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It could soon become much more expensive for Korean students who graduated in the U.S. to find a job:
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is considering imposing a $100,000 fee on foreign students seeking to work in the United States after graduating from American universities, a news report said Thursday.
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that the administration is weighing the idea of attaching the fee to an “optional practical training (OPT)” program that allows foreign university graduates to work in the U.S. for one to three years on student visas.
The proposed measure, if implemented, could affect U.S. universities keen on attracting foreign students, as well as Silicon Valley and Wall Street firms that hire international college graduates for technical posts, the newspaper said.
You can read more at the link.
Ambassador Steel has a tough job ahead of her to get Korea to support the Trump agenda:
New U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel speaks to reporters after her arrival at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on July 30, 2026, to assume her post. (Yonhap)
Michelle Park Steel, the new U.S. ambassador to South Korea, on Friday called for joint efforts to write the “next chapter” in the Seoul-Washington alliance, stressing that the decadeslong partnership should remain “results oriented” and “forward leaning.”
You can read more at the link.
It appears the ROK Marine Corps was aware of the drone, but not the Army that nearly engaged it:
A warning sign in the border area of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, north of Seoul, indicates that the surrounding region is a drone no-fly zone, in this file photo taken Jan. 11, 2026. (Yonhap)
A mix-up over a U.S. spy drone flying near the inter-Korean border has raised questions about a potential communication gap between the allies after South Korean forces mistook the drone for an enemy threat and had almost prepared to shoot it down.
On Thursday, the unmanned flying vehicle was spotted in the buffer zone, known as the Civilian Control Line, south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating the two Koreas.
The Army’s 1st Corps, responsible for front-line defense, activated Durumi, an anti-air defense alert system issued in the event of an enemy drone incursion, and used surveillance equipment, including thermal observation devices (TOD) and radar, to identify the drone.
The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) later said it was a U.S. military drone belonging to its Marine Corps carrying out an operation during a combined exercise with the South Korean Marines near the border.
You can read more at the link.
It is looking less likely troop reductions will be coming to South Korea if this NDAA gets signed into law:
The $1.15 trillion defense policy bill passed by the House last week places further restrictions on the use of federal funds to reduce the number of U.S. service members stationed on the Korean Peninsula. The House on July 22 approved its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027, which authorizes appropriations for the Pentagon, military construction and defense-related Department of Energy activities. The measure squeaked by, 216 to 212. The bill’s provision on U.S. military posture in South Korea amends language from the current fiscal year’s version to further limit the use of federal funds to reduce the U.S. military presence on the peninsula.
You can read more at the link.
So who believes President Lee is genuine in his claim that he will not seek a second term?:
President Lee Jae Myung has ruled out seeking a second term following a potential revision of the Constitution, his chief of staff said Wednesday after the parliamentary speaker made remarks interpreted as leaving the possibility open.
National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik told a press conference the previous day that it would be up to the people to decide whether to revise the Constitution to allow an incumbent president to seek another term.
Currently, the Constitution limits presidents to a single, five-year term and stipulates that an amendment to extend the term will not be effective for the president in office at the time the amendment is proposed.
You can read more at the link.
