This is actually a pretty good idea to make using public transit easier for foreigners. With that said it is not that hard to figure out how to pay for public transit in Korea:

The government has begun reviewing a system that would allow foreign tourists to use buses and subways in Korea with overseas-issued credit cards, officials said Sunday.

The land and transport recently launched a bid to commission a study on introducing an open-loop public transportation payment system, which was to begin this month and run through the end of next year, according to the officials.

The study aims to enable foreigners to pay public transportation fares directly with international credit cards. Currently, visitors must purchase and top up transportation cards with cash or buy prepaid cards designed specifically for foreigners, which often causes inconvenience.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Fortunately the Air Force recovered this drone before someone else did:

A U.S. Air Force unit based in South Korea said Sunday it has completed the recovery operations of a MQ-9 drone that crashed off the country’s west coast last month.

The drone, also known as the Reaper, crashed near Maldo-ri Island off the western city of Gunsan, about 180 kilometers south of Seoul, on Nov. 24, with no injuries reported. An investigation into the cause of the incident is under way.

“Following a thorough and collaborative effort, the recovery operation has now been successfully completed,” the 8th Fighter Wing told Yonhap News Agency, in response to a query on follow-up measures.

The U.S. Air Force had conducted the operation in cooperation with the South Korean Navy, the Coast Guard and the Army.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

As soon as President Lee was elected this issue was going to come up:

The differences between Seoul and Washington over joint military exercises have become more pronounced. South Korean leaders have publicly suggested scaling down the exercises to bring North Korea to the negotiating table, while U.S. officials oppose the idea and emphasize their importance for alliance readiness.

Scaling down or postponing joint military exercises has been proposed by previous governments, mainly liberal ones, to create a reconciliatory environment with North Korea, as the North has often called the drills “a rehearsal of war.” 

President Lee Jae Myung and other officials in his administration have raised the issue as they seek to reopen dialogue with Pyongyang, as communication channels are currently severed.

“If necessary, and if it helps the United States exercise strategic leverage, even the issue of joint military drills can be discussed and considered,” Lee said in a press conference on Dec. 3. “Simply saying such discussions are possible can help to open conditions for negotiations.” 

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young echoed this view, repeatedly saying that joint exercises should serve broader goals such as easing tensions and supporting dialogue.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he said, “Joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises are a tool to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula. They cannot be the objective in themselves.” He added that the president had already laid out the criteria for reviewing the issue.

Chung noted that the suspension of Team Spirit exercises in 1992 and 1994 helped advance nuclear negotiations with North Korea, while another pause in 2018 coincided with a thaw in inter-Korean relations. He said a similar measure may be needed ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China next April and his potential talks with North Korea.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

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

You can read more at the link.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.