If they can get this project to look like what it was projected to be it would actually be pretty cool, however right now it doesn’t even look like a tree:

A South Korean port city’s attempt to build a landmark attraction to draw visitors has run into public backlash, with critics calling its new 34.4 billion won ($24.8 million) “Big Tree” observation tower a costly disappointment.

The Big Tree, which rises 46.5 meters in Changwon, southeastern South Korea, was inspired by the towering Supertrees at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. It was designed to anchor Daesang Park, a public-private partnership development worth about 1 trillion won ($720 million), and to serve as a draw for both domestic and international visitors.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Does anyone really believe heat is what caused the downsize of UFS or the Lee administration trying to play nice with North Korea?:

South Korea and the United States began their annual large-scale military exercise Monday, with all eyes on whether North Korea will respond with warnings or provocations.

The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which aims to strengthen combined defense readiness against potential threats, particularly from North Korea, will be carried out for 11 days and concludes on Aug. 28.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said this year’s exercise would be held on a scale similar to last year’s, with about 18,000 South Korean troops taking part. The level of US participation is expected to be similar, though neither the JCS nor US Forces Korea disclosed an exact figure of the US troops.

Throughout the 11 days, troops will participate in both live and computer-simulated command post exercises and field training exercises (FTX). However, of the roughly 40 FTXs planned for this year, about half, or 20, have been postponed until September.

The JCS cited extreme heat, the need to ensure training safety and efforts to maintain a balanced combined defense posture throughout the year as reasons behind the postponement.

However, observers believe the postponement of some exercises is aligned with the Lee Jae Myung administration’s gestures for an inter-Korean thaw. The decision was made after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s influential sister Kim Yo-jong criticized the exercises, saying they have “no interest” in reviving talks with Seoul, in a statement carried by Pyongyang’s state media in July.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but the Kim regime was not impressed by the downsized UFS.

This is not a bad choice, Kang Kyung-wha is a bit naive about North Korea, but overall I did not have too many issues with her when she was the ROK Foreign Minister during the Moon administration:

Former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is likely to be soon appointed as South Korea’s top envoy to the United States, sources familiar with the issue said Monday.

If confirmed, Kang, who served as South Korea’s top diplomat from 2017 to 2021 under former President Moon Jae-in, will become the Lee Jae Myung administration’s first ambassador to Washington.

“President Lee is soon likely to appoint ambassadors to the United States, Japan, China and Russia,” a ruling bloc official told Yonhap News Agency by phone. “Among these countries, I understand some have begun (appointment) procedures.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The big question is what is the North Koreans doing to restore these agreements, or will it all be one sided:

Lee said the South under his leadership will respect the North’s current system and that it will not pursue any form of unification by absorption. 

He also said that Seoul will take “proactive, gradual steps” to restore the Sept. 19 military agreement, signed between the two sides in 2018 to reduce border tensions.

“If small, practical steps pile up like pebbles, mutual trust will be restored. The path to peace will widen, and a foundation will be laid for South and North Korea to grow together,” Lee said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but that is the problem with the Korean left; they actually think the North Koreans want peace. The North Korean system of government cannot survive if there is peace with the South. The Kim regime uses the unification of the Korean peninsula by removing the U.S. imperialists and the traitorous ROK government as a rationale for their continued one party rule. Without the goal of reunifying the peninsula what unifying ideology would the Kim regime be left with to justify their rule?

For those living in Seoul there is a civil defense drill scheduled for this week:

An anti–air raid evacuation exercise will take place across Seoul at 2 p.m. on Wednesday as part of civil defense drills designed to strengthen public response capabilities in the event of missile launches or other national emergencies.

When the air raid siren sounds at 2 p.m., citizens will be required to evacuate to the nearest shelter or underground safe facility and remain there for 15 minutes.

Vehicles traveling in restricted traffic zones, including Sejong-daero in central Seoul, must stop and pull over to the side of the road, remaining stationary for five minutes.

The air raid warning will be lifted at 2:20 p.m.

KBS World

You can read more at the link.

As long as China remains threatening to its South China Sea neighbors, the U.S. should base anti-ship and aircraft missiles throughout the Philippines:

The United States is discussing the possible deployment of more missile launchers to the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against aggression in the disputed South China Sea and other Asian security hotspots, but no final decision has been reached by both sides, Manila’s ambassador to Washington said Thursday.

The U.S. military delivered a mid-range missile system called the Typhon, a land-based weapon that can fire the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, to the northern Philippines as part of joint combat exercises in April last year. That was followed by the transport by the U.S. military of an anti-ship missile launcher in April this year to the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes, just a sea border away from Taiwan.

Beijing strongly protested the installation of the U.S. missile systems, saying they were aimed at containing China’s rise and warning that these would threaten regional stability. China has asked the Philippines to withdraw the missile launchers from its territory, but officials led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had rejected the demand.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.