Author: GIKorea

It looks like the Pentagon is planning for a protracted conflict with Iran considering they are discussing with the ROK the deployment of USFK assets to the Middle East:

Seoul was cautious Thursday on news reports that South Korea and Washington are discussing the potential redeployment of some United States Forces Korea assets, as tensions escalate in the Middle East.

A Cheong Wa Dae official, declining to be named, said Thursday, “It would not be appropriate for our government to comment on the operational employment of USFK.”

The official added, “The mission of USFK is to maintain a strong combined defense posture with South Korean forces and contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region. To that end, South Korea and the United States will continue close communication and coordination.”

The official addressed earlier reports by local media that Seoul and Washington are holding consultations regarding the operational use of USFK and the possible redeployment of certain capabilities to the Middle East.

The Ministry of National Defense also remained cautious on the matter.

“The goal of USFK is to maintain a strong combined defense posture with South Korean forces and contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region,” Defense Ministry spokesperson Chung Bin-na said at a regular briefing Thursday, echoing the official in the presidential office. “To that end, Seoul and Washington remain in close communication regarding the operational employment of USFK forces.”

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but considering that USFK deployed two Patriot missile batteries to the Middle East during the 12 Day War last year; it is likely air defense batteries will be sent again for this war.

It looks like reporters are trying other get Hegseth to say something that North Korea is next and he didn’t take the bait. There is no reason to be making any threats towards North Korea:

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that U.S. efforts to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions will send “plenty of signals,” as he addressed a question related to North Korea’s criticism of the ongoing U.S. military operation against the Islamic Republic.

Hegseth made the remarks during a press briefing on the military operation, codenamed “Operation Epic Fury,” which kicked off in coordination with Israel on Saturday.

“As it pertains to other countries … they don’t really bear on the case of Iran,” the secretary said. “We’re going to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and that will send plenty of signals in the process.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

If you are looking to exchange dollars into Won now is the time to do it because the strengthening dollar may not last long once the war with Iran is over:

South Korean won briefly slid past the 1,500-per-dollar level on Tuesday, marking its first breach of the psychologically important level since 2009, as the greenback surged in value amid the ongoing U.S.-Israel military operations against Iran.

The won fell to nearly 1,506 won against the dollar at around 12:05 a.m. Wednesday (Seoul time), some 30 minutes after the New York Stock Exchange opened. It later recovered to trade back below the 1,500 mark.

The Korean currency hit 1,500 against the dollar for the first time since March 2009 when the world was reeling from the global financial crisis. 

In March 2009, the Korean won tumbled, approaching the 1,600-won-per-dollar level.

Analysts said that the won’s plunge this week was driven by the dollar’s rally amid fears that the U.S.-Israel operation could escalate into a broader regional war that could last longer than expected.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I don’t think Kim is concerned at all about being next. If anything he is pointing out to everyone that he was correct to advance their nuclear and missile programs. Additionally he still has a positive relationship with Trump which is important:

North Korea’s sharply worded condemnation of recent US strikes on Iran has fueled debate over whether its leader Kim Jong-un feels unsettled by the dramatic downfalls of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

And experts said the lesson for Kim may be less about fear than survival. Rather than pushing him toward talks with Washington, such events could reinforce his belief that only a credible nuclear deterrent guarantees regime security — a strategic difference that may embolden, rather than frighten, Pyongyang as it watches both the military action and its political aftermath, they pointed out. (………)

The removal of Maduro in January and the subsequent US-backed operation that eliminated Khamenei marked a rare sequence of regime-toppling actions against leaders openly hostile to Washington. Some experts say the developments inevitably resonate in Pyongyang and that the back-to-back removals of anti-US leaders complicate Kim’s calculus, particularly regarding whether to accept a potential summit.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Fortunately these South Korean citizens were able to evacuate from Iran:

Twenty-three South Koreans have been evacuated from Iran by land amid the escalating conflict following U.S. and Israeli military strikes, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The individuals left Tehran early Monday (local time) aboard two chartered buses arranged by the South Korean Embassy in Iran and safely crossed the eastern land border into Turkmenistan on Tuesday, the ministry said.

All have passed through border checkpoints and are now on their way to Ashgabat. They are expected to return home or depart for a third destination Wednesday.

The evacuation came after the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran are escalating into a wider regional conflict, with neighboring countries like Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon joining the fray alongside their respective allies.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Fortunately they caught her before anyone else was killed:

A criminal behavior expert says the first attack in the Gangbuk District serial murder case appears to have functioned as a test of sedatives before later killings, pointing to a pattern of escalation rather than isolated acts.

The suspect, a woman in her 20s identified by authorities as X, is accused of poisoning three men with drug-laced drinks, leaving two dead and one injured. She was handed over to prosecutors on Feb. 19 on charges including murder, causing injury and violating narcotics control laws.

Oh Yun-seong, a professor of police administration at Soonchunhyang University, said in a radio interview Tuesday that the first incident involving the suspect’s boyfriend appears to have been an experiment to confirm the effects of benzodiazepine-based sleeping pills prescribed by a psychiatric clinic.

“It was essentially testing the method,” he said, explaining that the suspect appeared to have observed that the drugged victim was unable to move for about four hours before moving on to more serious crimes.

The boyfriend lost consciousness after drinking the beverage but later recovered after being taken to a hospital. Police identified two additional attacks using a similar method that left two dead.

Oh said the suspect targeted men lured by her messages, making them particularly vulnerable. Regarding the third attack, carried out while she was already under police suspicion, he said the possibility that she acted while fully aware she had been identified as a suspect cannot be ruled out.

On the question of motive, he described the crimes as an extreme manifestation of a desire to manipulate and control interpersonal relationships. Citing accounts from X’s acquaintances that she left middle school, was later expelled from high school and had a history of theft and stoking tensions among acquaintances, the possibility of an impulse disorder should also be considered.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.