NK leader’s wife carrying what looks like Gucci shoulder bag
Ri Sol-ju (R), wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, carries what appears to be a Gucci GG Marmont mini shoulder bag (circled in red), as she accompanies Kim with her daughter Ju-ae during his inspection of an industrial complex in Kangdong County on the outskirts of Pyongyang on Dec. 15, 2025, in this photo captured from the North’s official Korean Central Television the next day. (Yonhap)
It will be interesting to see how this turns out:
The United Nations Command (UNC) has issued a rare press release stressing its authority over access to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
It comes amid growing debate in South Korea over proposed legislation that would allow the Korean government to approve nonmilitary access to the DMZ.
According to the release posted on its website Tuesday, the UNC said that it, through the UNC Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC), has been the successful administrator of the DMZ, a role that has been essential in maintaining stability, especially amid periods of heightened inter-Korean tensions.
The United Nations Command (UNC) has issued a rare press release stressing its authority over access to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
It comes amid growing debate in South Korea over proposed legislation that would allow the Korean government to approve nonmilitary access to the DMZ.
According to the release posted on its website Tuesday, the UNC said that it, through the UNC Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC), has been the successful administrator of the DMZ, a role that has been essential in maintaining stability, especially amid periods of heightened inter-Korean tensions.
The ruling party wants to take control of DMZ access from the UNC to basically turn it into a park:
On Aug. 26, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)’s Policy Committee Chair Han Jeong-ae introduced a proposed law titled the “Support for Peaceful Use of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone).” The bill would allow peaceful non-military visits to the DMZ without prior approval from the United Nations Command (UNC). At present, all entry into the DMZ, regardless of purpose, requires UNC authorization. Han argues that this requirement unnecessarily restricts peaceful use and infringes on South Korean sovereignty, particularly because much of the DMZ south of the Military Demarcation Line lies on territory administered by the Republic of Korea. Under the proposal, access would be approved by South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, separate from the military provisions of the Armistice Agreement.
You can read more at the link, but it is very irresponsible to have civilians running around the DMZ without approval and tight control of the military. I can understand why the UNC is speaking out against this bad idea.
You would think these people would be smarter and have funds like this donated to their campaigns. If this guy did in fact receive a cash bribe he should be punished for it:
A special counsel team on Wednesday demanded a four-year prison term for opposition lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong on charges of accepting illegal political funds from the Unification Church.
Kweon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is accused of receiving 100 million won (US$67,570) from a former church official in 2022 in exchange for his help in gaining policy favors for the church following the presidential election of then PPP candidate Yoon Suk Yeol later that year.
The former church official allegedly promised to also mobilize the votes of church members in support of Yoon.
You can read more at the link.
I understand what General Brunson is saying, but I highly doubt the Lee administration would support South Korea being a pillar for deterrence against China:
The commander of American forces in South Korea has underscored the Korean Peninsula’s central role in the U.S. security strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a website of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Tuesday, noting the peninsula’s location between the Asian continent and the Pacific region.
Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of USFK, made the remarks at a lecture at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., last Wednesday at a time when Seoul and Washington are pushing to “modernize” their alliance in a way that would increase South Korea’s role in its own defense and its contributions to addressing regional threats.
“Korea is not a side chapter in American strategy,” Brunson said, according to the website. “If you put the peninsula in the first chapter, the geometry of the region and the value of our alliances become impossible to ignore.”
Describing the Korean Peninsula as a “hinge between the Asian continent and Pacific maritime approaches,” Brunson said the peninsula “should be viewed as a central pillar of U.S. and allied strategy.”
On the Korean Peninsula, Brunson said the U.S. and allied forces are already positioned inside the first island chain, a key perimeter for America’s preeminence against China in the Pacific.
You can read more at the link.
It would be interesting to see how many people in Korea would support this ban? I wonder how this would be enforced though?:
The nominee for the Korea Media Communications Commission (KMCC) said Tuesday he would consider introducing a ban on teenagers’ use of social media platforms to protect underage users from harmful content online.
Kim Jong-cheol, a professor at Yonsei Law School who was nominated last month by President Lee Jae Myung to lead the KMCC, made the remark during his parliamentary confirmation hearing.
“I believe it is absolutely necessary,” Kim said in response to a question on whether South Korea should introduce age restrictions similar to those adopted by Australia.
“Youth protection is one of the core issues among my key responsibilities, and I am prepared to pursue this task with a strong commitment,” he added.
You can read more at the link.
The last time I was in Itaewon it did not seem any busier than usual, but apparently this year the number of foreigners visiting the district has increased:
Itaewon has seen a sharp rise in visitors this year, a trend driven in part by Yongsan District’s effort to revive the area’s local-brand commercial district.
According to the Yongsan District Office on Friday, the initiative is now entering its final stage and has begun to deliver tangible results.
The number of domestic visitors climbed from 1.25 million last year to 1.3 million as of November. Foreign tourist arrivals also exceeded 250,000, up from 240,000 a year earlier.
You can read more at the link.
