Category: International Headlines

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.

It is going to be very interesting to see if this Board of Peace can actually accomplish the rebuilding of Gaza. It appears the funding will be there for reconstruction, but the real question is going to be who is going to disarm Hamas and provide security? You can’t rebuild anything until security is reestablished in Gaza:

 U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned South Korea among the countries that will join a fundraiser to support the reconstruction of the war-torn Gaza Strip, as he convened the first meeting of a new U.S.-led international peace organization in Washington on Thursday.

Trump referred to South Korea, the Philippines and other countries, which he said would contribute to the reconstruction efforts for the Palestinian enclave, during the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, which was launched last month to promote peace efforts around the world.

“Japan has just committed to an aid fundraiser, which will be a very big one. It’s already successful. We know some of the numbers that are being talked about, which will be attended by other nations in the region, including South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and others,” he said.

“China is going to be involved, and I think Russia is going to be involved,” he added.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

What is interesting about this latest school shooting was that the shooter was once again trans. Of course the media is not going to look into why there are so many trans shooters:

President Lee Jae Myung (2nd from L) attends a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul on Feb. 10, 2026. (Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday expressed condolences over a deadly school shooting in Canada, voicing hope that the country will heal from the tragedy.

“On behalf of the Republic of Korea, I convey my heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families and to the people of Canada who are mourning this profound loss,” Lee wrote on the social platform X, using South Korea’s official name.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see if South Korea and Japan join the Board of Peace:

DAVOS, Switzerland — Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, seen by some as a rival ‍to the United Nations, has caught officials at some of the countries invited off guard, with several saying they felt compelled to sign up rather than risk the U.S. president’s wrath.

Reuters canvassed 16 world leaders, including politicians and delegates from Arab nations, Latin American countries and Europe at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, with the response fairly consistent.

Officials from several regions said privately that joining Trump’s proposed board felt less like a choice and more an inevitability, as governments weighed the risks of staying out against the uncertainty of signing on.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but if Korea or Japan really want to get on Trump’s good side they should offer to host the board in their country.

With North Korea getting all their needs currently met by the Russians there really isn’t any urgency for the Kim regime to engage with the U.S. Additionaly Kim Jong-un has to consider what Putin would think if he sees him meeting with Trump when the war in Ukraine is still ongoing:

U.S. President Donald Trump said he is willing to extend his stay in South Korea in order to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but Pyongyang has offered no response, maintaining its customary silence ahead of this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One during his flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Tokyo on Monday, Trump said, “If he [Kim] wants to meet, I’d love to,” adding that he “could go over there” while in South Korea.

He emphasized that he and Kim had a “very good relationship” and that extending the trip would be “easy if needed.” It was the latest in a series of gestures that began before his departure for Asia last week.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see if the personnel deported will be allowed back into the country again in the future with a proper work visa. With that said I am sure every Korean business is reviewing visa status of their workers now:

The Korean government said Sunday that talks with U.S. authorities to release more than 300 Korean workers detained in Georgia were finished, and that only administrative steps remained before a chartered plane would be dispatched to bring them home.

Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik announced the development at a high-level policy meeting in Seoul, saying the release as imminent thanks to swift cooperation among government ministries, business groups and companies.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

You know things are not going well when you have to flee to Turkmenistan for safety:

Twenty South Korean nationals and their family members have evacuated Iran via a land route and arrived safely in Turkmenistan amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I am not sure why a South Korean would want to be in Iran in the first place, but it is probably a good time to get out there because the end of the regime could be near:

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday raised its travel advisory for Iran and Israel, urging its nationals to leave the countries immediately in response to ongoing missile strikes between Israel and Iran.

Effective from 1 p.m. Wednesday, Seoul time, the updated travel alert expands the existing Level 3 advisory — which recommends departure — to cover the entire country.

Previously, the Level 3 alert, part of the four-tier travel advisory system in which Level 4 constitutes a travel ban, applied only to certain regions within Iran.

“Accordingly, South Korean nationals currently staying in Iran are advised to leave the country as quickly as possible, following guidance from the diplomatic mission, while paying special attention to their personal safety,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.