You would think the Korea would have prioritized getting this deal done months ago considering how impatient Trump notoriously is on issues like this:

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States will hold talks in Washington this week, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, amid uncertainties over their trade deal after U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning of a tariff hike.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will meet one-one-one with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday (local time) to discuss efforts toward implementing the summit agreements reached between Trump and President Lee Jae Myung, including the trade deal, the ministry said.

Cho is visiting Washington to attend a U.S.-led ministerial meeting on critical minerals supply chains, set for Wednesday.

The upcoming talks between Cho and Rubio are their first meeting since Trump threatened to raise the reciprocal tariff on South Korean goods to 25 percent from 15 percent, citing a delay in Seoul’s legislative process required to move the trade deal forward.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Considering how I heard this song everywhere over the past year it is good to see it won at least one Grammy:

Korean American songwriter Ejae (L) attends the 68th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 2026, to receive a trophy for Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Golden” in this AFP photo. (Yonhap)

“Golden” from the soundtrack of Netflix’s animated sensation “KPop Demon Hunters” won a historic first Grammy for the K-pop genre.

Rose of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, however, missed out on a trophy, although she was nominated in three categories, including two major ones — Song of the Year and Record of the Year — with “APT.,” her hit collaborative single with U.S. pop star Bruno Mars.

“Golden” received Best Song Written for Visual Media during the premiere ceremony of the 68th Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday (U.S. time). 

While South Korean recording engineer Hwang Byeong-joon and Korean American artist Yungin have previously won Grammys, “Golden” represents the first time K-pop producers or songwriters have taken home the award. The songwriters recognized as the official winners include Korean American artist Ejae, as well as Teddy, 24 and Ido — producers at the South Korean music label The Black Label.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but APT was another song I heard repeatedly over the past year so it is a bit surprising it didn’t win at least one Grammy.

The first month of the new year is already over. Please leave anything you want to discuss from this past month in the comments section.

Another sign of improving relations between the ROK and Japan. Hopefully we continue to see positive cooperation like this between two countries that should be natural allies:

South Korea and Japan agreed Friday to resume joint naval search and rescue exercises for the first time in nine years as they seek to strengthen defense cooperation, according to the defense ministry.

The agreement came as Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, met at the Yokosuka base of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force to discuss regional security cooperation and ways to deepen the two nations’ defense cooperation and exchange.

“Both ministers concurred on activating personnel and unit exchange to boost mutual understanding and trust between the South Korean military and the Japanese Self-Defense Force,” the ministry said in a joint press release, mentioning the resumption of the joint drills for humanitarian purposes as an example.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It seems ridiculous to me to allow civilians to access the DMZ without coordination from the UNC:

South Korean soldiers and United Nations Command soldiers stand guard near the military demarcation line separating the two Koreas at the Joint Security Area of the demilitarized zone in the truce village of Panmunjeom, Oct. 4, 2022. AFP-Yonhap

The U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC) reasserted its authority Wednesday over the thin, landmine-strewn strip separating the two Koreas, signaling a widening rift with South Korea’s ruling party and the Ministry of Unification over who controls access to the demilitarized zone.

“The substantive provisions within the Armistice Agreement make it clear that the UNC commander is responsible for military and civil administration within the southern half of the DMZ,” a UNC official said during a closed-door briefing in Seoul.

The remarks come as debate intensifies over proposed legislation that would allow civilians to enter the demilitarized zone without prior approval from the UNC. Under the Armistice Agreement that halted the Korean War in 1953, all access to the zone currently requires UNC authorization.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It looks like the National Assembly better get this trade deal ratified soon or face 25% tariffs:

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that there is no trade deal with South Korea until its legislature approves it, days after President Donald Trump threatened to increase “reciprocal” and other tariffs on the Asian country.

Bessent made the remarks during a CNBC interview, as South Korea’s Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan is set to visit the United States for talks with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to address the renewed trade tension.

“The South Korean parliament has not passed the trade deal,” he said. “So there is no trade deal until they ratify it.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.