Quotes of the Day:

“The arch enemies of society are those who know better, but by any direction, misstatement, understatement, and slander, seek to accomplish their concealed purposes, or to gain profit of some sort by misleading the public. The antidote, for these poisons must be found in the sincere and courageous efforts of those who would preserve their cherished freedom by a wise and responsible use of it.”

– Charles Evans, Hughes. 

“Love all, trust few, do wrong to none.”

"Shakespeare"As our own species is in the process of proving, one cannot have superior science and inferior morals. The combination is unstable and self-destroying.

– Arthur C. Clarke

1. An Assessment of North Korea’s Attempts to Destabilize South Korea

2. US cuts leave North Koreans reliant on state propaganda

3. Longer assignments coming soon for troops heading to South Korea

4. The challenges to Korean conservatism

5. North Korea suggests talks with US possible if ‘denuclearization’ demand dropped

6. North Korea breaks silence on Trump's return, sends message from 'Rocket Man'

7. North Korea has curtailed GPS jamming since Lee Jae-myung took office: Seoul

8. China, Russia look to bring North Korea on board for communist boat tours

9. N. Korea supplies 6.5 mln shells, 600 weapons systems to Russia: Ukraine

10.S. Korea in trade talks with U.S. over shipbuilding, chips, battery, bio: official

11.  State Dept. stresses Trump's willingness to talk with 'everyone' for peace following N.K. statement

12. Kim Yo-jong's remarks suggest N. Korea sees it has strategic advantage in nuclear diplomacy: spy agency

13. Lee meets ex-Japanese PM Suga to discuss bilateral ties

14. Lee's special envoys meet top Polish officials, highlight defense cooperation

15. S. Korea in talks to launch NATO defense consultative body in September

16. Tariff deal hindered by ‘excessive US demands’: source

17. US immigration authorities detain Korean green card holder

18. Tariffs on South Korea's products threaten the 'K-beauty' boom in the US

19. Japan moves to expand missile reach near China and North Korea

20. Korea’s AI ambitions at crossroads amid US push for tech dominance

21. ROK soldier of North Korean descent jumped from building due to alleged bullying

22. Populism and democracy in South Korea: Two perspectives, one painting

1. An Assessment of North Korea’s Attempts to Destabilize South Korea

A very important article and perspective from serving Korean officers from the ROK.

An Assessment of North Korea’s Attempts to Destabilize South Korea

divergentoptions.org · July 30, 2025

CPT Heo Jeongin is a Republic of Korea Army officer currently attending the Captain’s Career Course (CCC) at the U.S. Army Intelligence School (Fort Huachuca) and wrote the following assessment as part of the Forging Leadership Program. Divergent Options’ content does not contain information of an official nature, nor does the content represent the official position of any government, any organization, or any group.

Title: Assessment of North Korea’s Attempts to Destabilize South Korea

Date Originally Written: June 30, 2025

Date Originally Published: July 29, 2025

Author and / or Article Point of View: The author is a South Korean military officer participating in the Captain’s Career Course at the U.S. Army’s Intelligence School (Fort Huachuca) as part of the FMS program. The author supports the ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty and the ROK-U.S. alliance. This article is written from the perspective of South Korea regarding North Korea.

Summary: North Korea’s espionage activities in South Korea have continued into the 2020s. These efforts now focus on creating sympathizers within South Korea to utilize them as agents, rather than directly infiltrating. It is crucial for South Korean citizens to remain vigilant against these security threats and take an active role in protecting their society and nation from such dangers.

Text: Since 2021, individuals acting as North Korean spies have been arrested, detained, and brought to trial in South Korea. Investigations conducted by the National Intelligence Service and prosecutors revealed that these spies were operating across various regions in the country and were connected through organized networks. Authorities have carried out arrests in major cities such as Cheongju, Jeju, and Changwon, with some cases still undergoing trials while others have already resulted in confirmed sentences [1], [2]. The authorities have discovered that former and current executives of one of South Korea’s prominent labor organizations, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, were also recruited by North Korea to engage in espionage activities. These individuals are currently appealing their confirmed sentences and are undergoing further legal proceedings [3]. The court has judged these individuals guilty of espionage and of violating the National Security Act, imposing punishments accordingly. While many spies identified during investigations into previous spy rings have been apprehended, the lack of sufficient evidence to imprison or punish them legally has led to instances where they are not penalized or are acquitted. Additionally, ongoing political conflicts persist over whether the National Intelligence Service (NIS) should retain counterespionage investigative authority or transfer it to the police. The extent of investigations and punishments for such espionage activities also tends to be influenced by the ruling party’s approach to addressing issues with North Korea.

North Korea’s operations targeting South Korea have long been part of its strategy to induce internal division and destabilize the system, ultimately aiming for a North Korea-led unification and the communist control of the Korean Peninsula. As a key communist tactic, the united front strategy continues to be actively employed by North Korea to this day. By recruiting sympathetic forces within South Korea, such as progressive left-wing groups, religious organizations, civic groups, and media entities, North Korea seeks to maximize internal discord and bolster propaganda in favor of its regime. In early 2024, Kim Jong-un redefined North and South Korea as two hostile nations, abolishing or renaming existing South-targeted organizations. During this process, the Cultural Bureau, responsible for operations against the South, was expanded into the Bureau of Cultural Exchange to strengthen its activities [4]. Given the increased difficulty of physically infiltrating the South due to tightened border security and surveillance, since the 2000s, direct espionage efforts from North Korea to South Korea have been restricted. North Korea has adopted alternative strategies such as disguising agents as defectors or recruiting South Koreans from third countries like China and Cambodia to use them as spies. Additionally, leveraging the legal limitations of South Korea’s National Security Act—which only punishes individuals directly linked to North Korea—North Korea has employed agents of third-country nationality to evade detection. These operatives have infiltrated various spheres, including political parties, civic organizations, and labor unions, actively or covertly working to support North Korea’s agenda within South Korea.

The operatives’ primary activities involved infiltrating various organizations across South Korean society to expand their influence and recruiting key figures. These operations ranged from gathering military information on U.S. Forces Korea bases, troop movements, and counterintelligence vulnerabilities to reporting such findings under the directives of North Korea’s Bureau of Cultural Exchange. The authorities confirmed that instructions were received through encrypted messengers or USB devices. Their activities were not limited to intelligence gathering—they also focused on shaping pro-North Korean public opinion within South Korea and presenting it as the dominant sentiment. Traditional methods of agitation included weekly protests demanding the termination of ROK-U.S. joint military exercises, the withdrawal of U.S. Forces Korea, the resignation of conservative administrations, and the abolition of the National Security Act.

What poses an even greater threat than physical gatherings or protests is the organized activities conducted within online spaces. These efforts manipulate public opinion to make their claims appear as if they represent the majority sentiment of the population. Not only have conservative politicians and parties been targeted, but lawsuits, complaints, and comment manipulation have also been used to disrupt the activities of media outlets and individual YouTubers [5]. Such public opinion manipulation even extends to democratic elections, influencing outcomes to benefit their agenda. South Korea’s current state of division—fueled by generational, gender, and regional conflicts—creates a favorable environment for these operations. North Korean infiltrators within South Korea have exacerbated political factionalism and sowed distrust between the government and the public [6]. These efforts aim to weaken national security awareness and dismantle psychological defenses. Propaganda, agitation, and the spread of false information are conducted easily, but correcting misinformation and restoring facts require significant time and resources. This imbalance increases social costs and intensifies unnecessary disputes, further amplifying conflicts. North Korea’s espionage activities have inflicted substantial damage on South Korea, both socially and in terms of national security.

In response to North Korea’s espionage activities, South Korea has been strengthening counterintelligence efforts through the National Intelligence Service and the National Police Agency. Despite ongoing debates about the existence and application of the National Security Act, lawmakers and officials are making efforts to amend it to expand its scope beyond North Korea to include all entities threatening South Korea’s security.[7] Additionally, in November 2024, authorities reaffirmed that the ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty extends to cyber and space domains, signaling potential cooperation in countering espionage activities in the cyber realm.

However, the most critical factor is public awareness among South Korean citizens regarding espionage. South Koreans must recognize the real threat posed by spies infiltrating deep into their society. The notion that spies no longer exist in the modern world is a utopian belief that must not deceive the public. It is essential for citizens to report suspicious individuals actively, thereby restricting the activities of these infiltrators. North Korea has consistently conducted operations targeting South Korea to create favorable conditions for its agenda. This strategy has persisted regardless of the ruling party, and North Korean spies often operate under disguised identities, embedding themselves within legitimate organizations to create an environment conducive to their activities. It is crucial for the public to recognize these intentions and develop the capacity to evaluate whether policy or legal changes might benefit North Korea. By fostering this awareness, South Koreans can work collectively to counteract the threats posed by espionage and safeguard their nation’s security.

Endnotes:

[1] Lee, M.-g. (2024, November 1). Exclusive: Trial delayed again in Changwon spy-ring case; defendant group requests recusal of bench. Dong-A Ilbo.

[2] Lee, K.-a. (2025, March 13). ‘Spy activities’: Sentence of 2 years confirmed for head of Chungbuk Comrades Association. Hankook Ilbo.

[3] Kim S.-e. (2025, May 16). North Korean spy case: Former KCTU executive convicted of espionage has sentence reduced on appeal. Chosun Ilbo.

[4] Jeong, G.j. (2025, February 28). Pyongyang Focus: Trends in North Korea’s operations targeting South Korea. Daily NK.

[5] Jeon, K.-w. (2023, June 13). Online campaign against the conservative camps under North Korean directives: Participation in comment manipulation and SNS public opinion operations. Jayupress.

[6] Kim, K.-m. (2025, February 19). Kim Gyeri: “Most of the societal conflicts in recent years were driven by North Korean espionage directives”. Sisa Focus.

[7] Kim, I.h. (2025, June 25). Breaking: ‘Support for Spy Law Amendment’ — Lee Jongseok, Director of NIS, says “Under discussion in the National Assembly… We must respond”. MoneyToday.

divergentoptions.org · July 30, 2025

2. US cuts leave North Koreans reliant on state propaganda

A major strategic national security mistake.

A victory for Kim Jong Un's political warfare strategy and this strengthens the regime and regime control over the population.

