When you promise people free things you have to find money to pay for it and it appears the Lee administration may be targeting home owners:

An aide to President Lee Jae Myung has hinted at imposing more taxes on homeowners to stop the housing market from further overheating.

This prompted the right-wing opposition People Power Party’s call to hold the presidential aide accountable for causing confusion in the property market, as it claimed the tax hike on the wealthy would wind up hurting the poor.

On Saturday, Kim Yong-beom, chief secretary for national policy for the liberal president, wrote via Facebook that it would be plausible to “normalize” taxation on real estate assets.

In other words, South Korea needs to “rationally adjust” property taxes and comprehensive real estate holding taxes for those owning at least a house, as well as capital gains taxes for those selling their houses for profit, he noted.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

I guess this is how Starbucks Korea is trying to end criticism of the failed Tank Day event by holding mandatory sensitivity training:

Starbucks Korea will close all of its stores nationwide early Monday to provide employee training aimed at improving historical awareness and social sensitivity, following a controversial promotion linked to the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju.

All 2,160 stores across the country will close at 3 p.m. It marks the first time Starbucks Korea has ended operations early nationwide since opening its first outlet in 1999.

Starbucks Korea, operated by E-Mart Inc., a unit of Shinsegae Group, launched an online “Tank Day” promotion on May 18, the anniversary of the Gwangju pro-democracy uprising. The event was suspended within hours after drawing widespread public criticism.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It looks like missile defenses for USFK are back in place and may have never have left the country in the first place:

All six launchers of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system deployed in the southeastern county of Seongju have returned to base following their relocation in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, sources said Sunday.

The truck-mounted launchers were reported to have moved from Seongju to Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul, in March, fueling speculation the U.S. military was planning to transfer THAAD missile interceptors to the Middle East to support the war.

The launchers and other parts of the THAAD battery, however, were believed to have remained in South Korea, as some of the trucks were later seen returning to Seongju.

U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson told a Senate hearing in April that THAAD remained in South Korea. 

“Currently, we are sending munitions forward, and those are sitting right now waiting to move,” he said at the time, without elaborating.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

None of this should be a surprise to anyone:

This footage from the Korean Central Television aired on June 15, 2026, shows advertising boards for South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. shown during the state-run North Korean outlet’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

North Korea’s state media excluded games involving South Korea, the United States and Japan from its apparently unauthorized coverage of the ongoing FIFA World Cup matches.

The North’s state-run Korean Central Television aired four- to six-minute broadcasts on the results of the World Cup group-stage matches at the end of its daily evening newscasts from Monday through Thursday but excluded the results of games involving the three countries.

The North, however, aired footage that showed pitch-side advertising boards for South Korean and U.S. companies, such as Hyundai Motor Co., The Coca-Cola Company and McDonald’s.

In the past, the North often blurred images related to South Korea and the U.S. in broadcasts of major sports events, such as advertising boards of companies from the two countries and the South Korean national flag.

The North Korean broadcaster included major scenes from the World Cup matches in its coverage, raising suspicions the North aired them without authorization.

North Korean state media outlets are not among the media rights licensees authorized by FIFA to broadcast the World Cup games.

The North appears to have been excluded from the broadcasting rights for the ongoing World Cup after it aired matches from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand without authorization.

The outlet has ceased broadcasting scenes from the ongoing World Cup since Friday.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Please leave anything you would like to discuss in the comments section.

At this point all these global politicians must understand that North Korea is never going to denuclearize, but they just have to keep up the facade to deter others like Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons:

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday denounced international calls for denuclearization, describing the country’s nuclear weapons as its “core interests” and denuclearization as a “line of no retreat that can never be crossed,” Pyongyang’s state media reported.

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Yo-jong criticized the United States and its allies for making what she called “anachronistic” demands for North Korea’s denuclearization.

Kim’s remarks came in response to a joint statement issued by leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations at their summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Wednesday, which reaffirmed their commitment to the “complete denuclearization” of North Korea in line with U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.