The tit-for-tat balloon antics between North and South continue:

 A trash-carrying balloon sent by North Korea landed on the presidential office compound Wednesday, the Presidential Security Service (PSS) said.

The PSS said it discovered fallen trash on the grounds of the presidential compound while monitoring the latest batch of balloons flown by the North earlier in the day.

North Korea has sent thousands of trash-filled balloons toward South Korea since May in protest of anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent by activists in South Korea across the border.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Any Air Force types want to comment if it really makes a difference having nine F-16’s stationed on Osan AB instead of Kunsan AB? It is not like that is a very far distance:

Air Force fighter jets are temporarily moving closer to North Korea to “optimize combat capability and increase readiness” on the Korean Peninsula. Nine F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, roughly 115 miles southwest of Seoul, will be assigned for a yearlong trial to the 36th Fighter Squadron at Osan Air Base, about 30 miles south of the capital, according to an Air Force news release Thursday. The F-16s began arriving at Osan earlier this month, 7th Air Force spokesman Maj. Rachel Buitrago told Stars and Stripes by phone Monday. Two fighter squadrons of F-16s and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs are permanently stationed at the base.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

I think the fact that President Yoon is in power instead of the prior left wing administration has more to do with the increase in defections than COVID lockdowns:

Scores of North Koreans staying abroad, such as diplomats and overseas workers, have attempted to defect to South Korea since North Korea began undoing its COVID-19 border closure last year, a former North Korean diplomat said Tuesday.

Ri Il-gyu, a former counselor of political affairs at the North Korean embassy in Cuba, said there have been more successful defections, but many people were also brutally brought back to North Korea, citing the example of a North Korean woman and her son who were caught during their botched attempt to flee Russia.

“As signs of North Korea’s border reopening were detected from March and April last year, many thought it was time to decide whether to return (to the North) or flee it,” Ri said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency, eight months after defecting to South Korea with his family.

South Korea’s unification ministry said the number of North Korean defectors coming to South Korea reached 196 in 2023, and among them, the number of people with so-called elite backgrounds, such as diplomatic and trade officials, came to around 10, the highest since 2017.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is amazing how much money this guy made in just four years selling college entrance exam questions. It makes me wonder how many other teachers are doing this that have not been caught?:

Police have referred an incumbent high school teacher to the prosecution for making college entrance exam questions and selling them to a private cram school for some 250 million won ($ 180,072) over the course of four years, officials said Monday.

The National Office of Investigation (NOI) under the National Police Agency said it has booked 69 people and referred 24 of them initially to the prosecution as part of investigations into the collusive “cartel” ties between public and private education sectors.

A total of 24 such cases are under investigation, officials said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

I have always thought this whole transgender restroom issue is quite easy to resolve, have you had your junk chopped off or not? If so you can use the female restroom, if not use the male restroom:

A court has ruled that police advising an LGBTQ+ individual, who was undergoing the process of gender correction and changing their resident registration number, to avoid using public restrooms for a period constitutes an infringement of personal rights.

The court’s decision highlights the illegality of such remarks, noting that they fail to consider the reality faced by LGBTQ+ individuals who often struggle with using public restrooms due to societal scrutiny.

The Seoul Central District Court (presiding judge Chung In-jae) dismissed an appeal and ruled partially in favor of plaintiff A in a damages lawsuit against the state.

Neither party appealed the decision, making it final on July 2. The court awarded 300,000 won ($240) in damages, recognizing a portion of the 3 million won claim.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It is expected that if Kamala Harris wins the U.S. presidency she will continue to emphasize a strong U.S.-ROK alliance and push for the fairy tale of a denuclearized North Korea:

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, right, stands at a military observation post as she visits the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Panmunjeom in South Korea on Sept. 29, 2022. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Kamala Harris, endorsed by Biden on Sunday as his successor as the Democratic presidential candidate, is anticipated to continue the Biden administration’s emphasis on alliances if the U.S. vice president wins the upcoming presidential election against Trump, according to analysts. She could become the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead the ticket of a major U.S. political party. 
  
As a senator during Trump’s presidency, Harris criticized Trump’s conciliatory approach toward North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, arguing that Trump was not responding strongly enough to North Korea’s nuclear threats. 
  
“Let me start by saying this: I guarantee you I won’t be exchanging love letters with Kim Jong-un,” Harris said in August 2019 in response to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)’s question to Democratic presidential candidates whether they would agree to partial sanctions relief in exchange for the partial dismantling of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. “President Trump has handed Kim one PR victory after the next, all without securing any real concessions, so the next president will have serious work to do. 
  
“Ultimately, we can’t accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state,” she added. “But it’s clear that simply demanding complete denuclearization is a recipe for failure; we must work closely with our allies to contain and reverse the short-term threats posed by Pyongyang as we work toward that long-term goal.” 
  
This contrasts with Trump, who boasted of his friendship with Kim, saying the North Korean leader “misses” him and “would like to see [him] back” in a speech to the Republican National Convention on July 18. 
  
During an appearance on CBS in September last year, Harris said, “We are all absolutely clear and unequivocal about our goal of the complete denuclearization of North Korea.”

Though not directly involved with Korean affairs and having limited exposure to the Korean public, Harris visited South Korea in September 2022, where she stressed the “ironclad” nature of the U.S. commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea.  

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but according to the article Harris has approximately 8 hours of experience visiting South Korea back in 2022.