Afghanistan fell again into the hands of the Taliban, "the day after" the withdrawal of the United States troops began in a manner so abrupt and fast. The speed of the government collapse and ensuing shocks betrayed not only popular expectations of the outside world but also the analysis by the U.S. intelligence community.

Last week South and North Korea resumed operation of cross-border hot lines. The move came as a pleasant surprise after the North unilaterally severed them over a year ago.

The allied powers victorious in World War II, led by the United States, created the United Nations as a universal institution with three objectives: stable peace, sustainable development and universal human rights.

The recent summit between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States produced a communique, akin to the thrilling moment when BTS, one of the world's most idolized pop groups from Korea, grabbed multiple Grammy awards.

April 22 marked the 51st Earth Day, and on that day United States President Joseph Biden hosted his first summit on climate change in line with this year's theme, "Restore Our Earth." This reflects the mounting concern over the global unsustainability crisis facing humanity.

The human race is facing the biggest threat of an unprecedented self-destructive force created by people. Since last year, a group of world-renowned scientists called the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has set the doomsday clock at only 100 seconds to midnight, which denotes the biblical moment of self-destruction.

Among all sets of bilateral relationships between the countries in Northeast Asia, the Republic of Korea (ROK)-Japan relationship is by any account the most grossly underperforming.