I am in agreement with Lt. Gen. Winter that the rules that govern the DMZ should not be tampered with for no good reason:

The deputy commander of the U.N. Command (UNC) has stressed the need for prudence in any changes regarding the control and use of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, calling the armistice a “proven framework.”

Lt. Gen. Scott Winter made the remarks as the U.S.-led UNC has objected to bills seeking to promote the peaceful use of the military buffer zone, citing safety and the need to adhere to the armistice agreement.

Currently, the UNC administers the DMZ as the southern enforcer of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

“What I would say is that when you’ve got a proven framework that works so well, I’d be very wary of doing anything that could change what is already working extremely well,” Winter said in an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency on Thursday.

“We need to be very wary about anything that undermines the integrity of a system of management and de-escalation that has worked so well for such a long period of time,” he said, when asked about a report on Seoul’s defense ministry suggesting to the UNC managing parts of the southern half of the DMZ, without directly commenting on the proposal.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

So will President Lee be saying political violence is a threat to democracy the next time KCTU thugs attack someone?:

 President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday called political violence a “grave threat” to democracy that cannot be justified under any circumstances, following a shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner.

Lee made the remarks after U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday an alleged shooter from California had been apprehended after gunfire erupted at the annual event in Washington.

“Political violence is a grave threat that undermines the very foundation of democracy and can never be justified under any circumstances,” Lee wrote in a message on X, formerly Twitter, posted in both Korean and English.

“It is especially regrettable that such an incident occurred at an event meant to reaffirm the role of the press and freedom of speech,” Lee said, adding he is “deeply shocked” by the violent incident.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

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.

Yonhap

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 China’s 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.

Stars & Stripes

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.”

Fox News

You can read more at the link.