This is something I can support President Lee on, redeveloping the land former USFK bases were once on instead of just leaving it abandoned:

An artist’s rendition of the Gyeonggi Unification Plus Center, which is slated to open sometime this year in Uijeongbu city, South Korea. (Gyeonggi-do Provincial Government)

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung called on the military this week to streamline the process of repurposing government real estate previously occupied by U.S. forces since the Korean War. The directive is aimed at reusing now-abandoned property in northern Gyeonggi-do, South Korea’s most populous province, that the United States returned to the South Korean government after consolidating its forces elsewhere, presidential office spokeswoman Kang Yu-jung said Tuesday at a news conference in Seoul.

During his presidential campaign, Lee claimed that the returned lands in Gyeonggi-do were unused and neglected due to bureaucratic restrictions. Lee, elected president this year, served as governor of Gyeonggi-do until 2021. He said during the campaign that businesses had no interest in developing the land after local governments marked up real estate prices. “It can be deregulated, but it is not being deregulated,” he said during a speech in Paju on May 20. “As a governor of Gyeonggi-do, I had limited authority. But when I have presidential authority, I will change the regulations to reasonably solve problems and avoid unfair situations.”

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but there has been plenty of successful examples of vacated bases being redeveloped such as the former Camp Castle in Dongducheon and Camp Sears in Uijeongbu.

It looks like Chinese Communist Party is going to pretend they had anything to do with defeating the Imperial Japanese during World War II and they are inviting President Lee to join them in their delusion:

The South Korean government is weighing whether President Lee Jae Myung should attend China’s military parade, held in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of its victory over Japan during World War II.

This will be another diplomatic test for the Lee administration, as the invitation, extended amid heightened regional tensions, reflects China’s efforts to reinforce its historical narratives and expand its regional influence. 

For South Korea, Lee’s potential attendance poses a delicate diplomatic balancing act — weighing the importance of its economic relationship with China against its security alliance with the United States and its deeply rooted historical tensions with Japan. Whether he accepts or declines could carry far-reaching implications for regional alignment and the evolving historical discourse in Northeast Asia.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the CCP during World War II sat back and did hardly anything against the Imperial Japanese invasion of China. Nearly all the fighting against the Japanese was from the Kuomintang that ruled China at the time.

If anything the CCP should be sending the Emperor of Japan a thank you card because the only reason the CCP took power was because World War II had so weakened the Kuomintang. The degradatoin of the Koumintang allowed the CCP to win the Chinese civil war and the Kuomintang fled to Taiwan where the civil war with the CCP continues from to this day. If anyone should be having a military parade to celebrate the defeat of the Imperial Japanese in China it is Taiwan.

With that all said President Lee should not attend a military parade for a country that is responsible for the current division of the Korean peninsula. If CCP troops had not intervened in the Korean War, Korea would be one country today and instead it is divided because of China.

Here is the latest on enhnancing strategic flexibility of U.S. military forces in Korea and Japan:

In a contribution made to a Japanese daily newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun, Jost said, while stressing more cooperation with the Japanese Defense Forces, that the USFJ’s primary task would shift from “alliance management missions” to “operations that span the spectrum of operations from humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and armed conflict” over time. He referred to an expanded role for the USFJ in countering China’s threat in the Indo-Pacific region, writing, “The security, freedom and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific face increasing challenges from adversarial nations, primarily the People’s Republic of China … These threats are only intensifying.”

In tandem, local media has reported that the USFK was using a training map of the Asian region drawn upside down to illustrate the proximity of Korea to Taiwan and the Philippines, suggesting U.S. forces possibly being deployed, should a conflict arise centered on Taiwan or in the South China Sea. Gen. Brunson is expected to meet the Korean press this month to speak about the “strategic flexibility” of U.S. forces in Korea.

The combination of these comments signals that the Trump administration’s claims of strategic flexibility may materialize in not only deployment of U.S. forces in South Korea to other areas, but also a changed status for USFK command. Many eyes are watching the forthcoming U.S. National Defense Strategy, which will detail the U.S. administration’s defense posture globally as competition with China deepens. Additionally, there are reports that have some officials within the Trump administration proposing to elevate the commander of the USFJ to a four-star general level while demoting the status of the current USFK commander to a three-star general’s post.

To be sure, the USFJ has about 55,000 soldiers stationed in Japan and is considered a strategic command for Indo-China as well as bilaterally, while the USFK has 28,500 forces in South Korea. However, joint operations with the Japan Self-Defense Forces will not reach the capabilities of the USFK and the South Korean military anytime soon.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but reducing the USFK commander to a three-star would be a loss of prestige and influence for the ROK government with the United States. On the other hand, the USFJ commander becoming a four-star would be a positive for Japan. I can understand why the ROK government will want to lobby hard to keep the four-star position on the pen. However, why can’t they both just be three stars that work for the INDOPACOM four star commander?

In regards to strategic flexibility of U.S. troops in USFK this has already happened as the recent deployment of U.S. Patriot batteries from both Korea and Japan demonstrate.

This is one of the main reasons why Lee Jae-myung needed to become President, to avoid prosecution:

A district court said Tuesday it has decided to postpone President Lee Jae Myung’s trial on charges of misusing public funds, following two similarpostponements last month.

During a hearing on the case, the Suwon District Court said trial proceedings will remain on hold without setting a date for the next hearing, suspending the case.

The court cited the need for Lee to “fully dedicate himself to fulfilling his constitutional duties and ensure continuity in state affairs” as the president as the reason for suspending the trial.

Under the decision, the trial will remain on hold until the court sets a date for proceedings to resume.

The decision came amid speculation the court could postpone the fourth preparatory session as the Constitution exempts a sitting president from criminal indictment except in cases of treason or insurrection. Lee was elected president last month.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The use of paper straws was a bad idea from the start and it appears Starbucks Korea is trying to couse change:

Around 200 Starbucks stores in South Korea are testing out plant-based plastic straws after customers complained about the durability of the coffee chain’s paper straws. Starbucks Korea, which operates approximately 2,000 stores, on Wednesday introduced bioplastic straws made from sugarcane, a company spokeswoman said by phone Thursday.

The company received complaints — many of them from customers at branches in hospitals and family housing districts — about the durability of the paper straws, prompting Starbucks to explore other materials, the spokeswoman said.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but what is the most ridiculous thing about the paper straws is that depending on what you order, they serve it to you in a plastic cup with a plastic lid. If Starbucks was so concerned about the environment why didn’t they use only paper cups and biodegradable lids?

The air defense Soldiers based in both Korea and Japan that were recently deployed to the Middle East saw significant combat action in defense of Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar:

Among the soldiers on guard at Al Udeid, the oldest was a 28-year-old captain and the youngest a 21-year-old private, Caine said. The Patriot crews had arrived in Qatar from South Korea and Japan to bolster defenses. As scores of missiles approached the base, the Patriot crews fired to intercept.

Caine said he was aware of reports that some of the incoming fire got through, but he suggested that it was debris. “Between attacking missiles being hit by Patriots, boosters from attacking missiles being hit by Patriots, the Patriots themselves flying around and the debris from those Patriots hitting the ground, there was a lot of metal flying around,” Caine said. There were no reported injuries connected to Iran’s missiles. “We believe that this is the largest single Patriot engagement in U.S. military history,” Caine said.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but great job by all these Soldiers!