“This Time, America Is Wrong,” Jeong Dong-young’s Rebuttal.

• Was Jeong Dong-young (Unification Minister) leaking secrets by stating that “North Korea’s uranium is in Kusong, North Pyongan Province”?
• The U.S. is withholding visa issuance for National Intelligence Service staff and restricting intelligence sharing, citing Jeong’s remarks as problematic. Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, and Donga Ilbo are pressuring for his dismissal.
• Yet Jeong made the same statement last July.
• At a press conference, Jeong argued, “Allies share values but sometimes clash over interests,” adding, “What needs to be expelled is the outdated color-labeling theory, and what needs to be dismissed is a biased alliance mentality.”
• In an editorial, The Hankyoreh noted, “If the U.S. acts according to its national interest, our diplomacy becomes a farce if we only watch their reactions.”
• In an editorial, Kyunghyang Shinmun criticized, “Reviving the outdated ‘pro-North’ color-labeling is problematic, but the submissive attitude of immediately bowing to the U.S. is deplorable.”
• Chosun Ilbo stated, “If we keep blaming the U.S., restoring relations will remain distant.”
• Some argue Jeong should have clearly distinguished between U.S. think tank materials and U.S. intelligence sources when citing them. A source familiar with the National Intelligence Service situation claimed, “The U.S. is exploiting this situation to extract greater concessions.”
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What Matters Now.

Will Han Dong-hoon’s Daughter Face Reinvestigation?

• Kim Jong-cheol (acting police commissioner) stated, “We cannot rule out the possibility of a full reinvestigation if new facts emerge.”
• Jeong Choon-saeng (lawmaker of the Cho Kuk Reform Party) pointed out, “The police seemed unwilling to investigate.”
• The Hankyoreh editorial noted, “Suspicions arise that Han Dong-hoon (then minister of justice) exerted influence, or that the prosecution and police preemptively avoided scrutiny.”
• Han Ji-yoon (Han Dong-hoon’s daughter) faces allegations of copyright law violations. There are suspicions that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office improperly declined to forward the case to the U.S. for judicial cooperation. Criticism of a ‘self-exoneration’ was widespread.
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The Democratic Party Keeps Amplifying Han Dong-hoon.

• The Democratic Party’s 500+ commentaries since September 1 included 110 criticizing Han Dong-hoon (independent lawmaker).
• Internal concerns arise: “Aren’t we just boosting Han Dong-hoon’s political stature?”
• Kyeongyang Shinmun analyzed, “Amid deepening internal conflict and stalled breakthroughs, the intent to highlight an ‘external enemy’ is evident.”
• One Democratic Party lawmaker remarked, “I don’t see why we’re responding—it feels like we’re just letting Han Dong-hoon enjoy the spotlight.”
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Did Cho Hee-dae Lie?

• Cho Hee-dae (Chief Justice) claimed, “I was not involved in the payment of encouragement funds,” but the Board of Audit and Inspection refuted, “We confirmed that the Chief Justice authorized the payment.”
• Kyunghyang Shinmun editorial criticized, “He is evading managerial-supervisory responsibility and shifting blame onto lower-level staff.”
• The 100 million won worth of wine purchased by the Chief Justice combines stock acquired during Kim Myeong-su’s (former Chief Justice) tenure.
• Joo Jin-woo (People Power Party lawmaker) argued, “They framed it as if Cho Hee-dae spent funds from Kim Myeong-su’s tenure,” adding, “If he failed to verify facts, it’s incompetence; if he concealed them knowingly, it’s malicious misinformation.”
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Lee Jin-suk Ousted During National Audit.

• An exclusion motion passed ahead of the National Assembly’s audit of the Korea Communications Commission.
• Critics argued that Lee Jin-suk (People Power Party lawmaker) faced a conflict of interest by questioning issues from her tenure as chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission.
• The Democratic Party pushed for a vote, while People Power Party lawmakers walked out.
• This marks the first time a sitting lawmaker has been excluded during a National Assembly audit.
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Deep Dive.

Expansionary Fiscal Policy’s Inflation Impact: 0.06 Percentage Points.

• This is the forecast from Shin Hyun-song (Bank of Korea Governor).
• It would raise the growth rate by 0.5 percentage points but would not significantly pressure inflation.
• “Future response funds have the nature of prior spending,” he said, “and the fiscal multiplier is relatively low.”
• This implies the growth effect may not be as significant as direct investment.

