It appears that the North Koreans are doubling down on their military cooperation with Russia:

North Korea will send 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to Russia’s Kursk region, Russian media reports said Tuesday, in another possible sign of their deepening military alignment as Moscow’s security chief visited Pyongyang for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The announcement came as Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu visited the North Korean capital on a special mission from Russian President Vladimir Putin and held talks with Kim earlier in the day, as the two countries prepare to mark the first anniversary of their mutual defense treaty. 

“Chairman of the State Affairs of the DPRK Kim Jong-un has decided to send 1,000 sappers to Russia to clear mines on Russian territory, as well as 5,000 military construction workers to restore infrastructure destroyed by the occupiers,” Tass quoted Shoigu as saying, referring to the North by the acronym of its official name.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I think it can be argued that North Korea’s involvement in the war with Ukraine has been highly successful for them. The Kim regime has received much needed monetary and military aid from Russia and their troops received much needed combat experience. Additionally when their troops do eventually return they can say they defeated the Ukrainians which they have actually largely done in Kursk province.

With the Ukrainians largely defeated in Kursk province now it will be interesting to see if the North Korean Soldiers are used anywhere else on the frontlines of this war:

A wounded soldier, suspected to be North Korean and captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s western Kursk region, is seen in this file photo posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s X account on Jan. 12, 2025. 

North Korea is estimated to have sustained more than 6,000 casualties in fighting against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region, more than half of the troops Pyongyang initially deployed, according to Britain’s defense ministry.

The ministry shared the assessment in an X post Sunday, two months after its earlier estimate of over 5,000 North Korean troop casualties in Russia’s western front-line region of Kursk in early April.

“The total casualties amount to more than half of the approximately 11,000 DPRK troops initially deployed to the Kursk region,” it said. “Significant DPRK casualty rates have almost certainly been sustained primarily through large, highly attritional dismounted assaults.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It looks like former President Yoon’s wife is trying the tried and true hospitalization tactic to avoid investigations and going to court:

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted President Yook Suk Yeol, was hospitalized on Monday at a medical center in Seoul for an undisclosed illness.

She was admitted to Seoul Asan Medical Center in eastern Seoul, where she has been receiving outpatient treatment for health issues. Her health condition was reported to be not critical. 

Kim’s hospitalization came after President Lee Jae-myung named Min Joong-ki, former chief of the Seoul Central District Court, last week to lead a special counsel probe into Kim over various allegations, including stock price manipulation, her acceptance of a luxury bag and interference with the election nomination process, with preparations under way for the official launch of the probe.

Her health has reportedly deteriorated since November, when allegations of influence peddling in the 2022 parliamentary by-elections emerged. 

Last month, she failed to comply with a summons from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office regarding the case, submitting a letter explaining health issues as the reason for her absence.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

President Lee maybe talking nice about the Japanese now, but we all know how this is going to end. When Lee inevitably begins to slide in the polls or some scandal pops up, be prepared for the latest Dokdo or comfort women crisis to happen:

 President Lee Jae-myung on Monday called for South Korea and Japan to join hands for a better future, casting the two neighbors as important partners bound to work together amid a rapidly changing global environment.

Lee made the remark in a congratulatory video message at the start of an event hosted by the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, which falls on this Sunday.

“South Korea and Japan are key partners who must cooperate closely in responding to a rapidly changing global landscape. Let’s join hands and move toward a better future,” Lee said.

The phrase “join hands and move toward a better future” is the official slogan for the 60th anniversary of the normalization of the ties. Korea was under Japan’s colonial rule from 1910-45

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It has been some happy days recently for the Lee Jae-myung family:

Dong-ho (33), the eldest son of President Lee Jae-myung, had a private wedding ceremony at Samcheonggak in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul on the 14th.

According to participants on the 15th, only those who received invitations were allowed to enter the wedding the previous day, and strict security was provided, such as having to put a seal on a mobile phone camera when entering.

After entering the inside of the ceremony, it was said that it was in a friendly atmosphere like any other wedding. The wedding ceremony was hosted by actor Ahn Jae-mo for about two hours. When Dong-ho was in school, his teacher attended and delivered a congratulatory speech, and idol-turned-singer Lee Chang-seop sang a wedding song.

More than 200 people attended, including Lee’s family, relatives, and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik, former and incumbent lawmakers, including the new floor leadership of the Democratic Party, and officials from the presidential office.

Maeil Business Newspaper

You can read more at the link.

THey may have relaunced the destroyer, but it is unclear how much damage this ship still has to be repaired:

North Korea says it has repaired and relaunched a naval destroyer that capsized during a failed launch attempt last month, but defense experts remain skeptical about the regime’s claim of a quick recovery. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the relaunch of the 5,000-ton warship Thursday at Rajin Shipyard on the country’s northeastern coast, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Friday.

The event came just three weeks after that vessel capsized and sustained hull damage during a launch attempt at Chongjin Shipyard, about 50 miles south of Rajin. In a rare admission, KCNA acknowledged the failure, quoting Kim at the time as calling it a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness.” Despite the setback, KCNA on Friday portrayed the relaunch as a testament to North Korea’s maritime strength. The rapid repairs are proof of the communist regime’s “progress and lead of the warship-building industry,” the report said.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.