China's mysterious "J-36" just keeps raising more questions than answers. đâď¸
This tailless aircraft appears to make another low-altitude pass with its landing gear down, giving one of the clearest looks yet at what many believe is China's next-generation fighter.
Smoke billows from a blaze at a warehouse of retail giant Coupang Corp. in Incheon, west of Seoul, on July 20, 2026, as firefighters continued to battle the fire that broke out more than 47 hours earlier and continued to rage and force residents to evacuate amid concerns of a potential collapse of the building. (Yonhap)
I wonder if this style of halftime show will become a continuing trend for future World Cups or just be a one off American thing?:
K-pop supergroup BTS performed in the first-ever halftime show at a FIFA World Cup final on Sunday (U.S. time), sharing the stage with other global pop stars, including Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber.
The group appeared as the second performer during the halftime of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, marking a milestone moment that blended sport and music on one of the world’s biggest stages.
There is a great article over at Small Wars Journal that explains the 12 different grey zone strategies that the Chinese Communist Party is currently using against the U.S. For those that follow this issue closely, the tactics will not be surprising, though I have to admit I wasnât aware of the smuggling of agro-weapons to threaten the U.S. food supply with. Anyway the first tactic of algorithmic cognitive warfare should be very familiar to ROK Drop readers:
While the West treats media and influence as mere public relations, the Peopleâs Liberation Army (PLA) integrates strategic cognitive communications at a structural level. Reorganized into the PLA Information Support Force and historically anchored by the political warfare units of Base 311, these specialized operators execute what Beijing terms the âThree Warfaresâ (psychological, public opinion, and legal warfare). As outlined by researchers at the Project 2049 Institute in their specialized reports on PLA political warfare and the Global Taiwan Institute in their strategic briefs, these entities deploy industrial-scale digital networks, bot ecosystems, and tailored disinformation engineered to inflame Western partisan divides and paralyze political decision-making.
I recommend reading the rest of the article at the link. However, due to the political partisanship in D.C. I donât see how the authorâs recommendations will ever get implemented outside of a major Chinese provocation forcing a whole of government and society approach in response.
Air Force to join Australia-led Pitch Black multinational exercise A KC-330 fuel tanker aircraft carrying Air Force troops takes off from an air base in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, central South Korea, on July 14, 2026, following a ceremony to mark their participation in the Australia-led Pitch Black multinational exercise to be held at an Australian military air base in the northern city of Darwin from July 17 through Aug. 7, in this photo released by the Air Force. (Yonhap)
Honestly I would not have a problem with this, but maybe I am wrong. Anyone support allowing kids to have social media accounts?:
Korea’s media watchdog said Thursday it is considering a social media restriction against children aged 14 years old and younger amid escalating concerns over excessive use of such platforms.
Kim Jong-cheol, the chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission, made the remarks at a policy briefing in Cheong Wa Dae, emphasizing that excessive social media use by teenagers is a worldwide problem.
“We are reviewing, in phases, a plan to restrict children under 14 years of age from creating accounts on social media platforms, and limiting exposure to designs and algorithms that could encourage excessive use of such platforms for teens aged 14 to 19,” Kim said.
This is an interesting idea to centralize the military academies into one university near Korea’s hi-tech educational hub:
The government and the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday agreed to swiftly push ahead with the establishment of an integrated military academy of the Army, Navy and Air Force, a move they say would sharply enhance their country’s defense capabilities in the fast-changing environment.
The government and the DP announced during a policy consultation meeting at the National Assembly that the envisioned academy will be established at Jaundae, a compound of military training and education facilities in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of Seoul.
I guess we will see if USFK has any issues with this:
South Korea is proposing to relocate a military air base used by the South Korean and U.S. air forces and build a semiconductor manufacturing complex on the site. Gwangju Air Base, roughly 190 miles south of Seoul, serves as a South Korea-U.S. Air Force collocated operating base. It shares the airfield with Gwangju Airport, which operates commercial flights. The U.S. Air Force may rapidly deploy assets at the base during a conflict without permanently stationing a large force there.
