Since Samsung has so much production in Vietnam compared to Apple’s heavy reliance on China, they probably are in better position to navigate the growing trade war between the U.S. and China:
Samsung Electronics remains on alert amid the Donald Trump administration’s unpredictable trade policies, despite the United States granting tariff exemptions for smartphones, laptops, personal computers and semiconductor equipment.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Saturday (local time) that those devices will be excluded from the sweeping 10 percent baseline tariff on nearly all countries, as well as the retaliatory 125 percent duty on China.
Following the updated guidance, Samsung has been considered one of the beneficiaries along with Apple and TSMC. Bloomberg described the measure as a “big win” for major tech firms.
The optimistic outlook stems from Samsung’s heavy reliance on production in Vietnam, which is on the verge of facing a 46 percent “reciprocal tariff” from the U.S. if trade talks between Hanoi and Washington fail following the current 90-day pause. The Korean company produces nearly 50 percent of all Galaxy smartphones sold globally at its Vietnamese facilities.
Korea Times
You can read more at the link.
Impeached President Yoon continues the tradition of if you are a conservative President in South Korea you will be prosecuted afterwards and likely jailed:
Disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to stand trial Monday on charges of orchestrating an insurrection through his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, marking his first formal court appearance since being removed from office by the Constitutional Court early this month.
The first hearing, at which Yoon is required to appear, is to take place at the Seoul Central District Court and has drawn criticism for shielding the ousted leader from public view — a departure from the manner in which former presidents were tried in criminal court. (…….)
With his appearance at the Seoul Central District Court’s pretrial hearing of his criminal trial in February, Yoon became the first sitting president to go on trial for criminal charges.
But Yoon is far from the first former president to stand trial, as prior to Yoon, Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye all faced criminal charges after their respective presidencies.
According to the Criminal Act, those convicted of leading an insurrection can face either the death penalty or life imprisonment.
You can read more at the link.
Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.
One thing to remember about troop withdrawals you have to have some place to put them back in the U.S. Money would have to be spent to build the facilities to support relocating those troops. Right now 2ID is housed on a brand new base, Camp Humphreys paid for mostly by the ROK government:
U.S. military leaders in the Indo-Pacific presented negative views about the idea of a U.S. troop reduction in South Korea on Thursday, amid lingering concerns that the Trump administration could seek a troop cut or realignment to focus more on threats from China.
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo Jr. warned the withdrawal or reduction of American troops from South Korea would raise a “higher” likelihood of a North Korean invasion, while U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson said a troop reduction would be “problematic.”
As U.S. President Donald Trump is charging ahead with his “America First” agenda, speculation has persisted that his administration could look to curtail overseas military involvement and call for allies to take greater responsibilities for their own security.
You can read more at the link.
It is moving day for the Yoon family:
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to leave the presidential residence Friday to return to his private residence in southern Seoul, officials said Thursday, following his removal from office last week.
“Yoon plans to leave the official residence at 5 p.m. Friday move to his private residence,” a senior presidential official said in a press notice.
The Presidential Security Service (PSS) has reportedly completed organizing a private residence security team of about 40 people for Yoon. Under the current law, Yoon can receive protection from the PSS for up to 10 years.
Yoon’s private residence is located at the Acrovista apartment complex in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, and he previously stayed there for six months even after his presidential inauguration in May 2022.
Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, are reportedly considering moving to another private residence in the capital area later because they own as many as 11 pet dogs and cats and the presence of security guards may cause some inconveniences for neighbors.
It seems like it would be tough for a former President to live in an apartment building because of the impact all the security requirements would have on their neighbors. It makes sense they would likely try and find house to live in that would not cause so impact to neighbors like living in an apartment would cause.
Here is the latest on USFK’s now operational plan to counter North Korea:
South Korea and the United States signed a new joint wartime operations plan (OPLAN) last year to counter evolving North Korean military threats, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea said Wednesday.
Gen. Xavier Brunson made the remarks in a written statement to the House Armed Services Committee, as Seoul and Washington have been deepening security coordination to deal with advancing North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile threats. He also leads South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) and U.N. Command.
“Last year, we took a significant step forward in our combat readiness when the new combined Operations Plan was signed,” Brunson said.
You can read more at the link.
It sure seems like the North Korean military makes a lot of “mistakes” crossing the MDL:
This file photo, provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on March 27, 2025, shows North Korean troops repairing fences at the eastern border.
South Korea’s military said Tuesday it fired warning shots at a group of North Korean soldiers who briefly crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas.
About 10 armed North Korean soldiers returned to the North after the South Korean military aired warning broadcasts and fired warning shots in an eastern front-line area at around 5 p.m., according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The JCS said South Korea’s military is “closely monitoring the movement of the North Korean military and taking necessary measures in accordance with the operational procedures.”
The JCS said it suspects the North Korean soldiers’ border crossing occurred accidentally while they were conducting a regular patrol.
You can read more at the link.
