Insights from Features Team

The Features Team produces in-depth, long-form stories, offering thorough investigations and narratives on issues that impact societies worldwide, beyond the headlines.

Features Team

The Features Team produces in-depth, long-form stories, offering thorough investigations and narratives on issues that impact societies worldwide, beyond the headlines.

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Published Articles

How Stablecoins Could Transform South Korea’s Digital Economy

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

Jun 20, 202517 min read

By Maru Kim

Sejong vs. Busan: Symbolism vs. Strategy in South Korea’s Development

The South Korean government's decision to relocate the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan ignites a debate over the future of regional development.

Jun 20, 202510 min read

By Features Team

KOSPI Eyes 3,000 as Rate Divergence with U.S. Grows

Foreign capital inflows and liquidity hopes are pushing Korean stocks higher, but structural economic weaknesses and a growing U.S.-Korea interest rate gap cast doubt on market sustainability.

Jun 18, 20254 min read

By Features Team

Why Busan’s ‘Local Creator’ Strategy May Be Doomed to Fail

Busan's college town revival plan, relying on "local creators" and subsidies, risks repeating past mistakes.

Jun 17, 202515 min read

By Maru Kim

How Busan’s Redevelopment Model Must Evolve

Busan is building higher, but not necessarily better. As the city doubles down on high-rise redevelopment, critics argue that infrastructure, affordability, and climate resilience are being left behind.

Jun 11, 202515 min read

By Features Team

Smart City, Real Estate Engine

Despite its branding, Busan’s flagship project prioritizes land sales over data systems, exposing a deeper governance void.

Jun 10, 202514 min read

By Maru Kim

How LA Became a Battlefield in America’s Democracy Crisis

The 2025 deployment of 2,000 federally activated National Guard troops to Los Angeles marked more than a security measure — it signaled a deeper transformation in how dissent is policed and democracy is governed in America.

Jun 9, 20259 min read

By Features Team

How Busan’s Urban Growth Model Is Repeating the Mistakes of the Past

Busan’s new towns were meant to solve housing shortages. Instead, they’re creating generational and spatial divides across the city.

Jun 7, 202512 min read

By Maru Kim

South Korea’s New Leader Takes Office Amid Economic Despair and Social Polarization

As the dust settles from South Korea’s high-stakes snap election, President Lee Jae-myung inherits a deeply divided country where inflation, climate crisis, and social fragmentation have eroded public trust.

Jun 4, 202510 min read

By Features Team

The Korean Peninsula Faces Heat, Crop Stress, and Import Risks in 2025

Global forecasts show 2025 will be one of the hottest summers on record. As glaciers melt and harvests shrink, the link between climate change and food insecurity becomes alarmingly real.

May 25, 20259 min read

By Maru Kim

Why Fast Content Feels Right — and Thinking Feels Wrong

From short-form videos to ultra-processed food, today’s culture isn’t just fast — it’s engineered to bypass reflection. Modern life trains us to react, not reflect. What’s lost in this shift isn’t just attention — it’s our capacity to ask why.

May 24, 202515 min read

By Maru Kim

How Busan Is Using Distributed Energy to Power a New Industrial Era in Gangseo

As a finalist for Korea’s first Distributed Energy Specialized Area, Busan’s Gangseo District is testing new energy models—including battery storage, virtual net metering, and UPS-as-a-Service—to build a resilient, decentralized urban power system.

May 23, 20259 min read

By Maru Kim

Designed to Distract: How Overstimulation Reshapes the Mind

Why do small sounds feel unbearable? Why does silence feel unnatural? Neuroscience, psychology, and culture all point to the same answer: too much, too fast, for too long.

May 10, 202517 min read

By Maru Kim

Spirituality Without Doctrine: The Philosophical Afterlife of Korean Tradition

Religious doctrines may fade, but deeper patterns endure.In South Korea, ancient traditions have migrated from temples into gestures, emotions, and social expectations.This is a story about how we live what we no longer believe—and why it matters.

May 4, 202511 min read

By Maru Kim