Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.
I just don’t understand why people like President Lee continue to push this fairy tale that North Korea can be denuclearized. I have yet to hear one good argument on how this can be done:
South Korea seeks phased denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as it also seeks to normalize ties with North Korea, President Lee Jae Myung has said ahead of his state visit to Mongolia, which he called a “trusted partner” in such efforts.
In an interview with Mongolia’s state-run Montsame news agency released Thursday, the South Korean president highlighted Mongolia’s potential role in bridging the divided Koreas.
“I hope that Mongolia … will contribute even more to peace and stability, not only on the Korean Peninsula but across Northeast Asia as a whole.” the president said. “I believe that the power to create peace comes not from military force, but from mutual trust and dialogue.”
“Mongolia has maintained balanced relations not only with China and Russia, but with other key countries of the region … I believe this diplomatic capacity of Mongolia is more important now than at any time before,” he added.
You can read more at the link.
As I have long said the only way Yoon is getting out of jail is if another conservative becomes President and pardons him:
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a seven-year prison term for former President Yoon Suk Yeol for obstructing justice by blocking investigators from detaining him in the wake of his failed martial law bid in 2024.
The sentence was the top court’s first ruling for Yoon, who has been standing a total of eight trials in connection with his surprise declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. The main trial on charges of leading an insurrection has been ongoing at an appellate court after a lower court sentenced him to life in prison.
You can read more at the link.
President Lee is cleverly calling the $100 million recovery and reconstruction funds in order to not offend Moscow:
President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of their bilateral summit at a hotel in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday. Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung had his first bilateral summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Wednesday. Lee announced a $100 million comprehensive support package for war-torn Ukraine, and they discussed how to handle North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) in the country in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.
You can read more at the link.
It will be interesting to see how attractive this visa ends up becoming:
South Korea has launched its digital nomad visa with more relaxed eligibility requirements than those applied during its pilot program, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday.
The F-1-D visa, also known as the “workation” visa, became officially available on June 30. It allows foreign nationals employed by overseas companies to live in Korea while working remotely, unlike a work visa, which requires employment with a Korean employer.
You can read more at the link.
It seems President Lee unlike some leaders in Europe has been doing a good job managing his relationship with Trump:
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump had follow-up discussions on Trump’s earlier request for Seoul’s assistance in building military vessels at the ongoing North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit, Lee’s presidential spokesperson said Wednesday.
The two held such discussions the previous day at a dinner banquet hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, according to Kang Yu-jung.
Lee earlier said the U.S. president had asked him whether South Korea could help build U.S. military vessels when they met at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, last month.
In response, Lee said he would cooperate with Trump’s request as fully as possible, highlighting the advanced capabilities of South Korea’s shipbuilding companies, according to Kang.
The leaders also agreed to continue working-level consultations between their countries to discuss details of the proposed cooperation.
The encounter between Lee and Trump came just three weeks after they met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.
The leaders recalled their promise at the G7 summit to play golf together, and agreed to pursue Lee’s visit to the United States at an appropriate time, which could include a round of golf, the spokesperson said.
You can read more at the link.
