North Korean youths take part in a torchlight march at Kim Il-sung Plaza in Pyongyang on April 30, 2026, to mark the 11th Congress of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League, North Korea’s largest youth organization, in this photo released by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency the next day. The letters formed by the torchlight read “Kim Jong-un,” the country’s current leader, and “the Youth League.” (Yonhap)

This phone call iwill accomplish nothing to reopen the Strait, but creates the appearance that the ROK government is “doing something” to reopen the Strait and lower gas prices:

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (R) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during their meeting on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 25, 2025, in this file photo provided by South Korea’s foreign ministry.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held phone talks with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Saturday and called for the resumption of safe navigation of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign ministry said.

During the talks, Cho noted that South Korean and other international vessels remain anchored in the crucial waterway, stressing the need to ensure their safe resumption of navigation, according to the ministry.

He also expressed hope for the swift restoration of peace and stability, citing the broader impact of the conflict on global security and the economy, while Araghchi outlined Iran’s position on negotiations with the United States.

The call marked the third conversation between the two ministers since the conflict began in late February following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, with the latest call made at the request of the Iranian side, the ministry added.

A total of 26 South Korean vessels, with more than 170 crew members on board, have been stranded in the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the war.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

So where has this Lee been when his KCTU labor union buddies were busy assaulting police, raiding offices of politicians they don’t like, running extortion rackets, spying for North Korea, intimidating members of the media and families, disrupting USFK operations, and destroying property during conservative presidential administrations? Now that President Lee is in charge of the country he wants them to play nice:

President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday warned that excessive labor-related demands by unionized workers could end up doing more harm than good to the unions and other fellow workers, urging a more responsible approach from unions when dealing with labor issues.

“While companies should treat workers as valuable partners in corporate management, workers and labor unions must also have a sense of responsibility,” Lee said during a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae.

“If certain labor organizations face public outcry for excessive or unfair, self-serving demands, it would harm not only the unions themselves but other workers as well,” Lee said, urging a sense of solidarity with fellow laborers. 

Lee’s remarks came as a major labor union of Samsung Electronics Co. has threatened to launch an 18-day general strike starting May 21, demanding high bonuses in proportion to the company’s record high revenue.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It’s a May Day Open Thread. Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

This must must have been a awesome moment for these veterans:

Eight veterans of the Korean War arrived from Commonwealth countries in time to mark the 75th anniversary of a crucial battle of the war and their historic contribution. Approximately 2,500 troops from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, with support from the U.S. and South Korean armies, held back 10 times their number at the Battle of Gapyeong on April 23-25, 1951.

The Commonwealth troops held back the Chinese Spring Offensive and spared Seoul from recapture by Communist forces. A total of 26 veterans and their families arrived as guests of South Korea on April 22 in Seoul to pay tribute at the War Memorial and visit the Commonwealth Monument in Gapyeong, about 40 miles northeast of the capital. Saturday, they visited Panmunjom, the truce village inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link as well as read my prior posting about the Battle of Gapyong.

The natural questions becomes if U.S. troops are cut from Germany will South Korea be next? I don’t think Trump would be able to legally reduce troops in South Korea without the approval of Congress due to legislation passed before he became President:

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday the United States is weighing a possible reduction of American troops in Germany, with a decision to be made over “the next short period of time,” after he decried European allies over a lack of support for the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Trump made the remarks in a social media post following a recent report by The Wall Street Journal that his administration is considering punishing some members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that he perceives as unhelpful to the United States during the war in Iran.

“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.