This is interesting because is the first time I have seen North Korea issue such a warning to a civilian ship in the East Sea. It makes me think they may have thought it was being used for intelligence collection purposes:

A North Korean boat warned a South Korean cargo ship sailing in the international waters of the East Sea to “move out to the open sea” earlier this month, a source said Tuesday, raising maritime safety concerns amid heightened cross-border tensions.

People aboard the North Korean boat gesticulated toward the 30,000-ton cargo ship and sent a message demanding it move farther out into the high seas through an international maritime communication network on May 8, according to the source.

The cargo ship was reportedly carrying 21 crewmembers, including two South Koreans.

It remains unclear whether the North Koreans are civilians or military personnel.

Following the message from the North, the South Korean ship informed its headquarters and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of what happened and took a detour to reach the waters south of the Northern Limit Line, a de facto inter-Korean sea border.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Thousands of people showed up for a memorial for a President that really did not accomplish anything while in office other than advance anti-US sentiment and is most well known for committing suicide because of corruption surrounding his family:

Kwon Yang-sook (C, front row), the widow of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, former President Moon Jae-in (2nd from R, second row), Prime Minster Han Duck-soo (2nd from R, third row) and other government and political leaders pay tribute to Roh during a memorial service marking the 14th year since his death at Bongha Village in the southeastern city of Gimhae on May 23, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

Thousands of people, including a large number of lawmakers from rival parties and key political figures, attended a memorial service for late former President Roh Moo-hyun on Tuesday.

The ceremony, marking the 14th year since Roh’s death, was held in the southeastern rural village of Bongha, Roh’s hometown, to commemorate the liberal icon who took his own life in 2009 amid a sprawling corruption probe.

Also in attendance were former President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, both of whom worked with Roh during his presidency from 2003 to 2008.

“I remember the president who dedicated his life to opening the future for the Republic of Korea as I served as the prime minister under the Roh administration,” Han said in a memorial address.

A wreath of flowers sent by President Yoon Suk Yeol also was placed at Roh’s graveyard.

On May 23, 2009, Roh jumped to his death from a cliff behind his retirement home amid a corruption probe by the prosecution into his family and aides.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but even the People Party Power showed for this memorial which is surprising because the Korean left blamed the conservative President Lee Myung-bak for investigating Roh after he left office for corruption which led to his suicide. That is why Roh protege former President Moon Jae-in immediately launched investigations against Lee after he took office and put him in jail.

I don’t think the KCTU is going to win any public sympathy by keeping people up all night with their protests:

A Cabinet meeting led by President Yoon Suk Yeol is held at the presidential office in Seoul on May 23, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk Yeol slammed a major labor group Tuesday for its overnight street rally last week, saying its actions infringed on people’s freedoms, disturbed the public order and will not be tolerated by the people.

Yoon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting, referring to a rally staged by the Korean Construction Workers’ Union in protest of the government’s labor policies from Tuesday to Wednesday.

An estimated 25,000 union members took part in the rally in downtown Seoul, causing massive traffic congestion and leading to some 80 noise complaints being filed with the police.

The union falls under the umbrella Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).

“Our Constitution guarantees the freedom of assembly and demonstration, and as president, I, too, have respected this,” Yoon said.

“However, guaranteeing the freedom of assembly and demonstration does not mean infringements on another person’s freedoms and basic rights, or acts disturbing the public order, are justified.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Just think that for housing this is about as good as it gets for most people in North Korea:

North Korea has held a ceremony to mark the completion of building another housing district in Pyongyang as part of the country’s project to construct 50,000 units of new homes in the capital by 2025, state media reported Monday.

The North held the ceremony to celebrate the completion of the construction of new residential areas in the Taephyong district in Pyongyang on Sunday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The Taephyong district in western Pyongyang is located near Mangyongdae, the birthplace of North Korea’s late founder Kim Il-sung, also the grandfather of the current leader Kim Jong-un.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Some U.S. classrooms could probably use this Korean teacher:

A teacher who was accused on charges of child abuse after scolding students has been ruled not guilty, according to news reports on Sunday, quoting the court’s ruling.

A homeroom teacher in his 40s, who works at an elementary school in Ulsan, was accused of child abuse for scolding some students.

The teacher scolded a student who talked during class by making him stand in front of the class and asked other students what the student had done wrong.

Additionally, when the student asked if he could leave school five minutes earlier than the end of the regular class, saying he would be late for a private class, the teacher made him clean the classroom alone as a punishment.

The teacher also scolded another student who got into a fight with other classmates, saying, “I want to hit you guys with a bat when you do not listen to me. Do (your parents) just let you misbehave like this?”

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see what Korea’s inspection team says once they complete their inspection:

In this file photo, officials at Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, speak to journalists at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on Feb. 2, 2023. (Yonhap)

A team of South Korean experts will focus on examining storage tanks of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant and its treatment system, the team’s chief said Monday, amid lingering concerns about the safety of the water.

Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Chairperson Yoo Guk-hee, who heads the 21-member inspection team, made the remarks before his meeting with Japanese officials from Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the wrecked power plant, at Tokyo’s foreign ministry.

He added that the experts will check with their “own eyes” the K4 tanks, designed to store and conduct measurements of radioactive substance, and “request required data” from the Japanese authorities.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.