Category: Korea-General Topics

It seems President Lee unlike some leaders in Europe has been doing a good job managing his relationship with Trump:

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump had follow-up discussions on Trump’s earlier request for Seoul’s assistance in building military vessels at the ongoing North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit, Lee’s presidential spokesperson said Wednesday.

The two held such discussions the previous day at a dinner banquet hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, according to Kang Yu-jung.

Lee earlier said the U.S. president had asked him whether South Korea could help build U.S. military vessels when they met at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, last month.

In response, Lee said he would cooperate with Trump’s request as fully as possible, highlighting the advanced capabilities of South Korea’s shipbuilding companies, according to Kang.

The leaders also agreed to continue working-level consultations between their countries to discuss details of the proposed cooperation. 

The encounter between Lee and Trump came just three weeks after they met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.

The leaders recalled their promise at the G7 summit to play golf together, and agreed to pursue Lee’s visit to the United States at an appropriate time, which could include a round of golf, the spokesperson said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It was unsustainable for Lee to keep such high approval ratings and ever since the election controversy his approval rating has been declining:

President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating fell for a sixth consecutive week to 46.5 percent, remaining below the 50 percent mark for the second straight week, according to a Realmeter poll released Monday.

The survey, conducted by Realmeter from June 22-26 among 2,502 eligible voters aged 18 and older, put Lee’s job approval rating at 46.5 percent, down 0.2 percentage point from the previous week. Negative assessments of his performance also edged down 0.2 percentage point to 49.5 percent, while 4 percent of respondents said they were unsure.

Lee’s approval rating has been on a steady decline from 60.5 percent in the second week of May, to 59.3 percent in the third week of May, 59.1 percent in the fourth week of May, 55.2 percent in the first week of June, 51.5 percent in the second week of June, 46.7 percent in the third week of June, and 46.5 percent in the fourth week of June.

Realmeter attributed the continued decline to the lingering controversy over the National Election Commission’s mishandling of ballots during the June 3 local elections, coupled with growing public concerns over the economy, including a weak won, persistent inflation and instability in the housing market.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

What do they hope to find this far after the election is already over? I have no idea if something nefarious occurred or if the ballot shortage was just incompetence, but this stunt isn’t going to change any minds because if something nefarious did occur the evidence would have long been destroyed by now:

Wi Chul-hwan (2nd from R, front), acting chairman of the National Election Commission, answers a lawmaker’s question during a meeting of a parliamentary special committee investigating ballot shortages in the June 3 local elections at the National Assembly in Seoul on July 1, 2026. (Yonhap)

A parliamentary special committee looking into ballot shortages during the June local elections will conduct its first on-site inspection this week, officials said Wednesday.

During a plenary meeting earlier in the day, the committee approved a plan to inspect the Songpa District Election Commission and the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul at 10 a.m. Thursday as part of its investigation into the voting and ballot-counting process.

The committee plans to send an official letter requesting police cooperation ahead of the inspection, considering the ongoing protest at the Olympic Park area over the ballot shortages.

The second on-site inspection, originally scheduled for next Wednesday, has been moved up to Tuesday, though its location has yet to be decided, according to committee officials.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Kang Dong-wan, the acting secretary-general of the National Election Commission (NEC), said the commission was open to the idea of allowing representatives from the ruling and main opposition parties, as well as civic groups, to inspect the ballot boxes stored at the stadium, which served as a ballot counting site on election day.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is great to see the continuing bilateral cooperation between the ROK and Japanese militaries:

The top defense chiefs of South Korea and Japan agreed Sunday to continue efforts to deepen bilateral exchanges and cooperation, including in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Seoul’s defense ministry said. 

The two sides affirmed the shared commitment following talks between Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Seoul, as the two sides seek to bolster defense cooperation amid improving bilateral ties. 

“The two ministers agreed to continue advancing exchanges and cooperation between the aerobatic teams of the two countries — South Korea’s Black Eagles and Japan’s Blue Impulse,” a joint press statement released after the talks said. 

