It sounds like this really was a good phone call considering the positive spin President Trump has put on it:
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he and South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo discussed Seoul’s payment for the United States’ “big time” military protection of the Asian ally as they held their first phone call since Trump took office in January.
In a social media post, he said he had a “great” call with Han, during which they touched on a range of issues, including South Korea’s “tremendous and unsustainable” trade surplus with the U.S., the purchase of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) and bilateral shipbuilding cooperation.
Their conversation came four days after South Korea’s Constitutional Court removed President Yoon Suk Yeol from office over his short-lived martial law imposition in December.
“I just had a great call with the Acting President of South Korea. We talked about their tremendous and unsustainable Surplus, Tariffs, Shipbuilding, large scale purchase of U.S. LNG, their joint venture in an Alaska Pipeline, and payment for the big time Military Protection we provide to South Korea,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“They began these Military payments during my first term, Billions of Dollars, but Sleepy Joe Biden, for reasons unknown, terminated the deal. That was a shocker to all! In any event, we have the confines and probability of a great DEAL for both countries.”
Trump added that South Korea’s “top” team is on a plane heading to the U.S. for negotiations.
“Things are looking good,” he said. “We are likewise dealing with many other countries, all of whom want to make a deal with the United States.”
You can read more at the link, but the problem Trump will need to deal with is that if an agreement is reached with the interim government, the new government in 60 days could change it all.
Appeasement of North Korea is what one analyst expects and the Korean left’s track record on this issue shows this will likely come true:
Sung-Yoon Lee, a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., said Yoon’s removal “virtually enthrones” Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung as the likely next president. Lee, who has not formally announced a run for the presidency, faced Yoon in the 2022 election.
In December, he famously scaled a wall at the National Assembly to block Yoon’s martial law decree. Yoon defended his decision, accusing the Democrats of obstructing legislation and conducting politically motivated investigations of government appointees. “If Lee Jae-myung or another [Democratic Party] politician takes power, we can anticipate big changes — mostly for the worse for South Korea’s national security and its alliance with the U.S., based on the ignoble record on North Korea policy …,” Sung-Yoon Lee told Stars and Stripes by email Friday. (…..)
“Politicians are prone to switching colors on various issues,” Sung-Yoon Lee said. “But Lee Jae-myung and his fellow lawmakers are united and unswerving when it comes to appeasing Kim …”
You can read more at the link.
It makes you wonder how many other Chinese nationals in South Korea are doing this that haven’t been caught?:
Two Chinese teenagers have been apprehended for illegally filming fighter jets near a major air base in Suwon, police said Monday.
The two Chinese nationals are suspected of using their DSLR camera and mobile phone to film fighter jets landing and taking off from the Air Force’s 10th Fighter Wing at around 3:30 p.m. on March 21, according to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police.
The teenagers face charges of breaching the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act and have been placed under a travel ban, police said.
They reportedly attend high school in China and entered the country on a tourist visa three days ahead of the incident.
After discovering multiple photos of fighter jets on their devices, police are conducting a forensic analysis to determine whether similar photos were also taken at other military facilities, airports and ports.
You can read more at the link.
The DPK leader Lee Jae-myung has a clear advantage going into the snap election caused by former President Yoon’s impeachment due to his name recognition. It will be interesting if any member of the PPP can consolidate support to effectively take him on in such a short campaign timeframe:
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, left, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, shakes hands with floor leader Rep. Park Chan-dae at the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday, after the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office. Newsis
The date for the election has not yet been decided, but acting President Han Duck-soo is expected to designate the date during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. It is most likely to be held on June 3, exactly 60 days after Yoon’s ouster was finalized.
Amid this tight schedule, the country’s major rival parties — Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) and the more liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) — are expected to launch election preparations this week, setting up respective election committees that will decide on a road map for their primaries and campaign plans.
If the election date is set for June 3, the parties must determine and register their candidates by May 11, a day before the official campaign period launches. Those currently serving as local office chiefs or ministers have to resign at least 30 days before the election if they want to join the race, meaning by May 4.
You can read more at the link.
@SecDef, @DODResponse, @RepPatHarrigan, @CDRUNCCFCUSFK, @USForcesKorea, @GIKorea Please investigate the longest running scam since the end of the Korean War that is costing US taxpayers millions.
Referenced in my book, The Dawn Patrol Diaries: pic.twitter.com/xujgmdaoON— James Card (@james__card) April 5, 2025
It took a couple of days, but impeached President Yoon has now released a message to his supporters:
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol said Sunday he will always stand by his supporters, two days after the Constitutional Court ruled to remove him from office, while not issuing any message of his accepting the court’s decision.
“As long as you — young people — do not lose confidence, our future will be bright. Though I step down from presidency, I will always stand by you,” Yoon said in a message, released by his legal team, to a group of his supporters.
Yoon said he is grateful for their support, saying that “realizing the nation’s grave crisis situation, you have made a journey to defend freedom and sovereign rights, which will be recorded as a great history.”
It marked Yoon’s second statement since Friday, when the court upheld his impeachment over his brief martial law declaration in December.
On Friday, Yoon said he was sorry for not being able to meet public expectations and it has been the greatest honor of his life to serve the nation.
With Yoon’s ouster, South Korea should hold a snap presidential election within 60 days of the court’s ruling.
Some political observers said Yoon’s Sunday message was apparently aimed at rallying support from his aggressive supporters ahead of the presidential election. In a meeting with leaders of the People Power Party on Friday, Yoon called for thorough preparations for the party to win the election.
The Democratic Party denounced Yoon for “instigating” ultra-right forces, saying that Yoon has not apologized for his “illegal” martial law declaration despite the court’s decision.
His message “appears to be nothing more than a refusal to accept and a mockery of the Constitutional Court’s ruling,” South Korea’s largest party said in a statement.
You can read more at the link, but it is interesting that the DPK is claiming that Yoon is instigating right wing forces when it has been incredibly peaceful after Yoon’s impeachment. Could you imagine how much violence would have happened over the weekend by the Korean left if Yoon was reinstated?
