The only troops the ROK would likely send are for defensive purposes and yet the Iranians are making threats against them:

A senior Iranian official has warned Korea against deploying military assets to the Strait of Hormuz, saying any action against Iran would be considered direct participation in the war. 

“Any South Korean involvement against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz would amount to direct military participation in the aggression and war against Iran,” the unnamed senior political and security official was quoted as saying by Al Mayadeen, a Lebanon-based news network aligned with Iran and Hezbollah, on Friday. 

The official also urged Seoul not to “sacrifice its interests and reputation” by supporting U.S. military operations.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It is amazing for how little money people will sell out their country for:

A South Korean man has been sentenced to five years in prison for spying for North Korea, officials said Saturday.

The 43-year-old man, whose identity was withheld, was found to have received an order from a North Korean agent via the messaging app Telegram in May-June of 2021 to collect information about anti-Pyongyang defectors from North Korea and their activities.

Around that time, the man took about 660 million won (US$479,346) worth of virtual currency from the North Korean agent as funds for operating cryptocurrency investments.

He later approached the head of a North Korean defector group, offering to sponsor the organization. He asked the leader to create a virtual currency wallet and forwarded its address to the North Korean agent.

After the agent transferred 1 million won worth of Bitcoin in the name of donation, the man received videos and photos showing the group sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets in return.

The man was also instructed by the agent to collect personal information of seven active-duty military officers, including their units and resident registration numbers, and attempt to recruit them for espionage.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

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

No decision has been made but the ROK government is clearly considering it:

South Korea’s presidential office on Thursday rejected a report claiming the government is considering sending troops to the conflict-stricken Hormuz Strait.

“It is different from the facts. Details related to the issue have yet to be decided,” Cheong Wa Dae said in a notice to reporters.

The presidential office reiterated its previous stance that South Korea has been in discussions with other nations on how it could contribute to restoring peace and stability in the Middle East and inside the strait.

Earlier in the day, local broadcaster JTBC reported that the government is “leaning toward” dispatching troops to the Strait of Hormuz and is reviewing related details to submit a request for a parliamentary approval to the National Assembly.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link. However, sending a detachment of troops to the UAE for example, for a counter drone mission would help a key ROK partner in the Middle East and win favor with President Trump.

The Japanese are definitely trying to improve the quality of foreigners living in Japan:

The most drastic shifts impact those who plan to stay in Japan for the longest – those applying for permanent residency, a status that grants rights to work, unlimited entries, and infinite stay.

Effective from October, applicants are required to have an income level higher than that of average Japanese households. And from next April, aspiring permanent residents need to have a projected pension fund equivalent to 30 years of payouts. They also have to speak intermediate-level Japanese.

“Considering that permanent resident is the most stable status of residence, this revision makes necessary updates to the application of independent livelihood and national interest requirements to ensure applicants do not become a public burden,” said Hiraguchi during a press conference last month.

Earlier this year, the government also tightened rules for foreign business owners, raising the capital requirement of a business manager visa popular among entrepreneurs from five million yen ($31,000) to 30 million ($126,000).

CNN

You can read more at the link, but how many foreigners in the U.S. do people think would get deported if similar requirements were required?