US cuts leave North Koreans reliant on state propaganda

The slashing of support for Voice of America and Radio Free Asia has seen foreign broadcasts into North Korea drop by as much as 80 per cent

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3319863/us-cuts-leave-north-koreans-reliant-state-propaganda

Julian Ryall

Published: 8:00am, 29 Jul 2025

With the flick of a switch in Washington, a lifeline of independent news into North Korea has gone dark, prompting warnings that it will leave the country’s 26 million people more isolated than ever.

The abrupt halt to funding, passed by the US Senate earlier this month, ends long-standing American support for cross-border broadcasts and clandestine media channels that provided North Koreans with one of the few opportunities to access information unfiltered by state propaganda.

Among the most prominent casualties are Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, US-funded broadcasters that have for decades delivered Korean-language news, human rights reporting and glimpses of life beyond North Korea’s borders.

“In the long term, we risk knowing less about the human rights situation in North Korea, as less and less information will be coming out of the country,” said Teppei Kasai, Asia programme officer at Human Rights Watch Japan.

“The international community, including Japan, will then naturally have to rely on official statements by the North Korean government, which don’t carry a lot of credibility.”

The Voice of America headquarters near the US Capitol in Washington on March 17. Photo: EPA-EFE

Voice of America and Radio Free Asia have slashed broadcasts into North Korea by as much as 80 per cent since May, following an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump in March calling for the elimination of their parent organisation, the United States Agency for Global Media.

Kasai warned that the funding cuts risked undermining one of the few remaining channels capable of challenging Pyongyang’s information stranglehold. “These organisations pierce the North Korean government’s strong information control and provide independent information to the people of North Korea, giving them opportunities to see through the government’s lies,” he told This Week in Asia.

Modest grants for radio broadcasts, maintaining in-country sources, satellite imagery analysis and the documentation of abuses had been provided under the North Korea Human Rights Act, which was enacted by the US Congress in 2004 and renewed three times. However, the legislation expired in 2022 and has yet to be renewed.

Ending funding for broadcasts into North Korea “would leave the US without critical information, as Pyongyang expands its military presence overseas, including in Russia, and deepens its isolation and repression at home”, Human Rights Watch senior researcher Lina Yoon wrote in a Foreign Policy in Focus article on July 16.

US-funded radio stations, some broadcasting since the 1970s, have helped shine a light on the realities of the outside world for North Koreans, sharing information the Kim dynasty would prefer remained hidden, including the principles of democracy and life beyond the tightly sealed borders. Many defectors have cited foreign radio broadcasts as instrumental to their decision to escape.

According to an analysis published last week by 38 North, a website run by the Stimson Centre think tank devoted to analysis about North Korea, the Trump administration’s cuts have already drastically reduced foreign broadcasting into North Korea.

“The propagandists and censors at the Workers’ Party of Korea can hardly believe their luck,” wrote Stimson Centre senior fellow Martyn Williams in the analysis.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meets veterans during a ceremony in Pyongyang marking the 69th anniversary of the Korean war armistice in 2022. Photo: Korean Central News Agency/Reuters

“For decades they have battled against a constant, daily flow of uncensored news and information into North Korea that directly contradicts the stories they tell their own people about Kim Jong-un, the Korean peninsula and the world. But in the last three months, everything has changed. The battle has taken a decisive turn in North Korea’s favour and they did not need to do a thing.”

North Korea’s tightening border controls in recent years have made it increasingly difficult to smuggle in USB sticks loaded with foreign films and news. The loss of radio broadcasts now risks worsening the country’s information drought.

Compounding the impact, the newly elected South Korean government of President Lee Jae-myung has also reportedly ceased broadcasting into North Korea, as Seoul pursues a new strategy of rapprochement with Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, South Korean authorities have also banned the launch of balloons carrying rice, cash, medicine and propaganda leaflets over the demilitarised zone.

“As a result of the cuts, North Koreans will be less informed about local and global events and the information they do receive will be more dated,” Williams concluded in his analysis.

“Should the political or military situation worsen on the Korean peninsula, the US and South Korea could regret losing these direct links to the North Korean people.”

Julian Ryall

Julian Ryall never expected to still be in Japan 24 years after he first arrived, but he quickly realised its advantages over his native London. He lives in Yokohama with his wife and children and writes for publications around the world.

3. Longer assignments coming soon for troops heading to South Korea

​Excerpts:

The directive, announced Tuesday, extends tours for unaccompanied service members assigned to South Korea from 12 months to 24 months

...

Under the “3-2-1 Tour Normalization Policy,” accompanied tours will be 36 months and unaccompanied tours will be 24 months. Twelve-month unaccompanied tours will only be available as an exception, which occurs when a service member formally requests to bring their family, but the request can’t be supported because of operational or installation support or infrastructure constraints, officials said.

...

There’s plenty of housing, according to Parker, but limitations at schools and medical support are the two biggest factors. Medical capacity varies by installation. For example, there’s a new hospital at Camp Humphreys, he said, but more medical providers are needed there.

Longer assignments coming soon for troops heading to South KoreaBy Karen Jowers

 Jul 29, 2025, 08:00 PM

A new Pentagon directive will extend tours for unaccompanied service members assigned to South Korea. Here, the 11th Engineer Battalion conducts a change of command ceremony at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, on July 11. (Spc. Mark Bowman/U.S. Army)

A new Pentagon directive implementing longer tours of duty in South Korea will improve force stability, support service members’ quality of life and enhance readiness in the face of regional threats, U.S. Forces Korea officials said

The directive, announced Tuesday, extends tours for unaccompanied service members assigned to South Korea from 12 months to 24 months.

The policy takes effect Oct. 1, 2025, and applies to all service members receiving orders on or after that date, though implementation timelines may vary by service branch, officials said. The directive follows a February announcement that extended tours for military families moving to South Korea from 24 months to 36 months.

Currently, there are roughly 28,500 military personnel stationed in South Korea, with the Army having the largest contingent of permanent party personnel there, at about 14,000 personnel.

For more than a decade, officials have discussed extending tour lengths in South Korea. Air Force Col. William Parker, director of personnel for U.S. Forces Korea, described the change in tour lengths as a “tour normalization policy.” The South Korea policy is slightly different than policies in other overseas locations such as Germany and Japan, “but our intention is to be as similar to those locations as possible,” Parker said.

Under the “3-2-1 Tour Normalization Policy,” accompanied tours will be 36 months and unaccompanied tours will be 24 months. Twelve-month unaccompanied tours will only be available as an exception, which occurs when a service member formally requests to bring their family, but the request can’t be supported because of operational or installation support or infrastructure constraints, officials said.

“There’s no desire to separate service members who have dependents from their family members any longer than we have to,” Parker said.

There’s plenty of housing, according to Parker, but limitations at schools and medical support are the two biggest factors. Medical capacity varies by installation. For example, there’s a new hospital at Camp Humphreys, he said, but more medical providers are needed there.

The new policy doesn’t affect service members currently stationed in South Korea. They won’t be required to involuntarily extend their tours, but as in the past, they can do so. The services are reviewing their policies on Korea assignment incentive pay, where troops are given incentives to extend their tour of duty in South Korea, according to Parker.

Although the initiative began well before the Pentagon’s May directive to the services to halve spending on permanent change of station, or PCS, moves, it supports DOD’s broader efforts to reduce the frequency of PCS moves and enhance readiness, family stability and quality of life, Parker said.

The initiative will save about $90 million a year, according to Parker.

“This will obviously save a lot of money, but that’s not the driving factor here. It’s hard to quantify the savings and benefits from a readiness and team cohesion perspective. It’s a challenge for our commanders here to have constant turnover of their teams,” he said.

With regional threats posed not just by North Korea, but with China and Russia in close proximity, “we really need the continuity of our service members to provide that regional expertise here, to develop and retain that,” Parker said.

The Camp Humphreys commissary is just one of the new facilities built at the South Korea installation in the last 10 years. (DeCA)

Meanwhile, quality of life improved for a number of service members living in South Korea, who saw a bump in their paychecks on July 1. The Cost of Living Allowance index was just reset successfully for the first time in more than nine years, Parker said. That amounts to an increase for about three-fourths of the personnel on the peninsula, with some more remote places seeing significant increases.

With quality-of-life improvements, South Korea is ready for these longer tours, Parker added. Through infrastructure investments, including those by the Republic of Korea, 80% of the infrastructure at Camp Humphreys is 10 years old or less, including a new medical facility, a new commissary and new barracks with more being built, he said.

Officials have also been working to increase the number of command-sponsored families who can come to South Korea. Since the end of fiscal 2024 to the beginning of fiscal 2026, officials will have increased their command sponsorship capacity across the peninsula by 27%, Parker said. Currently, there are roughly 5,400 to 5,700 families, a number fluctuating because of summer moves. But they’ll grow that number to around 6,500 families over the next year or so, he said.

In addition to family stability, there’s also some benefit from the spouse employment perspective, Parker said. A two-year tour is a relatively short period of time to find and maintain employment.

“So some of the feedback we’ve received is that this will make spouses more employable,” he said.

Service members should contact their respective personnel offices for specific guidance about the new policy, Parker said.

“I feel strongly this is the right thing. With every change, there will be people that have concerns or questions,” he said. “There may be some challenges that we have to overcome, but we won’t know that until we drive the change. We think the timing’s right.

“The quality of life is fantastic here both on and off post. The mission is more important than ever in this region, so it’s the right thing.”

About Karen Jowers

Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.

4. The challenges to Korean conservatism

​Conservatives: heel thyself. It is time to objectively reflect.

A blunt analysis though I do not think this describes all conservatives.

Commentary

The challenges to Korean conservatism

The problems plaguing South Korean conservatism today are not minor defects. They are structural, generational, and existential.

https://www.junotane.com/p/the-challenges-to-korean-conservatism?r=7i07&utm

Jul 29, 2025

∙ Paid

South Korean and American political conservatism may wear the same suits and speak the same buzzwords—freedom, security, tradition—but they are fundamentally different beasts. American conservatism is grounded in a centuries-long ideological tradition: federalism, individual liberty, and distrust of centralized government. And while it’s currently broken, its libertarian edge and suspicion of excess government authority keeps it grounded.

