No decision has been made but the ROK government is clearly considering it:

South Korea’s presidential office on Thursday rejected a report claiming the government is considering sending troops to the conflict-stricken Hormuz Strait.

“It is different from the facts. Details related to the issue have yet to be decided,” Cheong Wa Dae said in a notice to reporters.

The presidential office reiterated its previous stance that South Korea has been in discussions with other nations on how it could contribute to restoring peace and stability in the Middle East and inside the strait.

Earlier in the day, local broadcaster JTBC reported that the government is “leaning toward” dispatching troops to the Strait of Hormuz and is reviewing related details to submit a request for a parliamentary approval to the National Assembly.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link. However, sending a detachment of troops to the UAE for example, for a counter drone mission would help a key ROK partner in the Middle East and win favor with President Trump.

The Japanese are definitely trying to improve the quality of foreigners living in Japan:

The most drastic shifts impact those who plan to stay in Japan for the longest – those applying for permanent residency, a status that grants rights to work, unlimited entries, and infinite stay.

Effective from October, applicants are required to have an income level higher than that of average Japanese households. And from next April, aspiring permanent residents need to have a projected pension fund equivalent to 30 years of payouts. They also have to speak intermediate-level Japanese.

“Considering that permanent resident is the most stable status of residence, this revision makes necessary updates to the application of independent livelihood and national interest requirements to ensure applicants do not become a public burden,” said Hiraguchi during a press conference last month.

Earlier this year, the government also tightened rules for foreign business owners, raising the capital requirement of a business manager visa popular among entrepreneurs from five million yen ($31,000) to 30 million ($126,000).

CNN

You can read more at the link, but how many foreigners in the U.S. do people think would get deported if similar requirements were required?

I didn’t even realize this website was still active for people to report every Sea of Japan labeling they see in foreign media:

This week, a decade-old government hotline built to correct the world’s mistakes about Korea marks a milestone: roughly 20,000 error reports logged and answered since it opened.

The service, called Facts: Korea, launched Sept. 1, 2016, under a prime ministerial directive, initially run by the ministry’s now-defunct Korean Culture and Information Service before the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism took it over directly in 2024. Anyone — Korean or foreign — can flag an error about the country through the website factsaboutkorea.go.kr or via the mobile app in Korean or 10 other languages: English, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic and Indonesian.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

According to the article at least they are not spending all the increased tax revenue money, but doesn’t say how much:

South Korea will raise government spending by 12.8 percent to a record 820.9 trillion won ($599.5 billion) in 2027, the fastest increase on record, as surging tax revenue gives Seoul room to expand investment in artificial intelligence, strategic industries and social programs.

Under the government’s medium-term fiscal plan, annual spending is projected to surpass 1,000 trillion won for the first time in 2030, reaching 1,005.2 trillion won, while national debt rises to 1,734.1 trillion won. The debt-to-GDP ratio, however, is expected to remain below 50 percent at 49 percent.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.