Having remote launchers in theory will further increase the already large area that the THAAD battery in Seongju can defend against North Korean ballistic missile attack:

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Friday it has conducted the first training on the deployment of a “remote” launcher of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in South Korea.

The U.S. military made public a set of photos of Sunday’s training, hours after the North’s state media reported the country had carried out drills involving an underwater nuclear attack drone and cruise missile launches earlier this week.

“The training of our THAAD forces enhanced the units’ combat readiness, combined defense posture within the alliance, demonstrates the ironclad commitment to support and defend the ROK and further strengthens the security and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” the USFK said in a press release. ROK stands for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

The drills took place in conjunction with the regular South Korea-U.S. Freedom Shield (FS) exercise that concluded its 11-day run Thursday.

The employment of the remote launcher came in line with the U.S. military’s upgrade program designed to streamline and integrate its THAAD and Patriot missile defense systems into a single program for enhanced and more flexible security operations.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Sounds like more North Korean propaganda to try and strike fear in South Korea and impress their own domestic audience with something that probably doesn’t even work:

North Korea has tested a new nuclear-capable underwater attack drone, state media reported on Friday, as leader Kim Jong Un warned joint military drills by South Korea and the U.S. should stop.

During the test, the new North Korean drone cruised underwater at a depth of 80 to 150 metres (260-500 feet) for over 59 hours and detonated a non-nuclear payload in waters off its east coast on Thursday, North Korean state news agency KCNA said.

Reuters

You can read more at the link, but North Korea claims they can make underwater nuclear tsunamis to destroy naval fleets.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

This must have been quite a sight for the people in Seoul who saw this zebra running around their neighborhood:

A zebra that escaped from a zoo in Seoul on Thursday was captured in the streets of the South Korean capital after having roamed at large in the streets for about three hours, according to zoo officials and fire authorities.

The zebra reportedly broke free from Seoul Children’s Grand Park’s zoo in eastern Seoul around 2:50 p.m. and roamed around the nearby residential area. 

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the zebra was safely recaptured and returned to the zoo.

Former President Lee Myung-bak has made his first official event one where he paid his respects to the 46 sailors murdered by North Korea during the sinking of the Cheonan:

Former President Lee Myung-bak visited a national cemetery in the central city of Daejeon on Wednesday to pay respects to sailors killed in North Korea’s sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010. 

The visit was Lee’s first official activity after he was released from prison on a special pardon by President Yoon Suk Yeol in December. The sinking of the warship Cheonan, which killed 46 sailors, happened when Lee was in office, and he pledged to visit the cemetery every year, even after leaving office.

“I will pray for national prosperity and the security of the Republic of Korea while honoring the sacrificial spirit on the front line of freedom,” Lee wrote in the visitors’ book at the cemetery, about 140 kilometers south of Seoul.

Lee chose the visit to the national cemetery as his first official activity since his pardon to keep his promise to visit the cemetery every year while he is alive, Hong Sang-pyo, Lee’s aide and former presidential secretary for press affairs, said. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This is likely the reason Lee Jae-myung sought leadership of the political opposition despite being a failed presidential candidate; so he could claim any charges against him were politically motivated:

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) decided Wednesday to allow party leader Lee Jae-myung to retain his position despite his indictment on corruption charges. 

Earlier in the day, the prosecution charged him with bribery and breach of trust stemming from his time as mayor of Seongnam, south of Seoul, years ago.

Under Article 80 of the DP charter, the party is supposed to suspend those indicted on corruption charges from duty. But the rule does not apply when the indictment is deemed politically motivated. 

The DP’s party affairs committee convened after Lee’s indictment was announced, and made the decision to exempt Lee from suspension, according to DP spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.