Korean conservatism, by contrast, is hardly an ideology. It is a power structure—a legacy of the developmental state, Cold War authoritarianism, and top-down elite management. Its foundations are nationalism, anti-communism, and hierarchy. Rather than limiting state power, Korean conservatives have historically wielded it ruthlessly to suppress dissent, protect chaebols, and secure geopolitical patronage from the United States.

This distinction matters because while American conservatism is being reimagined—somewhat chaotically—by a fusion of libertarianism and populism, South Korean conservatism remains stuck. And sure, there’s a growing number of young men pi$$ed off with a budae-jjigae of cultural complaints, but that’s as deep as it goes—reactive frustration. It has no vision of the future because it never really had a coherent ideology in the first place. It was built to defend the status quo, and now the status quo is slipping away.

The problems plaguing South Korean conservatism today are not minor defects. They are structural, generational, and existential.

[Just to clarify… I’m neither left not right, but just a social recluse who hates everyone equally. To borrow from Groucho Marx, “I'd never belong to a party that accepted me as a member”. I like good policy, I dislike poor policy—and both sides have plenty of that. Criticism is not necessarily holding a position, it’s wanting improvement.]

First, South Korean conservatives still live in the long shadow of the Korean War. Every political opponent is a secret sympathizer. Every peace overture to North Korea is “pro-communist.” Every critic of the U.S. alliance is a threat to national security. This reflexive anti-North, pro-U.S. binary has flattened debate and delegitimized diplomacy.

The result? No strategic imagination. No original ideas on inter-Korean relations. Just rote denunciations and military drills. Conservatives claim to be strong on national defense, but they have no real plan beyond compliance with Washington and fear-mongering about China.

Second, there’s no ideology, so there’s no clarity in messaging. What does the Korean right actually believe? In theory, it's for market capitalism, small government, and personal responsibility. In practice, it champions chaebol monopolies, bloated prosecutorial powers, and state-sponsored cultural censorship.

Populist elements—most recently under Yoon Suk-yeol—have only deepened this confusion. The conservative movement vacillates between elite legalism and YouTube-fed conspiracy populism. It weaponizes culture wars (against feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, education reform), not because it has policy solutions, but because it needs something to energize its aging base.

Add to this, Korean conservatives are losing the demographic war. Their core support lies among older, rural, religious voters. Younger generations—who grew up with the internet, K-pop, and a crumbling job market—have little patience for rigid hierarchies and ideological loyalty to the United States.

Even young men, once seen as a potential conservative swing group, are alienated by performative anti-feminism and tired narratives about security and growth. Most youth are falling into line solely because of the need to belong—anywhere. As their Korean promise of work, a house, marriage, children, (and affordable fried chicken) disappears, they’re turning to what vestiges are left, but instead of rethinking their message, conservatives double down on nostalgia and punishment.

Third, the conservative movement in Korea has never fully distanced itself from authoritarian-era habits. Corruption scandals—from the Park Geun-hye impeachment to ongoing allegations involving prosecutors, media, and business elites—are treated not as crises of legitimacy, but as political warfare to be won through legal attrition and public distraction.

Rather than reforming institutions, conservatives seek to capture and weaponize them. The prosecution becomes a political tool. The media becomes a megaphone for factional talking points. Democracy becomes a stage, not a principle.

Lastly, despite claiming the mantle of economic expertise, conservative governments have demonstrated no real solutions for Korea’s structural problems—and that’s just in policy terms, let alone governance! Youth unemployment, stagnant wages, skyrocketing housing costs, and declining productivity—all are met with the same tired medicine: deregulation, tax breaks, and corporate handshakes. There is no conservative economic agenda beyond protecting those who already own everything.

U.S. conservatism has been reinvigorated by widespread dissatisfaction, largely directed at the “deep state”—a term for the entrenched, unaccountable bureaucracy seen as resistant to democratic oversight. This discontent has driven a shift toward populism, where conservatism is less about policy and more about cultural grievance. Figures like Trump embody this turn, transforming the right into a movement defined more by enemies—media, academia, federal agencies—than coherent goals. What remains is confusion, conflict, and spectacle.

Libertarianism offers an alternative. Rather than capture state power, it seeks to shrink it. It channels deep-state distrust into a principled call for decentralization, individual freedom, and limited government. Free from authoritarian tendencies and ideological chaos, libertarianism proposes structural reform over theatrical outrage. Whether it can break through the noise remains to be seen.

Some might hope that Korea could follow the American path of reinvention—where conservatism is being disrupted (however noisily) by a new libertarian-populist alliance. In the U.S., there’s a growing distrust of federal power, support for cryptocurrency, homeschooling, gun rights, and deregulated digital spaces. Some conservatives even question U.S. global hegemony. It’s messy, but it's ideological.

South Korea offers no such soil for a libertarian renaissance. Korean society—across generations—is culturally predisposed to seek order, hierarchy, and legitimacy from centralized institutions. School rankings, public exams, official credentials, and government validation dominate every sector. Even civil society is heavily reliant on state permission or subsidy.

In such a context, libertarianism—based on skepticism toward authority, decentralized decision-making, and radical individualism—has no cultural traction. There is no constituency for deregulated education or anti-statist rebellion. Korean political discourse is binary, not pluralistic: either the state protects you, or you are left behind.

Moreover, Korea’s geopolitical dependency on the U.S. undermines any attempt at libertarian sovereignty. Conservatives champion “freedom” but only in the American mold. When the U.S. demands tariffs, investments, or weapons purchases, Korea complies. There's no space for an isolationist or anti-interventionist right.

Conservatism in South Korea is not just in crisis—it is ideologically bankrupt. While it clings to the language of freedom and responsibility, it functions as a patronage network for prosecutors, conglomerates, and nationalists. Unlike its American cousin, it has no ideological ferment, no reformist vanguard, and no interest in reinventing itself.

If Korea is to develop a healthy conservative tradition, it must go beyond Cold War nostalgia and legalistic revenge politics. It must articulate a vision that is economically just, diplomatically independent, and culturally modern. That will require breaking with both the American template and its own authoritarian inheritance.

Nothing I’ve seen in Korea’s conservative political circles suggests that day is coming soon. I’d like to be challenged otherwise.

Recommend Junotane Korea to your readers

5. North Korea suggests talks with US possible if ‘denuclearization’ demand dropped

Setting the stage and doing the groundwork for the arms control proposal to support KJU's political warfare strategy. Kim is not going to propose it. He is setting the conditions so that he will accept the US proposal and then he will continue to execute his political warfare strategy.

North Korea suggests talks with US possible if ‘denuclearization’ demand dropped

Kim Yo Jong says ‘personal relationship’ between Kim Jong Un and Trump ‘not bad’

https://www.nknews.org/2025/07/north-korea-suggests-talks-with-us-possible-if-denuclearization-demand-dropped/

Colin Zwirko July 29, 2025

Kim Yo Jong speaks at an event hosting a Chinese government delegation | Image: KCTV (July 31, 2023)

Renewed dialogue with the U.S. is possible if Washington drops its demand for “denuclearization” and accepts North Korea’s nuclear weapons capabilities, the DPRK leader’s sister Kim Yo Jong said via state media on Tuesday.

Kim stated that “the personal relationship between the head of our state and the present U.S. president is not bad,” referring to Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump and their past meetings in 2018 and 2019.

But she said the chance for restarting dialogue will remain “only a ‘hope’ of the U.S.” if it continues to demand denuclearization, citing reports over the weekend that the White House was still demanding Pyongyang’s “complete” nuclear disarmament.

“The recognition of the irreversible position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state and the hard fact that its capabilities and geopolitical environment have radically changed should be a prerequisite for predicting and thinking [about] everything in the future,” Kim said in the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) statement. 

“Any attempt to deny the position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state … will be thoroughly rejected,” she added.

Kim also warned that she and her brother are “open” to defending this position with nuclear and military force if the situation moves “in a confrontational direction,” urging Washington to see that “contact” is possible again, if denuclearization demands are dropped.

The statement appeared to be in response to an article published Saturday by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency quoting an unnamed White House official. 

The official praised Trump and Kim Jong Un’s “historic summits” in the past and “the first ever leader-level agreement on denuclearization” signed in June 2018 in Singapore. 

“The president retains those objectives and remains open to engaging with Leader Kim to achieve a fully de-nuclearized North Korea,” the U.S. official reportedly added. 

The comments suggest the Trump administration plans to hold up the 2018 agreement as binding, which Kim Yo Jong said Tuesday is a non-starter. 

In response to Kim’s statement, a White House official reportedly reaffirmed on Monday (local time) that it remains open to dialogue with Pyongyang to achieve North Korea’s denuclearization, though higher-level officials have yet to confirm the position. Seoul’s unification ministry also told NK News that it supports U.S.-DPRK talks and will “create conditions to facilitate” their resumption.

Trump has stated on multiple occasions since returning to office earlier this year that North Korea is a “nuclear power,” a departure from Washington’s long-standing policy, while repeatedly boasting of his “good relationship” with Kim Jong Un. 

Despite this, DPRK diplomats in New York have refused multiple attempts to deliver a Trump letter to Kim aimed at restarting talks, according to NK News reporting.

The leader’s sister previously acknowledged the “special personal relations” between the two leaders in March and July 2020 after talks broke down, while saying this alone was not enough to establish lasting trust as long as Washington makes “unilateral” demands on denuclearization.

Meanwhile, Kim released a statement rejecting the new South Korean president’s recent overtures and blaming joint military drills with the U.S. for rising tensions — sending a signal that Washington must make the first move.

Both Kim Yo Jong statements released this week were not published in the domestic-facing newspaper Rodong Sinmun, suggesting the leader’s official policy is in flux and not ready for domestic consumption.

Edited by Kristen Talman

Updated on July 29, 2025 at 11:13 a.m. KST with additional background details

6. North Korea breaks silence on Trump's return, sends message from 'Rocket Man'

The subliminal message is that he wants to try to play us again.

I think we have to recognize, understand, and EXPOSE KJU's strategy and then attack the strategy with our own superior political warfare strategy. We have to deal with KJU as he really is and not as we would wish him to be and we must approach engagement with him based on a clear-eyed assessment of the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime. 

