I think this is where the political crisis has really impacted South Korea, which is the inability to effectively negotiate tariffs with the Trump administration because you don’t know who will be President week-to-week:
Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun, right, speaks at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Thursday, during a meeting with businesspeople to discuss countermeasures against U.S. reciprocal tariffs. In the middle is Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo.
Korea has been hit with the highest reciprocal tariff rate among the 20 countries that have free trade agreements (FTAs) with the United States.
With it clear that Seoul had failed to persuade Washington to impose lower tariffs on Korean products compared to those from major exporters like Japan and the European Union, concerns are growing over Korea’s diplomatic approach and future trade negotiations with the U.S.
The White House announced on Wednesday (local time) that the U.S. will impose a 26 percent reciprocal tariff on Korea, while charging 24 percent on Japan and 20 percent on EU member states.
Drugs are a growing problem in South Korea that hopefully this drug seizure will help to combat:
South Korea’s customs authorities and Coast Guard on Wednesday seized approximately 1 ton of smuggled cocaine on a foreign vessel docked on the country’s east coast, officials said.
The Donghae regional office of the Coast Guard and the Seoul Regional Customs deployed around 90 personnel to search the ship docked at a port in Gangneung after receiving a tip-off from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at around 6:30 a.m.
The FBI had warned that a 32,000-ton carrier suspected of carrying drugs was entering Korean waters on the day, according to the officials.
The Norwegian-flagged vessel is believed to have departed from Mexico and traveled through Ecuador, Panama and China before arriving in Korea.
Authorities discovered 50 boxes each containing about 20 kilograms of cocaine hidden aboard the ship.
The seized drugs have an estimated market value of 500 billion won (US$341.7 million), equivalent to around two million doses.
Chinese people who worship the CCP are the funniest hypocrites ever!
They scream “Down with America!” while sipping Starbucks in New York. They praise China’s “great system” while standing in line for a U.S. visa. 1/4@Jay83214566pic.twitter.com/f7nlyUEbm2
I hope it doesn’t happen, but at this point I would be shocked if violence of some kind does not happen after the impeachment decision. I think the violence will be less if Yoon is impeached and greater if he is retained:
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday urged politicians to avoid making divisive remarks that could lead to violence on Friday, when the Constitutional Court is scheduled to deliver its ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.
Han’s remark comes amid a deepening partisan rift observed in the National Assembly, coupled with the political turmoil that has gripped the nation since Yoon’s martial law decree in December.
“Now is a time to prioritize the stability and survival of our community over political gain,” Han said during a meeting attended by the heads of the justice, science, defense and interior ministries. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also attended the meeting, as did the chiefs of police and firefighting agencies.
“I earnestly plead with you to refrain from remarks that can provoke or incite illegal protests or violence. Please show a responsible attitude that contributes to social cohesion rather than (prompting) division and conflict,” he added.
Concerns have mounted over the possibility of violence and clashes on Friday between pro- and anti-Yoon protesters as well as conflict between demonstrators and the police.
This weekend would be a good time for Americans in South Korea to keep a low profile because the potential for violence caused by the upcoming Constitutional Court ruling is a probability:
The U.S. Embassy in Seoul advised American citizens in South Korea on Wednesday to avoid large crowds or demonstrations ahead of the Constitutional Court’s verdict on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.
The notice came as the top court is set to rule on Yoon’s impeachment over his brief imposition of martial law on Dec. 3.
“In connection with the Constitutional Court’s verdict on the impeachment of President Yoon, U.S. citizens should anticipate large-scale demonstrations and an increased police presence,” the embassy said in a posting on X.
“Avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place, and exercise caution in the vicinity of any large crowds, gatherings, protests, or rallies,” it said.
Considering how cheap health care is in South Korea it is not surprising that Koreans are going to the doctor more on average than other countries:
South Koreans on average visit local medical clinics 18 times a year, far exceeding those in other similar countries, a recent report showed.
The report on South Koreans’ health care usage found that the average number of annual outpatient visits per capita reached 18 in 2023. This figure is almost three times the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average of 6.4 in 2022.
After illegally occupying Mischief Reef, Subi Reef & Scarborough Shoal, located inside Philippines's EEZ & converting them into military bases & waging Gray Zone Warfare inside PH' water,China is accusing Philippines of destabalising South China Sea! 1/3 @DrewPavlou@jaytaryelapic.twitter.com/zKwhWEyTJs
Acting president tours JSA Acting President Han Duck-soo (L), who concurrently serves as prime minister, meets with soldiers of the South Korean and U.S. armies on the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area, a small strip of land at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, on April 1, 2025. (Yonhap)
South Korea has much better equipped and modern military than North Korea. I feel confident they can deter North Korea if some US troops were deployed off the peninsula:
Concerns are mounting in South Korea over a potential shift in the role of the 28,500 US troops stationed here amid evolving nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.
Such worries have existed for decades, but have been exacerbated following US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, experts noted. The possibility of the second Trump administration diverting some of the USFK resources to help defend Taiwan against threats from China has fed worries that it would leave the South more vulnerable to the North’s provocations, they added.
“There are growing concerns over the potential scenario that Washington would leverage part of the US Forces stationed on the Korean Peninsula for broader regional security roles rather than limiting their role to deterring the North,” Yu Ji-hoon, director of external cooperation at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said via phone.
The allies have repeatedly stressed that the primary role of United States Forces Korea is to contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
You can read more at the link, but the concept of strategic flexibility for USFK is not a new concept and dates back to the early 2000’s. Additionally an entire heavy brigade was deployed from Korea to Iraq back in 2004 showing that units have deployed off the peninsula before.
