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One Korean Middle East expert is calling for Korea to send troops and ships to assist Gulf Arab allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz:
Korea risks undermining its defense export ambitions in the Middle East if it fails to support key Gulf partners during the current conflict, a Middle East expert warned, arguing that trust built in times of crisis, not just technology, determines future arms deals
Jang Ji-hyang, a principal fellow and director of the Center for Regional Studies at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said Seoul has focused too narrowly on its alliance with the United States and its role as a middle power, while overlooking its strategic ties with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
You can read the whole interview at the link, but something the Gulf Arab countries could use would be for Korea to send air defense units to help them defend against the drones they have been dealing with. This would show proactive support to the Gulf Arab countries while not being involved in active offensive operations against the Iranians if Korea wants to continue to hedge on this war.
The Trump administration must think the Iran War will be over by May if they reschedule this trip until then:
The White House said Wednesday that a much anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will take place in Beijing on May 14-15, after it was postponed because of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the announcement on the summit during a press briefing, as Washington seeks to address a series of issues with Beijing, including trade in agricultural products and critical minerals, to name a few.
“I’m pleased to announce that President Trump’s meeting and a long-awaited meeting with President Xi in China will now take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15th,” Leavitt said.
You can read more at the link.
It will be interesting if anything will be publicly disclosed on what these two leaders discussed during their summit:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has welcomed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Pyongyang, as the Belarusian leader made his first official visit to the North, according to the North’s state media Thursday.
The ceremony to welcome Lukashenko took place at Kim Il Sung Square on Wednesday as he arrived in Pyongyang for a two-day official visit at the invitation of the North’s leader, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Both North Korea and Belarus have supported Russia in its invasion against Ukraine, with Pyongyang sending troops and weapons and Minsk allowing Moscow to uses territory for the invasion.
You can read more at the link.
When you think about it most of these senior public officials are likely older and have more time to accumulate wealth. $1.3 million in average wealth is not that outrageous, but it does show you can do well in South Korea working in government:
Senior public officials in central and local governments have more than 2 billion won (US$1.3 million) in personal wealth on average, data showed Thursday.
A total of 1,903 senior officials declared an average of 2.09 billion won in personal assets as of end-2024, up about 30 million won from the average figure a year earlier, according to the Government Ethics Committee data.
Of the total, 616 officials, or 32.4 percent, had assets exceeding 2 billion won, followed by 538 with 1 billion won to 2 billion won and 374 with 500 million won to 1 billion won. The rest had less than 500 million won.
President Lee Jae Myung reported 4.97 billion won in assets, up 1.88 billion won from his last disclosure, mostly due to book royalties, his salary and unrealized gains of his exchange-traded fund investment.
You can read more at the link.
Despite the most recent Dokdo nonsense, Korean consumers do not seem to car as they continue to buy Japanese beer:
Driven by younger consumers who focus on what they buy rather than past grievances between Korea and Japan, Korea’s imports of Japanese beer hit an all-time high of 119.2 billion won ($78.94 million) last year. The record surge suggests the 2019 ‘No Japan’ boycott has faded amid a thaw in relations and a sharp rise in tourism.
The shift is evident at the retail level. When Sapporo Beer opened its first official outlet in Korea in Seongsu, eastern Seoul, last December, the venue was crowded with visitors. Younger consumers willingly paid 9,000 won for a glass — 30 to 60 percent higher than domestic options and nearly twice the price of some Korean beers.
“The foam is soft and the mouthfeel is different,” a woman in her 30s who visited the store with a friend said.
You can read more at the link.
