Tag: South Korea

It seems Trump really loves South Korea when its companies are creating American jobs:

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that “I love South Korea,” despite his earlier show of displeasure over a lack of support by Seoul and other allies for the United States’ military operation against Iran.

Trump made the remarks during a press availability at the White House, soon after Seoul and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance shipbuilding cooperation as part of last year’s bilateral trade and investment agreement.

“I love South Korea,” he said in response to a reporter’s question about his social media post on Monday that Iran fired at a South Korean-operated cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz — a claim that Tehran has denied.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The Lee administration probably wants to drag out this investigation of the explosion on the ROK cargo ship in order to prevent having to answer hard questions on what to do in response to if it was an Iranian strike:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday rebutted U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that a Korean-operated vessel was attacked as it was acting on its own without U.S. protection in the Strait of Hormuz — a focal point of the ongoing war between the U.S. and Iran.

“The corresponding ship, for several days before the fire broke out, had been anchored in the relevant waters near the United Arab Emirates on the inner side of the Strait of Hormuz,” the ministry said in a statement.

The remarks followed an explosion of unidentified cause that triggered a fire aboard the HMM Namu, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier operated by Korean shipping company HMM, Monday.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Let me get this straight, President Lee gets to choose who the special counsel will be that will have the power to acquit him of all the corruption charges he previously faced before becoming President? Could you imagine if Trump did something like this, the left in the U.S. would be going crazy. However, in Korea you will hear nothing from the left there:

Hong Ihk-pyo, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, speaks at a press briefing at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on May 4, 2026. (Yonhap)

 President Lee Jae Myung has stressed the need for public input and careful deliberation, a presidential official said Monday, as the ruling Democratic Party (DP) pushes for a special probe into allegations that he was indicted in multiple cases based on fabricated evidence during the previous administration.

Hong Ihk-pyo, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, made the remarks at a press briefing, citing the president, after the DP proposed a bill last week to mandate a special counsel probe.

The bill calls for an independent investigation into suspicions that the prosecution under the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration indicted Lee, then head of the main opposition party, in multiple cases, including a real estate development scandal, based on fabricated probes and evidence.

Lee was standing trials on various charges before proceedings were suspended or indefinitely postponed after he took office in June last year.

The bill allows a special counsel to take over Lee’s cases from the prosecution and decide whether to proceed with them, while giving the president the authority to appoint the counsel from among three recommended candidates. 

Opposition lawmakers have argued that the proposed bill would give the special counsel grounds to drop charges against Lee, calling it a move to acquit him in the cases.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but wouldn’t it be funny that if another Korean conservative takes power that they choose a special counsel to investigate the special counsel that dropped charges against Lee in order to reinstate them? We all know these charges will be dropped because otherwise President Lee would not be doing this.

It looks like the Iranians through a tantrum and went after a docked ship after the U.S. military successfully brought ships through the supposedly closed Strait of Hormuz. Fortunately it doesn’t appear anyone was hurt on the South Korean ship:

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran has taken shots at a South Korean cargo ship and other targets, noting that it is time for Seoul to participate in a mission to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Trump made the remarks in a social media post as the United States launched an operation, called Project Freedom, to guide commercial vessels stranded by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, out of the waterway, a key shipping route for oil, fertilizer and other commodities.

“Iran has taken some shots at unrelated Nations with respect to the Ship Movement, PROJECT FREEDOM, including a South Korean Cargo Ship. Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“We’ve shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, ‘fast’ Boats. It’s all they have left. Other than the South Korean Ship, there has been, at this moment, no damage going through the Strait,” he added.

Trump’s comment on the South Korean vessel came after Seoul’s foreign ministry said that an explosion occurred on a Panama-flagged ship operated by HMM Co., a major South Korean shipping firm, in the Strait of Hormuz, and that the cause of the explosion is under investigation.

The ship was anchored in waters near the United Arab Emirates within the strait. It was carrying 24 crew members on board — six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals. No casualties were reported.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the Iranians could sink a South Korean ship and I doubt the Lee administration would do anything about it other than issuing a strongly worded letter. Most of the world realizes the closure of the Strait is a major problem and breach of international law, but would instead prefer the U.S. to do the heavy lifting to open it. They blame the Trump administration for the current conflict while ignoring the fact what would happen if Iran acquired a nuclear weapon and then decided to charge tolls on the Strait? What would the world do then in that scenario? Issue lots of strongly worded letters?

These analysts make no sense when they claim that Korea could send ships to protect civilians vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz only if the safety of their Naval ships can be guaranteed. If there was no threat then there would be no need for a naval escort. A naval escort is needed precisely because there is a threat:

Under the current circumstances, a security analyst said, it is a good choice for Seoul to expand its participation in multinational coalitions, led by either the U.S. or the U.K. and France, but warned that it could “complicate the possible deployment of military assets when required.”

“We don’t have a clear picture of how the coalitions will develop, especially considering the unpredictable nature of Trump,” he said on condition of anonymity.

The analyst listed possible military operations, including protecting civilian vessels and conducting mine-clearing activities. “These activities should be carefully coordinated, considering the limited assets we can deploy, with guarantees on the safety of these assets as a prerequisite,” he said.

According to military and security sources, two feasible early-stage contribution options for the U.S.- and European-led coalitions may include sending liaison officers or personnel to multinational force headquarters to facilitate communication, or engaging in intelligence sharing.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This phone call iwill accomplish nothing to reopen the Strait, but creates the appearance that the ROK government is “doing something” to reopen the Strait and lower gas prices:

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (R) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during their meeting on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 25, 2025, in this file photo provided by South Korea’s foreign ministry.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held phone talks with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Saturday and called for the resumption of safe navigation of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign ministry said.

During the talks, Cho noted that South Korean and other international vessels remain anchored in the crucial waterway, stressing the need to ensure their safe resumption of navigation, according to the ministry.

He also expressed hope for the swift restoration of peace and stability, citing the broader impact of the conflict on global security and the economy, while Araghchi outlined Iran’s position on negotiations with the United States.

The call marked the third conversation between the two ministers since the conflict began in late February following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, with the latest call made at the request of the Iranian side, the ministry added.

A total of 26 South Korean vessels, with more than 170 crew members on board, have been stranded in the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the war.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is a pretty cool training exercise, but you would think the Canadians would have been able to send more than just 44 Soldiers for this training:

Army troops of South Korea and Canada launched joint high-tech military drills in South Korea for the first time earlier this week, officials said Friday, as part of efforts to bolster bilateral military ties between the two nations.

The 11-day exercise, which runs through April 30, is under way at the Korea Combat Training Center (KCTC), a facility employing advanced technologies for realistic ground drills, in the mountainous county of Inje, some 125 kilometers northeast of Seoul, according to Army officials.

A group of 44 soldiers from the Canadian Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, an Army regiment that served in the 1950-53 Korean War, has been deployed to train alongside South Korean troops from the 7th Infantry Division.

The joint training comes as the Canadian troops visited South Korea to commemorate the 75th anniversary of a key battle that took place in the northern county of Gapyeong in April 1951 at the height of the three-year war.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I also recommend reading my prior posting about Canadian troops that fought in the Battle of Kapyong: