Honestly I prefer the mask-off imperialism. It’s evil but at least it’s honest. And if you support him you have to be honest about supporting imperial foreign policy.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 7h ago

Trump: "We're taking a lot of oil from Venezuela -- billions and billions of barrels of oil. To the victor belong the spoils."

It should be so easy for the DPK to be the pro-democracy party in Korea given the insanity that persists in the People Power Party and the far-right, but they just can't help themselves. They fuel their own criticism with this sort of talk. www.chosun.com/english/opin...

Editorial: National Assembly Speaker Labels Incumbent Re-election 'Public Choice'

Editorial: National Assembly Speaker Labels Incumbent Re-election Public Choice Speaker Chos remarks contrast with constitutional limits, party denials on re-election amendment

chosun.com

This is a very accurate dissection of US-South Korea relations at the moment. The hysteria in DC about Coupang and the old-guard American Korean watchers' obsession with painting Lee Jae Myung as anti-American is frankly idiotic when viewed from Seoul. www.koreatimes.co.kr/opinion/colu...

Seoul isn't drifting away from Washington - The Korea Times

A particular narrative has taken hold in Washington policy circles: that Korea’s current government and the ruling party represents an ideological...

koreatimes.co.kr

Interesting that X would be a progressive space in the Korean context. And honestly had no idea anybody actually used Threads. 아저시 다 됐나봐 www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/x-vers...

X versus Threads: Is Korea’s political divide deepening online?

As X is seemingly becoming the domain of the DP and the PPP appears to be gravitating toward Threads, experts warn that online discourse may harden into separate echo chambers.

koreajoongangdaily.com

I shared some thoughts with the Korea Herald on prosecutorial reform in Korea. The DPK is accused of pursuing reform because its leaders have been accused of crimes, but I point out that conservatives have partisan interests in preserving the prosecution's powers www.koreaherald.com/article/1082...

History of Democratic Party's decadeslong prosecution reform

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea's push for the complete removal of the prosecution's investigative power is now in its final stretch, despite a range of co

koreaherald.com

Ah yes. Making the war even more unpopular as US troops die for no explicable reason will surely give the president tons of leverage thehill.com/policy/defen...

Ret. Gen. Kellogg calls for ground troops in Iran, new negotiating team

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg on Monday called for U.S. ground troops in Iran as well as a new American negotiating team in the conflict. “Look, there’s about five things we ought to be doin…

thehill.com

Lee Jae Myung and the Korean govt put a lot of effort into rerouting oil shipments through the Red Sea during the initial phase of the war only for this to happen. Constantly impressed with how Trump finds new ways to screw everyone www.nytimes.com/live/2026/07...

Iran War Live Updates: Iran-Backed Houthis Expand Conflict With Red Sea Blockade

nytimes.com

Trump now expects the world to literally pay for his blunder. This is insane www.koreaherald.com/article/1080...

Trump says US will charge 20% fee on all cargo shipped through Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States will serve as the "guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz and be "reimbursed" at a 20 percent rate on al

koreaherald.com

The World Cup was so much fun…and then Trump touched it and it turned to shit. Like everything else he touches. The US team was so fun to watch. Likable. And now Trump has tainted any achievements they make moving forward. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/u...

Trump Asked FIFA to Review U.S. Player’s Suspension. Now He’s Eligible to Play.

nytimes.com

Took me a while to realize it, but this high school is where Syngman Rhee was educated back before the Japanese colonial era. They even have a statue of the dictator at their school. Have to wonder what these kids are taught...

Benjamin A. Engel@benjaminaengel.bsky.social · last mo.

This might be more shocking and disappointing than the initial "Tank Day" promotion by Starbucks. Sad to see young people think this is a joke. www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/when-h...

This might be more shocking and disappointing than the initial "Tank Day" promotion by Starbucks. Sad to see young people think this is a joke. www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/when-h...

When hate goes viral: Meme culture takes ugly turn on the baseball field

Players from a Seoul-based high school mocked a team from Gwangju by using chants alluding to Starbucks Korea's controversial 'Tank Day' promotion.

koreajoongangdaily.com

The Korean Peninsula and the Shifting Balance of Power in East Asia 🚨In this in-depth conversation, I sat down with @benjaminaengel.bsky.social engel to explore the historical, political, and strategic forces shaping the future of Korea and East Asia Full Record www.youtube.com/live/AEMHCK3...

The Korean Peninsula and the Shifting Balance of Power in East Asia

YouTube video by Dr Lokman Karadag

youtube.com

대한민국~~

If raiding the National Election Commission to search for evidence of malfeasance in the wake of the ballot shortage during last week’s election is this easy, why did Yoon need to declare martial law? www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/2...

Police raid election watchdog over ballot shortages during local elections - The Korea Times

Police on Thursday raided the National Election Commission (NEC) and some of its local offices in Seoul as part of an investigation into shortages...

koreatimes.co.kr

Wow. Coupang assessed a record $410 million fine for its data breach last year. And another $132 million for unauthorized collection of users' data. Congress has been criticizing Korea on Coupang's behalf and we'll see what fallout this has in US-Korea relations. en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2026...

Coupang fined record 624.7 billion won over massive data breach, unauthorized data collection | Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL, June 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's data protection regulator on Thursday fined ...

en.yna.co.kr

The PPP infighting has resumed in the wake of the ballot shortage fiasco. PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok is beholden to the conspiracy theory end of the party and wants a new election. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who won the election, of course does not want to do it again. www.hani.co.kr/arti/politic...