North Korea breaks silence on Trump's return, sends message from 'Rocket Man'

North Korea says ties with President Donald Trump aren’t hostile but warns any push to revive denuclearization talks would be futile and possibly insulting

By Morgan Phillips Fox News

Published July 29, 2025 11:37am EDT

foxnews.com · by Morgan Phillips Fox News

Video

Here's what Russia and North Korea each get out of new pact: Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg

Fox News contributor Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg discusses the global implications of Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un signing an 'aggression' pact on 'Your World.'

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Kim Jong-Un’s powerful sister opened up about relations with the second Trump administration, warning the U.S. not to try to restart talks centered on getting North Korea to give up its nuclear program.

Kim Yo Jong, in remarks blasted out by state media, said relations between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un are "not bad" but added Pyongyang would view any attempt to pressure North Korea to denuclearize as "nothing but a mockery."

She said that North Korea’s nuclear arsenal has sharply increased since Trump and Kim last spoke, and the pair would not meet for a summit again if denuclearization was on the table.

The North Korean dictator’s sister did not rule out bilateral talks entirely — as she did with South Korea in a separate statement.

WOMAN LEARNS FATE AFTER DOJ GUILTY PLEA ADMITTING SHE HELPED NORTH KOREAN TECH WORKERS INFILTRATE US COMPANIES

Kim Yo Jong opened up about relations with the second Trump administration, calling them "not bad" but warning the U.S. not to try to restart talks centered on getting North Korea to give up its nuclear program. (Jorge Silva/Pool Photo via AP, File)

"If the U.S. fails to accept the changed reality and persists in the failed past, the DPRK- U.S. meeting will remain as a ‘hope’ of the U.S. side," Kim Yo Jong said, referring to the nation by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

She said it would be "advisable to seek another way of contact."

Trump held three unprecedented summits with the North Korean leader he dubbed "Little Rocket Man" during his first term: in Singapore in 2018, Hanoi in 2019 and the Korean Demilitarized Zone in 2019, becoming the first president to step foot on North Korean territory.

President Donald Trump, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met three times during Trump's first presidency. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

None of the meetings resulted in any breakthroughs: North Korea kept its nukes, and the U.S. left sanctions that have isolated it from international markets in place.

Kim Yo Jong is a top official on the Central Committee of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party and handles relations with the U.S. and South Korea.

RUSSIA'S LAVROV WARNS US AGAINST 'EXPLOITING' ALLIANCES AS HE MEETS WITH KIM JONG UN IN NORTH KOREA

Kim Yo Jong’s comments came after an article posted by Yonhap news agency cited an unnamed White House official as saying Trump "remains open to engaging with Leader Kim to achieve a fully denuclearized North Korea."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last month Trump would like to see "progress" this term on the summits he held during the first term.

In a statement commemorating the 72nd anniversary of the end of the Korean War on Monday, Trump said, "I was proud to become the first sitting President to cross this Demilitarized Zone into North Korea."

North Korea’s nuclear arsenal has sharply increased since President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last spoke, and the pair would not meet for a summit again if denuclearization was on the table. (Contributor/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

He underscored the U.S. alliance with South Korea.

"Although the evils of communism still persist in Asia, American and South Korean forces remain united in an ironclad alliance to this day."

foxnews.com · by Morgan Phillips Fox News

7. North Korea has curtailed GPS jamming since Lee Jae-myung took office: Seoul

​This. Is. Not. A. Concession.

Do not misinterpret this as a good faith action. This is not a good faith act. This is all part of KJU's political warfare strategy (I hate to keep beating the dead horse but we do not pay attention to this).  

North Korea has curtailed GPS jamming since Lee Jae-myung took office: Seoul

Science ministry official reports ‘significant’ drop in jamming cases that have allegedly endangered flights, ships

https://www.nknews.org/2025/07/north-korea-has-curtailed-gps-jamming-since-lee-jae-myung-took-office-seoul/

Jooheon Kim July 29, 2025

A beach on Baengyeong Island | Image: NK News

North Korea has significantly reduced GPS jamming targeting South Korea since President Lee Jae-myung took office in June, according to Seoul’s science ministry.

“The number of cases has dropped significantly compared to the period last year when GPS jamming was particularly frequent,” a ministry spokesperson told NK News on Tuesday, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

The official declined to specify when the DPRK carried out jamming most often in 2024 and didn’t provide specific figures on cases before and after Lee took office.

The science ministry’s assessment comes after North Korea reportedly stopped sending signals meant to disrupt South Korean propaganda radio last week, apparently in response to Seoul’s suspension of the radio broadcasts.

However, the DPRK still carried out GPS jamming in border areas as recently as last Tuesday, with authorities reporting jamming near Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea.

Shin Seung-ki, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), told NK News that the science ministry’s assessment suggests Pyongyang may be intentionally avoiding provocations against Seoul at the moment.

“From North Korea’s perspective, they’re not particularly interested in antagonizing the South right now,” he said, attributing this to less hostility from the South under the Lee administration. 

The expert added that Pyongyang is more focused on earning foreign currency through cooperation with Russia and on advancing its economic and military development.

Koo Jong-soo, a professor of military studies at Tongmyong University and a former ROK navy Commander, said the DPRK’s jamming activity has not caused major disruptions to military operations.

“In the case of ROK navy warships, they are equipped with standard radar, military-grade radar, and satellite-based navigation systems,” he said, explaining that the ships have multiple backup systems in place to ensure continued operation even if one system fails.

But he noted that GPS jamming tends to cause more issues for civilian aircraft, fishing vessels and merchant ships.

North Korea has conducted GPS jamming on numerous occasions in recent years. According to a local media report last November, there were nearly 2,000 signal interference incidents in 2024 alone. 

Earlier this year, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) issued a warning to DPRK over its GPS interference, after South Korea accused the DPRK of endangering more than 4,400 civilian flights near the inter-Korean border.

Edited by Bryan Betts

8. China, Russia look to bring North Korea on board for communist boat tours

​Three quarters of the CRInK collaborating and coordinating. 

News

China, Russia look to bring North Korea on board for communist boat tours

Red Tumangang initiative aims to operate tours on Tumen River but will require coordination with DPRK

https://www.nknews.org/2025/07/china-russia-look-to-bring-north-korea-on-board-for-communist-boat-tours/

Anton Sokolin July 29, 2025

Chinese tourists on a boat traveling along the Tumen River | Image: @fulangci via Red Note

China and Russia have begun work to launch a new tourism program aimed at promoting historic communist sites along the Tumen River, seeking North Korea’s participation in boat tours near their shared borders.

The Primorsky Krai government announced the project on Monday, emphasizing the need for negotiations with the DPRK over the use of the river’s estuary for “tourism and humanitarian purposes.”

Called “Red Tumangang,” the project looks to “preserve memory” and “develop tourism” in honor of the 80th anniversary of Chinese resistance to Japanese occupiers and Soviet soldiers who fought in the area, according to a government press release. It is rooted in China’s “red tourism” concept, which involves trips to sites significant to the Chinese Communist Party or military.

“The Chinese side invites Russian tourists to travel the entire border route as if along a road through time,” a journalist for Russia’s Vesti Primorye state media reported in a video introducing the project.

Sun Cen, who heads the culture and tourism department at the Harbin branch of the Northern Project Institute, told the outlet that China wants to “involve Russia and North Korea in the Red Tumangang tourist route project.”

The envisioned Tumen River route stretching some 200 km from the river’s mouth to the Chinese city of Tumen | Image: Screengrab from Vesti Primorye (July 29, 2025), edited by NK News

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Sun Cen from the Harbin branch of the Northern project Institute speaking to Russian media during the China-Russia meeting on the Red Tumangang Project | Image: Screengrab from Vesti Primorye (July 29, 2025)

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“We propose broadening borders and options of tour programs in this unique location. Russian tourists should know that, in addition to medical and shopping tourism, there is also a historical and patriotic component here,” he said.

Rowan Beard, a tour manager at Young Pioneer Tours specializing in DPRK trips, explained that red tourism is “hugely popular in China, particularly among the older generation,” and said the concept could also interest Russians who lived through the Soviet era.

“For many of the elderly tourists, it’s deeply nostalgic,” Beard explained. “The experience often blends sightseeing with state sanctioned narratives and patriotic education.”

He noted that such a project could well resonate in both Russia and North Korea, especially if it emphasizes shared historical moments” related to fighting against the Japanese military.

“In North Korea, revolutionary heritage and anti-American resistance are core parts of national identity, and commemorating Soviet soldiers would fit neatly into their existing narrative,” the expert said.

“Red tourism that honors Soviet-Korean ties especially through sites like cemeteries or war memorials could have emotional and patriotic appeal, even if participation is more symbolic than commercial at first.”

Zoe Stephens, a tour leader at Koryo Tours, said the initiative suggests “Beijing is looking for a way to get its foot in the door and maintain good relations” with neighboring states as North Korea and Russia bolster ties.

Another part of the appeal could stem from its plans to “harness a growing domestic tourism industry in the DPRK and the tourism landscape changing in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine,” she told NK News.

ROADBLOCKS TO CLEAR

Before the project can launch, the 124-mile (200-kilometer) river route needs major work, including dredging the shallow riverbed and reinforcing the embankment, the Vesti Primorye reported.

But the outlet suggested that political consideration could be “the most difficult part” due to the need to coordinate with the DPRK.

Daria Guseva of the regional office of the Russian Geographical Society said China “enjoys a more favorable position” for tourism in the tripoint area because its boat piers are located outside the border zone.

“Unfortunately, the Tumen River runs in such a way on our side that we cannot set up a pier outside the border zone,” she told Vesti Primorye. “Therefore, the start of the route is set to be in Fangchuan, China.”

She added that future development could connect the project to the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and Vladivostok. 

Russian delegation members paying a tribute to fallen Soviet soldiers in Tumen, China | Image: Vesti Primorye (July 23, 2025)

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Ideally, vessels like high-speed leisure craft could enter the mouth of the Tumen River and sail upstream, making stops on the Russian and North Korean banks on the way to China’s Tumen and Hunchun before returning to Vladivostok, according to Vesti Primorye.

Artyom Lukin and Pavel Cherkashin, professors at the Vladivostok-based Far Eastern Federal University, previously wrote for NK Pro about the potential benefits of opening the Tumen River to navigation, which China wants to gain access to the Sea of Japan.

