I doubt Iran will do anything to target the Cheonghae unit because I think it would lead to broad international condemnation and likely an increased military response from the ROK:

Korea is facing a diplomatic challenge in convincing Iran that the Cheonghae Unit’s expanded mission closer to the Strait of Hormuz is not an intervention in the ongoing U.S.-Iran war, as the Middle Eastern country warned Korea could be “portrayed as an accomplice” of U.S. military attacks. 

Although Korea’s defense authorities reiterated that the unit’s expanded duties do not cover the strait but rather are aimed at protecting Korean vessels from piracy, experts say it seems Seoul’s message has not been delivered as intended. This raises concerns that Iran could view the move as entry into the war and lead to potential clashes.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is what an incoming Korea-American Congressman thinks of Trump’s Korea policies:

U.S. Representative-elect Dan Koh (D-MA) speaks during a House Progressive Caucus news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Nov. 8. Reuters-Yonhap

Korean American Congressman-elect Dan Koh expressed concern Wednesday over the state of the South Korea-U.S. alliance under President Donald Trump, pledging to help restore bilateral ties while questioning the prospects of productive diplomacy between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Koh, a Democrat who won a House seat representing Massachusetts in last week’s midterm elections, made the remarks during a press conference hosted by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in Washington.

“I’m very concerned about the relationship,” Koh said, stressing that the alliance should remain strong regardless of whether a Republican or Democratic president occupies the White House.

(……..)

“So I will be doing everything I can to be restoring the alliance that I felt was thriving under Joe Biden, where I worked in the Biden White House,” he said.

Asked about the possibility of Trump meeting North Korean leader Kim during his upcoming Asia trip, Koh said he supported diplomacy with North Korea but doubted that the president’s approach would produce constructive results for either South Korea or the United States.

“I do not think that this is a president who’s going to look for a productive, peaceful progress forward between South and North Korea,” Koh said. “I think he’s looking for notes on how to be a dictator, and I don’t think that we should be playing that game.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the Trump administration’s North Korea outreach may lead to nothing, but I think it is fair to also ask what did the Biden administration accomplish with their North Korea policy?

Look who has popped up in the media again to push an anti-Trump narrative:

Korea’s push to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) of its military is not just an attempt to reclaim military sovereignty, but a necessary response to a fundamental shift in the United States’ foreign and security policy, according to Moon Chung-in, a former presidential special adviser.

In an interview with The Korea Times on Tuesday, Moon, currently a professor emeritus at Yonsei University, argued that President Lee Jae Myung’s pursuit of OPCON transfer comes in line with Washington’s growing expectation that Seoul assume primary responsibility for its own defense, rather than the self-reliant defense agenda set by former President Roh Moo-hyun.

“The U.S. is changing, but we are still clinging to the old America. The old America is gone,” Moon said.

He pointed to U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated demands that Korea shoulder a greater share of its defense burden. Under such an arrangement, Korean forces would take the lead in conventional defense against North Korea, while U.S. forces would provide complementary capabilities in areas where Seoul remains relatively weak, including air and naval capabilities, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — as well as extended nuclear deterrence. 

“Discussions would be needed, but OPCON transfer could eventually lead to a parallel command structure, similar to Japan’s arrangement with the U.S.,” he said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is a name I haven’t heard from in a while and it is back in the headlines again for giving up his Korean citizenship:

Hwang Woo-suk, a former Seoul National University professor who was dismissed over fabricated research, appears to have acquired United Arab Emirates citizenship and lost his South Korean citizenship, according to immigration officials.

A list of people who lost their South Korean citizenship, published by the Cheongju Immigration Office on Aug. 13, included a man named Hwang Woo-suk, born in 1953, who acquired Emirati citizenship on April 9.

The man’s birthdate, registered domicile in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province, and other personal details matched those of the former professor, who is currently conducting research in the UAE.

Under Article 15 of Korea’s Nationality Act, South Korean nationals automatically lose their citizenship when voluntarily acquiring foreign citizenship.

Hwang is currently CEO of UAE Biotech, a research institute based in Abu Dhabi, where he leads research into animal cloning, stem cells and genome editing, with a focus on animal health and biodiversity.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Just another example of the growing defense cooperation between the U.S. and South Korean defense companies:

Hanwha Aerospace Co.’s Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers are deployed during a South Korean Army field exercise in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Oct. 15, 2026. (Yonhap)

Hanwha Aerospace Co. said Monday its U.S. subsidiary plans to conduct two test-firings of missiles from its Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher system in the United States as part of its effort to adapt the land-based system for naval use.

The missiles will be launched from a vessel off the southern U.S. coast later this month to assess the system’s suitability for shipboard deployment.

The tests follow an April agreement between Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA) and Florida-based Magnet Defense to develop a containerized Chunmoo launcher for the H38 medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV).

HDUSA has been expanding its presence in the U.S. maritime defense market. It is in talks to acquire Austal USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Australian shipbuilder Austal, with negotiations under way over key terms of the deal.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.