What’s the Korean launch price? Starting at 3.29 million won.
• The iPhone Duo launches October 23. Preorders open October 16.
• The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199. The 2TB model costs 5.09 million won.
• It’s John Ternus (Apple CEO)’s first product. Tim Cook (former Apple CEO) faced criticism for a lack of innovation, but handed over products developed during his tenure to his successor before stepping down.
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Samsung’s Controversial Monthly Rent Subsidy Claims.

• Samsung Electronics has provided employees at its Pyeongtaek complex and elsewhere with up to 700,000 won in monthly housing support. The benefit applies to officetels or one-room units under 33㎡ in exclusive area.
• Some employees were caught fabricating separate contracts for company submission—reducing stated sizes or labeling properties as one-room units. Rumors spread that those caught could lose 600 million won in performance bonuses for seeking 700,000 won extra.
• An industry insider interviewed by JoongAng Ilbo stated, “The issue isn’t the amount—it’s that falsifying documents undermines the company’s core value of ‘integrity.’ This cannot be overlooked.”
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A 2.6 Trillion Won Divorce.

• Kwon Hyuk-bin (Smilegate founder)’s divorce lawsuit shattered property division records. The split ratio is 65% to 35%.
• The divided assets totaled 7.4 trillion won.

‘Yacha Rules’ Become a Game.

• It refers to bare-knuckle fighting. Jo Won-jin (Dongju Law Firm lawyer) said, “Students are increasingly egging each other on with ‘Fight, fight’ and recording videos,” adding, “Unlike adult combat, fights between minors can be punished as school violence even if both parties consented.”
• Kim Seong-hwi (Ministry of Education School Violence Policy Officer) explained, “We are taking seriously cases where physically stronger students force weaker peers into ‘Yacha Rules.’”
• The school violence victim response rate hit a record high: 5.7% in elementary schools, 2.3% in middle schools, and 0.8% in high schools.
• Related Link.

Worth Reading.

The World Is Becoming Uncannily Similar.

• For some time now, shopping centers in Manchester, London, Munich, and Copenhagen have all started to look eerily alike. Major brands are everywhere, and people’s tastes have become strikingly similar.
• Hipster cafés in any city feel like they’re built from a prefab kit: Edison bulbs, blackboard menus, flat whites, and oat milk as standard.
• Apartment interiors follow global trends too—herringbone parquet floors, matte black faucets, and so on.
• Digital content is no different. Everyone watches YouTube, listens to Spotify, and reads on Kindle. We’re all under the same algorithmic spell. (Kindle hasn’t entered the Korean market. Spotify is third in Korea.)
• According to Tim Harford (Financial Times columnist), the world looks so similar because algorithms shape our tastes, which in turn influence the real world. The more accurate the algorithm, the more homogenized the world becomes.
• Andy Warhol once said, “You know, the President drinks Coca-Cola, Liz Taylor drinks Coca-Cola, and you can drink Coca-Cola too. All the Coca-Colas are the same and all the Coca-Colas are good.”
• Harford warns, “Avoiding risk means staying in the safe zone.” While McDonald’s and Marvel movies guarantee minimum quality, only by risking failure can you discover a hidden gem.
• Related Link.

Cliffhanger Politics.

• 懸崖撒手丈夫兒, One must know when to let go when hanging from a cliff. These are the words of Kim Gu, the Baekbeom.
• Jeong Je-hyeok (Kyeonghyang Shinmun columnist) pointed out, “If prosecutorial reform ends up nurturing the second-in-command of a prosecutorial regime, there will be no greater blunder.” It is said that in trying to protect Kim Seung-won, they are elevating Han Dong-hoon.
• Related Link.

‘Oppa Minister,’ More Serious Than the Cho Kuk Affair.

• Kim Soon-deok (Dong-A Ilbo columnist) views Lee Jae-myung (President)’s selection of Kim Seung-won as driven by an obsession with dismissing indictments.
• Kim Soon-deok remarked, “The more flaws such a minister has, the better,” adding, “He is fully qualified to become a ‘grateful magpie’ repaying the lord who bestowed the ministerial post.”
• Kim Soon-deok warned, “The nomination of Kim Seung-won is more dangerous than the Cho Kuk affair in that it revives the ‘Daejang-dong’ scandal.” While Cho Kuk (then Minister of Justice) was a case of personal corruption, Kim Seung-won’s alleged collusion with brokers in public office corruption is a systemic issue, she argued.
• Related Link.

This Is Why Investigative Authority Should Never Have Been Retained.

• Kim Seung-won (Minister of Justice nominee) controversy is multi-layered.
• First, there are concerns about whether he could properly perform his duties as Minister of Justice even if appointed.
• Second, there is controversy over who Han Dong-hoon’s “straw” is. While whistleblowers claim to exist, sensitive internal prosecutorial documents have surfaced.
• Kim Jeong-woo (Head of Hankook Ilbo’s Issue 365 Unit) assessed, “If they failed to indict after three years of investigation, they should have dropped it,” adding, “The prosecutorial office’s bad habit of politicization has emerged again.”
• Kim Jeong-woo criticized, “Though framed as a public interest disclosure, the method was anti-public,” and pointed out, “It was malicious and cowardly.”
• “After all, old habits die hard. Since rising as the most powerful investigative agency during civilian governments, could decades of institutionalized practices vanish overnight through prosecutorial reform? That’s why investigative authority should never have been left to prosecutors. Another lesson from the Kim Seung-won debacle.”
• Related Link.

Lame Duck: A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy.

• ‘Early lame duck’ was first coined by Sung Han-yong (Senior Reporter, Hankyoreh). He advised a major reshuffle of aides, abandoning the special prosecution for dropped indictments, and pushing constitutional reform while declaring no re-election bid. It’s not difficult—just a matter of resolve.
• If Hankyoreh’s take is advisory, JoongAng Ilbo’s borders on cursing. Ko Jeong-ae (Editorial Director, JoongAng Sunday) noted, “It is not others but the president and the Blue House that turn ‘lame duck’ into a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
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Structural Majority? Look at the Structural Narrowness.

• ‘Conservative politics’ extinction and ‘far-right politics’ mainstreaming are accelerating. Shin Jin-uk (Chung-Ang University professor) pointed out, “Lee Jae-myung government’s excessive confidence has since bred many problems.”
• Shin Jin-uk proposed three fundamental shifts.
• First, governance reform. It cannot continue with the pattern of the president setting a strong direction, then reversing course when backlash intensifies. Process matters more than content.
• Second, a principle of inclusion that excludes extremes is necessary. Without principles, they use people like Lee Byung-tae or In Yo-han, then seek someone like Yoo Hye-in, complaining, “We didn’t care enough for the left.”
• Third, restoring political trust requires proactive effort. They must move past the indictment withdrawal and incumbent re-election issues. Shin Jin-uk warned, “If the public senses the president is willing to break the law for his own judicial safety and power extension, the effect is no different from granting Yoon Suk-yeol a pardon for sedition.”
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