“Here be dragons,” a phrase evocative of fairytale-like wonder, is of Latin origin, used to indicate potential dangers in uncharted territories. While accounts vary, the use was both literal and figurative. Using dragons to symbolize and forecast unprecedented challenges just strikes me as very human; I think about how the immense mystique of dragons shows how they did not just repel, but greatly reinforced, the desire to set foot on unexplored land. 

Our Cover Story muses the causes behind the rise of international students in Korean universities, and delves deeper to explore common struggles that international students experience studying at Korean universities. The story was part of our effort to begin spotlighting issues that are more salient and relatable to our readership, and explore questions we have, being students ourselves. While it is still nascent, I hope that GT can continue in this vein, expanding beyond our identity as a magazine and develop more journalistic sensibilities. 

This issue’s GT Spotlight covers interviews; finding interviewees and conducting interviews is an integral part of the GT reporter experience, and I hope that this one will help uncover part of the perhaps mostly shrouded mystery of how GT articles get written for our readers. 

In our Feature section, the complexities of the SAAD protests are untangled, and the media ethics following the Lee Sun Kyun case is meticulously articulated. 

As the digital age looms unavoidably large, several of our articles contemplate the myriad consequences. Our Voice on Campus piece asks KU students about how they cope with the stress that follows the digital lifestyle. Our Special Foreign Report alarms readers on sexual harassment in the metaverse (did you know that was even a possibility?), and an Opinion piece argues against granting legal personality to AI. Climate migration is explored as one of the many devastating consequences of climate change, and welfare state Sweden and its rising gun violence is examined. 

Here be dragons, but let the dragons sublimate into something greater than the fear it engenders. That is what we hope to inspire through this issue, through fruitful discussion and suggestions of solutions.