However, the existing rail bridge between North Korea and Russia could be an obstacle to boats due to its low clearance, while a new vehicle bridge under construction next to the rail link also appears relatively low.

Beard of Young Pioneer Tours agreed that “linking the route to Vladivostok via the Sea of Japan is ambitious” as it would require a “vessel that can safely handle both river and open sea.”

“If it’s pulled off, it would be a fascinating tour. It would definitely gather interest from Westerners too.”

Edited by Bryan Betts

9. N. Korea supplies 6.5 mln shells, 600 weapons systems to Russia: Ukraine

​Kim Jong Un is a key element of the Arsenal of Authoritarianism. 

What can we do about this? What are we willing to do about this?

N. Korea supplies 6.5 mln shells, 600 weapons systems to Russia: Ukraine | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Hyun-soo · July 29, 2025

SEOUL, July 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has supplied around 6.5 million artillery shells of various calibers to Russia to support its war with Ukraine, along with 600 missile launchers and weapons systems, a Ukrainian intelligence agency has said.

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (FISU) disclosed the information Monday (local time) in response to an inquiry by the Ukrainian news outlet Liga.net, describing North Korea as the "main foreign supplier of ammunition for almost all artillery systems" for Russia.

North Korea has so far supplied Russia with around 600 different artillery pieces, mortars and missile systems of varying ranges and destructive power, according to the spy agency.

The weapons included the KN-23 and KN-24 short-range ballistic missiles, as well as the KN-25 multiple rocket launchers and multiple transporter erector launchers (TEL).

"Despite the fact that ... some models of North Korean artillery are less effective and maintainable, cooperation between the DPRK and Russia in the military-technical sphere is mutually beneficial," an FISU official said, referring to the North by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The DPRK gets the opportunity to test and improve its own weapons in modern combat conditions, and Russia gets to compensate for combat losses," he added.

South Korea's military intelligence authorities earlier estimated that the North had provided Russia with more than 12 million rounds of shells as of mid-July.

A photo of a North Korean multiple rocket launcher captured by a Ukrainian drone released through Telegram on July 12, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

sookim@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Hyun-soo · July 29, 2025

10. S. Korea in trade talks with U.S. over shipbuilding, chips, battery, bio: official

​As someone who is not a trade or economics practitioner it seems to me there are lots of areas in our trade relationship that should be win-win. We should want win-win with our allies. Or is everything zero-sum for us?

S. Korea in trade talks with U.S. over shipbuilding, chips, battery, bio: official | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · July 30, 2025

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States are continuing last-minute trade negotiations on areas including semiconductors, batteries and biotechnology on top of in-depth discussions on shipbuilding cooperation, the presidential office said Wednesday.

Kim Yong-bum, the presidential chief of staff for policy, made the remarks as top Seoul officials are visiting Washington in an all-out diplomatic effort to finalize a trade deal with the U.S. before Friday's deadline, when the 25 percent reciprocal tariffs and sector-specific duties will take effect.

"In-depth discussions are under way in the shipbuilding industry, while negotiations are also continuing in areas such as semiconductors, secondary batteries, and biotechnology," Kim said in a briefing.

Kim Yong-bum, the presidential chief of staff for policy, speaks during a press briefing held at the presidential office in Seoul on July 30, 2025. (Yonhap)

Seoul has proposed a shipbuilding cooperation initiative, tentatively titled Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA), which envisions major South Korean investments to help revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry amid intensifying competition from China.

South Korea is pitching a comprehensive package that includes industrial cooperation in other major areas, as its export-reliant economy could be hit by the steep tariffs unless a deal is reached.

Kim said the government is also negotiating market access for U.S. agricultural and livestock products with full awareness of the sensitivities surrounding the sector.

"Our principle is to put the national interest first and ensure that South Korea and the U.S. achieve mutually beneficial outcomes within a range we can reasonably bear," he said, without elaborating further.

As the deadline looms, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung flew to Washington earlier in the day, joining Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, who were already in the U.S. to support the ongoing trade negotiations.

The presidential aide said that the business leaders had "voluntarily" traveled to the U.S., given the potential impact of the proposed tariffs on their companies and the broader economy, and lent support to the ongoing negotiations.

"Private companies are leveraging their extensive networks in the U.S., while sharing, when necessary, the basic direction of the government's overarching negotiating framework from the perspective of the private sector," he said.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · July 30, 2025

11. State Dept. stresses Trump's willingness to talk with 'everyone' for peace following N.K. statement

​Absolutely. We should be willing to talk. (but it should be part of a well thought out and executed political warfare strategy that is superior to the Kim family regime's)

State Dept. stresses Trump's willingness to talk with 'everyone' for peace following N.K. statement | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 30, 2025

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, July 29 (Yonhap) -- A State Department spokesperson on Tuesday underscored U.S. President Donald Trump's willingness to talk with "everyone" to promote peace, after North Korea reiterated its rejection of denuclearization talks with the United States.

In a statement issued on Tuesday (Korea time), Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, ruled out the possibility of denuclearization talks, while noting that the personal relationship between Trump and Kim is "not bad."

"Of course, we do know, as we see now, as we saw in the first term, President's willingness to talk with everyone in order to achieve peace and prosperity and some semblance of normal life for people around the world," Tammy Bruce, the spokesperson, told a regular press briefing.

This photo, taken on July 17, 2025, shows State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce speaking during a press briefing at the department in Washington. (Yonhap)

She did not elaborate further, urging reporters to contact the White House about any potential engagement between the president and a foreign country.

In the statement, Kim Yo-jong claimed that the North's status as a "nuclear weapons state" is "irreversible," reiterating its position against bargaining away its nuclear program.

The statement was in response to remarks by a White House official that Trump remains open to engaging with the North Korean leader to achieve a "fully denuclearized" North Korea.

Expectations have persisted that Trump might seek to resume his personal diplomacy with Kim, which led to three in-person meetings between them -- the first in Singapore in 2018, the second in Hanoi in February 2019 and the third at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 30, 2025

12. Kim Yo-jong's remarks suggest N. Korea sees it has strategic advantage in nuclear diplomacy: spy agency

​The ROK/US alliance has the upper hand with the US nuclear umbrella and the combined military strength to defeat a north Korean attack and defeat the north Korean People's Army which would thus end the regime.

Of course Kim Jo Jong may think nK has an advantage but it does not.

Kim Yo-jong's remarks suggest N. Korea sees it has strategic advantage in nuclear diplomacy: spy agency | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · July 30, 2025

SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- Recent statements by the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un suggest that the regime believes it holds a strategic advantage in its stalled nuclear diplomacy with the United States and inter-Korean engagement, South Korea's spy agency reportedly told lawmakers Wednesday.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) shared its assessment on the remarks made by Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the ruling party's Central Committee, citing the North's enhanced nuclear capabilities and its growing military ties with Russia, according to Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the main opposition People Power Party.

Kim said in a statement released by its state media Monday that Pyongyang will not sit down with Seoul for dialogue and condemned the South for "blindly adhering" to its alliance with the U.S.

Members of the National Assembly's intelligence committee enter a room for a closed-door briefing by the National Intelligence Service on recent developments related to North Korea, in Seoul on July 30, 2025. (Yonhap)

She said in a separate statement the following day that the personal ties between the leaders of the North and the U.S. are "not bad," but ruled out talks on denuclearizing Pyongyang.

"North Korea's recent statements stem from a sense of confidence that it finds itself in a much more favorable strategic environment, as its nuclear capabilities have developed and it has backing from Russia through its dispatch of troops (to Moscow)," Lee quoted the NIS as saying.

But the NIS believes North Korea maintains its position that it will not return to dialogue unless it is acknowledged as a nuclear-armed state, Lee said.

Lee also said that there are no reported indications that any talks are imminent or being arranged.

Kim's remarks on Tuesday came after a White House official told Yonhap News Agency that U.S. President Donald Trump remains open to engagement with the North Korean leader to achieve a "fully denuclearized" North Korea.

elly@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · July 30, 2025

13. Lee meets ex-Japanese PM Suga to discuss bilateral ties

​A good step forward.

(2nd LD) Lee meets ex-Japanese PM Suga to discuss bilateral ties | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chang Dong-woo · July 30, 2025

(ATTN: ADDS details of Lee's social media post at bottom)

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung met Wednesday with former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to discuss ways to further develop bilateral relations between the two nations, the presidential office said.

Suga headed a delegation from the Japan-South Korea Parliamentarians' Association, marking the highest-level Japanese political figure's first visit to Seoul since Lee took office in early June.

"It is very encouraging that exchanges between the peoples of Korea and Japan have increased significantly and that mutual respect and favorability toward each other have greatly improved," Lee said during the meeting at the presidential office.

President Lee Jae Myung (R) shakes hands with former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, chairman of the Japan-South Korea Parliamentarians' Association, during their meeting at the presidential office in Seoul on July 30, 2025. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

He added that closer people-to-people exchanges could help improve relations between the two governments and their lawmakers, ultimately benefiting bilateral ties.

"As neighbors sharing the same backyard, I sincerely hope our two countries will continue to strengthen relations," Lee said.

Suga echoed the view, pledging to work together to deepen ties between Seoul and Tokyo in a broad range of areas.

During the meeting, Lee and Suga discussed ways to resume "shuttle diplomacy," or regular exchanges between leaders, as part of efforts to further advance the bilateral relations, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters.

The meeting came as South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun was visiting Tokyo for talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on his first overseas trip since taking office last week.

Earlier in the day, Cho also met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who reaffirmed his intent to maintain and further develop good relations with Seoul.

Lee later posted details of the meeting on social media.

The president wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he and Suga "assessed highly that South Korea-Japan relations are making stable progress as the two countries mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic normalization," and agreed to further strengthen ties through close communication across various sectors.

Lee also posted the message in Japanese alongside the Korean version.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Chang Dong-woo · July 30, 2025

​14. Lee's special envoys meet top Polish officials, highlight defense cooperation

​Arsenal of democracy.

