As I have long said the only way Yoon is getting out of jail is if another conservative becomes President and pardons him:

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a seven-year prison term for former President Yoon Suk Yeol for obstructing justice by blocking investigators from detaining him in the wake of his failed martial law bid in 2024.

The sentence was the top court’s first ruling for Yoon, who has been standing a total of eight trials in connection with his surprise declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. The main trial on charges of leading an insurrection has been ongoing at an appellate court after a lower court sentenced him to life in prison.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

President Lee is cleverly calling the $100 million recovery and reconstruction funds in order to not offend Moscow:

President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of their bilateral summit at a hotel in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung had his first bilateral summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Wednesday. Lee announced a $100 million comprehensive support package for war-torn Ukraine, and they discussed how to handle North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) in the country in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see how attractive this visa ends up becoming:

South Korea has launched its digital nomad visa with more relaxed eligibility requirements than those applied during its pilot program, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday.

The F-1-D visa, also known as the “workation” visa, became officially available on June 30. It allows foreign nationals employed by overseas companies to live in Korea while working remotely, unlike a work visa, which requires employment with a Korean employer.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

It seems President Lee unlike some leaders in Europe has been doing a good job managing his relationship with Trump:

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump had follow-up discussions on Trump’s earlier request for Seoul’s assistance in building military vessels at the ongoing North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit, Lee’s presidential spokesperson said Wednesday.

The two held such discussions the previous day at a dinner banquet hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, according to Kang Yu-jung.

Lee earlier said the U.S. president had asked him whether South Korea could help build U.S. military vessels when they met at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, last month.

In response, Lee said he would cooperate with Trump’s request as fully as possible, highlighting the advanced capabilities of South Korea’s shipbuilding companies, according to Kang.

The leaders also agreed to continue working-level consultations between their countries to discuss details of the proposed cooperation. 

The encounter between Lee and Trump came just three weeks after they met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.

The leaders recalled their promise at the G7 summit to play golf together, and agreed to pursue Lee’s visit to the United States at an appropriate time, which could include a round of golf, the spokesperson said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

China is apparently trying to intimidate other South Pacific states from joining Australia’s security alliance:

“China has conducted a long-range missile test in the South Pacific just hours after Australia signed a defence agreement with Fiji, sparking condemnation from Canberra and regional leaders.

The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the missile test was “destabilising” to the region while her New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, described it as “deeply concerning”.

A ⁠test missile topped with ‌a ‌dummy warhead landed ‌in “designated waters” of the Pacific, China’s state news agency Xinhua ‌reported on Monday. The missile test was a “routine arrangement” of China’s annual ⁠military training, with prior notification to relevant countries, Xinhua said.

The Guardian

You can read more at the link.

People really need to chill with the hate for Hong Myung-bo because it is getting pretty ridiculous:

Koreans in Los Angeles had hoped to watch Korea play there during the World Cup knockout stage. Instead, they are reacting to the arrival of former coach Hong Myung-bo, whose handling of the national team’s World Cup campaign has made him one of the country’s most criticized sports figures. 

Hong arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday, just days after stepping down following Korea’s disappointing World Cup exit. His departure came as lawmakers prepared to question football officials over the Korea Football Association’s (KFA) handling of the national team amid growing calls for accountability over its performance.

The frustration was evident not only in online posts but also on storefronts across Los Angeles’ Korean community.

Photos shared on Threads and Instagram showed restaurants, cafes and grocery stores posting signs barring Hong from entering. One proposal gained traction on the Korean American online forum MissyUSA, where a user suggested local business owners join in.

“In Korea, he probably thinks he can walk away and people will eventually forget,” the user wrote. “There are plenty of Korean-owned businesses here. Let’s all put up ‘Hong Myung-bo, Get Out’ signs.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but fortunately for Hong there are many other establishments he can go to in LA that don’t care who he is. This is all performative theater for social media clicks.