Here is an example of the Japanese defense industry expanding into export markets:
Australia will purchase 11 Japanese-built Mogami-class frigates, with the first delivery expected in 2029, officials from both countries announced, underscoring growing defense ties amid concerns about China’s military expansion. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi unveiled the deal Saturday aboard the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force frigate JS Kumano in Melbourne. The contract, valued at up to $10 billion, calls for initial ships to be built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with later vessels potentially constructed in Australia by Austal, according to Australian government statements.
This news shouldn’t be surprising considering President Lee’s track record of being welcoming to China:
Members of Congress blasted South Korean leadership over a “left-wing government closely aligned with China,” that they accused of “attacking” American companies and showing favoritism to Chinese-led businesses.
In a letter led by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., more than 50 members of the House of Representatives expressed their concern to Republic of Korea (ROK) Ambassador to the United States Kyung-wha Kang over what they deemed to be “discriminatory” business practices from the ROK.
“Many American tech companies have faced a range of regulatory actions that seek to punish them while shielding Korean domestic competition,” the letter reads. “Recent research by think tank Competere shows such regulatory actions by the ROK government will cost $1 trillion in combined economic damage to the U.S. and Korean economies over the next 10 years, with the U.S. economy losing $525 billion and American households losing nearly $4,000 each.”
Delegations of pro-Pyongyang body in Japan Delegations of businesspeople and the Korean Youth League affiliated with Chongryon, a Tokyo-based pro-Pyongyang association of Korean residents in Japan, pose for a group photo after arriving at the international airport in Pyongyang on April 21, 2026, in this photo released by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (Yonhap)
It is all lies according to the ROK Defense Minister:
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Wednesday denied recent media reports that the top commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) lodged a protest over the unification minister’s public disclosure of classified U.S. information about a hidden North Korean nuclear facility.
Speaking before lawmakers at a parliamentary session, Ahn dismissed speculation that the U.S. is scaling back its intelligence-sharing with Seoul on North Korea in protest of the alleged leak.
“That is not true at all,” Ahn said, responding to a question by Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party. “It would be inappropriate in light of South Korea-U.S. military diplomacy for the USFK commander to have lodged protest with South Korea’s defense minister.”
I have literally heard of the U.S. transferring OPCON for over 20 years, so forgive me if this is one of those issues I will need to see before I believe it will happen:
South Korea and the United States aim to meet conditions required for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul no later than the first quarter of 2029, the top U.S. general in the Asian country said Wednesday.
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Xavier Brunson made the remarks during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s administration seeks to retake wartime OPCON from the U.S. before its five-year term ends in 2030.
Cherry blossom trees are in full bloom with N Seoul Tower in the background at Namsan Park in central Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
After all the trouble to put the THAAD system in back in 2017 it makes sense that it would not be moved to the Middle East:
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing at the Capitol in Washington, April 10, 2025, in this photo captured from the committee’s website. Yonhap
The United States has not moved its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system from South Korea to the Middle East to support its military operations against Iran, but “munitions” are awaiting transfer there, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson said Tuesday.
The general made the remarks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, following speculation that the U.S. military has repositioned or will move USFK assets to the Middle East to back up America’s war efforts against the Islamic Republic.
Like many countries it appears Korea is trying to hedge between the U.S. and China instead of choosing sides:
The United States is ramping up pressure on Korea to stop using Chinese technologies and remove regulations deemed unfavorable to American companies, with a senior U.S. official saying Tuesday that Seoul has to make a choice in the face of adversaries undermining the alliance.
In a prerecorded video at the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea’s (AMCHAM) annual Doing Business in Korea seminar in Seoul, Michael DeSombre, assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs at the U.S. Department of State, warned of China’s moves to drive a wedge between Korea and the U.S., calling the world’s second-largest economy “a regional adversary.”
“The Republic of Korea has a choice to make,” he said. “I am confident it will continue to choose trusted partners, transparent systems and technologies that respect privacy, security and the rule of law.”
I am sure South Korea will assist with opening the Strait of Hormuz by writing strongly worded letters to Tehran:
South Korea is considering various options, including playing diplomatic, humanitarian or military roles, to contribute to international efforts to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a senior foreign ministry official said Tuesday.