Lee's special envoys meet top Polish officials, highlight defense cooperation | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · July 30, 2025

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean delegation has visited Poland to deliver President Lee Jae Myung's message on the commitment to further expanding bilateral cooperation in defense and other areas, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

The delegation, led by veteran politician Park Jie-won of the ruling Democratic Party, was the first group of presidential envoys sent to Poland by South Korea's new government.

The envoys met with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Tuesday (local time) and delivered a personal letter from Lee to Prime Minister Donald Tusk on his commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.

The delegation and Sikorski noted the significant development of bilateral cooperation in the defense sector and agreed to further enhance practical cooperation to produce greater outcomes in key areas, such as the economy, energy and infrastructure, the ministry said.

Democratic Party Rep. Park Jie-won (standing, L), who led South Korea's special presidential delegation to Poland, delivers a letter from President Lee Jae Myung to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The letter is received on behalf of the prime minister by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski (standing, R), in this photo provided by South Korea's foreign ministry on July 30, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The delegation also asked for Poland's continued attention to and support for Seoul's efforts to make meaningful progress in resolving the North Korean nuclear issues and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Sikorski expressed hope for continued close communication at all levels to bolster bilateral ties, according to the Seoul ministry.

During the visit, the delegation met with Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Bejda and discussed efforts to continue the close partnership in the defense field, including the ongoing talks for K2 tank contracts.

The delegation also had meetings with Wojciech Kolarski, head of the international policy bureau in the Chancellery of the President of Poland, and Grzegorz Schetyna, chair of the Polish Senate's foreign affairs.

elly@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · July 30, 2025

15. S. Korea in talks to launch NATO defense consultative body in September

​South Korea is a global pivotal state that chooses to be a peaceful nuclear power, is a partner in the arsenal of democracies and seeks to ensure a free and open Asia-Indo-Pacific and the rules based international order.

S. Korea in talks to launch NATO defense consultative body in September

koreaherald.com · by Hwang Joo-young · July 29, 2025

Wi Sung-lac (left), South Korea’s national security adviser, speaks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25. (Presidential Office)

South Korea is in talks with NATO to launch a working-level defense consultative body as early as September, through which it would seek to expand opportunities for local defense firms to enter the European market.

The inaugural session of the consultative body is being discussed for late September in Brussels, Belgium, with final arrangements still being coordinated by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and NATO, according to an official at the arms procurement agency on Tuesday.

The consultative body would aim to strengthen cooperation across a wide range of defense areas, including joint weapons acquisition and research and development, logistics support, standardization and airworthiness certification, and training and education.

Its launch is expected to provide South Korean defense companies with an additional export channel to NATO’s European member states, the official said.

The consultative body was first proposed by DAPA Commissioner Seok Jong-gun during his visit to Belgium in April. It gained traction following a meeting between National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lac and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in The Hague on the sidelines of the NATO summit in June.

During Wi's visit to The Hague, the two sides also discussed the possibility of Seoul’s participation in NATO’s High Visibility Projects, a next-generation program focused on the joint development and procurement of advanced military capabilities.

With NATO member states set to boost their defense budgets, the European market is emerging as a strategic opportunity for South Korean defense exporters.

In June, NATO member states agreed to raise their total defense-related expenditure to 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2035, including 3.5 percent allocated to defense budgets and 1.5 percent to indirect investments, apparently in response to US President Donald Trump's demands that they increase defense spending.

The projected expansion of the European defense market is seen as a timely opportunity for South Korean defense firms, which are known for their cost competitiveness and rapid delivery, the DAPA official added.

flylikekite@heraldcorp.com

koreaherald.com · by Hwang Joo-young · July 29, 2025

16. Tariff deal hindered by ‘excessive US demands’: source

​Not a good sign.

US strategic communications.

Excerpts:

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump raised the pressure on Wednesday, saying the Aug. 1 reciprocal tariff deadline for remaining trade partners will not be extended.

“THE AUGUST FIRST DEADLINE IS THE AUGUST FIRST DEADLINE — IT STANDS STRONG, AND WILL NOT BE EXTENDED. A BIG DAY FOR AMERICA!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Tariff deal hindered by ‘excessive US demands’: source - The Korea Times

The Korea Times · by ListenListenText SizePrint

1. Foreign Affairs

Tariff deal hindered by ‘excessive US demands’: source

Containers are stacked at Pyeongtaek Port in Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday, two days before the U.S.' planned imposition of reciprocal tariffs on Korean goods. Yonhap

By Anna J. Park

• Published Jul 30, 2025 4:58 pm KST
• Updated Jul 30, 2025 10:01 pm KST

The Korea Times · by ListenListenText SizePrint

By Anna J. Park

Published Jul 30, 2025 4:58 pm KST

Updated Jul 30, 2025 10:01 pm KST

S. Korean presidential office keeps tariff negotiations under wraps

The ongoing trade negotiations with the U.S. are facing headwinds, as American demands have emerged as difficult to accommodate, a source familiar with the discussions said Wednesday.

The explanation comes as top Korean government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, engage in last-minute talks with their counterparts in Washington ahead of the Donald Trump administration’s planned imposition of a 25 percent “reciprocal” tariff on Korean products, expected for Aug. 1.

"The U.S. demands are proving particularly challenging," the source said, adding they are complicating efforts to reach an agreement.

The official did not specify how much investment the U.S. is requesting. With Japan and the European Union pledging investments of $550 billion and $600 billion respectively, Korea now finds itself under mounting pressure to increase its own commitments.

Bloomberg recently reported that the Korean government suggested $100 billion in investments plus additional incentives, but Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick talked of $400 billion. The increased amount is said to be linked not to defense cost sharing but to demands for expanded Korean investment and greater U.S. agricultural exports.

Amid growing speculation, the presidential office is maintaining strict confidentiality.

“We are taking a pragmatic approach rooted in national interest,” presidential chief of staff for policy Kim Yong-beom said.

Presidential chief of staff for policy Kim Yong-beom speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Responding to foreign media reports about the scale of Korea’s potential investment offer to the U.S., Kim declined to confirm any figures, citing the sensitivity and fluidity of the negotiations.

“We are negotiating based on several key principles to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes for both Korea and the U.S., within acceptable bounds,” Kim said.

“The government is fully aware of the price sensitivity in agricultural and livestock sectors, and we are proceeding with that understanding, always prioritizing national interest.”

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung applauds during the completion ceremony of Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Ellabell, Ga., March 26. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung applauds during the completion ceremony of Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Ellabell, Ga., March 26. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

The private sector is also stepping up its support for the government’s negotiating efforts. Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun departed for the U.S. on Wednesday, becoming the third major Korean business leader to head to Washington this week, following Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan and Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong.

Kim traveled to Washington on Monday to advance details of the “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again” (MASGA) initiative — a proposed shipbuilding cooperation between Korea and the U.S. On Tuesday, Lee also headed to the U.S., reportedly carrying proposals for expanded semiconductor investment and advanced artificial intelligence chip collaboration.

Chung’s participation is also drawing attention, as he previously announced a $21 billion U.S. investment plan in March. That package included expanded electric vehicle production in Georgia and a new steel plant in Louisiana.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump raised the pressure on Wednesday, saying the Aug. 1 reciprocal tariff deadline for remaining trade partners will not be extended.

“THE AUGUST FIRST DEADLINE IS THE AUGUST FIRST DEADLINE — IT STANDS STRONG, AND WILL NOT BE EXTENDED. A BIG DAY FOR AMERICA!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Anna J. Park

Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.

17. US immigration authorities detain Korean green card holder

​Also not a good sign for the alliance.

US immigration authorities detain Korean green card holder - The Korea Times

The Korea Times · by ListenListenText SizePrint

1. Foreign Affairs

US immigration authorities detain Korean green card holder

Tae Heung Will Kim, right, attends his brother's wedding in Korea. Kim, a permanent resident of the United States, was taken into custody by immigration authorities at San Francisco International Airport on July 21, according to the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC). Courtesy of NAKASEC

By Lee Hyo-jin

• Published Jul 30, 2025 11:40 am KST
• Updated Jul 30, 2025 5:26 pm KST

The Korea Times · by ListenListenText SizePrint

By Lee Hyo-jin

Published Jul 30, 2025 11:40 am KST

Updated Jul 30, 2025 5:26 pm KST

A Korean living in the United States as a permanent resident has been detained by U.S. immigration authorities amid a broad crackdown on immigrants, according to members of the Korean American community.

Tae Heung Will Kim, a green card holder and resident of Texas, has been held by federal agents at San Francisco International Airport since July 21, after undergoing additional security screening, according to the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC).

The civic group said the 40-year-old is a Ph.D. student at Texas A&M University, where he is researching a potential cure for Lyme disease. Kim, who moved to the U.S. at the age of 5, was detained upon returning from a trip to Korea to attend his brother's wedding.

"He is being held in inhumane conditions without access to legal counsel," NAKASEC said in a statement, calling for Kim’s immediate release and his return to academic and private life.

A Washington Post report, citing Kim's attorney, said that the government has not explained why he was detained. Immigration officials have reportedly denied him access to a lawyer and limited his communication with family to a brief call with his mother.

While the exact reason for his detention remains unclear, according to Kim's attorney, he was charged in 2011 with possession of a small amount of marijuana. This led to a court order requiring him to perform community service, which he completed.

"Will suffers from asthma, a condition that can be exacerbated by stress, and we are unsure about his access to his medication," the advocacy group said. "Customs and Border Patrol's own manual declares that a person can only be held for 72 hours – yet Will has been in their custody for nearly triple that."

Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Korea Times that its diplomatic missions in the U.S. are providing consular assistance to Kim.

The case comes amid growing anxiety among Korean nationals in the United States over the Donald Trump administration’s intensified immigration crackdown.

Since taking office in January, the administration has ramped up mass arrests and deportations, ended several temporary legal protections and suspended refugee admissions and visa processing.

According to the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles, which has the largest Korean population in the U.S., four to five Korean nationals have requested consular assistance after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly referred to as ICE, since the beginning of the year. This marks a significant increase compared to just one case in the two years before Trump's second term.

18. Tariffs on South Korea's products threaten the 'K-beauty' boom in the US

​Not so good for American women.

