The June 2000 summit was bought and paid for by the Korean government via Hyundai in what became known as the Cash for Summit Scandal. At the time North Korea was desperate for cash and agreed to the summit. This is not the case now since the Kim regime is having their cash and resource needs met currently by the Russians and thus have no incentive to cut a deal with the South Koreans:
President Lee Jae Myung (L) attends a special Mass at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, celebrated by Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik (R) on June 14, 2026. (Yonhap)
President Lee Jae Myung said Sunday he believes the “ember of hope” for reviving dialogue and cooperation with North Korea still exists, reaffirming his commitment to making the utmost efforts to establish peace with Pyongyang. (……)
Lee referred to the inter-Korean joint statement adopted June 15, 2000, calling it a “historic turning point” that, he said, signaled the possibility of overcoming inter-Korean tensions and opening up dialogue and cooperation.
The president noted the first inter-Korean joint statement had led to reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, as well as humanitarian cooperation and other exchanges, opening the door to new hopes for building peace on the Korean Peninsula.
You can read more at the link.
The article doesn’t say, but it appears that this South Korean ship was one of the 200 that President Trump said successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz with the assistance of the U.S. military:
Another vessel operated by a South Korean shipper has successfully passed through the crisis-stricken Strait of Hormuz, marking the second case of its kind, Seoul’s oceans ministry said Thursday.
The vessel is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier operated by a Korean shipping company under a charter agreement with a foreign party, with eight Korean crew members on board, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Details of the ship, the company and the foreign charterer were undisclosed.
The ministry said the decision was made through consultations between the Korean shipper and the foreign charterer.
The vessel is headed to a different destination than South Korea, it added.
With the latest case, the number of South Korean vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz went down to 24 from 25, with the number of Korean sailors down to 139 from 147.
You can read more at the link.
The irony of this is that the ROK government wants an apology from the Japanese for World War II atrocities and the Japanese have apology fatigue from giving too many apologies:
On foreign policy, Lee said efforts to deepen military cooperation with Japan would face limits unless Tokyo addresses historical grievances with what he described as a “sincere” apology for its 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.
Lee revealed that he had explained to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that a military logistics support agreement would be difficult to pursue despite its practical necessity, following their summit in his hometown of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, on May 19.
“Northeast Asia’s security issues are somewhat complex. In the long run, I believe we should move toward a multilateral security system,” Lee said
Lee, however, concurrently disclosed that he had cautioned during the summit that South Korean public sentiment toward Japan remains a significant hurdle.
“On the issue of a military logistics support agreement, many people in the Republic of Korea would say, ‘What are you talking about?’ Yet from my perspective, there is a practical necessity for it,” said Lee.
“But practical necessity is one thing. Emotionally, many of our people still find it difficult to accept at this point. If I say things like this, I’ll get into trouble. So I told her, ‘Please understand our position as well.'”
The agreement, formally known as an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, would allow the two neighboring US allies to share and mutually procure military supplies and logistical support, including fuel, food and ammunition. Japan has sought to conclude such an arrangement with South Korea.
Lee suggested that a sincere Japanese apology over historical issues remains a prerequisite for deeper military cooperation and a genuinely closer bilateral relationship.
You can read more at the link.
Here is another positive sign of the ever improving ROK-Japan relationship:
South Korea and Japan resumed joint maritime search-and-rescue drills Sunday for the first time in nine years, ending a hiatus caused by years of political and military tensions. The South Korean navy announced May 30 that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force would participate in the exercise, known as SAREX, in international waters southeast of Jeju Island. The training included the rescue of a distressed vessel, shipboard firefighting, emergency medical treatment and helicopter operations, according to the announcement and photos released Sunday by the South Korean navy.
You can read more at the link.
With the number of protesters dropping to just 950 this shows that the government’s vow to investigate what happened with the ballot shortage must have helped defuse the situation. It will probably be blamed on incompetence of some kind and someone being fired:
Hundreds of protesters rallied for a fourth straight day Monday outside a vote-counting facility in Seoul, demanding a new election over ballot shortages during last week’s local elections.
As of 9:30 a.m., approximately 950 protesters surrounded SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Songpa Ward, according to an unofficial police estimate. Protesters blocked the stadium’s 10 entrances to prevent the removal of ballot boxes.
It marked a sharp drop in the number of protesters after around 8,000 people gathered around midnight Sunday.
The protests have continued after voting was temporarily suspended at 22 polling stations nationwide on Wednesday due to a lack of ballot papers, according to the National Election Commission (NEC).
You can read more at the link.
Considering that they made multiple trips to South Korea to film U.S. and Korean airbases it seems to me that Chinese intelligence was hoping to use high school student in an effort to avoid detection. It worked until a local resident finally noticed them and called police:
Two Chinese nationals were sentenced to prison Thursday for illegally filming fighter jets at several South Korean and U.S. military facilities and attempting to intercept traffic control communications.
The Suwon District Court sentenced an 18-year-old Chinese high school student to an indeterminate prison term of 1 1/2 to two years and a 20-year-old Chinese man to two years in prison, both for general treason. An indeterminate sentence is applied to minors under the juvenile law.
It is the first time in South Korea that a foreigner has been found guilty of general treason under the Criminal Act.
The court also ordered the confiscation of their cameras and other items used in the crime.
The two were arrested and indicted for taking hundreds of detailed photos of fighter jets taking off and landing at major air bases nationwide during multiple visits to South Korea between the second half of 2024 and March last year, when both were high school students.
They were found to have visited four South Korean and U.S. military facilities in Suwon, Osan, Pyeongtaek and Cheongju, as well as three major international airports — Incheon, Gimpo and Jeju. They were caught by police in March last year after a resident reported them for illegally filming fighter jets taking off and landing at Suwon Air Base.
You can read more at the link.
What the U.S. and Australia need to works towards is getting South Korea and Japan to participate in an exercise together in Australia instead of two separate ones running concurrently:
American soldiers and Marines helped kick off the largest Australian army exercise of the year alongside Japanese troops on Friday. Southern Jackaroo is slated to run until July 3 at Townsville Training Ground in the eastern state of Queensland, according to U.S. and Japanese officials. Marine Rotational Force-Darwin, the Alaska-based 11th Airborne Division, the Australian army’s Townsville-based 3rd Brigade and the Japan’s Middle Army are participating, according to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.
About 300 U.S. Marines are involved in the drill, along with 1,500 Australian troops and 400 from Japan, Capt. Kevin Hicks, a spokesman for the rotational Marines, said by email Friday. The Marines will “conduct offensive and defensive operations, live-fire platoon attacks, small-arms/indirect-fire employment, and a capstone multi-national combined-arms live-fire exercise,” he said. Southern Jackaroo “is the largest Australian Army exercise this year,” he said.
A Jackaroo is an Australian ranch hand. South Korean troops are also in Australia participating in Exercise Tiger Dingo, which runs concurrently with Southern Jackaroo, Hicks said. U.S. forces are training for littoral combat, which means jungle warfare, Australian defense researcher Allan Orr told Stars and Stripes by email Friday. “The only place in Australia that has a jungle environment is North Queensland,” he said of the area that encompasses Townsville.
You can read more at the link.
