The turbulent year 2025 fades away and the New Year 2026 is dawning now. In 2025, Korea experienced some good things, but also went through devastating wildfires, massive flooding and bombing accidents, in addition to the usual border tensions with the North and internal political turmoil caused by the arrest of ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol.
In 2025, the world, too, experienced some good things. But it also witnessed international conflicts, such as the Iran-Israel war in June, in addition to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war and the Israel-Hamas war. Severe climate disasters hit many countries, including India and Pakistan, and civil wars devastated Sudan and Congo. Meanwhile, the drastic increase in the US tariffs appalled many countries.
Bidding adieu to the tempestuous 2025, we are now greeting the New Year, hoping that in 2026, everything will be better than in 2025. We hope that in 2026 the world will become a serene, peaceful place where we can live safely and comfortably without worry or anxiety. We wish that we would put an end to regional wars and international conflicts, banish tyranny from the earth and overcome the climate crisis.
In 2026, we want to believe that Korea will successfully get over its difficulties, rise above its hardships and emerge as an influential world leader. To that end, we should stop our internal political skirmishes and accomplish mutual understanding and reconciliation first. In the eyes of the world, Korea remains in thrall to the evil cycle of political vendettas in the guise of “punishing an insurgent conspiracy,” following the Moon Jae-in administration’s “cleansing of deep-rooted evils.”
To promote a gentle, favorable image of Korea, we should put an end to chronic political scuffles and seek harmony and unity instead. Unless we can escape the quagmire of political brawls and vengeance, we cannot be a truly advanced country that can lead the world.
In 2026, we should cast doubt on those who proclaim that they possess absolute truth and that all other views are false. Those dogmatic people will antagonize and even try to eliminate others who do not follow them. However, they are likely to turn out to be false in the end.
We can see an illustration of this lesson in Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick.” At first, we might be tempted to think that Captain Ahab represents absolute truth while the white whale he chases to kill symbolizes pure evil. However, the ruthless Captain Ahab can just as easily be seen as diabolical and wrong, and Moby-Dick, as a contrast to the evils of man, may turn out to represent goodness and truth. Indeed, in the novel, Melville wrote a chapter on the benefits and usefulness of whales to humans, pointing out that whale meat is a source of food and whale oil can brighten the world.
On the contrary, Captain Ahab is nothing but harmful to his crew. He is an extremely self-righteous man who drags his ship and entire crew to annihilation due to his blind conviction that he is doing the right thing for a grand cause. In fact, however, he is taking personal vengeance on Moby-Dick for biting off his leg long ago. Unfortunately, in our political arena, many politicians resemble Captain Ahab.
Experts predict that 2026 will be a pivotal year for artificial intelligence, as well. Undoubtedly, AI is so useful and convenient to humans that we cannot live without it from now on. At the same time, however, AI reminds us of Frankenstein’s monster. If we misuse or abuse it, AI may turn into a terror. We should know that AI can become either a beneficial entity for human beings or a dangerous, demonic creature to human civilization, depending on how we use it.
According to the Chinese zodiac, the year 2026 is the Year of the Horse. In 2026, therefore, we hope that Korea will gallop elegantly and act chivalrously, just like a decent knight’s horse. Horses are the only animals that can carry humans on their backs and travel fast. In 2026, we also hope that Korea, too, will be useful and reliable in the international community.
Korea seems to have become an internationally well-known country these days. In the Netflix documentary “Simon Cowell: The Next Act,” Cowell said, “In the last few years, K-pop has taken over the world.” Recently, James Cameron, the famous director of “Terminator II: Judgement Day” and “Avatar,” said that he, too, would want to make a movie like “KPop Demon Hunters.” At the end of the recent American movie “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” global news agencies broadcast Aquaman’s address at the UN in English, Spanish and Korean.
In 2026, we hope that K-pop and K-film will continue to thrive. In the New Year, we hope that Korea will prevail, restoring its national pride and dignity.
Kim Seong-kon
Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. — Ed
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