Hopefully this disbandment doesn’t lead to a lack of enforcement against North Korean and Chinese intelligence activities within South Korea:

The Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC) will be dismantled and its functions will be dispersed among newly established organizations, as part of the Ministry of National Defense’s plan to reduce the unit’s unchecked power.

The ministry unveiled a sweeping reform plan on Wednesday, after the military intelligence agency drew criticism for being misused by former President Yoon Suk Yeol as part of his Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration.

The ministry said the overhaul is intended to prevent any future political involvement of military intelligence organizations by dismantling the concentration of power in the DCC.

“The reform plan goes beyond a simple organizational restructuring or adjustment of functions,” Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said during a press conference.

“This will serve as a historic watershed in rebuilding our military intelligence apparatus so that it can never again become involved in politics.”

Under the plan, the command will be dissolved and its functions split among three separate organizations.

A defense counterintelligence headquarters will be set up to oversee counterintelligence activities, defense industry-related intelligence operations and cybersecurity missions.

Military security functions, including security audits and investigations into security incidents, will be transferred to a new defense security support unit, while national security investigations and wartime joint investigative authority will be reassigned to an investigative body to be established within the ministry.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Xi pays tribute to fallen Chinese soldiers in Pyongyang

Chinese President Xi Jinping places a wreath at the Friendship Tower in Pyongyang on June 9, 2026, in this photo released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Xi’s visit to the tower, which commemorates Chinese soldiers who died while fighting for the North in the 1950-53 Korean War, came one day after he held summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, agreeing to put the two nations’ friendly relations “on a more solid basis” and expand cooperation in politics, economy, culture and other fields. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

If this news is true Iran is losing its grip on its biggest bargaining chip:

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that more than 100 million barrels of oil and 200 commercial ships transited the crucial Strait of Hormuz thanks to the United States’ mission to support safe passage through the waterway.

Trump made the remarks in a social media post, calling the mission “widely successful,” as South Korea and other countries have been closely watching developments in the strait that has effectively been closed amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. More than two dozen South Korean vessels have been trapped in the strait due to the war.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the next question will be if international shipping companies will be willing to send ships in to get more oil supplies. Getting them out is one thing, but if the companies do not want to send their ships back in Iran still effectively controls the Strait even if the U.S. has shown they can safely move vessels through it.

It is amazing how remains from the Korean War continue to be found after all these decades:

The United States and South Korea exchanged the remains of service members killed during the Korean War on Friday — the first reciprocal repatriation ceremony between the allies in their decades-long effort to account for those still missing from the conflict.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung presided over the ceremony at Seoul Air Base, where the remains of 10 South Korean troops were returned from Hawaii while three sets of remains presumed to be American were sent to Honolulu for further identification and eventual return to their families. “Thanks to their noble sacrifices, we secured our freedom and peace,” Lee told those gathered at the ceremony. “It is the historical responsibility of the living to return them home,” he added. “Today’s repatriation is a milestone that deepens and strengthens the South Korea-U.S. alliance that is built on the blood and dedication of veterans.”

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

The irony of this is that the ROK government wants an apology from the Japanese for World War II atrocities and the Japanese have apology fatigue from giving too many apologies:

On foreign policy, Lee said efforts to deepen military cooperation with Japan would face limits unless Tokyo addresses historical grievances with what he described as a “sincere” apology for its 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.

Lee revealed that he had explained to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that a military logistics support agreement would be difficult to pursue despite its practical necessity, following their summit in his hometown of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, on May 19.

“Northeast Asia’s security issues are somewhat complex. In the long run, I believe we should move toward a multilateral security system,” Lee said

Lee, however, concurrently disclosed that he had cautioned during the summit that South Korean public sentiment toward Japan remains a significant hurdle.

“On the issue of a military logistics support agreement, many people in the Republic of Korea would say, ‘What are you talking about?’ Yet from my perspective, there is a practical necessity for it,” said Lee.

“But practical necessity is one thing. Emotionally, many of our people still find it difficult to accept at this point. If I say things like this, I’ll get into trouble. So I told her, ‘Please understand our position as well.'”

The agreement, formally known as an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, would allow the two neighboring US allies to share and mutually procure military supplies and logistical support, including fuel, food and ammunition. Japan has sought to conclude such an arrangement with South Korea.

Lee suggested that a sincere Japanese apology over historical issues remains a prerequisite for deeper military cooperation and a genuinely closer bilateral relationship.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Here is another positive sign of the ever improving ROK-Japan relationship:

South Korea and Japan resumed joint maritime search-and-rescue drills Sunday for the first time in nine years, ending a hiatus caused by years of political and military tensions. The South Korean navy announced May 30 that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force would participate in the exercise, known as SAREX, in international waters southeast of Jeju Island. The training included the rescue of a distressed vessel, shipboard firefighting, emergency medical treatment and helicopter operations, according to the announcement and photos released Sunday by the South Korean navy.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Kim watches Kang Kon destroyer set sail

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (4th from R) observes the naval destroyer Kang Kon’s sea trials on June 4, 2026, after the vessel begins operational capability evaluation tests, according to footage aired by Korean Central Television (KCTV) on June 6. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)