China is continuing to expand their surveillance capabiliites with this new drone:

Japanese fighter jets have scrambled to intercept a Chinese surveillance and strike drone seen operating for the first time north of Okinawa. A Wing Loong-10 was spotted Monday over the East China Sea by members of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, according to a statement that day from the country’s Ministry of Defense.

The drone was initially clocked heading east, as if it were traveling from mainland China, the statement said. After flying over waters west of Amami Oshima, the drone appeared to reverse course back toward its homeland. It did not violate Japanese airspace, the statement said.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

It is interesting that Kim Jong-un has come out and publicly acknowledged the failed satellite launch. I think this is probably because the Kim regime wants satellite launches to be viewed as a civilian action and being transparent about them supports that narrative:

North Korea’s leader acknowledged Monday’s failed attempt to place a spy satellite into orbit but vowed to work harder to boost his country’s space capabilities, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Kim Jong Un made the rare admission during a speech to scientists at the Academy of Defense Sciences in Pyongyang on Tuesday, the day after a rocket carrying the satellite exploded roughly two minutes after launch.

“This launch failed … but there is something that we need to clarify, whether it was successful or not,” he said, according to Wednesday’s KCNA report. “The possession of military reconnaissance satellites is necessary for our country to strengthen self-defense. “Through failure, we can learn more and develop in a bigger way,” he added.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

I think the situation on the peninsula would have to get very unstable before the U.S. military would consider redeploying tactical nuclear weapons on to the peninsula:

 A ranking member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday proposed the idea of redeploying U.S. tactical nuclear arms to South Korea to beef up deterrence, noting the absence of any immediate diplomatic solution to North Korea’s nuclear quandary.

Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) made the proposal in a report, titled “21st Century Peace Through Strength: A Generational Investment in the U.S. Military,” in which he stressed Pyongyang continues to “outpace expectations” about its nuclear and missile programs with capabilities to target the continental United States.

“Because there is no immediate diplomatic solution in sight, the United States must ensure that deterrence does not erode on the Korean Peninsula,” the senator said in the report.

“That means maintaining readiness with regular U.S.-Republic of Korea military exercises, keeping a persistent U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula and exploring new options — such as nuclear-sharing agreements in the Indo-Pacific and redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula — to bolster deterrence on the Korean Peninsula,” he added.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I have to give the Kim regime points for creativity on this latest provocation because this is definitely a new one:

 North Korea has sent more than 150 balloons carrying trash across the inter-Korean border, Seoul’s military said Wednesday, after the North warned of “tit-for-tat action” against anti-Pyongyang leaflets flown by the South’s activists.

Since Tuesday night, the balloons have crossed the border to fall in various locations across the country, reaching as far as the southeastern province of South Gyeongsang, and scatter waste as they fell to the ground, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The fallen balloons appeared to have carried various pieces of trash, such as plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts and even manure, a JCS official said, with military officials collecting the objects for a detailed analysis.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I had no idea that the ROK military does not allow trainees to run with their gear on. After this incident I am sure word is going to get out broadly to not allow trainees to run with gear on:

A violation of military regulation occurred with a recent trainee soldier’s death during a training exercise, an Army official told local media Monday.

In a meeting with reporters, the unnamed official confirmed that there “had been a situation that was not in accordance with (military) regulation” during the exercise. The official refused to elaborate, saying the case was still under investigation by the police and the military.

According to the Army, the trainee soldier died Saturday while being treated at a civilian hospital, two days after collapsing at a unit in Inje, Gangwon Province, at around 5:20 p.m. on Thursday.

The deceased had been carrying out a training exercise that is not part of the regular program, conducted usually as a disciplinary action when the commander deems it necessary. A total of six soldiers took part in the said training, which involved them running laps around the grounds while fully equipped with their gear.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

That is what one elderly Korean woman warned a Youtuber recently hiking alone on a mountain:

A video of a middle-aged woman warning a female YouTuber who climbed the mountain alone, saying, “You shouldn’t come to the mountain alone,” is a hot topic online.

On the 27th, a number of online communities posted an article titled “A lady advising a female YouTuber who climbs alone.”

This article is a compilation of a video filmed by YouTuber “A Million Songhee in the Mountain” with 280,000 subscribers at Samaksan Mountain in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on the 25th of last month.

At that time, YouTuber 1 million Song-hee said, “There are really no people today,” and “It’s a little scary because it’s been a long time since I’ve experienced this.”

Meanwhile, a middle-aged woman A, whom she encountered, began to tell a million Song-hee how dangerous it was to climb a mountain alone.

A said, “My friend was supposed to go with me, but I had a puncture, so an old lady went to the mountain alone,” and “A man sexually harassed and died on the spot.” It’s been about five years,” he told a million Songhee about what happened in the past.

Maeil Kyeongchae

You can read more at the link, but I think the dangers of hiking alone for females is overstated. There is probably more risk having a fall or medical emergency than someone hiding in the woods to kill you.