This was a pretty big drug bust in South Korea that was facilitated by the US Coast Guard:

Police said Wednesday that they have seized more than 100 kilograms of cocaine smuggled into the Port of Taean.

According to the Korea Coast Guard, police found 100.764kg of cocaine ― worth roughly 300 billion won ($250 million) ― hidden in plastic bags on a ship that entered the port on Sunday.

The ship, loaded with coal, left Colombia on July 7 and stopped in Singapore on the way to Korea, police said.

Police said they tracked the ship after receiving information from the United States Coast Guard about the illegal drug.

Police are now interrogating the ship’s 20 Filipino crew members to find out whether any of them colluded in the alleged crime.

Korea Times

But how else is the Moon administration going to draw attention away from their latest corruption scandal if they don’t play the Dokdo card?:

South Korea’s military drills on its easternmost islets of Dokdo were “not productive” in the country’s current row with Japan, the U.S. State Department said Tuesday.

The comment comes a day after South Korea concluded a two-day exercise on and around Dokdo, drawing protests from Japan, which lays claims to the islets.

In a statement, a department spokesperson said Washington does not take a position in the territorial dispute but regards the drills as unhelpful in light of the two countries’ ongoing dispute over trade and wartime forced labor.

“The question of the sovereignty of these islands is for the ROK and Japan to resolve peacefully,” the spokesperson said on condition of anonymity, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

“Given the recent disagreements between the ROK and Japan, the timing, messaging, and increased scale of military drills at Liancourt Rocks are not productive toward resolving ongoing issues,” the spokesperson continued, using the Franco-English name for the rocky outcroppings in the East Sea.

“We encourage the ROK and Japan to have committed, sincere discussions on resolving these disputes,” added the spokesperson.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The talk of economic self reliance from President Moon could be construed as “juche“, but he is really promoting bringing back production to Korea from overseas plants:

President Moon Jae-in said it was time for Korea to protect its economy on the day Japan officially removed Korea from its so-called white list of countries that receive preferential export treatment.  

“We have no choice but to protect our economy at a time when free and fair trade is being shaken by trade retaliation for political purposes,” Moon said on Wednesday while attending a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Hyundai Mobis plant in Ulsan. “What we need now is the will and confidence to protect our economy on our own.” 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

I guess the Moon administration does not like hearing the truth:

South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young on Wednesday asked the United States to refrain from public messaging against Seoul’s recent decision to terminate a military information-sharing pact with Japan, a source here said.

Cho met with U.S. Ambassador Harry Harris to make the request as Washington has repeatedly expressed disappointment and concerns in a rare public rebuke of Seoul’s decision to end the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but remember that Ambassador Harris was the former INDOPACOM commander and the GSOMIA was a major accomplishment during that timeframe that INDOPACOM is a facilitator of.

This is an interesting idea considering how popular electric scooters are becoming:

Hyundai Motor Group on Tuesday unveiled an electric scooter that can be mounted inside a vehicle and charged with the electricity generated while driving.

The product is an upgrade to a concept model Hyundai Motor first introduced in 2017.

The group said it is considering including electric scooters as an upgrade option in newly launched cars from Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors from 2021 so drivers can conveniently continue to their destination after parking their car.

The scooter, according to Hyundai, will be charged automatically when mounted in a dedicated space in the vehicle through electricity generated from driving. When drivers reach parking lots, they can take out the scooter and continue on to their final destination.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

Chosun Ilbo column says ROK is losing it's long term Jaanese supporters in Japan due to Moon Jae-in's anti-Japanism drive. It also says Japanese citizens even think economic sanctions on ROK are OK to proceed. It appears SKorea crossed line for no return.https://t.co/eV0LSyywsI

— bmk218 (@bmk218) August 25, 2019

How come I feel this is just a big dog and pony show to help smooth the way towards Cho Kuk nomination approval next week?:

The prosecution began investigating allegations surrounding justice minister nominee Cho Kuk and his family, Tuesday, carrying out large-scale search and seizure raids on a dozen schools and other facilities linked to the suspicions.

According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, investigators conducted searches at Busan Medical Center, and Seoul National (SNU), Korea, Dankook and Kongju National universities for evidence related to the allegations of preferential treatment given to Cho’s daughter in her college admissions and receipt of scholarships.

The law enforcement agency also sent investigators to a private equity firm that Cho made a huge investment in amid suspicions that he tried to transfer his wealth to his children without paying taxes; as well as a private school foundation run by his mother. 

Currently, 11 complaints have been filed with the prosecution regarding the scandal. 

“As public concern has been raised over the allegations against Cho, we decided to conduct the raids to clarify the facts,” a prosecutor said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but would anyone be surprised if the Blue House announces that these raids produced no evidence thus Cho’s nomination should be approved next week.

I don’t think anyone doubts North Korea’s economic potential, the real question is if their economic potential can be reached and the Kim regime still remains in power:

U.S. President Donald Trump again touted North Korea’s “tremendous” economic potential on Monday, seemingly urging the regime to return to denuclearization talks.

The negotiations have yet to resume despite Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s agreement to do so within several weeks after their impromptu meeting on the inter-Korean border on June 30.

“I think that North Korea has tremendous economic potential, and I think that Kim Jong-un sees that,” Trump said at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the conclusion of a Group of Seven summit in Biarritz, France.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.