It looks like Fighters For A Free North Korea will have to secretly as possible launch their propaganda balloons towards North Korea:

 The National Assembly passed Sunday a bill led by the ruling Democratic Party (DP) that would give police legal authority to block attempts to send anti-Pyongyang leaflets near border areas.

The amendment to the Act on the Performance of Duties by Police Officers allows police to intervene in the launch of leaflets near the inter-Korean border, aiming to prevent activities that could heighten tensions between the two Koreas.

The bill was passed at a plenary session, shortly after the main opposition People Power Party (PPP)’s filibuster ended through a vote 24 hours after it began. 

The DP has argued that the legislation is necessary to protect the safety of border residents and to help reduce military tensions, while the PPP opposed the bill, saying it infringes on freedom of expression.

Yonhap

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It is going to be interesting to see how many politicians end up being connected to the Unification Church, so far one minister resigning:

The Unification Church’s alleged bribery of ruling bloc figures is hitting the Lee Jae Myung administration, with one minister resigning over his alleged money acceptance from the religious organization and several other top officials also under similar suspicion.

It is feared that the scandal will further shake the administration if more ministers and officials fall under suspicion. It could also extend to influencing the ruling bloc’s strategies and nominations for next June’s local elections.

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Chun Jae-soo submitted his resignation early Thursday, amid allegations that he received between 30 million won ($20,377) to 40 million won in cash and two luxury watches from an official of the Unification Church, which sought his influence in its project to build an undersea tunnel connecting Korea and Japan.

Korea Times

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This change in security measures at Osan Airbase shows how upset USFK leadership must have been when the Lee administration sent special prosecutors to raid the base without notifying Osan leadership in advance:

The U.S. Air Force in South Korea is set to take measures to tighten security by retaking control of access to a gate at Osan Air Base, currently shared with the South Korean military, officials said Thursday.

The move comes after the U.S. military lodged a complaint over a special counsel team’s search and seizure at the air base in Pyeongtaek, some 65 kilometers south of Seoul, in July as part of its investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law bid.

Currently, the U.S. side controls access to two of three gates that are in use at the air base, which also stations key facilities operated by the South Korean Air Force, such as the Air Force Operations Command and the Air Force Master Control and Reporting Center.

Once the tighter security measure goes into effect next month, South Korean military personnel would need U.S.-approved defense identification cards to access the remaining gate at the air base. The South’s military now can access it with identification cards issued by the South Korean government.

The U.S. 51st Fighter Wing confirmed that base access requirements have been “updated” to ensure security.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is the U.S. and Japanese response to the recent military provocations against Japan by the Chinese:

U.S. strategic bombers joined a fleet of Japanese fighter jets in a joint military exercise meant to demonstrate their military cooperation around Japan’s airspace, defense officials said Thursday, as tensions with China escalate.

The exercise showcasing joint Japanese-U.S. air power came a day after Chinese and Russian bombers flew together around western Japan, prompting Tokyo to scramble fighter jets, though there was no airspace violation. It also follows China’s military aircraft locking radar on Japanese jets Saturday, another incident that has caused Tokyo-Beijing relations to further deteriorate.

Japan’s Air Self Defense-Force and the U.S. military conducted the joint exercise Wednesday as “the security environment surrounding our country is becoming even severer,” the Japanese Joint Staff said.

Associated Press

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This is an interesting story from the Korean War I had not heard about before that may lead to the awarding of a Medal of Honor:

A 100-year-old Korean War veteran involved in a secretive dogfight with seven Russian fighter planes more than 70 years ago would be eligible for the Medal of Honor upon the passage of a new defense spending bill expected to be voted on later this week. The National Defense Authorization Act for 2026, finalized on Sunday, includes legislation that removes a five-year statute of limitations rule so that Royce Williams, whose exploits as a Navy pilot are now part of military lore, can be considered for the nation’s highest award for courage under fire.

On Nov. 18, 1952, Williams was piloting an F9F-5 Panther when he encountered seven Soviet MiG-15s. Williams, a lieutenant at the time, shot down four of the fighters and survived a 37-millimeter round to his fuselage. Though his plane was badly damaged, he managed to make a safe landing on the deck of the USS Oriskany aircraft carrier off the North Korean coast.

After the mission, he was directed to keep silent about the high stakes dogfight that pitted him against Soviet aviators at the peak of the Cold War.  “In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job … I was only shooting what I had,” Williams said in an earlier Navy account of the dogfight. “They had me cold on maneuverability and acceleration — the MiG was vastly superior on those counts to the F9F. The only thing I could do was out-turn them.” Williams battled the Russian pilots for 35 minutes, making the encounter the longest dogfight in U.S. military history, according to the Navy.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.