Here is the reaction from the President of Korea on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump:

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Sunday he was shocked by an assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump, denouncing the attack as “horrible political violence” and wishing him a quick recovery.

“I am appalled by the horrible political violence. I wish former President Trump a speedy recovery,” Yoon wrote in English on his official X page. “The people of Korea stand in solidarity with the people of America.”

Trump, the Republican presidential candidate pursuing his second term, suffered a gunshot wound in his right ear during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday (U.S. time). The Federal Bureau of Investigation has said it will treat the shooting as “an assassination attempt” against Trump.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link. We don’t know the motivations of the assassin yet, but I would not be surprised if he is someone with a history of mental issues, lives an isolated life, with no girlfriend, and became radicalized by all the rhetoric against Trump. I just recently shared on here The New Republic cover that had Trump looking like Hitler. How many times have we heard Trump is going to end democracy in America? This is all complete rubbish, but talk like this causes crazy people to do crazy things.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

It didn’t take long for the Seoul government to backtrack from this idea:

A rendered image of the proposed National Monument Space in Gwanghwamun Square, provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government (The Seoul Metropolitan Government)

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will reconsider its plan to erect a 100-meter-tall flagpole with a giant Taegeukgi, or South Korea’s national flag, in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Mayor Oh Se-hoon said during a press briefing held at the city hall on Thursday.

The mayor said he would take public opinions before pushing ahead with the plan to create the National Monument Space featuring the large flagpole, initially announced on June 25 on the 74th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War.

“We will gather extensive feedback with an open mind to ensure that the National Monument Space reflects the collective will of the people and stands as a significant landmark in Gwanghwamun Square,” Oh said.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

I wonder if we will ever hear the back story on this resignation?:

The top U.S. official for North Korea policy resigned last week, multiple sources said Tuesday, adding to uncertainty over Washington’s diplomatic efforts to reengage with a recalcitrant Pyongyang.

Jung Pak left the post as the U.S. senior official for North Korea and a process is under way to select her replacement, according to the sources. 

Pak, a scholar-turned-diplomat, took over the post for North Korea policy at the State Department after Sung Kim, a veteran diplomat, retired late last year. She also served as deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs.

In a press briefing later, Matthew Miller, the State Department’s spokesperson, said that Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, will oversee North Korea policy for the department. Park left office on Friday, according to the department.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

South Korea despite not being a NATO member has become the key attendee at the NATO conference underway in Washington D.C.:

One of the most influential people attending the NATO summit in Washington leads a country that is not a member. Yet it holds vast stores of weapons sought by the bloc to help Ukraine fight off Russia, and perhaps tip the battle in Kyiv’s favor. Ukraine needs artillery shells. South Korea has millions, and there is a push to convince its President Yoon Suk Yeol to change a government policy that prohibits Seoul from sending lethal aid to countries at war. Yoon is attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit this week for the third time, but this visit is different.

Just weeks before it opened, his government said a defense pact signed between Russia and North Korea in June has made it consider whether it’s time to start sending weapons to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces. Zelenskyy, who has been seeking weapons from South Korea since Russia’s full-scale invasion started in 2022, will be attending the summit in Washington aimed at proving that NATO is as strong as ever in its 75th year.

He is expected to speak at a meeting of the Indo-Pacific Four partners — Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea — the Yomiuri newspaper reported, where he could again lay out his case for weapons. “The types of weapons South Korea can provide Ukraine are the ones that can make breakthroughs in the current stalemate on the front lines,” said Park Won Gon, a professor at South Korea’s Ewha Womans University specializing in international relations.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Hopefully everyone living on the southern tip of the Korean peninsula is keeping safe:

Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods in the Korean Peninsula’s southern regions, Wednesday, leaving at least six people dead and two missing, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) and regional fire headquarters.

Record-level downpours — up to nearly 150 millimeters in an hour — pounded the provinces of Chungcheong, Jeolla and Gyeongsang, causing casualties and property damage.

A man in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, was found dead inside an elevator at a residential building after apparently being trapped there.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.