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.

The deadly Wando fire was caused by, wait for it, safety violations:

A Chinese national was booked Monday on charges of accidentally causing a fire at a cold storage warehouse in the southwestern county of Wando last week, which killed two fire fighters, police said. 

The suspect, who was booked without detention, is suspected of causing the fire while using a torch to remove epoxy flooring, a highly flammable substance, as part of floor-leveling and repaving work, according to the Wando police station.

The suspect was said to have been working alone, which officials believe constitutes a violation of safety protocol requiring a two-person team when doing fire-related work.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but there is a lot to unpack here. First of all the article doesn’t say if this guy is a legal or illegal immigrant. Regardless this Chinese national is taking a job away from a Korean national. Secondly is this is another example of a tragic event caused by lax safety enforcement in South Korea. You would think after the Sewol ferry incident the Itaewon crowd crush and so many other preventable tragedies that Koreans would take basic safety precautions more seriously.

It is pretty surprising how incompetent this Korean Airlines crew apparently were when a DoD civilian experienced a heart attack on a flight two years ago:

Flight attendants aboard a Korean Air flight two years ago failed to act properly to save a Defense Department employee who died of a heart attack midflight, according to a lawsuit filed recently by the woman’s estate. Porscha Brown, 33, a safety specialist at the U.S. Army’s Fort Belvoir, Va., died March 29, 2024, of acute cardiac failure, according to the lawsuit filed March 27 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

She was traveling with three companions on Korean Air Flight KE94 from Washington Dulles International Airport to Incheon International Airport when the incident occurred. According to the lawsuit, Brown began experiencing distress about 12 hours into the 15½-hour flight, clutching her chest and saying, “I can’t breathe.” The complaint alleges Korean Air personnel “failed to properly administer oxygen” to Brown, claiming the airline’s crew “alternated between panicking, observing, and taking notes” as her condition worsened.

Specifically, flight personnel did not follow industry standards or the airline’s own procedures, the suit alleges. Brown was reportedly given an oxygen mask that was not connected to its tank, and crew members did not use the aircraft’s automated external defibrillator, according to the complaint. After Brown lost consciousness, crew members placed the defibrillator next to her but “stood by and did nothing,” the lawsuit states. They also failed to assist two passengers who attempted to use the device to save Brown, according to the complaint.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Here is some good news for South Korea that should improve their oil situation:

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said Sunday that Saudi Arabia has promised to prioritize oil shipments to South Korea as Seoul seeks an alternative route through the Red Sea.

Authorities in Seoul are pushing to dispatch five Korean-flagged vessels to the Saudi port city of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast to help establish alternative supply routes as the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively shut down amid the Middle East conflict.

“We are preparing measures to allow our vessels to use the Red Sea route, including the possibility of escort operations by the Cheonghae unit’s Dae Joyoung destroyer,” Kim said during a radio interview.

Kim emphasized that Saudi authorities have pledged to allocate shipments to South Korea on a priority basis.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.