According to the article Red Sea shipping is down by over 50% due to the Houthi attacks. With the Houthis not attacking Chinese ships it is easy to see who else other than the Iranians are helping them:

One is the falling cost of power-projection. The Houthis aren’t a traditional military juggernaut; they don’t even fully control Yemen. Yet they have employed drones and missiles to control access to vital seas. The Houthis have had help in doing so: Iran has provided weapons and the know-how needed to manufacture them.

But the Red Sea crisis still shows how seemingly minor actors can use relatively cheap capabilities to extend their destructive reach. The second feature is strategic synergy among U.S. foes. The Houthis became more fearsome thanks to mentorship by Iran and Hezbollah. Since October 2023, they have allowed most of China’s shipping to pass without harm. The Houthis have also received encouragement — and, it seems, direct support — from a Russia that is eager to exact vengeance on Washington.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Expect more nuclear rhetoric from Kim Jong-un because currently North Korea is largely being buried in the international headlines due to the Ukraine War and Palestine-Isareal conflict:

North Korea offered a rare glimpse into a secretive facility to produce weapons-grade uranium as state media reported Friday that leader Kim Jong Un visited the area and called for stronger efforts to “exponentially” increase the number of his nuclear weapons.

It’s unclear if the site is at the North’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex, but it’s the North’s first disclosure of a uranium-enrichment facility since it showed one at Yongbyon to visiting American scholars in 2010. While the latest unveiling is likely an attempt to apply more pressure on the U.S. and its allies, the images North Korea’s media released of the area could provide outsiders with a valuable source of information for estimating the amount of nuclear ingredients that North Korea has produced.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

It looks like the North Koreans wanted to help the South celebrate Chuseok with a balloon show:

 North Korea on Sunday launched balloons likely carrying trash toward South Korea for the second straight day, the South’s military said.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the latest launches, noting the balloons could travel toward the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, and the broader capital area.

The launch came after the North flew around 50 trash-carrying balloons toward the South from Saturday night to early Sunday, with about 10 trash bundles landing in Gyeonggi Province and Seoul, according to the JCS.

The JCS said the trash mostly consisted of paper, plastic bottles and other household garbage, while no hazardous substances have been found.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is Friday the 13th, becareful out there and leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

Image from here.

Pending Senate confirmation it looks like the current I Corps commander at Joint Base Lewis-McChord will be the next USFK commander:

U.S. President Joe Biden has nominated Lieut. Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of I Corps, to lead the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), the Pentagon said Wednesday, a nomination ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election.

If confirmed, Brunson would replace Gen. Paul LaCamera who has led CFC, United Nations Command (UNC) and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) since July 2021.

The position for the top U.S. general in South Korea leads the three commands, including the 28,500-strong USFK.

His appointment requires Senate confirmation.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

North Korea’s war against the fish in the East Sea continues:

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, the South Korean military said, a week after Pyongyang warned that South Korea and the United States will have to pay a “dear price” for their joint drills.

“The North Korean missiles flew about 360 kilometers and landed in the East Sea,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. It said it detected the missiles launched from the Pyongyang area at 7:10 a.m., but it did not provide any further details, such as the number of missiles fired.

The distance, if fired southward, is sufficient to affect major South Korean cities such as Seoul and Daejeon as well as key military facilities in Gyeryong and Gunsan.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.