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Picture of the Day: Seoul Subway Blackout

Blackout hits Seoul subway
Blackout hits Seoul subway
Seoul’s Yongsan Station on subway Line No. 1 in the capital is crowded on July 8, 2026, as train services were temporarily suspended due to a blackout that hit parts of the line. (Yonhap)

South Korea Launches New Digital Nomad Visa for Foreigners Who Want to Work Remotely in South Korea

It will be interesting to see how attractive this visa ends up becoming:

South Korea has launched its digital nomad visa with more relaxed eligibility requirements than those applied during its pilot program, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday.

The F-1-D visa, also known as the “workation” visa, became officially available on June 30. It allows foreign nationals employed by overseas companies to live in Korea while working remotely, unlike a work visa, which requires employment with a Korean employer.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

President Lee Agrees to Cooperate with Trump on Naval Shipbuilding and Playing Golf

It seems President Lee unlike some leaders in Europe has been doing a good job managing his relationship with Trump:

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump had follow-up discussions on Trump’s earlier request for Seoul’s assistance in building military vessels at the ongoing North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit, Lee’s presidential spokesperson said Wednesday.

The two held such discussions the previous day at a dinner banquet hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, according to Kang Yu-jung.

Lee earlier said the U.S. president had asked him whether South Korea could help build U.S. military vessels when they met at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, last month.

In response, Lee said he would cooperate with Trump’s request as fully as possible, highlighting the advanced capabilities of South Korea’s shipbuilding companies, according to Kang.

The leaders also agreed to continue working-level consultations between their countries to discuss details of the proposed cooperation. 

The encounter between Lee and Trump came just three weeks after they met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.

The leaders recalled their promise at the G7 summit to play golf together, and agreed to pursue Lee’s visit to the United States at an appropriate time, which could include a round of golf, the spokesperson said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

China Tests Nuclear Capable SLBM in the South Pacific Shortly After Fiji & Australia Sign Defense Agreement

China is apparently trying to intimidate other South Pacific states from joining Australia’s security alliance:

“China has conducted a long-range missile test in the South Pacific just hours after Australia signed a defence agreement with Fiji, sparking condemnation from Canberra and regional leaders.

The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the missile test was “destabilising” to the region while her New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, described it as “deeply concerning”.

A ⁠test missile topped with ‌a ‌dummy warhead landed ‌in “designated waters” of the Pacific, China’s state news agency Xinhua ‌reported on Monday. The missile test was a “routine arrangement” of China’s annual ⁠military training, with prior notification to relevant countries, Xinhua said.

The Guardian

You can read more at the link.

Tweet of the Day: Japan Celebrates America’s Birthday

https://x.com/nicksortor/status/2073109669187379340?s=46&t=puIgzpOFfX33slvJm0QYeA

Picture of the Day: Who Is Paying These Coupang Protesters?

Rally over U.S. report on discriminatory treatment of Coupang
Rally over U.S. report on discriminatory treatment of Coupang
Members of a civic group hold signs condemning the release of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s interim staff report accusing South Korea of “discriminatory attacks” on Coupang and other American-owned businesses as they stage a rally in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on July 3, 2026. (Yonhap)

Korean-American Businesses in Los Angeles Put Up Signs Banning Former South Korean Soccer Coach

People really need to chill with the hate for Hong Myung-bo because it is getting pretty ridiculous:

Koreans in Los Angeles had hoped to watch Korea play there during the World Cup knockout stage. Instead, they are reacting to the arrival of former coach Hong Myung-bo, whose handling of the national team’s World Cup campaign has made him one of the country’s most criticized sports figures. 

Hong arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday, just days after stepping down following Korea’s disappointing World Cup exit. His departure came as lawmakers prepared to question football officials over the Korea Football Association’s (KFA) handling of the national team amid growing calls for accountability over its performance.

The frustration was evident not only in online posts but also on storefronts across Los Angeles’ Korean community.

Photos shared on Threads and Instagram showed restaurants, cafes and grocery stores posting signs barring Hong from entering. One proposal gained traction on the Korean American online forum MissyUSA, where a user suggested local business owners join in.

“In Korea, he probably thinks he can walk away and people will eventually forget,” the user wrote. “There are plenty of Korean-owned businesses here. Let’s all put up ‘Hong Myung-bo, Get Out’ signs.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but fortunately for Hong there are many other establishments he can go to in LA that don’t care who he is. This is all performative theater for social media clicks.

Kim Jong-un Observes Weapons Test from North Korea’s New Naval Destroyer

I hope the Kim regime keeps pouring their limited resources into a prestige project that will be immediately sunk during any contingency:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen tests of strategic cruise missiles and other weapons from a new 5,000-ton naval destroyer, ordering the warship to be commissioned into the Navy within two months, state media reported Sunday.

Kim observed tests of cruise missiles, naval artillery, automatic guns and electronic warfare means from the destroyer Kang Kon on Friday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

In June last year, North Korea launched the destroyer Kang Kon, about one month after it had tipped over during its initial launch attempt.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

ROK Drop Open Thread – July 3, 2026

I hope every American has a great 4th of July weekend. To all my 50 Cent Army readers I hope you also have a great weekend being envious of our freedoms!

Tweet of the Day: Can China Hack U.S. Power Grid?