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.

At this point I don’t think there is much to talk about in regards to DPRK missile launches other than just confirming what was fired:

South Korea, the United States and Japan discussed North Korea’s latest missile launch and coordination efforts in three-way phone talks the previous day, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Wednesday. 

Baek Yong-jin, director general for the Korean Peninsula policy, spoke by phone with Dan Cintron, acting U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, and Otsuka Kengo, deputy director general of the Japanese foreign ministry’s Asia and Oceania bureau, the ministry said. 

On Tuesday, South Korea’s military said the North fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, in yet another military muscle-flexing by Pyongyang ahead of its upcoming key party congress. 

North Korean state media said Wednesday it has test-fired an upgraded large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system, with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is probably a day of celebration in the Cho Kuk household:

A court sentenced former first lady Kim Keon Hee to one year and eight months in prison Wednesday after finding her guilty of accepting luxury gifts from the Unification Church.

The Seoul Central District Court, however, acquitted Kim on charges of involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and violating the Political Funds Act.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team had sought a 15-year prison term for Kim.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but what I find interesting about this ruling is that Kim Keon-hee is receiving more jail time than rapists have received.

It is amazing how popular K-Pop has become over the past two decades:

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during a press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, on Jan. 19. EPA-Yonhap

Huge demand to see K-pop boy band BTS, among the world’s most popular artists, has led Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to formally request of her counterpart, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, that he help arrange more concerts in Mexico.

“Everyone wants to go,” Sheinbaum said at her daily morning press conference on Monday, adding that she had sent a diplomatic letter to South Korea’s Lee seeking more concerts.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.