Tag: South Korea

When it comes to the Taiwan issue China can be very petty here is another example of this:

China has put Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s planned visit to Korea on hold, raising concerns over recent changes to Korea’s electronic arrival card system, according to local media reports.

Reports said Seoul and Beijing had been coordinating Wang’s visit since earlier this year, but the Chinese side objected after Seoul removed the label “China (Taiwan)” from the departure and destination section of the electronic entry form last month.

The issue emerged after the Korean government announced on March 31 that it would eliminate the departure and destination selection field altogether from the electronic arrival card, following complaints from Taiwan over the wording.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

All I see is a lot of talk with no plan of action on what these countries plan to do to open the Strait of Hormuz other than wait for the U.S. to open it for them:

President Lee Jae Myung stressed the need for Korea and India to work together to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in an interview published Monday, also highlighting the need for joint efforts to stabilize global supply chains.

In a written interview with The Times of India, held before his summit talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he noted that the effective closure of the critical shipping route due to the prolonged conflict between the United States and Iran has been driving up global oil prices while also disrupting supply chains for key industrial materials.

“Both the Republic of Korea and India depend on the Middle East for a significant share of their energy supplies, including crude oil and natural gas. Accordingly, ensuring the security of critical maritime routes is essential to the safety of our peoples and the very survival of our nations,” Lee said, referring to Korea by its official name.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The way President Lee hasn’t tried to enflame anti-Japanese sentiment has been mildly surprising to me. His liberal predecessor President Moon was notorious for stoking anti-Japanese sentiment and preventing trilateral military cooperation. It is good to see President Lee has not followed suit on this so far:

Top naval commanders of South Korea, the United States and Japan gathered in Seoul on Wednesday to hold a series of talks aimed at strengthening their trilateral maritime security cooperation, the South’s Navy said.

The gathering brought together Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul, U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Stephen Koehler and Adm. Akira Saito, chief of staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, for bilateral talks and a trilateral dinner meeting, according to the armed service.

The meetings came amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, raising speculation over whether their talks would address the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

In the trilateral meeting, the three sides shared their perspectives on the regional maritime security environment in the Pacific and discussed ways to enhance cooperation. 

They also reportedly discussed ways to cooperate against North Korea’s efforts to strengthen its maritime prowess, as seen in the recent development of a 5,000-ton destroyer, Choe Hyon, and the test-firing of strategic cruise and anti-warship missiles from the naval destroyer.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

An early sign that the blockade is already working:

South Korea has no plans to pay Iran to get its stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, its top diplomat said Wednesday, noting that it does not intend to take any action that would run counter to the U.S.-led blockade of the shipping lane.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun made the remarks during a parliamentary session, in response to a lawmaker’s question about whether paying Iran a toll for transit would conflict with the U.S. Navy-led blockade aimed at preventing Tehran from taking control of the waterway.

“At this stage, we have no plans to pay Iran any form of compensation or to take any action that would run counter to what the United States has stated,” Cho told the National Assembly.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is a perfect example of why you have to be careful of what you post on X because so much information out there is not true:

The foreign ministry expressed regret Saturday over what it described as a “misunderstanding” by Israel of President Lee Jae Myung’s remarks on the situation in the Middle East.

In a post on its official X account, the ministry clarified that Lee’s comments reflect “an expression of his convictions regarding universal human rights rather than an opinion on any specific issue.”

The online diplomatic exchange began Friday when Lee shared a video purportedly showing members of the Israel Defense Forces mistreating a Palestinian boy.

Lee drew a parallel between the forced sexual servitude imposed on Korean women under Japanese colonial rule, the Holocaust and wartime killings.

In a follow-up post, he clarified that the video was dated from September 2024 and called for the upholding of human rights and international humanitarian law under all circumstances.

“Human rights are the last safeguard and a value that must never be traded away,” he wrote.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli foreign ministry issued a strong protest against Lee’s original post, calling it “unacceptable” and warranting “strong condemnation.”

It also disputed the relevance of the video, adding the content originated from an account “notorious for spreading anti-Israeli disinformation and falsehoods about Israel.”

In a subsequent post, Lee said it was “disappointing” that Israel had not taken the opportunity to reflect on the widespread criticism from people around the world regarding concerns over human rights and international humanitarian law.

Yonhap

Here is the X post that Lee posted:

Here is where Grok confirms the post is propaganda that Lee fell for:

You can read more at the link, but clearly President Lee is more comfortable taking shots at Israel with this X post than he is Iran. Why didn’t President Lee criticize the mullahs when they were busy massacring tens of thousands of protesters? You would think after the Gwangju Incident that the Korean left would be championing the human rights of any protesters being slaughtered by their government.

President Lee did not offer any ideas, but is he going to get fully behind nuclear to reduce dependency on oil?:

President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday it is time for the nation to fundamentally change its economic system, as rising oil prices and inflationary pressures from the war in the Middle East have dampened prospects of an economic recovery. 

However, Lee urged officials to embrace such grave economic conditions as an opportunity to improve the nation’s economic system as he presided over his first plenary meeting of the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) to discuss measures to cushion the Middle East conflict’s impact on the economy.

“The war in the Middle East poses a significant threat to our economy in the short term, and in the long term, it is now time to make fundamental changes in South Korea’s economic system,” Lee said. “It is a crisis but also an opportunity.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

South Korea is definitely in a tough spot and how they maneuver through it should be done in close coordination with Japan to create a more united front with another key U.S. ally:

Victor Cha

U.S. President Donald Trump could hit back at Korea by imposing more tariffs if Seoul secures an exemption from Iran for its ships’ transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. expert said Wednesday.

Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), made the remarks at a forum, noting that Seoul is faced with having to make the “least bad choice” among difficult options regarding its vessels stranded in shipping routes effectively blocked by Tehran.

Cha noted that Seoul engaging with Tehran to get its vessels through the waterway would be one of the less favorable options, a move that could “risk upsetting” Trump.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

If you think South Korea already has too many Chinese tourists, well it is about to get worse:

Repeat short-haul visits by Chinese travelers to Korea are expected to rise after Seoul eased multiple-entry visa rules, but analysts say the immediate impact may be limited because of growing competition from Southeast Asia and higher airfares linked to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.

The Korean embassy in Beijing announced that Chinese nationals who had previously visited Korea would now be eligible for a five-year multiple-entry visa.

Those holding residency status in 14 major cities — including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou — could also apply for 10-year multiple-entry visas, the embassy said this week. Employees of Chinese companies that have invested at least $1 million in Korea were also eligible for 10-year multiple-entry visas.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

President Lee can rest easy that he can take emergency actions without worrying about getting impeached unlike what happened to former President Yoon:

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday instructed senior officials to take bold measures to address concerns over the energy situation caused by the war in the Middle East, saying the government may issue an emergency economic decree if necessary.

“South Korea, which is highly dependent on external markets and relies heavily on energy supplies from the Middle East, requires more thorough inspections and detailed emergency measures,” Lee said during a Cabinet meeting.

Lee urged all relevant ministries to closely monitor the situation and take “preemptive and bold action” to ease concerns over potential disruptions of energy supply.

“Key raw materials, such as urea solution, helium and aluminum, should be strictly managed at levels equivalent to wartime supplies,” he said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.