Korea stands before two doors, one of transparent glass and the other of iron bars. Will it advance towards the order of freedom or retreat to the order of control? Hankook Ilbo Graphic

The right-wing achieved a landslide victory in the Argentine general election held on the 26th. However, the wounds left by Peronism, the left-wing ideology, are too deep. Their political legacy has paralyzed the economy and trapped society in the illusion of welfare. Despite Trump's public endorsement, experts unanimously agree that recovery is difficult to guarantee. 

Once a symbol of prosperity in South America, Argentina has now become a textbook case of populism. It has turned into a laboratory demonstrating how a nation collapses when power dominates the market and politics replaces economic order.

A summit between Korea and the U.S. will be held in Haeundae, Busan, a few days later. The current administration claims it needs more time to conclude trade negotiations with the United States. However, what the public is curious about is not time, but direction. Although the administration itself claims to be a mediator between China and the U.S., many citizens already know. They know that under the guise of 'neutrality,' the administration is leaning towards China's model of control. While it may be described as moderate in diplomatic terms, its economic and power-wielding behavior clearly indicates a pro-China administration.

Choosing China means preferring the 'order of control' over the 'order of freedom.' World history has already shown the consequences of socialist control systems. Even China, the only surviving socialist state, grew within the American market, technology, and financial systems. The moment we forget this, we regress to the delusions of the 20th century. 

In the era of AI capitalism, a nation's future is determined not by production volume but by algorithm design, and not by labor force but by data reliability. The era of ranking by GDP is over; who designs the rules of technology has become the measure of sovereignty.

There are more than enough reasons for Korea to choose the United States, but I have chosen five specific reasons.

First, the order of freedom is an imperfect system, but one that can correct itself. American democracy has always evolved through trial and error and criticism. Laws control power, the media records mistakes, and citizens rebuild institutions. In contrast, the Chinese control order does not admit errors. Errors are deemed treason, and treason is eradicated. An imperfect system that can self-correct is stronger than a seemingly perfect but unfixable system.

Second, the United States is already setting the rules for technology and data. Standards in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, and cybersecurity are designed in the language of Washington and Silicon Valley. Even if China builds factories and increases its output, the power to design the rules rests with the United States. To abandon the United States is not to lose a market, but to lose the language of the rules. The language of industrial sovereignty is technological standards, and that language is spoken in Washington.

Third, the trust of alliances protects both capital and security. The ROK-U.S. alliance is no longer just a military pact. It has expanded into an industrial and technological alliance encompassing finance, energy, and data networks. The American model of alliance is a structure of autonomous cooperation based on trust, whereas the Chinese model of alliance uses economics as bait to demand political subservience. The safety net for capital and national autonomy can only be guaranteed through reliable alliances. An alliance with the United States is a shield for capital and a fence for sovereignty.

Fourth, transparency is the core infrastructure of the AI era. When data becomes a tool of politics, artificial intelligence learns falsehoods. China's controlled AI operates as an engine for state propaganda, while American AI gains trust through verification, disclosure, and competition. Transparency is not a cost of democracy but a condition for survival in the AI era. Only transparent systems can create trustworthy artificial intelligence.

Fifth, the United States is a civilization that knows how to record failures and redesign. Despite experiencing financial crises, wars, and political divisions, the United States has always returned to the language of 'reform.' It has not hidden its failures but has preserved them as data, making them assets for future generations. In contrast, China boasts of its successes but does not record its failures. The future will be occupied by the nation that accumulates data on failures, not by the nation that writes myths of victory. The courage to acknowledge failure advances civilization.

They always speak of the people, but they do not trust the people. They establish power in the name of the people and justify control by the will of the people. Ultimately, what they have chosen is not the people, but power disguised as the people. This is how the order of control is born. 

Freedom is cumbersome and uncertain, while control appears sweet and safe. Therefore, only those who covet power prefer China, the order of control. In that realm, criticism disappears, truth is manufactured, and power is stabilized. However, in that silence, humanity vanishes, and only power remains.

The order of freedom is noisy and imperfect. But within that imperfection, humans grow and society corrects itself. In which order do we wish to live? Choosing freedom is the courage to accept discomfort and a choice that believes in human dignity.

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