It appears General LaCamera sees a chance with the change in government to hopefully open access to the THAAD site near Seongju:

 U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera has called for “unfettered” access to its THAAD missile defense unit here, stressing its absence would undermine the alliance’s ability to defend South Korea.

In a written statement to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense this week, LaCamera made the call, as access to the unit in the southern county of Seongju remains impeded by a set of obstacles, including protesters against the installation of the battery.

Since the unit was placed in Seongju in 2017, it has had the status of a “temporary installation” pending South Korea’s environmental impact assessment — another hindrance to its full-capacity operation. 

“Despite significant progress in increasing access to the site over the last year, unfettered access is required to fully ensure logistical support at the site and improve the quality of life for service members stationed there,” LaCamera said.

“Limited access also slows the pace of construction projects on-site, which is critical for maintaining the system’s capabilities, crew training and upgrades. All of this hinders the alliance’s ability to operate this defensive system and defend the ROK people,” he added. ROK stands for the South’s official name, Republic of Korea.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

USFK has brought some more fire power to the peninsula:

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has held a ceremony launching a permanently stationed air cavalry squadron consisting of new Apache attack helicopters in a key U.S. base south of Seoul, its officials said Wednesday.

The 5th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade was activated in the event at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Tuesday. It takes over from previous rotational aviation units.

The new unit is known to have dozens of the latest AH-64E Version 6 helicopters. In January, the U.S. Army said 24 of the latest Apache helicopters would be deployed here by February in the first overseas delivery of the new version of the aircraft.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I guess we will see if the North Koreans conduct a nuclear test during President Biden’s trip to South Korea. I doubt they will because that would be extremely provocative, however I would not be surprised if they did one shortly after such as during the Memorial Day weekend. However, I would not be surprised if they did a missile test during President Biden’s visit:

Excavation work at North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear testing site suggests the regime is gearing up for a seventh nuclear test, according to a U.S.-based think tank.    
   
Beyond Parallel, a North Korea analysis portal operated by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that Pyongyang is making preparations at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province based on satellite images captured on Tuesday.  
   
Photos of Punggye-ri – the only known nuclear testing facility in North Korea – shows “continued activity outside the new portal” for a tunnel leading into an underground test site. Support equipment around the tunnel’s entrance indicates ongoing work inside the tunnel.  
   
Further evidence cited by Beyond Parallel for the possibility of an upcoming test included changes in lumber piles, the renovation of existing buildings, and construction of new buildings in the main administration and support areas in and around the test site, suggesting a continued expansion of the support infrastructure. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

I would not be surprised if this is an old landmine that may have been washed out of the ground by rain:

A South Korean soldier in a frontline Army unit was wounded due to an unidentified explosion during a border defense mission earlier this week, officials said Wednesday.

The blast occurred Tuesday when the soldier was conducting a land clearing operation to ensure visibility near a general outpost of the Army’s First Corps that lies just south of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.

He is currently receiving treatment for an injury to his toes, the officials said.

The military authorities are trying to ascertain the exact cause of the explosion, including the possibility of a stray landmine blast.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is actually smart move by President Yoon to try and de-politicize the Gwangju Uprising issue from the liberals:

President Yoon Suk-yeol and some 100 lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) traveled to the southwestern city of Gwangju on Wednesday and paid their respects to the victims of the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in an unprecedented outreach to the home turf of the main opposition party.

The civil revolt, in which Gwangju citizens rose up against the then military junta led by late former President Chun Doo-hwan, has long been associated with the liberal opposition Democratic Party (DP), and the conservative party has kept a distance from it amid perceptions its roots have ties to Chun.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I feel bad for the investors that lost their money, but investing in bitcoin has always had a casino like atmosphere to it. You should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose:

The collapse of Luna is starting to ripple through Korea as investors in the coin and companies associated with it add up their losses and adjust their plans.  

Victims range from retail punters to some of the largest business names in the country, and the damages go from trivial to existential, though the sense is that, so far, the Luna fiasco will not be a Lehman moment and threaten crypto markets or the broader markets in a systemic way.    

“I lost my entire lifesavings in just two days,” one person wrote anonymously on Bitman, a Korean blockchain community, on May 14. “I repeatedly sold Luna at a loss, bought more to lower the average price and sold it at a loss again. After losing more than 100 million won [$78,000] that I struggled to save for years, I can neither eat nor sleep. I loathe myself.”  

Terra coins were algorithmically pegged to other currencies though arbitraged with Luna coins. When faith in the design evaporated in early May, Luna lost most of its value in a matter of days and TerraUSD, which is the Terra that tracks the dollar, dropped to about 10 cents. 

One man, who claims to have lost 2 billion won ($1.6 million) by investing in Luna, was under investigation after showing up at the house of Kwon Do-hyeong, one of the masterminds behind the Terra stablecoin scheme.    
   
“Kwon should officially apologize and announce some sort of plan using any means available, including using his own money,” the man told the local press. “There are some people around me who have actually lost their lives.” 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more about the cryptocurrency losses impacting South Korea at the link.