Mola Mola – Re:Mind Studio

(A Perspective on the Economic History of South Korea) The Excuse: “I Didn’t Have the Money Back Then” My father often said, “I wanted to buy a house in Seoul back then, but I didn’t have the money.” Every time I heard that, I recalled the real estate statistics of the 1990s in Korea. The…

Investments Born of Loans: That Strange Conviction My father began his investments with debt. He borrowed from the bank to buy stocks, and when the crypto market surged, he borrowed more. No profits were made. The principal remained untouched. Yet, my father said, “This is an opportunity.” I asked him, “Isn’t starting with a deficit…

Zero Profits, Yet Worrying About Taxes My father worried about taxes again today. “Gift taxes are too high. The state takes it all.” I did the math. Stocks bought with loans, crypto bought with loans. For six or seven years, there have been no investment profits; even the principal has not been recovered. The living…

Never Wealthy Enough to Pay, Yet… My father said, “Inheritance taxes are too high. The government takes everything.” I did the math in my head. Considering the tax brackets, those rates applied only to multi-millionaires. We were not that kind of family. There were bank loans, and certainly no assets that would trigger a gift…

“I Carried You Up Seongsan Ilchulbong” My father spoke with a face full of pride. “When you were little, I carried you in my arms all the way up Seongsan Ilchulbong.” There was a hint in his voice that I ought to be grateful. But I have no memory of that scene. In fact, I…