I thought the accusations against Lee Jae-myung’s wife would just go away after the election, but it appears investigators must have some really good evidence to go after her like this:

 The wife of former ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung was grilled by police Tuesday about allegations related to her personal use of a provincial government corporate credit card years ago.

Kim Hye-kyung left the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency in Suwon, 50 kilometers south of Seoul, at about 6:50 p.m. after undergoing five hours of questioning, accompanied by her lawyer.

Upon emerging from the police agency, she was asked by reporters about whether she admitted to suspicions related to her corporate credit card use but did not reply.

Kim is accused of using a credit card of the Gyeonggi government for personal shopping and eating, while her husband was Gyeonggi governor from 2018-2021.

She is also suspected of forcing civil servants to run her personal errands, such as getting drug prescriptions, buying prescription drugs on her behalf and paying for meals at restaurants. 

Allegations of Kim’s corporate credit card misuse and other misconduct surfaced early this year ahead of the March 9 presidential election.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Another country has finally gained some common sense in regards to COVID testing. Really they should do away with the COVID test for non-vaccinated travelers as well at some point since the vaccine does not prevent you from catching COVID:

Japan plans to drop its requirement that arriving, vaccinated international travelers show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, even as the country is posting record-high levels of the respiratory disease. 

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at an online news conference Wednesday said Japan will end the requirement next month. 

“From Sept. 7, those entering Japan can use proof that they have been vaccinated three times in exchange for proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure,” he said. 

Kishida is recovering from COVID-19 himself.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Condolences to the friends and family of the Soldier killed in this accident:

One American soldier was killed and another injured after their vehicle struck a guardrail on a road in Pyeongtaek early Sunday.

Spc. Dajour Cleveland, 23, was killed in the collision near Osan Air Base, according to an emailed statement from Eighth Army spokesman Lt. Col. Neil Penttila. 

Cleveland was a signal support systems specialist attached to the 94th Military Police Battalion, 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, at Camp Humphreys.

“We are fully cooperating with the Korean National Police to determine the cause of the traffic accident and thank first responders for their efforts at the scene,” the statement said.

The driver, an unidentified American soldier, was being treated for injuries at Camp Humphreys on Monday, a Pyeongtaek Police investigator told Stars and Stripes by phone the same day. South Korean officials customarily speak to media under the condition of anonymity.

The collision occurred on a curved, two-lane road at around 12:50 a.m., the investigator said. The privately owned vehicle is believed by investigators to have collided with the guardrail on the right-side of the road.

The driver “appears to have not been turning well to the direction he wanted to go,” the investigator said. He said an investigation into the cause of the crash is underway.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Here is a first that will occur during the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield Exercise:

A South Korean general for the first time is sharing command of one of the largest military exercises with U.S. forces on the peninsula.

South Korean army Gen. Ahn Byung-Seok, deputy commander of Combined Forces Command, is leading the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise with U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Paul LaCamera, USFK said in a news release Tuesday evening.

Ahn “will switch duties and responsibilities” with LaCamera during the 11-day exercise, the release said.

LaCamera also leads U.N. Command and Combined Forces Command, which is responsible for 600,000 U.S. and South Korean troops and up to 3.5 million South Korean reservists. Roughly 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed on the peninsula.

Ahn is the second-highest ranking leader of Combined Forces Command, one of the three major military commands responsible for the immediate defense of South Korea. The country’s unique military hierarchical structure typically places South Korean generals as deputies in Combined Forces Command, second only to an American general.

The military exercise, named after Eulji Mundeok, a 7th century Korean general, kicked off Monday and ends Sept. 1.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Economic conditions in Korea may not be good, but it good for U.S. troops stationed there that are getting a great exchange rate against the won:

Current economic conditions are “severe,” the presidential office said Tuesday, as the Finance Ministry warned speculators not to pile into the won trade, with the currency now at levels not seen in more than 13 years.  
   
“Internal and external economic conditions, like the weak won and the growing trade deficit, are severe,” presidential spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said on Tuesday.  
   
Earlier that day, President Yoon Suk-yeol said he will address the economic risks in an emergency meeting and make sure the falling won “does not impose negative impacts on our market.”

The won broke 1,340 to the dollar for the first time in 13 years and four months on Monday. It continued to fall Tuesday, hitting 1,346.60 won intraday. The currency has declined more than 10 percent this year.  
   
A declining won puts Korea in a tough situation as households are weighed down by debt and being squeezed by inflation. Raising rates would held stabilize the currency but threaten the housing market, while inflation could remain high if rates are increased too slowly.  
   
The brewing economic crisis is as much a test for the president, who is already battling a low approval rating and has few tools at his disposal, as it is for the central bank. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but the current economic problems is probably going to only further drop President Yoon’s approval ratings.

This seems like a good compromise approach that allows these wartime workers to be compensated while allowing Japan to maintain the legality of the 1965 treaty:

“We’re now fully considering a plan that would allow the plaintiffs to receive compensation in a way that doesn’t conflict with the sovereignty issues that the Japanese government is concerned about,” Yoon said.

The Japanese government has long maintained that the issue of claims by former requisitioned workers has been settled under the 1965 Agreement on the Settlement of Problems Concerning Property and Claims and on Economic Cooperation between Japan and the Republic of Korea. Yoon’s reference to “sovereignty issues” is believed to refer to this position.

Yoon appears to envision measures such as subrogation in which a fund is created by Japanese and Korean companies to pay compensation to the plaintiffs.

“The historical issue can be resolved amicably through concessions and understanding,” Yoon said, if Japan and South Korea strengthen future-oriented cooperation. It appears that the South Korean president recognizes the need for compromise between the Japanese government and companies and Korean plaintiffs, but he did not refer to specific steps to be taken.

Yomiuri Shimbun

You can read more at the link, but don’t expect the Korean left to support this. What President Yoon will need to do is make sure this is implemented in a way that the Korean left can’t over turn whenever they win a Presidential election again like they did with the comfort women settlement with Japan once President Moon was elected.