I just don’t see restarting propaganda broadcasts as something that will stop these trash attacks. These attack are low cost, effective, and have little risk of escalation for the North Korean regime:

The South Korean government decided, Sunday, to resume loudspeaker broadcasts along the inter-Korean border in response to North Korea’s recent launches of trash-carrying balloons.

Hours after the decision, the military announced that it had aired messages — presumably critical of the North Korean regime — across the border. However, it declined to provide details on the psychological warfare broadcasts, such as their timing, location and delivery methods.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see if the Yoon administration has the political will to continue to allow the defector groups to send propaganda balloons into North Korea when the response is this:

North Korea is once again sending balloons presumed to be carrying trash to South Korea on Saturday, Seoul’s military said, after it launched nearly 1,000 similar balloons across the border since last week.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff advised people not to touch the objects and report them to nearby military or police authorities, and cautioned of possible damage from the balloons, adding the balloons may move southward overnight due to a change in the direction of the wind.

Since May 28, North Korea has sent the trash-loaded balloons across the border into South Korea, which it described as a “tit-for-tat” response to anti-Pyongyang leafleting.

The North announced it would temporarily suspend the balloon campaign after Seoul warned of “unendurable” countermeasures, but threatened to send “a hundred times the amount of toilet paper and filth” in response to any further leafleting from the South.

Despite the threats, North Korean defector groups have continued their anti-regime campaigns on Thursday and Friday.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but this is a provocation that the North Koreans can pretty much continue to do indefinitely. I just don’t see any response by South Korea other than outlawing the defector groups from flying their balloons to end these trash attacks.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

Here is the latest on the U.S. Army NCO jailed in Russia:

A U.S. soldier, stationed in South Korea but detained in Russia on suspicion of stealing from his girlfriend and threatening to kill her, went on trial on Thursday, the state news agency RIA reported. Gordon Black was detained on May 2 in Vladivostok in Russia’s far east on suspicion of stealing from his Russian girlfriend.

Citing local prosecutors, Russian independent media reported he had also subsequently been charged with threatening to kill her. Black, a U.S. Army staff sergeant posted at Camp Humphreys outside Seoul, pleaded guilty to theft in May, RIA reported at the time, citing interior ministry officials.

Stars & Stripes

Here is also more details on what he is alleged to have done:

Prosecutors said the couple had quarrelled and the American had subsequently “forcibly grabbed the girl by the neck, which she perceived as a real threat to her life.” Black is then alleged to have stolen 10,000 roubles ($110) from her purse and fled their shared apartment, according to media reports. He was later arrested at a local hotel, where he had purchased plane tickets and intended to fly back to the U.S.

You can read more at the link, but the more I read about this case the more likely to me that this was not some kid of honey trap and instead this guy just being an idiot and now facing the consequences of his actions.

It looks like South Korea is back on Putin’s good graces again:

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he highly appreciates South Korea’s position not to directly supply weapons to Ukraine, and that Moscow is ready to restore relations with Seoul.

Putin made the remark during a meeting with representatives of leading international news agencies, including Yonhap News Agency, which was held on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The remark drew attention in that Putin, who began his fifth term as president last month, showed a positive attitude toward South Korea and openly talked about the possibility of improving relations with Seoul.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The balloon wars between North and South Korea continue:

A North Korean defectors’ group said Thursday it has sent about 10 large plastic balloons carrying propaganda leaflets against the North Korean regime across the border, raising concerns Pyongyang could resume sending trash-filled balloons. 

Filled with 200,000 flyers criticizing the regime, dollar bills and USB sticks loaded with K-pop and trot music, the balloons were floated from Pocheon, north of Seoul, early Thursday, according to Park Sang-hak, head of the Fighters for a Free North Korea (FFNK).

A military source confirmed that some of these balloons have flown into the North but said no signs of retaliatory action were detected yet from the North Korean side, including any launch of ballistic missiles or release of balloons loaded with trash.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I guess we will see if this leads to more trash attacks from North Korea in response.

It appears Korea’s prosecutor general will soon question South Korea’s First Lady about the handbag scandal:

Prosecutors are considering summoning first lady Kim Keon Hee over her controversial acceptance of a Christian Dior bag from a pastor in 2022, with the country’s top prosecutor saying that “no one stands above the law,” in reference to Kim’s case.

If Kim appears before prosecutors, it will be the first instance of the authorities questioning the wife of a sitting president. This event is likely to create massive political turmoil, adversely affecting public sentiment toward President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Korea Times

The handbag scandal was clearly a political hit job, but it is unclear the consequences Kim Keon-hee could face:

The Act on Improper Solicitation and Graft stipulates that the spouse of a public servant must not receive, request, or promise to receive any money or goods exceeding 1 million won in connection with the official’s duties. However, the act does not specify punishments for the spouse.

If Kim were to be punished, prosecutors should indict her on charges of bribery or breach of trust, which is stated in the Criminal Act. In this case, there should be evidence showing that Choi received unfair or illegal benefits. Due to this, controversies are expected to continue over-interpreting legal aspects of the case.

You can read more at the link, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out because Choi never received any benefits from the First Lady after giving her the handbag.