Each time you open a door and walk into a new place, you cross a threshold — the strip of material at the bottom of a doorway. What you face when you cross thresholds in life, however, are not different spaces but growth as a person. All beginnings in life, such as learning to walk, studying at university, and even a budding relationship, make you uncomfortable but consequently, push you towards growth. Not much is different for politics, culture, or any other sphere, for that matter. This universality led The Granite Tower (GT) to believe that Threshold is the perfect theme for the June issue.

So many thresholds can be found in society, and, ergo, in this issue. Our Cover Story illustrates and questions the Korean society’s entrance into an economy of virtual assets by breaking down the current craze surrounding cryptocurrency. The tightly written article is saturated with organized information as to the workings of cryptocurrency and plenty of insight from experts about desirable directions for improvement. The Feature section introduces issues that either need or will bring about meaningful change. While a piece on Korea’s almost nonexistent birth rate reviews a still unresolved problem, articles on metaverse technology and the abolition of a law analyze recent changes and their impact on the future.

Thresholds are as much about endings as they are about beginnings, though one easily forgets. I am crossing a threshold of my own, as this June issue is my last as Editor-in-Chief and a member of GT. I feel infinitely grateful for the lessons learned and relationships gained from my time here. I especially want to show my appreciation for the reporters and editors who worked hard to realize each issue this past semester. To say that every moment here was euphoric would be an outright lie; yet, to say that I would do it all over would be the complete truth. I have no doubt the next generation of editors and reporters will keep GT thriving, and hope they grow to love and appreciate GT as I have and will.