This is definitely quite a long trip by these Korean submariners:

A South Korean Navy submarine has arrived at a port in Canada for joint drills with the Royal Canadian Navy amid Seoul’s push to win a Canadian submarine deal estimated at around 60 trillion won (US$39.6 billion).

The 3,000-ton ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho entered a port at the Canadian naval base in Esquimalt, Victoria, on the country’s southwest coast on Saturday (local time) after traveling some 14,000 kilometers via Guam and Hawaii on the first trans-Pacific voyage ever undertaken by a South Korean submarine, the Navy said.

It marked the first time the submarine had completed such a long voyage. The submarine departed from the naval base in South Korea’s southeastern port of Jinhae on March 25.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is a great article about the life of Chaplain Emil Kapaun who died while in captivity during the Korean War. Before he died he was credited for aiding and saving the lives of many Soldiers during the war and in various POW camps:

Army chaplain Emil Kapaun repairs a bicycle in Korea in August 1950. Kapaun often traveled by bicycle near the front lines to visit soldiers. (Photo courtesy Col. Raymond Skeehan)

The last time Paul Roach and Mike Dowe had seen the Rev. Emil Kapaun, he was being taken away by prison guards during the Korean War — sick, shivering and near death. More than 70 years later, in 2021, the two former Korean War prisoners traveled to Kansas to finally view the remains of their friend, the beloved Army chaplain, after the military identified Kapaun among unknown soldiers buried in Hawaii, finding remains long thought to be lost forever.

Kapaun would be welcomed home to Wichita by a crowd of more than 6,000 people and finally given a proper burial. But before the congregation paid its respects, the two aging veterans, who had been imprisoned alongside Kapaun, gathered for a private viewing beside the chaplain’s flag-draped casket. As soon as Kapaun’s remains were uncovered, Roach and Dowe recognized their friend immediately. “That’s his smile!” Roach said, recalled the Rev. Matthew Pawlikowski, a retired Army chaplain who accompanied the men to the viewing. “Even in death, he was bringing joy to people.”

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the ink.

It looks like President Lee wants to be like the U.K. and start jailing people for online speech he does not agree with:

President Lee Jae Myung called Sunday for a public debate on introducing tougher measures against those who post hateful and derogatory content online or engage in such behavior. 

Lee made the remarks in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, sharing a report that young people believed to be linked to a far-right online forum had engaged in provocative acts mocking former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun near the site of a memorial ceremony held on the anniversary of his death.

“There are differing views on whether expressions that incite social division and conflict through mockery and insults, such as (those seen on) Ilbe, should be protected under freedom of expression or (face) sanctions, including punishment,” Lee said in the post.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the recent Starbucks controversy was brought up in the article. So does President Lee think the Korean Starbucks CEO should be sent to jail for a bad promotion event?

Great job by all the individuals and groups recognized during the recent USFK Good Neighbors awards:

The sponsor of a long-running student exchange program, a U.S. soldier who organizes environmental cleanups and a corporation promoting cultural outreach were among those honored as “good neighbors” by U.S. Forces Korea. The 23rd annual USFK Good Neighbor Award ceremony, held Tuesday at the Morning Calm Center, recognized 33 service members, civilians and organizations for strengthening ties between the United States and South Korea.

The event celebrates community outreach and cultural exchanges that reinforce the alliance at the “human level,” USFK deputy commander, Air Force Lt. Gen. David Iverson, said during keynote remarks. This year’s top Korean individual award went to Chung Sung-mok, a sponsor and co-president of the Korean American Friendship Circle.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.