People Power Party Support Hits 41%.

• Results from a Realmeter ARS poll. Yoon Suk-yeol (President)’s approval rating dropped to 35.2%.
• The Democratic Party and People Power Party polled 35.5% and 41.3% respectively. (95% confidence level ±2.5%p, response rate 2.8%.)
• Real estate is the biggest variable. Kyunghyang Shinmun noted, “Rushed policies met backlash, forcing repeated revisions that eroded trust.”
• Social media is also a negative factor. Chang Seung-jin (Kookmin University professor) warned, “The more the president directly engages in controversy, the greater the risk of amplifying opponents’ visibility and escalating conflict.”
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Another Black Monday.

• KOSPI fell 3.7% to 2,638.42. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix dropped 4.2% and 4.5%, respectively.
• Foreign investors net-sold over 50 trillion won in the second half alone.
• Foreign ownership of Samsung Electronics fell to 46.4%, the lowest level in 18 years and 9 months since January 2008.
• Lee Kyung-min (Daishin Securities analyst) analyzed, “Investor sentiment in AI contracted after reports that OpenAI’s annualized revenue was around $50 billion—below market expectations.”
• The National Pension Service’s assets shrank by 181 trillion won in July. Criticism arises that raising the stock weight ceiling from 14.9% to 20.8% in May led to failed rebalancing.
• Chosun Ilbo editorialized, “Stop treating stock indices as policy report cards.”
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Another Take.

Why We Applauded Lim Eun-jung.

• Kim Min-seok (Democratic Party leader) said, “There’s an overwhelming demand: ‘Why aren’t you leaving Lim Eun-jung (Gwangju Regional Prosecution Service chief) alone?’” adding, “Many feel her efforts have reached a breaking point.”
• The Hankyoreh editorial noted, “Blocking criticism risks losing opportunities to improve policies and personnel,” urging, “Both Yoon Ho-joong and Lim Eun-jung must bear heavy responsibility.”
• Kim Eo-jun (Ddanzi Ilbo CEO) drew attention by asking, “Didn’t we applaud Lim Eun-jung precisely because she didn’t remain silent like a typical bureaucrat or prosecutor?” He added, “Disciplinary action solely for ‘uncomfortable remarks’ contradicts the government’s stated principles.”
• The Chosun Ilbo editorial criticized, “The prosecution is gone, yet the ruling party still fights fiercely over ‘prosecution reform’” concluding, “Ultimately, they needed an investigative body that never touches their allies but ruthlessly punishes opponents.”
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Smartwatches Failed to Prevent.

• There was a case last weekend where a man killed his mother-in-law and abducted his wife. Yesterday, another case occurred where a man killed his former partner. Both had requested personal protection, and police had provided smartwatches, but timely reports were not made.
• The police only discovered after the incidents that the smartwatches had remained powered off for nearly a month.
• Heo Min-sook (Legislative Research Officer, National Assembly Research Service) argued, “Legal revisions must allow electronic devices to be attached to domestic violence perpetrators.”
• The Kyunghyang Shinmun editorial criticized, “Leaving perpetrators free to roam while relying on reactive measures cannot break the cycle of tragedy.”
• The National Police Agency reported 440,000 domestic violence-related cases last year, a 23.1% increase from the previous year.
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Jeonse Prices Rise for 87 Consecutive Weeks.

• Cumulative jeonse price increases for Seoul apartments have reached 12.4%.
• This surpasses the record set during the Moon Jae-in administration, when prices rose 12.3% over 134 weeks.
• “Money that could have secured a new jeonse lease earlier this year now can’t even cover an older unit,” one tenant lamented.
• A tenant shared their plight: “Four years ago, the jeonse price was 420 million won; now it’s listed at 750 million. I had to keep the deposit and add 1 million won in monthly rent.”
• Chosun Ilbo analyzed, “Residency requirements and increased tax burdens on non-resident homeowners are reducing jeonse supply.”
• Jeonse listings in Dongdaemun-gu have dropped nearly 70%. Guro-gu, Geumcheon-gu, and Jungnang-gu also saw over 50% declines.
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“Significant Risk of Sharp Housing Price Drop.”.

