Author: GIKorea

Tweet of the Day: Should Muslims Not Pray and Walkways in Japan?

https://twitter.com/harukaawake/status/1968870614585803121

Picture of the Day: Sleep Competition in Seoul

'Sleeping contest'
‘Sleeping contest
‘People try to sleep during a sleeping competition at a park along the Han River in Seoul on Sept. 20, 2025. (Yonhap)

President Lee Jae-myung Sees Rise in Approval Ratings to 60%

Lee Jae-myung’s should send President Trump a thank you card because his tariff rhetoric and crackdown on illegal Korean workers has caused the ROK President’s poll ratings to rise:

 President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating edged up to 60 percent, a poll showed Friday.

In a Gallup Korea survey of 1,001 adults conducted Tuesday through Thursday, 60 percent gave a positive evaluation of Lee’s performance, up 2 percentage points from the previous week.

Lee’s approval rating, which had stayed above 60 percent following his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in late August, slid to 58 percent as he marked his 100th day in office last week.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Tweet of the Day: Ex-President Moon Visits JSA

South Korean Companies Concerned About New $100k Fee for H1B Visas

If Korean tech companies wants to bring their workers into American to work it is going to cost a whole lot more:

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation to impose a yearly fee of US$100,000 for an H-1B nonimmigrant visa application for a highly skilled foreign worker, as his administration seeks to ensure tech firms help train Americans rather than bringing in foreign workers.

The fee is expected to put a burden on Korean companies that need to bring their skilled workers into the United States on a stable visa program to set up and run factories in the U.S. to proceed with their investment projects.

The current fee for the H-1B visa is $1,000. The visa is meant for skilled professionals, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, with its program subject to an annual worldwide cap of 85,000 visas.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick elaborated on the fee for an H-1B visa — a three-year visa with one renewal that could last a total of six years — as he called for tech companies to train Americans and stop bringing in foreign workers to take American jobs.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the new fee is going to make foreign companies think long and hard about whether or not it is affordable to bring in foreign workers on a H1B visa or train an American to do the job.

Picture of the Day: iPhone 17 Released in South Korea

iPhone 17 goes on sale
iPhone 17 goes on sale
An employee shows an iPhone Air smartphone, Apple Inc.’s thinnest phone ever, at an Apple outlet in Seoul on Sept. 19, 2025, as the U.S. company’s iPhone 17 series smartphones are launched. (Yonhap)

Former First Lady Seen in Wheel Chair at Seoul Hospital

It seems like anytime a famous person gets in trouble they make sure to check themselves into a hospital and be seen in a wheelchair:

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee, who has been in custody since June, was seen in public this week for the first time since her arrest, arriving at a hospital in Seoul in a wheelchair with an electronic ankle monitor strapped to her left leg.

In a report by cable network MBN, Kim was seen Thursday in the standard blue detainee uniform, wearing a mask and glasses, as she was escorted through hospital corridors. Her hands, presumably cuffed, were hidden beneath a blanket.

She reportedly was granted the medical visit after suffering from acute hypotension, or a sudden drop in blood pressure.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

ROK Drop Open Thread – September 19, 2025

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

Tweet of the Day: Security Officer at Narita Airport Arrested

https://twitter.com/mrjeffu/status/1967954304578601215

Picture of the Day: ROK Navy Launches New Aegis Destroyer

Navy's new 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer
Navy’s new 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer
A new 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer, the Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, is pictured during its launch ceremony at a shipyard of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Sept. 17, 2025. The 170-meter-long and 21-meter-wide destroyer is equipped with advanced stealth features, and enhanced detection and interception capabilities against ballistic missiles. (Yonhap)