Until the fantasy of pushing North Korea to denuclearize is put away, the North Koreans are not going to see any value in negotiations especially when the Russians are meeting all their current needs:

Cheong Wa Dae stated on the 17th (local time) that during the G7 (Group of Seven) summit in Évian, France, President Donald Trump expressed a strong commitment to playing a necessary role in advancing issues related to the Korean Peninsula. This followed President Lee Jae Myung’s request to President Trump to “lead the peaceful resolution of the North Korean issue.”

Cheong Wa Dae added that President Trump praised President Lee as a “strong leader” and expressed optimism that the two leaders could jointly contribute to peace and security in the Korean Peninsula region.

No bilateral South Korea-U.S. summit took place during this G7 summit. However, President Lee engaged in a roughly 30-second conversation with President Trump during the group photo session and sat next to him at the official dinner, exchanging discussions on various topics for over two hours.

During the group photo session, President Lee approached President Trump with an interpreter and said, “As you resolved the Middle East war, please lead the peaceful resolution of the North Korean issue.” President Trump reportedly responded, “I will strive to resolve the North Korean issue.”

Chosun Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

This is an absurd situation going on that hopefully does not impact the team’s preparations to play Mexico:

Korea’s national football team has effectively turned its back on parts of the domestic press just days before a World Cup showdown with Mexico, a rare and public rupture that exposes a deeper trust crisis between players and legacy media in a country where fans now fact‑check reporters in real time.

The rupture did not begin with tactics or results. It began with contempt, caught on a hot mic.

On June 7, during a light pretraining jog at the national team’s camp, two male Korean journalists mocked some of the players, including captain Son Heung‑min. The footage, laced with sneers about military service exemptions and leadership, later surfaced on the YouTube channel of the TV network JTBC — the local holder of broadcasting rights for this year’s World Cup — turning their backstage banter into public record.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) reportedly summoned the reporters two days later and issued a reprimand behind closed doors. No clear, immediate apology came from the journalists, and the rift widened even as the team beat the Czech Republic last Friday.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This is some really bad luck that may ultimately cost Hanhwa Ocean hundreds of millions of dollars in losses:

Hanwha Ocean’s liquefied natural gas carrier / Courtesy of Hanwha Ocean

Hanwha Ocean is saddled with hundreds of millions of dollars in financial burden, as a fleet of six icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers remain undelivered at a domestic shipyard due to sanctions on Russia’s Arctic project, according to industry sources and a report.

The specialized vessels, built for Moscow’s high-stakes Arctic energy expansion venture, have turned into a costly asset for Hanwha Ocean, leaving the Korean shipbuilder with few viable options beyond waiting indefinitely for new buyers or selling the ships at steep discounts.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see if the proposed transfer date will be during the Lee presidency or not? If it is then there is actually a chance of this happening. If not the next Korean president could just delay it again like past presidents have done:

The target year for South Korea regaining wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States will be proposed to the presidents of both countries at the end of this year, Seoul’s defense chief said Sunday.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back made the remarks in an interview with broadcaster KBS, as President Lee Jae Myung’s administration has sought to complete the transfer within Lee’s term, which ends in 2030.

“Discussions on the verification of full operational capability (FOC) will take place with the U.S. defense secretary at the Security Consultative Meeting in November and based on this, a proposal will be made to both presidents,” Ahn said. “Then, the year X for wartime OPCON recovery will be decided.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The Chinese are just accepting reality that North Korea is not going to give up their nuclear weapons and the Kim regime is an ally in their great power competition against the U.S. Why would they antagonize an ally to get rid of their nuclear weapons when they know they will never give them up in the first place?:

China appeared more focused on countering U.S. regional influence than on addressing North Korea’s nuclear program, given the absence of any public reference to Pyongyang’s denuclearization in either country’s readout of their summit this week, experts said Tuesday.

The summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang on Monday underlined a deepening strategic alignment between the two countries and their unity amid an intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry over trade, security and other areas, they pointed out.

Xi visited the North Korean capital on Monday and Tuesday on his first trip to the country since 2019, as Beijing was seen striving to strengthen relations with Pyongyang, which has drawn closer to Russia through deepening military, diplomatic and economic cooperation.

“China is more focused on denying U.S. influence than denying North Korea nuclear weapons,” Patrick Cronin, chair for Asia-Pacific security at the Hudson Institute, told Yonhap News Agency via email.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.