The best thing about this oil is that it will all be shipped to South Korea without having to transit the Strait of Hormuz:

South Korea has secured 273 million barrels of crude oil by the end of this year from four nations in the Middle East, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said Wednesday. 

Kang, who returned home from his eight-day trip to Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kazakhstan, said the nation also secured 2.1 million tons of naphtha by the end of this year. 

“The 273 million barrels of crude oil, based on last year’s consumption levels, are sufficient to sustain the economy for more than three months under normal operating conditions without the need for additional emergency measures,” Kang told reporters.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This was a long time coming and a well deserved punishment that hopefully acts as a deterrent to all the other idiot social media influencers looking to act the fool in South Korea:

American YouTuber Johnny Somali, who sparked outrage in South Korea two years ago after kissing a statue symbolizing Korean victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, was sentenced by a court Wednesday to six months in prison and remanded in custody.

Somali was indicted by South Korean authorities on multiple charges, including obstruction of business and violations of minor public order laws.

He is accused of uploading a video of himself kissing a “Statue of Peace” that commemorates the former sex slaves in Seoul and performing a lewd dance in front of it in October 2024. He also provoked public outrage by causing disturbances on buses, subways and an amusement park, vandalizing a convenience store in Seoul’s Mapo district and playing obscene videos in public.

The Seoul Western District Court sentenced Somali to six months in prison and 20 days of detention and barred him from employment at institutions related to children and adolescents for five years.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

An early sign that the blockade is already working:

South Korea has no plans to pay Iran to get its stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, its top diplomat said Wednesday, noting that it does not intend to take any action that would run counter to the U.S.-led blockade of the shipping lane.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun made the remarks during a parliamentary session, in response to a lawmaker’s question about whether paying Iran a toll for transit would conflict with the U.S. Navy-led blockade aimed at preventing Tehran from taking control of the waterway.

“At this stage, we have no plans to pay Iran any form of compensation or to take any action that would run counter to what the United States has stated,” Cho told the National Assembly.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is who should soon be the next U.S. ambassador to South Korea:

U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Michelle Park Steel, Monday (local time), a former Republican congresswoman from California, as ambassador to South Korea, a move that could end a vacancy that has lasted for more than 15 months.

If confirmed by the Senate, Steel would become the second Korean American to serve in the post, after former Ambassador Sung Kim, who served from 2011 to 2014. 

Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul welcomed the nomination, with foreign ministry spokesperson Park Il saying Korea is in close communication with the U.S. and that Steel, if formally appointed, “is expected to contribute to strengthening bilateral ties and promoting friendship between the two countries.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is the latest groveling from President Lee:

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday urged nations involved in the war in the Middle East to take a courageous step toward peace, with a fragile ceasefire deal between the United States and Iran hanging in the balance and threatening the global economy. 

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Lee asked “the warring parties to take a courageous step toward peace that the world desperately wants based on the principles of the protection of universal human rights and lessons from history.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but why wasn’t President Lee speaking up for human rights when the Iranian regime was busy gunning down protesters? Now that the U.S. and Israel are doing something about the regime that supports terrorism and guns down protesters does Lee suddenly care about human rights.

You would think the Korean left who are the ones who champion the memory of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising would side with protesters demanding a better life and government. Then again the Korean left is the same group that makes excuses about North Korean human rights abuses as well. At least the Korean left is consistent in their hypocrisy.

This is something that should have been done from the start of the war, but the President decided to let Iran keep selling oil to keep prices down. This is one of those conflicts where you have to be all in or you don’t do it at all:

The United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports on Monday, ratcheting up pressure on the Islamic Republic after Washington and Tehran failed to reach an agreement during their peace talks in Pakistan over the weekend.

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed during a press availability that the blockade was in progress, noting that Iran hopes to make a deal with the U.S. “very badly”, a remark that raised hopes for diplomatic efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

In an advisory, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British entity, said that effective from 10 a.m. (Washington time), “maritime access restrictions” were being enforced for Iranian ports and coastal areas, including locations along the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz.

The blockade in the strategically crucial strait appears aimed at putting pressure on Iran, as it could restrict Tehran’s ability to export oil, its key source of revenue. Iran has used the waterway as a vital source of strategic leverage to seek U.S. concessions during the war.

Yonhap

South Korea for their part has sent diplomats to Tehran trying to get a pledge from them to not attack their ships:

Seoul’s special envoy to Iran, Chung Byung-ha, has met senior officials in Tehran to discuss the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz — where South Korean vessels and seafarers remain stranded — as well as broader bilateral issues, a Korean Foreign Ministry official who requested anonymity said in an afternoon closed-door briefing.

Chung, who arrived over the weekend, is expected to convey Seoul’s position on ensuring the safety of South Korean nationals and securing passage through the strait, while holding consultations with Iranian counterparts. His meetings are likely to include talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, though details have not been disclosed.

“(Chung) will deliver our position on the bilateral relations with Iran, ensuring the safety of South Korean nationals in Iran and the passage of the Strait of Hormuz, and consult with them on those matters,” the Foreign Ministry official said.

Korea Herald

The fact that South Korea is not announcing the results of the consultations must mean that Iran has denied free passage of their ships. From Iran’s point of view South Korea is selling missile defense systems to the Gulf Arab states which effectively puts the ROK on the opposing side of this conflict.