Tariffs on South Korea's products threaten the 'K-beauty' boom in the US

Statistics compiled by the U.S. International Trade Commission, an independent federal agency, show the U.S. imported $1.7 billion worth of South Korean cosmetics in 2024.

scrippsnews.com · by By: AP via Scripps News Group · July 29, 2025

When Amrita Bhasin, 24, learned that products from South Korea might be subject to a new tax when they entered the United States, she decided to stock up on the sheet masks from Korean brands like U-Need and MediHeal she uses a few times a week.

"I did a recent haul to stockpile," she said. "I bought 50 in bulk, which should last me a few months."

South Korea is one of the countries that hopes to secure a trade deal before the Aug. 1 date President Donald Trump set for enforcing nation-specific tariffs. A not-insignificant slice of the U.S. population has skin in the game when it comes to Seoul avoiding a 25% duty on its exports.

Asian skin care has been a booming global business for more than a decade, with consumers in Europe, North and South America, and increasingly the Middle East, snapping up creams, serums and balms from South Korea, Japan and China.

In the United States and elsewhere, Korean cosmetics, or K-beauty for short, have dominated the trend. A craze for all-in-one "BB creams" — a combination of moisturizer, foundation and sunscreen — morphed into a fascination with 10-step rituals and ingredients like snail mucin, heartleaf and rice water.

Vehicles and electronics may be South Korea's top exports to the U.S. by value, but the country shipped more skin care and cosmetics to the U.S. than any other last year, according to data from market research company Euromonitor. France, with storied beauty brands like L'Oreal and Chanel, was second, Euromonitor said.

Statistics compiled by the U.S. International Trade Commission, an independent federal agency, show the U.S. imported $1.7 billion worth of South Korean cosmetics in 2024, a 54% increase from a year earlier.

"Korean beauty products not only add a lot of variety and choice for Americans, they really embraced them because they were offering something different for American consumers," Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said.

Along with media offerings such as "Parasite" and "Squid Games," and the popularity of K-pop bands like BTS, K-beauty has helped boost South Korea's profile globally, she said.

"It's all part and parcel really of the same thing," Lovely said. "And it can't be completely stopped by a 25% tariff, but it's hard to see how it won't influence how much is sold in the U.S. And I think what we're hearing from producers is that it also really decreases the number of products they want to offer in this market."

Senti Senti, a retailer that sells international beauty products at two New York boutiques and through an e-commerce site, saw a bit of "panic buying" by customers when Trump first imposed punitive tariffs on goods from specific countries, manager Winnie Zhong said.

The rush slowed down after the president paused the new duties for 90 days and hasn't picked up again, Zhong said, even with Trump saying on July 7 that a 25% tax on imports from Japan and South Korea would go into effect on Aug. 1.

Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia subsequently reached agreements with the Trump administration that lowered the tariff rates their exported goods faced — in Japan's case, from 25% to 15% — still higher than the current baseline of 10% tariff.

But South Korea has yet to clinch an agreement, despite having a free trade agreement since 2012 that allowed cosmetics and most other consumer goods to enter the U.S. tax-free.

Since the first store owned by Senti Senti opened 16 years ago, beauty products from Japan and South Korea became more of a focus and now account for 90% of the stock. The business hasn't had to pass on any tariff-related costs to customers yet, but that won't be possible if the products are subject to a 25% import tax, Zhong said.

"I'm not really sure where the direction of K-beauty will go to with the tariffs in place, because one of the things with K-beauty or Asian beauty is that it's supposed to be accessible pricing," she said.

Devoted fans of Asian cosmetics will often buy direct from Asia and wait weeks for their packages to arrive because the products typically cost less than they do in American stores. Rather than stocking up on their favorite sunscreens, lip tints and toners, some shoppers are taking a pause due to the tariff uncertainty.

Los Angeles resident Jen Chae, a content creator with over 1.2 million YouTube subscribers, has explored Korean and Japanese beauty products and became personally intrigued by Chinese beauty brands over the last year.

When the tariffs were first announced, Chae temporarily paused ordering from sites such as YesStyle.com, a shopping platform owned by an e-commerce company based in Hong Kong. She did not know if she would have to pay customs duties on the products she bought or the ones brands sent to her as a creator.

"I wasn't sure if those would automatically charge the entire package with a blanket tariff cost, or if it was just on certain items," Chae said. On its website, YesStyle says it will give customers store credit to reimburse them for import charges.

At Ohlolly, an online store focused on Korean products, owners Sue Greene and Herra Namhie are taking a similar pause.

They purchase direct from South Korea and from licensed wholesalers in the U.S., and store their inventory in a warehouse in Ontario, California. After years of no duties, a 25% import tax would create a "huge increase in costs to us," Namhie said.

She and Greene made two recent orders to replenish their stock when the tariffs were at 10%. But they have put further restocks on hold "because I don't think we can handle 25%," Namhie said. They'd have to raise prices, and then shoppers might go elsewhere.

The business owners and sisters are holding out on hope the U.S. and Korea settle on a lower tariff or carve out exceptions for smaller ticket items like beauty products. But they only have two to four months of inventory in their warehouse. They say that in a month they'll have to make a decision on what products to order, what to discontinue and what prices will have to increase.

Rachel Weingarten, a former makeup artist who writes a daily beauty newsletter called "Hello Gorgeous!," said while she's devoted to K-beauty products like lip masks and toner pads, she doesn't think stockpiling is a sound practice.

"Maybe one or two products, but natural oils, vulnerable packaging and expiration dates mean that your products could go rancid before you can get to them," she said.

Weingarten said she'll still buy Korean products if prices go up, but that the beauty world is bigger than one country. "I'd still indulge in my favorites, but am always looking for great products in general," she said.

Bhasin, in Menlo Park, California, plans to keep buying her face masks too, even if the price goes up, because she likes the quality of Korean masks.

"If prices will go up, I will not shift to U.S. products," she said. "For face masks, I feel there are not a ton of solid and reliable substitutes in the U.S."

scrippsnews.com · by By: AP via Scripps News Group · July 29, 2025

19. Japan moves to expand missile reach near China and North Korea

Japan moves to expand missile reach near China and North Korea

Stars and Stripes · by Brian McElhiney and Keishi Koja · July 29, 2025

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force fires its Type 12 surface-to-ship missile for the first time in July 2023, during the Talisman Sabre exercise in Australia. (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force)

Japan plans to deploy upgraded long-range missiles on its southernmost main island by spring as it continues to bolster defenses in the Nansei Islands, according to local media.

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force is finalizing arrangements to station an upgraded version of its Type-12 surface-to-ship missile at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu by March 31, Kyodo News reported Monday, citing unnamed government sources.

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani confirmed Tuesday that the ministry intends to deploy the missiles this fiscal year but is still evaluating potential locations.

“The Ministry of Defense intends to continue working to build standoff defense capabilities more quickly in light of the most severe and complex security environment since the end of the war,” Nakatani said at a regular press conference in Tokyo.

Japan faces mounting security concerns from China, which contests Japan’s claim to the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, along with North Korea’s advancing ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs. Nakatani also cited Russia, which has participated in recent joint military training with China near Japan, in the ministry’s 2025 white paper.

A ministry spokesperson declined to say by email Tuesday how many missiles will be delivered. Some Japanese government officials speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

The upgraded Type-12 missile, a successor to the Type-88, has an extended range of approximately 620 miles, up from 62 miles. Positioning the missiles on Kyushu would place parts of China’s coast and North Korea within range.

In March, North Korea criticized the planned deployment, accusing Japan of promoting a “history of aggression” and possessing “preemptive strike capability,” according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Japan also plans to deploy the missiles at Camp Yufuin in Oita prefecture, also on Kyushu, and at Vice-Camp Katsuren on Okinawa, Kyodo reported.

Japan conducted three successful test launches of the upgraded missile in October at the Air Systems Research Center on Niijima, an island southwest of Tokyo.

In 2023, the Ground Self-Defense Force opened a missile base on Ishigaki Island, at the far end of the Nansei chain stretching from Kyushu to Taiwan. The base houses Type-12 and Type-03 surface-to-air missiles, aimed at countering China’s growing presence in waters around Taiwan and the East China Sea.

Brian McElhiney

Brian McElhiney

Brian McElhiney is a reporter for Stars and Stripes based in Okinawa, Japan. He has worked as a music reporter and editor for publications in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Oregon. One of his earliest journalistic inspirations came from reading Stars and Stripes as a kid growing up in Okinawa.

Keishi Koja

Keishi Koja

Keishi Koja is an Okinawa-based reporter/translator who joined Stars and Stripes in August 2022. He studied International Communication at the University of Okinawa and previously worked in education.

Stars and Stripes · by Brian McElhiney and Keishi Koja · July 29, 2025

20. Korea’s AI ambitions at crossroads amid US push for tech dominance

Korea’s AI ambitions at crossroads amid US push for tech dominance - The Korea Times

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1. Business
2. Tech & Science

Korea’s AI ambitions at crossroads amid US push for tech dominance

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order during an artificial intelligence summit in Washington, July 23. AP-Yonhap

By Lee Gyu-lee

• Published Jul 30, 2025 11:16 am KST
• Updated Jul 30, 2025 3:46 pm KST

The Korea Times · by ListenListenText SizePrint

By Lee Gyu-lee

Published Jul 30, 2025 11:16 am KST

Updated Jul 30, 2025 3:46 pm KST

Despite US challenge, experts urge Korea to bet on homegrown AI

In the wake of the U.S. AI Action Plan, which prioritizes domestically developed technologies, Korea’s ambitious artificial intelligence strategy finds itself at a critical juncture.

Korea has launched a project to develop its own proprietary AI foundation model, aiming for technological self-reliance by building large language and multimodal models entirely from scratch. The goal is to reach at least 95 percent of the performance of leading global AI systems, an ambitious step toward achieving technological autonomy in AI.

Following an initial application review, 10 consortia — including ones led by Naver Cloud, LG AI Research, Upstage and KAIST — have been shortlisted. This group will be narrowed down to five finalists by early August, with the government providing support in graphics processing units, data and personnel. By 2027, two final teams will be selected.

However, Korea’s plans to champion sovereign AI face questions as Washington launches its own strategy in a clear play to consolidate the global AI ecosystem under its standards and supply chains.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed AI-focused executive orders last week with plans to accelerate innovation, build American AI infrastructure and take a leading role in the global market for AI. The plan also seeks to export “full-stack” American AI, including hardware, models and standards, to allied nations while blocking adversary access and tightening export controls.