• Lee Seong-hoon (LH President) said this. “The volume of projects that can start construction in November and December is extremely high,” he explained.
• Of LH’s construction-based public housing target of 51,783 units, only 13,293 units had actually started construction.
• Lee Seong-hoon emphasized, “When housing prices will decline is uncertain, but the decline is merely a matter of time.”
• In Zigbang’s survey, 55% of third-quarter Seoul apartment transactions were similar to or higher than the peak prices at the end of last year. Kim Eun-seon (Zigbang Big Data Lab Director) said, “This reflects buying demand concentrated in mid-to-low-priced areas, where apartments under 1.5 billion won—eligible for the maximum loan limit (600 million won)—are common.”
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AI May Succeed, but Data Centers Could Still Fail.

• Steve Jurvetson (venture investor) said, “Innovation begins when performance improves tenfold or prices drop to one-tenth (factor of 10).”
• OpenAI and Anthropic’s some models cost $1–2 for 1 million input tokens, while China’s GLM and Qwen have reduced it to 6–12 cents. Usage is growing, but prices may fall faster. There are even forecasts that AI will move out of data centers and into PCs and smartphones.
• Andy Kessler (Wall Street Journal columnist) warned, “To maintain the same revenue when prices drop 90%, usage must increase tenfold.”
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Why China Doesn’t Want to Be a Developed Nation.

• Last year, China’s per capita gross national income (GNI) was $14,230—nearly reaching the World Bank’s high-income threshold of $14,375.
• Xi Jinping (Chinese President) said, “China will always be a member of the Global South and the developing world.” Analysts suggest Beijing may be reluctant to forfeit the benefits of developing-country status.
• Philippe Schllekens (UNDP economist) noted, “Inequality remains stark.” Coastal cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen have incomes rivaling many developed nations, but the poorest 20% of Chinese still live on less than $120 per month. Crossing the average income threshold, he added, is not the same as lifting all citizens into prosperity.
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The Fix.

Seoul Hits 30.1°C on October 12.

• The highest temperature recorded since meteorological observations began in 1907.
• Forecasts predict the late heatwave will recede after today’s autumn rain.
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Vitamin Shots? Or Manipulated Health Screenings?

• DN Automotive’s Ulsan plant administered chelation injections—which accelerate heavy metal excretion—as “vitamin shots” to workers ahead of health screenings.
• Lee Jung-hyun (Korean Metal Workers’ Union Ulsan Branch Safety Officer) stated, “The company designated which workers should receive the injections and how many doses, based on their blood lead levels.” “Workers believed these were vitamin shots provided as a welfare benefit and were unaware of their effects or side effects,” he explained.
• The Ministry of Employment and Labor has requested a police investigation.
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ICYMI.

Anne Carson’s Book Available Only in December.

• Anne Carson (poet)’s ‘Nox’ is a concertina-bound book, each page glued and pressed by hand in a painstaking process.
• It mourns her brother’s death, with thoughts torn and pasted into a form where the book’s shape becomes part of the narrative.
• The 192-page work unfolds like an accordion.

Even in Winter, Iced Coffee Dominates at 60%.

• At Mega MGC Coffee, cold coffee orders peak at 97% during summer. The data comes from analyzing 400 million orders across 4,000+ stores.
• Even at its highest sales point, hot coffee never exceeded 40%.
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Hyundai Department Store Core: A Signal from the New Elite.

• It’s a term combining Hyundai Department Store + Core (vibe). A buzzword describing the effortless, leisurely aura of a ‘wealthy family’s daughter’ who frequents department stores as casually as others go to supermarkets.
• The key is not being rich oneself, but being the daughter of a wealthy family.
• Calm-toned knits and shirts, naturally tailored pants—style comes from fabric and fit rather than flashy embellishments, with subtle jewelry or bags adding quiet emphasis. Clothing should be understated, makeup minimal.
• Jeon Young-sun (JoongAng Ilbo senior reporter) assessed, “Clear skin that doesn’t require heavy makeup and a physique maintained through childhood sports require both time and money to cultivate.” “This trend encapsulates the self-mockery, admiration, and resentment of young generations navigating a system where personal effort alone cannot overcome inherited advantages.”
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What We Miss When Reading Subtitles.