“They also agreed to further develop search and rescue exercises for various maritime contingencies and to push for greater cooperation in advanced science and technology fields, including AI,” it added.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is an interesting historical note between South Korea and Vietnam that the ROK is trying to capitalize on to promote tourism:

Looking to disperse international tourism beyond the crowded streets of Seoul, Korea is mining an ancient, forgotten royal connection to lure travelers from its top tourism market: Vietnam.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on Friday a new initiative to develop historical travel routes centered around Bonghwa, a quiet mountainous county in North Gyeongsang Province. While seemingly an unlikely destination for international visitors, Bonghwa holds a unique position in regional diplomacy. It is the final resting place of Prince Ly Long Tuong, a scion of Vietnam’s Ly Dynasty who fled a palace coup in the 13th century, crossed the sea to the Goryeo Kingdom and established a lineage in Korea that survives to this day.

Following a bilateral summit in April where Vietnamese officials highlighted Bonghwa as a symbol of shared history, Seoul is moving to institutionalize the narrative. The government plans to link a developing cultural site called K-Vietnam Valley with nearby UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the ancient wooden temples of Buseoksa and the traditional riverside village of Hahoe in Andong.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

For Soldiers in Korea looking to convert some U.S. dollars into Won, now is the time to do it:

The South Korean won weakened against the U.S. dollar Tuesday amid renewed expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve would raise its rates this year. 

The won traded at 1,539.1 won per dollar, down 2.1 won from the previous session, as of 3:30 p.m., partly hit by a sell-off by foreign investors in local stocks. 

The won opened at 1,539.4 won per dollar earlier in the day but tumbled to as low as 1,542.1 won at one point, marking the weakest level since June 8.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Tough day for the Korean stock market:

South Korean stocks tumbled nearly 10 percent Tuesday as foreign investors dumped major semiconductor shares and other market heavyweights amid profit-taking, tracking overnight losses in U.S. technology stocks. The local currency weakened against the U.S. dollar.

After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged 910.71 points, or 9.99 percent, to close at 8,203.84. The index hit an intra-day high of 9,175.45.

The Korea Exchange (KRX), the bourse operator, activated a circuit breaker at around 2:33 p.m. after the KOSPI plummeted more than 8 percent from the previous session’s close.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I guess this is how Starbucks Korea is trying to end criticism of the failed Tank Day event by holding mandatory sensitivity training:

Starbucks Korea will close all of its stores nationwide early Monday to provide employee training aimed at improving historical awareness and social sensitivity, following a controversial promotion linked to the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju.

All 2,160 stores across the country will close at 3 p.m. It marks the first time Starbucks Korea has ended operations early nationwide since opening its first outlet in 1999.

Starbucks Korea, operated by E-Mart Inc., a unit of Shinsegae Group, launched an online “Tank Day” promotion on May 18, the anniversary of the Gwangju pro-democracy uprising. The event was suspended within hours after drawing widespread public criticism.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see if President Lee goes through with this threats to arrest people who are protesting against the ballot shortage in the recent election that denied people the ability to vote:

President Lee Jae Myung said Sunday that he accepts complaints about voting rights infringement over the unprecedented shortage of ballots in the recent local elections, but rejected claims of election fraud, arguing such claims skew the true nature of the issue.

Lee made the remarks during a meeting with his top aides held remotely from Rome, where he is visiting as part of a broader European trip.

Yonhap

Here is where he threatens protesters:

The protesters have demanded a re-run of the elections, while some argue the ballot shortages were part of a broad election fraud scheme.

The president dismissed such claims, calling them a distortion of the issue and an anti-social crime, saying those who commit such crimes must be held accountable.

“Spreading allegations of election fraud and (raising accusations of) election result manipulation are tantamount to distorting the essence of the matter and constitutes anti-social behavior that insults the precious voice of the people,” he said.

You can read more at the link.