Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.
When you think about it, it is kind of embarrassing for Moscow to have relied on North Korea to recapture Russian territory. It would be like the U.S. relying on Canada to recapture part of Arizona if Mexico ever attacked the U.S.:
North Korea and Russia are dramatically expanding high-level exchanges, with three Russian ministers visiting the North at the same time, as they mark the first anniversary of the recapture of the Kursk region next week amid Moscow’s war with Ukraine, according to Pyongyang’s state media Thursday.
Sectoral working-level meetings to boost North Korea-Russia cooperation and exchanges were held at a hotel in the Wonsan-Kalma eastern seaside resort region the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
The meetings brought together Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov, who serves as the Russian chair of the bilateral committee on trade and economic cooperation; North Korea’s External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong-ho; Russia’s Health Minister Mikhail Murashko; North Korea’s Public Health Minister Kim Tu-won and others.
You can read more at the link.
Here is an example of the Japanese defense industry expanding into export markets:
Australia will purchase 11 Japanese-built Mogami-class frigates, with the first delivery expected in 2029, officials from both countries announced, underscoring growing defense ties amid concerns about Chinaβs military expansion. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi unveiled the deal Saturday aboard the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force frigate JS Kumano in Melbourne. The contract, valued at up to $10 billion, calls for initial ships to be built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with later vessels potentially constructed in Australia by Austal, according to Australian government statements.
You can read more at the link.
This news shouldn’t be surprising considering President Lee’s track record of being welcoming to China:
Members of Congress blasted South Korean leadership over a “left-wing government closely aligned with China,” that they accused of “attacking” American companies and showing favoritism to Chinese-led businesses.
In a letter led by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., more than 50 members of the House of Representatives expressed their concern to Republic of Korea (ROK) Ambassador to the United States Kyung-wha Kang over what they deemed to be “discriminatory” business practices from the ROK.
“Many American tech companies have faced a range of regulatory actions that seek to punish them while shielding Korean domestic competition,” the letter reads. “Recent research by think tank Competere shows such regulatory actions by the ROK government will cost $1 trillion in combined economic damage to the U.S. and Korean economies over the next 10 years, with the U.S. economy losing $525 billion and American households losing nearly $4,000 each.”
You can read more at the link.
It is all lies according to the ROK Defense Minister:
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Wednesday denied recent media reports that the top commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) lodged a protest over the unification minister’s public disclosure of classified U.S. information about a hidden North Korean nuclear facility.
Speaking before lawmakers at a parliamentary session, Ahn dismissed speculation that the U.S. is scaling back its intelligence-sharing with Seoul on North Korea in protest of the alleged leak.
“That is not true at all,” Ahn said, responding to a question by Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party. “It would be inappropriate in light of South Korea-U.S. military diplomacy for the USFK commander to have lodged protest with South Korea’s defense minister.”
You can read more at the link, but is anyone buying his claims?
I have literally heard of the U.S. transferring OPCON for over 20 years, so forgive me if this is one of those issues I will need to see before I believe it will happen:
South Korea and the United States aim to meet conditions required for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul no later than the first quarter of 2029, the top U.S. general in the Asian country said Wednesday.
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Xavier Brunson made the remarks during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s administration seeks to retake wartime OPCON from the U.S. before its five-year term ends in 2030.
You can read more at the link.
Cherry blossom trees are in full bloom with N Seoul Tower in the background at Namsan Park in central Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
