Two ROK opposition candidates appear to be trying to tap into part of the male voting demographic that have been unhappy with supposed preferential treatment given to females:

Campaign pledges to abolish the gender equality ministry by two presidential contenders of the main opposition party are sparking a major backlash from in and outside the party.

Former four-term lawmaker Yoo Seong-min and three-term lawmaker Ha Tae-keung, both competing to win the People Power Party (PPP)’s ticket to run in the March 9 presidential election, pledged to dissolve the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family earlier this week as part of their campaign promises.

Posting a message on his social media account Tuesday, Yoo said, “There’s no reason to maintain a separate ministry on gender equality and family when half of the population are female and all the other government ministries are (already) related with women’s issues.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Lee got caught up in a political prosecution of former President Park Geun-hye, so everyone kind of knew he would eventually get released early and now it has happened:

The justice ministry said Monday it will release jailed Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong on parole later this week, a decision fiercely protested by civic groups and welcomed by Samsung Group and other business leaders.

The vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co. has been serving time since he was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison by the Seoul High Court on Jan. 18 in a retrial of a bribery case involving former President Park Geun-hye. (……)

The ministry considered “the country’s economic situation and the conditions of the global economy amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic” as factors behind the decision, Park said in a briefing.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Just another example of the breakdown of civil society in major U.S. cities:

Here is the latest on the upcoming US-ROK military exercise:

South Korea has tentatively decided to conduct the upcoming military exercise with the United States as planned, albeit in a scaled-back manner due to the pandemic, sources said Sunday, despite North Korea’s warning the maneuvers will cast a pall over inter-Korean relations.

Whether and how to conduct the summertime exercise has drawn keen attention, particularly after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned the drills will dampen the conciliatory mood created after Pyongyang restored long-severed hotlines with the South.

“We are working to stage the exercise as planned, which is a regular one and necessary for a combined readiness posture. We’ve maintained close consultations with the U.S. over the issue,” a government source said.

The computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training (CCPT) is expected to be held from Aug. 16-26, which is likely to come after a four-day crisis management staff training, set to kick off on Aug. 10, another source said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I bet he just had a cyst removed, just like his grandfather Kim Il-sung had removed decades prior:

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un was recently photographed out in public with what appeared to be a large green spot on the back of his head, once again fueling speculation over his health — long a topic of global fascination.

Another image showed him sporting an oblong bandage over the blemish. (…….)

On social media in recent days, some have pondered whether a medical procedure could have left behind a dark mark, while others pointed out that Kim’s grandfather and the founder of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, was also pictured when he was alive with a “tennis ball-sized” growth on the back of his head.

Kim’s grandfather died of a heart attack in 1994, as did Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011 at age 69.

Seattle Times

You can read more at the link.

Is anyone surprised by this news?:

The Moon Jae-in administration and the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are facing a new political threat, after a group of activists accused of espionage was found to have contacted Moon and the party before he was elected as President. 

The conservative opposition bloc is already labeling this incident an “espionage scandal,” demanding an explanation from the Moon government and suggesting that the issue could cause a stir in the upcoming presidential election slated for next march. 

On Monday, the Cheongju District Court issued arrest warrants for three of the four activists who are based in the city, on charges of violating the National Security Act. 

The activists were turned into the prosecution while protesting South Korea’s deployment of F-35A stealth fighters. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) and prosecutors allege that they have been organizing the protests after receiving orders from North Korean spies in China and Cambodia.

Korea Times via a reader tip

You can read more at the link, but the alleged spies were part of President Moon’s campaign and had contact with prominent members of the ruling party before being busted.