오세훈 “중대 위법 아니면 재선거 못 해…장동혁 노선은 실패”

오세훈 서울시장이 장동혁 국민의힘 대표 등이 요구 중인 6·3 지방선거 ‘재선거’에 대해 “정치공학적인 이해관계는 이해하지만, 절차상 하자가 당락을 바꿀 만한 중대한 위법이 아니면 재선거는 치를 수 없도록 돼 있다”며 부정적 입장을 밝혔다. 오 시장은 9일 공개된 ‘조

hani.co.kr

This article focuses on the protesters and claims that the movement is seeking to be bipartisan, but I wish they'd do a deeper dive on the organizers and their political goals. I doubt it is as bipartisan as they claim. www.koreaherald.com/article/1076...

'This isn't about politics': Young Koreans push for election rerun

On Sunday morning in southern Seoul, the scene did not look like the election-related rallies South Korea has grown used to in recent years. A crowd had gathere

koreaherald.com

After the ballot shortage fiasco during the local election on June 3, President Lee Jae Myung and Prime Minister Kim Min Seok have both come out in favor of investigating the National Election Commission and have called for officials to resign. 1/ www.chosun.com/english/nati...

Prime Minister Kim Demands NEC Officials Resign, Backs Special Counsel

Prime Minister Kim Demands NEC Officials Resign, Backs Special Counsel Amid ballot shortage crisis, government supports investigations and accountability for National Election Commission

chosun.com

Democratic Party candidate Jeong Won-o conceded defeat in Seoul mayor race. Now the PPP has to decide whether or not to push for a new election that would nullify their own victory but keep their election fraud conspiracies alive. m-en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2026...

(URGENT) DP Seoul Mayor candidate Chong concedes defeat in local election race | Yonhap News Agency

m-en.yna.co.kr

Exit poll results from yesterday’s mayoral election in Seoul by generation and gender. The gender split in younger Koreans remains strong. Young men in their 20s voted for the conservative candidate at roughly 70% while young women were more evenly split. 1/

The Democratic Party dominated the local elections yesterday winning 12 out of 16 governorship and mayorships. But the victory wasn’t as resounding as expected actually and significant tension remains despite the elections having concluded in the Dems favor. 1/ www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/p...

DPK dominates local elections, wins 12 of 16 mayoral, provincial races - The Korea Times

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) won 12 out of the country’s 16 mayor and provincial governor races in Wednesday’s local elections, accor...

koreatimes.co.kr

Assuming these are real statements: “considering the number of people who cast ballots early, we only printed enough ballots for 50% of the voters in Songpa district.” Really stupid. n.news.naver.com/mnews/articl...

[속보] 선관위 "송파구, 전체 유권자 수 50%만 용지 인쇄"

선관위 "송파구, 전체 유권자 수 50%만 용지 인쇄" 선관위 "사전투표 등 고려해 유권자 수 절반 인쇄" "사전투표율 낮은 곳 용지 부족 가능성…분석 필요" ▷ 자세한 뉴스가 곧 이어집니다.

n.news.naver.com

Some precincts in Seoul ran out of ballots in the evening, leaving some voters unable to cast ballots. The PPP, which already the party of election fraud conspiracies, is calling for the results of today’s election in Seoul to be nullified. 1/ www.chosun.com/english/nati...

People Power Party Demands Suspension of Seoul Election Count

People Power Party Demands Suspension of Seoul Election Count Ballot shortages, rights violations spur call for Seoul election redo

chosun.com

Today local elections are being held in Korea. They are mostly seen as a referendum on the president and ruling party since local governments don’t have a ton of power. The two major parties are also regional parties so there isn’t much additional flavor to most races. The exit polls are out. 1/

Morse Tan, who has consistently supported election fraud conspiracies in Korea, may be banned from leaving Korea for not cooperating with police. He has been accused of defamation, a criminal charge, for saying President Lee committed murder as a young man. 1/ www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/l...

Police seek exit ban on Morse Tan over defamation allegations - The Korea Times

Police on Monday applied to the Ministry of Justice for an exit ban on Morse Tan, a Korean American professor and former U.S. ambassador at large f...

koreatimes.co.kr

Not sure the Yoon Again protesters have read their history. The redcoats are the baddies…

Star Wars! I’ve heard the Mando movie is a bit cheesy and unremarkable (Andor has raised the bar impossibly high), but any day you get to go to the theater and watch a new Star Wars movie is a good day~

The Mandalorian and Grogu: This Is The Way

ALT: The Mandalorian and Grogu: This Is The Way

static.klipy.com

Interesting. Explosion of tourists coming to Korea has resulted in surges in passengers arriving at Korea's smaller airports as well. This bodes well for getting some of the tourist spending out of the capital and into the provincial regions. www.chosun.com/english/nati...

Cheongju Airport Sees 858% Surge in Foreign Arrivals

Cheongju Airport Sees 858% Surge in Foreign Arrivals Once a Ghost Airport, Cheongju Expands Routes as Foreign Arrivals Soar

chosun.com

“Schools are not places to impose a particular set of values. They should be places where children learn academic ability, character, responsibility and a sense of community.” You can't say these two sentences back-to-back. They are directly contradictory. www.koreaherald.com/article/1075...

Seoul campaign roiled by banners opposing 'queer education'

Walking through Seoul, it is not hard to spot large election banners calling for "homosexuality education" to be expelled from schools, part of conservative Seo

koreaherald.com

People Power Party is so beleaguered they are rolling out disgraced former president Park Geun-hye on the campaign trail. Sort of like Trump did for George W. Bush, Yoon Suk Yeol was so terrible has managed to make Park look "not that bad" by comparison www.koreaherald.com/article/1075...

Park Geun-hye hits campaign trail for opposition candidates

Former President Park Geun-hye called on voters in the central Chungcheong region Monday to give People Power Party candidates “a chance to work,” stepping up h

koreaherald.com