• Viewing time for visual information is 1.03 seconds without subtitles, 0.62 seconds with them.
• Younger audiences prefer subtitles: 70.8% of those in their 20s prefer subtitled animated films in theaters, higher than the overall 66.3%.
• Even when watching Korean dramas or films, they turn on subtitles. 27.3% of those in their 20s view subtitles positively, compared to 13.7% of those in their 60s. Are we watching or reading?
• Kim Hyung-ho (Director of Intizen Contents Research Institute) noted, “Reading every line might mean you’re not truly watching the film.” He added that mumbles or background noise could also be part of the direction.
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Worth Reading.

Can Both Be Saved?

• Two traffic accident patients were said to arrive three minutes apart. The second was in more critical condition.
• Moon Yoon-soo (Professor at Daejeon Eulji University Hospital Regional Trauma Center) asked the first ambulance crew to seek another hospital.
• A revised Emergency Medical Services Act strengthening hospital admission obligations passed the National Assembly. It mandates accepting patients once they arrive.
• Moon Yoon-soo pointed out, “That night, when both the patient and I were drenched in blood trying to save someone on death’s doorstep, that law was nothing but a ‘bad law’ disguised as goodwill.”
• “Would you or your family want a surgeon who, mid-operation, has to pause to attend to another patient instead of focusing entirely on your surgery?”
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Special Schools Don’t Lower Home Prices.

• The Ministry of Education compared real estate price changes near special schools. In 15 out of 16 areas, there was no significant difference, and in one area, the rate of increase was higher in the school-adjacent region.
• The alternative school for North Korean defector youth, Myeongyeong School, remains stalled by NIMBY opposition.
• Jeong Jeong-yoon (Hankyoreh reporter) noted, “The more fundamental issue is the hateful gaze that stigmatizes youth with North Korean backgrounds without any basis and tries to push them out of educational spaces.”
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No One Can Write Their Story for Them.

• Cornell University’s independent student newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, investigated a mass sexual assault case for two years. It exposed the university’s systematic cover-up and published the perpetrators’ real names. A special prosecutor was eventually appointed, and the case reopened for investigation.
• Seo Su-min (Professor of Media and Communication at Sogang University) assessed, “What began as a single university’s scandal has spread into a ‘second #MeToo movement’ redefining the definition of sexual violence.”
• Ttongemul, an alternative media outlet run by middle school students, remains unregistered as a periodical. Minors cannot legally serve as publishers or editors.
• In an interview with the news outlet SisaIN, Ttongemul journalists stated, “We are not objects of ‘discipline’ or ‘rescue’ but coexisting beings who must live together until death.” Ttongemul, which started as a school club, moved outside the school after the administration revoked its club status.
• Seo Su-min emphasized, “No one can write their story for them.”
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Why Short Clips Differ from Gaffe Footage.

• “Clips reaching core supporters reinforce the sentiment that ‘the opposing side is wrong and we are right.’ (Omitted) By cutting out uncomfortable contexts and leaving only moments that dominate the opposition, these scenes appeal to hardcore supporters—whose interests are truly served?”
• Im Ah-young (Khan Newspaper Political Desk Deputy Editor) noted, “If this phenomenon polarizes politics further by provoking the discomfort of hardcore supporters, it is not evolution but regression.”
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Today’s State Council Audit.

• Slow News is covering the State Council Audit intensively.
• [Special Audit Coverage Page] updates twice daily.
• [Rep. ◯◯◯’s Audit Notes] bundles key issues by individual lawmakers. Top 12 lawmakers are selected daily.
• [Today’s Corporate Issues] examines major corporate disputes.
• [Daily Audit Report] tracks key issues and context by committee.
• [Audit TMI] Part 1 was sent via Slowletter.
• The list below compiles October 12 audit reports.
• October 12, 2026 Legislative and Judiciary Committee Audit Report.
• October 12, 2026 Political Affairs Committee Audit Report.
• October 12, 2026 Planning and Finance Committee Audit Report.
• October 12, 2026 Education Committee Audit Report.
• October 12, 2026 Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee Audit Report.
• October 12, 2026 Defense Committee Audit Report.
• October 12, 2026 Public Administration and Security Committee Audit Report.
• October 12, 2026 Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee Audit Report.
• October 12, 2026 Agriculture, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee Audit Report.
• October 12, 2026 Trade, Industry, SMEs, and Startups Committee Audit Report.
• October 12, 2026 Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Committee Audit Report.
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