For Korea, the U.S. move raises concerns that any locally developed AI could be shut out of key export markets or collaborative opportunities unless it integrates with the American stack.

The Korea Software Industry Association (KOSA) warned in its recent report that if core AI models and platforms are built around U.S. standards, Korean companies may be relegated to the role of “lower-level suppliers” developing apps for foreign platforms.

However, experts caution that it is too early to determine the fate of the project, suggesting a balanced approach that leverages Korea’s unique strengths while maintaining strategic flexibility.

LG AI Research co-President Lee Hong-lak speaks during an LG AI Talk Concert event at LG Science Park in western Seoul, July 22. Courtesy of LG AI Research

LG AI Research co-President Lee Hong-lak speaks during an LG AI Talk Concert event at LG Science Park in western Seoul, July 22. Courtesy of LG AI Research

Professor Choi Byeong-ho of Korea University’s Human-inspired AI Research said that if Korea adopts a fundamentally different approach rather than following in the footsteps of the U.S. or China, it can gain a competitive edge despite pressures from the two countries.

“At the end of the day, the real purpose behind building up AI infrastructure or models, considered inputs, is to deliver competitive AI services, which are outputs … Right now, all this input is part of a game of economies of scale, and we just can’t win that fight. That’s why we have to turn the equation around,” he said.

“We should optimize everything with the end goal of building export-ready, high-quality AI products. That’s how we can carve out our own path.”

Noting that Korea should approach AI in the way it approached semiconductors, he suggested that focusing on lightweight models could be a way for Korea to gain a competitive advantage.

“Even if there are some trade-offs, what matters is having a model that can deliver optimized, high-quality output. If we can come up with a well-optimized lightweight model, we could really pack a punch,” he said.

“Our strategy should be like semiconductors: always export-focused. If we cannot break into the U.S., then we go for Southeast Asia, Europe or wherever we can. Korea has always survived by diversifying its export markets, so we should go as broad as possible in our push outward.”

Gachon University business professor Jeon Seong-min explained Korean consumers’ tendency for fast-changing and unique demand could help the country to come up with differentiating outputs.

“It would not be right to avoid trying, just because we are worried about potential threats or possible trade disputes. In the process of developing our own models, we could succeed or fail, but there is so much to learn along the way,” he said.

“If we can achieve something in an area where we already excel, that has the potential to become mainstream.”

However, from the players’ perspective, the critical issue is the outcome of the upcoming trade negotiations, which currently face an Aug. 1 deadline, according to an industry insider.

“Right now, the most important thing is not funding; it is trade. If trade issues are not resolved, what is the point of building the world’s best AI?” he said.

“The current trade situation encompasses everything — semiconductors, electronics, all bundled together. Unless that is resolved, the industry cannot move forward. We need those barriers removed, so we can truly compete to build world-class foundation models.”

​21. ROK soldier of North Korean descent jumped from building due to alleged bullying

​What a tragedy. Korea must do better.  

And I do not think we understand the implications of those who are born to Korean mothers in China after having been trafficked while trying to escape from the north.  

22. Populism and democracy in South Korea: Two perspectives, one painting

Populism and democracy in South Korea: Two perspectives, one painting - The Korea Times

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1. Opinion
2. Columns
3. Guest Columns

Populism and democracy in South Korea: Two perspectives, one painting

By William Barclay

• Published Jul 29, 2025 4:40 pm KST
• Updated Jul 29, 2025 4:44 pm KST

The Korea Times · by ListenListenText SizePrint

ROK soldier of North Korean descent jumped from building due to alleged bullying

Human rights group accuses army of failing to protect soldier born in China in case highlighting persistent prejudice

https://www.nknews.org/2025/07/rok-soldier-of-north-korean-descent-jumped-from-building-due-to-alleged-bullying/

Jooheon Kim July 30, 2025

ROK army trainees take part in a group march on Dec. 27, 2023. | Image: ROK army

A young South Korean soldier of North Korean and Chinese descent jumped from a building after allegedly facing bullying from fellow soldiers, according to a Seoul-based human rights organization, stating that he felt “there was absolutely no way out of the situation.”

Experts said the case appears to highlight the challenges that North Korean escapees, particularly those born in third countries, face after resettling in the South due to persistent social prejudice.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Center for Military Human Rights Korea (CMHRK) alleged that the abuse began after the soldier was assigned to an artillery unit last December and targeted his Korean-language skills.

The soldier, who holds the rank of corporal, was born to a North Korean defector mother and a Chinese father and grew up in China, later resettling in the South after middle school.

“He is a native speaker of Mandarin,” Bang Hye-lin, defense monitoring team manager at CMHRK, told NK News.

Due to his background, some of his fellow soldiers insulted him using a derogatory term for Chinese people (짱개, jjanggae) and the term “fake Korea” (짭코리아), while he was also subjected to harsh military discipline, according to the human rights center.

During a night shooting drill in April, his squad leader allegedly yelled at him repeatedly for speaking in a soft voice, causing him to break down in tears. 

The next day, the soldier jumped from the second floor of his barracks, according to CMHRK. The statement did not describe his actions as a suicide attempt.

While he survived and avoided paralysis, the center said he has been hospitalized for about three months and has undergone two surgeries for serious spinal injuries.

“He sustained a lumbar fracture and has had pins inserted,” Bang said, explaining that he can now walk but still needs more rehabilitation therapy.

The South Korean army told NK News that it “takes the incident seriously” and that it launched an investigation immediately after the accident, resulting in the referral of a fellow soldier to military prosecutors.

Bang Hye-lin emphasized the vulnerability of defectors born in third countries like China. 

“Unlike those born in North Korea, who are exempt from military service, third-country-born youths aren’t recognized as defectors,” she told NK News. “They’re treated as foreigners.”

Bang also shared that the corporal has faced family hardships due his mother’s reported repatriation to North Korea.

Maeng Hyo-shim, a defector who fled the DPRK as a teenager, said third-country-born North Korean defectors can experience identity crises in the South.

“Unlike escapees coming directly from North Korea, those who grew up in third countries likely face greater challenges with language and culture,” she said.

CMHRK’s statement criticized the military for conscripting youth from multicultural backgrounds “without any structural preparedness,” calling for the military to “confront the widespread discrimination” and to “revise relevant regulations” to prevent hate speech based on race or nationality.

The center claimed that the corporal requested to be reassigned to a unit with a soldier who spoke Chinese before the incident but that his request was denied. It also stated that he attended multiple counseling sessions but that his complaints were dismissed as not serious enough to warrant punishing the offender.

Peter Ward, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute, explained that social biases may be at play in the soldier’s case.

“South Koreans are increasingly anti-Chinese, and there’s also strong and longstanding anti-Chinese Korean sentiment here,” he told NK News, suggesting that the victim may have faced less abuse if he were a North Korean escapee who spoke with a northern accent.

Ward cited his research showing that Chinese nationals of Korean descent living in South Korea are not automatically granted citizenship under the ROK Constitution, and many are considered more like “migrant labor than as part of the national fabric.”

Edited by Bryan Betts

By William Barclay

Published Jul 29, 2025 4:40 pm KST

Updated Jul 29, 2025 4:44 pm KST

William Barclay

William Barclay

In 2024, Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea’s former president, accused the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) of “collaborating with North Korean communists in order to destroy the South Korean state” and summarily imposed martial law on the people of South Korea during a nationally televised address.

Thankfully, despite its fiery onset, South Korea’s martial law crisis was quickly resolved and democracy was restored within the Korean nation.

Unfortunately, in the wake of its recent martial law crisis, Korean society has mimicked the mistakes of Western nations, such as the U.S., and has started to reflexively reject all populism and right-wing ideology as antidemocratic.

And yet, despite the fact that throughout the modern era, left-wing pundits and Western politicians have attempted to misconstrue all populism and right-wing ideology as antidemocratic, oppressive and fascist, it is clear that they are not at all inherently antagonistic to democracy.

Rather, if populist ideology and right-wing politics are earnestly compared and contrasted with democracy and its fundamental principles, then it immediately becomes readily apparent that populism and democracy are nigh indistinguishable, and that populism is at best merely the moniker that left-wing politicians and pundits have attempted to surreptitiously attach to any unwanted political outcomes and conservative results, in an effort to ignore the real needs of the state and the bedrock of any democracy: its people.

Firstly, populism and democracy both confirm that individual people are, unequivocally, the most important aspect of any state, and that within any nation, the populace must necessarily govern itself. Furthermore, populism and democracy both argue that pursuing the needs of its citizens is the fundamental purpose of every state and that any truly democratic, ethical state is merely an instrument for the will of its people. In fact, populism and democracy both agree that a state’s national interests are actually indistinguishable from the will and the needs of its people, and if a state does not pursue the needs and the will of its populace, then it has become corrupt and must be immediately reformed.

Moreover, populism and democracy both agree that the individual human rights of every person are of paramount important and utterly inviolable, and both are inherently predicated upon an ardent, unending crusade to preserve and protect the fundamental human rights, liberties and autonomy of every individual person against any transgression. Thus, even a state’s most urgent needs and political objectives cannot supersede or circumvent the rights and freedoms of its people.

In addition, populism and democracy both contend that a free-market economy is the ideal economic mode, as well as the only ethical economic system. In fact, populism and democracy both emphatically agree that any socialist state or communist economy is not merely grossly inefficient and utterly unproductive, but also quintessentially immoral and constantly in conflict with the fundamental human rights of its populace. In truth, populism and democracy both reject every aspect of a hierarchical, stratified society and constantly attempt to provide every citizen with an identical opportunity to not only merely participate in the political process, but earnestly self-determine economically as well as politically.

If the Korean people continue to mimic the mistakes of Western nations and reflexively reject all populism and right-wing ideology as antidemocratic, then South Korea will inevitably be forced to endure the same outpouring of democratic backsliding, political polarization and politically motivated violence that has inundated various democratic states, such as Canada and the U.S., as a result of their own open persecution of all populism and right-wing ideology over the course of the past decade.

William Barclay is an award-winning political theorist and policy expert. Follow him on Twitter/X @WillBarclayBBC. The views expressed in this article is the author's own.

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com