I can’t believe I find myself agreeing with Chung Dong-young, but he is right:

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Thursday North Korea’s nuclear capabilities have grown 100,000 times over the past 30 years, insisting that pursuing North Korea’s complete denuclearization is no longer sustainable.

Chung made the remarks at a forum, as Pyongyang has continued to advance its nuclear capabilities and claimed its nuclear status is “irreversible,” while ruling out denuclearization talks.

“It is evidently the harsh truth that the approach of pushing for the complete denuclearization (of North Korea) pursued in the past is no longer sustainable,” Chung said in his opening speech at the annual Global Korea Forum.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I wonder what is causing a rise in crime on Jeju? 🤔

The concentration of cases, and the local police’s failures surrounding some of them, has unsettled residents and visitors alike.

“Many people come to Jeju to stay for several months at a time. I’ve heard that some tenants are canceling their leases following the recent incidents.” a Jeju resident surnamed Cho, who runs a short-term rental business, wrote on Instagram. (…….)

Tourism businesses in Jeju are particularly on edge as the island is already grappling with a decline in domestic visitors.

According to the Jeju Tourism Organization, 963,401 domestic travelers visited the island in July, down 12.4 percent, or 136,620, from 1,100,021 a year earlier. It marked the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020 that Jeju’s monthly domestic visitor count fell below 1 million.

The downward trend continued into August. From Aug. 1-23, Jeju received an average of 35,295 domestic visitors per day, about 300 fewer than the 35,575 recorded during the same period last year.

According to data from the Korean National Police Agency, the island recorded the country’s highest crime rate in 2024, at 4,539.6 crimes per 100,000 people. The rate is calculated based on Jeju’s resident population of around 663,000, while the island receives millions of visitors each year.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

For those about to exit service and have served in Korea, this may be an opportunity worth checking out:

“In recent years, the number of Korean companies expanding into the U.S. has increased significantly and demand for local workers has risen rapidly, particularly in advanced industries such as semiconductors and batteries,” Lee told The Korea Times. “But one of the biggest difficulties these companies face is securing local workers.”

That prompted KCCI to look toward U.S. service members who had served in Korea — a group that could offer Korean employers both professional skills and firsthand familiarity with Korean culture and workplace practices.

“They understand Korean culture and the business environment through their time serving in Korea, and their military careers have equipped them with responsibility, leadership and teamwork,” said Lee, who is also a vice chairman of SK Group.

“We saw a clear potential to connect the workforce needs of Korean companies in the U.S. with new career opportunities for service members leaving the military.”

KCCI signed an agreement with the foundation in September last year to support USFK personnel transitioning to civilian careers. The online platform was completed in November and officially launched in March.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Bruce Klingner has the same opinion I have that Kim Jong-un right now doesn’t really need anything from the U.S. to warrant a summit. Right now all their needs are being met due to their growing relationship with Russia. Why would Kim chum up to Trump now and possibly upset Putin? Trump would have to offer a deal Kim can’t refuse in order to secure a summit. I think at best what happens is that at the regional forum in China in November the two get pictured greeting each other and shaking hands:

A prominent expert said Tuesday that he sees a “slim-to-none” chance of another meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, noting that the resumption of their summitry depends on how low the United States sets the bar or how willing Trump is to make concessions.

Bruce Klingner, senior fellow at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, made the remarks during a forum in Washington, amid speculation that Trump could seek a summit with Kim during his next trip to Asia, likely to attend a regional forum in Shenzhen, China in November.

“I think overall, the chance of a meeting is sort of slim to none, and slim just rode out of town,” he said during the forum hosted by the Korea Economic Institute of America.

“But it could still happen. It depends on sort of how low the U.S. sets the bar or how willing Trump is to offer concessions,” he added. (……..)

The expert pointed out that Pyongyang does not feel the need to engage with the U.S. for assistance given its deepening cooperation with Russia and improved ties with China.

“North Korea right now feels (it is) in the strongest position it’s been for quite some time. It’s getting 14 to 20 billion or more, or billions of dollars in food, fuel, funding, and military technology from Russia. Its trade with China has largely resumed to pre-COVID levels,” he said.

“It’s getting about a billion dollars a year from cryptocurrency crime, so it doesn’t need the U.S. and sanctions relief as it did several years ago.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.