The defense industry continues to be a major growth sector for the South Korean economy:

South Korean defense firm Hanwha Aerospace Co. is expected to export an additional batch of Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) to Poland, a deal estimated at around 2.2 trillion won (US$1.6 billion), multiple sources said Tuesday. 

A Polish delegation, led by Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Bejda, plans to observe a test-firing of the K239 Chunmoo MLRS at the state-run Agency for Defense Development’s Anheung testing site in Taean, 109 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on Wednesday. 

A successful test of the system, modified to fit a Polish military vehicle, is expected to lead to a deal, sources familiar with the issue said. 

As Poland committed to buying 288 units of the Chunmoo and signed a contract to purchase 218 units in November 2022, the anticipated deal is likely to cover the remaining 70 units, they noted.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Apparently the endangered Korean gorals are having a mass die off:

A dead goral is seen on the side of Misiryeong Road in Seorak National Park on April 4. Courtesy of the National Park Conservation Network

The long-tailed goral, a species both classified as endangered and recognized as a national treasure, has faced significant mortality issues over the past five years, with six out of 10 deaths attributed to exhaustion and starvation.

This issue is especially severe in the regions of Hwacheon and Yanggu in Gangwon Province, near the demilitarized zone, where approximately 80 percent of goral deaths have occurred, with 77.4 percent dying from starvation.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but apparently increased fencing around the areas Gangwon province where they live has made it difficult for these animals to find food.

Just imagine the outcry from the American media if people protested building a mosque like this in the U.S.:

A Korean Muslim YouTuber’s plan to build a mosque in the western port city of Incheon has been stopped in its tracks as a land purchase contract he signed has been canceled upon the request of the landowner amid a backlash from local residents.

According to real estate industry officials, Sunday, YouTuber Daud Kim, or Kim Jae-han, agreed with the property owner the previous day to cancel the contract, signed on April 11.

The property owner asked for the contract cancelation, citing that he did not know about Kim’s plan to build a mosque, according to local media reports.

Kim, who garnered over 5.52 million YouTube subscribers and 3.5 million Instagram followers from posts about living as a Korean Muslim, purchased 284.4 square meters of land on Incheon’s Yeongjong Island for 189.2 million won ($136,500). On April 13, he said in YouTube and Instagram posts that he paid a deposit of 20 million won in advance and was to pay the remainder next month.

“Finally with your help, I have signed a contract for land to build Masjid in Incheon. I can’t believe this day has come. I plan to build a prayer place and Islamic podcast studio for D’awah to Koreans,” he said.

Kim also shared his bank information online, asking for donations from subscribers.

However, Kim’s plan immediately triggered objections within the local community, which protested the construction of the religious facility on land that is near schools and residential areas.

Korea Times

I wonder if this is the reason that Kim converted to being a Muslim:

The backlash against Kim grew as local news media reports resurfaced a sex crime he committed in 2019. Kim was referred to the prosecution for attempting to rape a foreign woman.

You can read more at the link, but of course he was punished for attempted rape because he apologized.

Another day and another North Korean provocation:

North Korea fired several rounds of short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Monday, the South Korean military said, three days after it launched cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected what appeared to be several short-range ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang region at 3:01 p.m. 

“The North Korean missiles flew about 300 kilometers and splashed into the sea,” the JCS said in a text message to reporters. It did not provide further details, citing an ongoing analysis.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

With President Yoon continuing his foriegn policy outreach to Japan, it is a certainy that the Korean left will demonize and attack him. North Korea will very likely play along with this strategy by continuing their provocations in order to damage Yoon in hopes of getting another Korean leftist elected as President three years from now:

And despite being generally welcoming of ties with the West, the two opposition parties are more cautious than the Yoon government when it comes to engaging in geopolitical rivalry. Specifically, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung warned during the recent election campaign that South Korea should not become involved in the Russia-Ukraine war or China-Taiwan tensions.

The opposition might not directly stop Yoon from pursuing his foreign policy, but they are likely to pressure the president to pay attention to domestic political issues.

Moreover, opposition parties will be pushing the Yoon government to demonstrate what diplomatic “wins” the country has secured through its partnership with Japan and the United States. Notably, if the point of strategic partnership with the United States and Japan is to ensure security in East Asia, some voters may legitimately ask why it has failed to deter North Korea’s continued military provocations.

If the Yoon government cannot demonstrate diplomatic successes, opposition parties are likely to frame his foreign policy as one-sided “subservient diplomacy.”

Asia Times

You can read more at the link.

How would you like to be the commander who got the phone call to come pick up Satan from jail after this crazy incident:

A U.S. Navy sailor accused of slamming into a group of Japanese people in a beach town near Yokosuka Naval Base identified himself afterward as Satan, a Japanese police officer testified Thursday. Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Krieger, a logistics specialist assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius, is charged with four counts of bodily injury.

He pleaded not guilty during his March 8 arraignment at Yokohama District Court’s Yokosuka Branch. Krieger’s attorneys don’t dispute the facts of the July 9, 2022, incident in Zushi, a beach town on Sagami Bay, said Masahiko Goto, who represents the injured parties in a separate civil suit against the sailor. Krieger’s criminal defense lawyers argue the sailor cannot bear responsibility because he was drunk at the time and suffers from a preexisting brain injury, said Goto, whose clients are demanding damages of about $136,000.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.