How cute the leaders of China, Russia, and North Korea all got to cosplay that their countries defeated Imperial Japan during World War II:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stood shoulder to shoulder with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping at center stage at a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, marking the first such meeting among leaders of Pyongyang, Moscow and Beijing in 66 years.

The spectacle of Kim standing with Putin and Xi at the viewing gallery of Tiananmen Square marks a major display of their trilateral solidarity in defiance of the West, led by the United States.

Wearing a black business suit and a gold-colored tie, Kim joined Xi and Putin on the center stage at the rostrum for top-level guests as the parade kicked off with elaborate ceremonies at Tiananmen Square — a historic moment showcasing solidarity among China, Russia and North Korea.

Putin was seated on Xi’s right and Kim on his left, with Xi occasionally turning toward Kim to talk, their bodies angled toward each other.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but Russia is really the only country of the three that can say it did anything to defeat Imperial Japan. They at least fought the Imperial Japanese during the last days of World War II in Manchuria and North Korea when they had already been largely defeated by the U.S. and its allies.

By the way here is what Trump had to say about the parade:

U.S. President Donald Trump described the parade as Kim, Putin and Xi conspiring against Washington, writing a message on his social media account addressed to Xi: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America.”

The experts in this case are not wrong:

The short answer, analysts say, is no.

South Korea’s multi-layered air defense network, known as the Korea Air and Missile Defense, cannot fully protect the country from a large-scale missile or artillery barrage by North Korea. The system is designed to limit damage, not to guarantee safety.

Overall, an expert judged that if North Korea were to launch multiple types of weapons simultaneously, it would be difficult to block them all with this network alone.

“Even with a multi-layered defense in place, many experts, including myself, believe that the system on its own would struggle to withstand a mixed, simultaneous strike from North Korea,” said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

Experts also note that the proximity between the two Koreas, with Seoul 40 kilometers away from the Demilitarized Zone, leaves the South with very little reaction time if the North decides to strike. Long-range artillery could strike the capital in minutes, they say.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but the difference between Israel and North Korea is the long range artillery. Israel largely eliminated Hezbollah prior to the confrontation with Iran in order to limit the rocket attacks from Lebanon. During a conflict with North Korea, Seoul could be pummeled with artillery fire which would require an extensive number of C-RAM batteries to intercept which the ROK or the USFK does not have.

Another difference in a battle with North Korea is the volume of missiles fired. Iran due to its distance from Israel had limited number of launchers to fire longer range missiles. Due to how close South Korea is, North Korea can use short and medium range ballistic missile launchers to target South Korea. Both the ROK and USFK have missile defense units to defend against these threats, but the question becomes how many interceptors do they have compared to North Korea’s ballistic missile inventory?

It is interesting that the military’s unwillingness to comply with the martial law order is why President Lee came to power. Now he is replacing all the 4-star General’s across the ROK military:

The Defense Ministry on Monday announced seven new nominees, replacing all active four-star generals in the first top-level military reshuffle under the Lee Jae Myung administration.

The overhaul reflects President Lee’s push to reform military leadership. In July, he appointed Rep. Ahn Gyu-back of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea as defense minister — the first civilian to hold the post in 64 years.

The list includes new chiefs for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as the deputy commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command — all positions held by four-star generals. All of the nominees currently hold three-star ranks.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

This file photo, published by the Korean Central News Agency on May 7, 2025, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (2nd from L, front) inspecting a munitions factory. (Yonhap)

Kim Jong-un has arrived in Beijing to celebrate the CCP’s fan fiction version of how they defeated the Imperial Japanese during World War II:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, the North’s state media said, as photos showed him accompanied by his daughter on a key trip marked by his planned attendance at a Chinese military parade.

Kim, who departed Pyongyang the previous day in a special armored train, arrived at Beijing Railway Station at 4 p.m., local time, and was greeted by senior Chinese officials, including Cai Qi, member of the Chinese Communist Party’s central committee, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Beijing Mayor Yin Yong, the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing its foreign ministry.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I don’t doubt any of this is true and does anyone think the left isn’t doing the same thing with the KCTU and the organizations that support them?:

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee asked for the Unification Church’s cooperation in backing a specific candidate in the People Power Party’s (PPP) leadership election in March 2023, an indictment written by special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team showed Monday.

The team suspects that the Unification Church sought to request various policy favors from the administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol in exchange for its political support.

According to the indictment for a former Unification Church official surnamed Yun, obtained by Yonhap News Agency, church leader Han Hak-ja emphasized the ideology of unity between church and state in around October 2019 and has since pushed for various projects and events related to Africa, Cambodia, a Demilitarized Zone peace park and hosting a U.N. secretariat in South Korea.

Under the instruction of Han, Yun selected Yoon as a presidential hopeful, who can not only accommodate the Unification Church’s policy proposals but also establish friendly relations with the church, ahead of the 2022 presidential election, according to the indictment.

Yun is accused of offering Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the PPP 100 million won (US$72,000) in January 2022 while promising the church’s extensive support for Yoon in the presidential election in exchange for the government’s support for the church’s projects and events in the future.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The success of K-Pop Demon Hunters is causing the South Korean entertainment industry to embrace a “Next-K” strategy to reflect how even studios outside of Korea are making Korean related content:

K-Pop Demon Hunters Director Maggie Kang

Reflecting this shift, the Korea Creative Content Agency has dropped the term “hallyu” and is promoting a “Next K” strategy. 

“We are now at a stage where K-content is attempting to leap into the global mainstream,” said Park Hyuk-tae, head of the agency’s industry policy team. “The focus is expanding from ‘Made in Korea’ to ‘Made with Korea.’”

One striking change can be seen in who makes K-content. Inspired by Korea’s history and culture, many foreign creators, often based outside Korea, are now producing works. 

The production team behind “KPop Demon Hunters” was largely non-Korean but recreated everything from shamanism and K-pop to bathhouses, N Seoul Tower, instant noodles and beef soup in meticulous detail.

Examples abound. Japan’s TBS adapted the narrative structure of Korean dramas and cast a Korean actor in its hit series “I Love You.” A U.S. production company staged an English-language version of the Korean musical “Maybe Happy Ending,” which went on to win multiple Tony Awards.

Diaspora Koreans are particularly prominent. “KPop Demon Hunters” director Maggie Kang, a Korean Canadian, drew on her childhood memories of K-content to create the film. 

“Many Korean immigrants struggle with identity, but that itself is a multicultural experience,” she said during a recent visit to Seoul. “Globalization of culture can give opportunities to creators with diverse backgrounds.”

Diaspora narratives have long been influential. The Oscar-nominated film “Minari” (2020), the drama “Beef” (2023) and the Apple TV+ series “Pachinko” (2022, 2024) were all made by Korean American creators. (……)

The “KPop Demon Hunters” boom has expanded the reach of K-content to new generations. Even children overseas with no previous awareness of Korean culture are humming K-pop songs and learning about gimbap (rice rolls) or Korean bathhouses. 

This early exposure is fostering what some call the “K-generation,” whose continuous engagement could lock in long-term global consumption of Korean content.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.