This is just another step that the DPK is taking to ensure yet another Korean conservative President is sent to jail. This time it looks like his wife will be going with him as well:
President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday promulgated bills mandating special counsel probes into a botched martial law bid by former President Yoon Suk Yeol and corruption allegations against his wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee.
Lee signed off on three bills in his first legislation since taking office last week, which also calls for a special counsel probe into the drowning death of a Marine during a rescue operation for flood victims in 2023.
The bills were approved at a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day.
You can read more at the link.
Nothing new here, Secretary Hegseth is just repeating what he and the President have said multiple times before:
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday reiterated President Donald Trump’s call for allies in the Indo-Pacific to increase their defense burden-sharing, noting that America “can’t want their security more than they do.”
Hegseth made the remarks during a House Appropriations Committee hearing amid lingering speculation that the Trump administration could demand South Korea raise its share of the cost for stationing the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).
You can read more at the link.
Both leaders may be talking nice now, but we all know how this is going end up:
President Lee Jae-myung expressed his wish to build a mature Korea-Japan relationship in his first phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Monday.
According to the presidential office, the two leaders spoke for approximately 25 minutes in their first exchange since Lee took office last week. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and advancing shared national interests.
“The president expressed his gratitude to the prime minister for congratulating him on his inauguration and emphasized the growing importance of the Korea-Japan relationship amid today’s strategic environment,” presidential office spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said during a press briefing.
You can read more at the link.
The easy access to various mountain trails is something very unique to Seoul that the government has done a better job of promoting and maintaining hiking trails. This has led to a large increase in foreigners hiking these trails:
Wearing hanbok (Korean traditional attire) and walking around Gyeongbok Palace, eating street food and shopping for K-pop merchandise and cosmetics used to top to-do lists for people traveling to Korea.
Now, a new experience is climbing in popularity — literally. Hiking Korea’s urban mountains, often dubbed “K-hiking,” has quickly become one of the most unexpected yet popular activities among international tourists.
Searching hashtags like #seoulhiking, #hikingtourism or #hikinginseoul on Instagram now turns up over 10,000 posts. No matter which mountain in downtown Seoul, it is now common to see foreign tourists exploring mountain paths or taking photos at the summits.
You can read more at the link, but K-hiking has definitely become popular with foreign tourists. I have seen way more foreigners on Korean trails today compared to 20 years ago.
What this article is not telling readers is that many of the Korean-American owned businesses in LA’s Koreatown use illegal immigrant labor, especially from Latin-American countries. This is the primary reason the Korean American Federation is speaking out against the ICE raids:
US federal immigration authorities conducted a series of coordinated enforcement operations across Los Angeles on Friday, including in neighborhoods with a high concentration of Korean American-owned businesses. The move has raised concerns within the local Korean diaspora.
The raids reportedly targeted areas in downtown Los Angeles’ fashion district, commonly referred to as the “Jobber Market,” where several Korean American-run wholesale clothing stores are located.
In a statement released the same day, the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles condemned the enforcement actions, describing them as “unilateral and heavy-handed.”
“These actions by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) disregard proper legal procedures,” the organization said. “We urgently call on our local elected officials to take action and provide solutions to this crisis. In addition, we will work closely with local organizations to ensure that no individuals are unjustly harmed.”
“Even individuals who struggle with English or are unable to provide identification immediately are reportedly being arrested or detained first,” the organization added. “This has caused significant harm and confusion, not only among Korean nationals but also among local residents.”
You can read more at the link, but what do ROK Heads think would happen in Korea if a bunch of Americans started attacking Korean law enforcement while waving U.S. flags?
