It looks like the ROK military is adjusting its recruitment standards in order to meet manpower needs with a shrinking population:

The South Korean military plans to introduce an adjustment program next year for service members from a multicultural background who face difficulties communicating in Korean, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday, as concerns mount over linguistic barriers and uneven support across units.

Under the new plan, recruits may voluntarily indicate their Korean-language communication ability when completing personal information forms for their physical examination. Those who feel their proficiency is insufficient will be eligible to join the program, which will consist of one week of adjustment training followed by five weeks of basic training. The additional week will also count toward mandatory service time.

The program, which is currently available four times a year to overseas permanent residents who voluntarily enlist, will be expanded to include soldiers with diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds beginning next year. Training will cover Korean-language practice, repeated instruction in daily and military expressions, etiquette education, unit-level communication drills, military-life simulations and base facility tours.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

This is actually smart of PM Takaichi to have a half American cabinet member lead the crackdown on illegal immigration and crime by foreigners so the usual suspects cannot claim racism:

Economic security minister Kimi Onoda, tapped to lead the government’s policies on foreign nationals, says she is committed to strictly enforcing regulations related to non-Japanese workers and land acquisitions by foreign nationals.

In a joint interview with media organizations including The Japan Times on Monday, Onoda, a first-time Cabinet member who has been named “minister in charge of a society of well-ordered and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals,” stressed the importance of cracking down on foreign nationals who do not follow rules in order to alleviate public concerns.

“There shouldn’t be a situation where law-abiding foreign residents find it harder to live here,” she said, noting that she has foreign roots as well. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she has an American father and a Japanese mother.

Japan Times

You can read more at the link.

It looks like this deal will allow South Korea via UAE to sell arms to Islamic militant groups in Africa that UAE is backing:

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to work together to export defense equipment and nuclear reactors to third countries, marking a significant expansion beyond their fast-growing bilateral trade in these sectors. President Lee Jae Myung’s aides announced the agreement Tuesday during a briefing in Abu Dhabi, following a summit between the leaders of the two nations.

Kang Hoon-sik, presidential chief of staff, told reporters that the two countries will elevate their defense cooperation by jointly developing defense equipment, establishing a manufacturing base in the UAE and pursuing defense sales not only to the UAE’s Middle Eastern neighbors but also to countries in Africa, Europe and North America.

The plan will “increase the likelihood” of South Korean defense exporters securing deals in these regions, Kang said, noting that the potential value of such contracts could reach a combined $15 billion.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

After 13 years since the sale of KEB happened it appears the Lone Star saga may finally be over:

An international arbitration body for investor–state dispute settlement has ruled in favor of South Korea in its challenge to the award for private equity fund Lone Star over its 2012 sale of a local bank, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Tuesday.

The International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)’s annulment committee has nullified the earlier decision ordering South Korea to pay Lone Star US$216.5 million in compensation plus interest, Kim said in a briefing.

“The government’s compensation liability, which was roughly 400 billion won based on the current exchange rate, has been retroactively extinguished,” Kim said. “I believe that, thanks to our people’s support, the country’s fortune is moving in a positive direction.” 

Under the latest ruling, Lone Star is required to pay South Korea’s legal costs incurred during the proceedings — about 7.3 billion won (US$4.98 million) — within 30 days, Kim added.

South Korea had appealed the ICSID’s 2022 ruling to pay the compensation to Lone Star, after the private equity fund filed a suit in 2012 claiming that the South Korean government interfered with the sale of Korea Exchange Bank (KEB), incurring $4.67 billion in losses.

The presidential office said it welcomes the ruling that has now “corrected the error.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but basically Lone Star made a bunch of much money in Korea by selling the Korea Exchange Bank and then tried to take its profits outside the country.  Their sale of the KEB led to large protests which caused the government to try and stop the sale any way it can. This all happened back in 2012 and was just one of a handful of anti-U.S. issues activists were using to stoke anti-American sentiment in Korea at the time.

Having ran in many races I have seen the growing rise in these races which is largely due to the fact they have become easy money makers for the organizations that put them on:

As running becomes one of South Korea’s fastest-growing pastimes, Seoul is facing a new challenge: a marathon calendar packed so tightly that major roads are blocked almost every weekend, prompting widespread complaints that the city’s fitness fever is pushing everyday life off course.

Streets in central districts, from Gwanghwamun and Jongno to the Han River bridges, have been repeatedly shut down for early-morning events that funnel tens of thousands of runners through the city’s most heavily trafficked corridors.

On Sunday, another large-scale race, hosted by a local media group, drew an estimated 30,000 participants. The course required step-by-step traffic control, diverting buses and vehicles throughout the morning.

For many residents and workers, however, it was a growing strain.

“It’s good to run for health, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of ordinary citizens,” said Kim Keon-ho, 72, who found himself rerouted Sunday morning. “The roads are all closed, but there’s little guidance on where to go. Elderly people struggle with the subway stairs, and yet that’s the only option they are told to use. It’s frustrating.” (………..)

Data shows a steep rise in both events and complaints.

National data submitted to Rep. Park Jeong-ha showed that the number of marathons held in Korea surged from 19 events in 2020 and 49 in 2021 to 254 in 2024, with more than 1 million participants, an increase of more than thirteenfold in four years.

With the trend, the frustration grew. According to Seoul city figures, public complaints tied to marathon traffic disruptions grew from 15 in 2021 to 69 in 2022, 498 in 2023 and 461 in 2024. Through September this year, 350 complaints had already been filed.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.