“We Have a Very Good Relationship with South Korea.”.

• Donald Trump (U.S. President) told reporters.
• “We should bring in experts to train our people so they can do it themselves,” he said.
• This marks a step back from his initial remarks dismissing the detained Korean workers as “illegal immigrants” and defending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for “doing their job.”

Released Tomorrow.

• Cho Ki-jung (Washington Consul General) said, “We are considering around the 10th for the detained Koreans’ return.”
• They plan to return via a chartered flight from Jacksonville Airport, Florida.

What Matters Now.

Immigration Crackdown: Not the End.

• Trump has threatened to fire officials in the bottom 10% of performance if they fail to meet the daily target of 3,000 arrests and deportations. He also announced plans to spend $170 billion over four years on immigrant crackdowns.
• Kim Sang-yeop (U.S. attorney) said, “With such a massive budget, there’s no reason to reduce immigration enforcement, and pressure from the White House for results is intense,” adding, “Even shortages in enforcement are being filled by deploying military personnel, raising concerns about a resurgence of mass detentions.”
• Related Link.

“If You Can’t Speak English, You’re Taken More Forcefully.”.

• Most of the detained workers were subcontractors.
• A worker interviewed by JoongAng Ilbo avoided arrest because he was outside. “Major companies minimized costly visas for direct employees and shifted the financial and legal risks to subcontractors,” he said.
• Some argue voluntary departure may not be the best solution. Andrew Lee (U.S. attorney) noted, “While voluntary return is a quick fix, resolving the situation by making innocent people admit guilt could set a dangerous precedent.”
• Related Link.

U.S. Risk.

• Georgia’s crisis has amplified U.S. risks.
• Complaints about low cost-effectiveness are already overflowing.
• According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, the cost of operating a system semiconductor plant for 10 years is 100 in the U.S., but only 78 in South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan, and 63 in China.
• “Most have never even seen a semiconductor cleanroom, and even those who’ve built large-scale plants are rare,” one source remarked.
• Labor costs are high, training is difficult, and the entire ecosystem must be rebuilt from scratch—while visa issuance for key personnel and other conditions remain unfavorable.
• Related Link.

470,000 Apply for Visas, Only 85,000 Selected by Lottery.

• With professional employment visas so hard to obtain, the de facto practice was to work on short-term visitor visas.
• Cho Hyun (Minister of Foreign Affairs) said, “We’ll negotiate two options: increasing separate visas for Koreans or expanding quotas.”

Korean Companies’ U.S. Factory Investments.

• Hyundai Motor·LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Georgia, 5.7 trillion won.
• Hyundai Motor·SK On joint battery plant in Georgia, 8 trillion won.
• Hanwha Q CELLS solar plant in Georgia, 3.5 trillion won.
• CJ Foodville bakery plant in Georgia, 9.7 billion won.
• Air Liquide Marine (Hyundai Electric) transformer second plant in Alabama, 185 billion won.
• Hyundai Motor·Josco electric motor plant in Louisiana, 8 trillion won.
• SK On·Ford joint battery plant in Tennessee, 15.8 trillion won.
• LG Chem cathode material plant in Tennessee, 2 trillion won.
• Samsung SDI·Stellantis joint battery plant, 3.8 trillion won.
• SK Siltron semiconductor wafer plant, 600 billion won.
• Lotte Aluminum·Lotte Incheon joint plant in Kentucky, 300 billion won.
• LS Electric submarine cable plant in Virginia, 1 trillion won.
• Hanwha Ocean Philadelphia shipyard in Pennsylvania, 7 trillion won.
• LG Energy Solution·Honda joint battery plant in Ohio, 5.2 trillion won.
• POSCO Chemical cathode material plant in Ohio, 3 trillion won.
• Samsung SDI·Stellantis joint battery plant in Michigan, 2 trillion won.
• CJ CheilJedang food plant in South Dakota, 250 billion won.
• Samsung SDI·Stellantis joint battery plant in Indiana, 3.8 trillion won.
• Samsung SDI·GM joint battery plant in Indiana, 4.9 trillion won.
• SK Hynix advanced packaging plant in Indiana, 5.4 trillion won.
• Hanwha Aerospace battery plant in Arizona, 7 trillion won.
• Samsung Electronics foundry plant in Texas, 51 trillion won.

Jeong Cheong-rae and Jang Dong-hyeok Shake Hands.

• It was a meeting called by Lee Jae-myung (President). The atmosphere was warm.
• Jeong Cheong-rae (Democratic Party leader), immediately after his election as party leader, had taken a hardline stance, saying, “Handshakes are for people,” and had even avoided greeting Song Un-seok (People Power Party floor leader) despite encounters. But yesterday, he willingly shook hands.
• Lee Jae-myung separately met with Jang Dong-hyeok (People Power Party leader), saying, “The government needs a red team,” and added, “We will proceed through sufficient discussion.”
• The lunch menu was bibimbap. Even the necktie, mixing blue and red, carried a message.
• Related Link.

“Not Even 100 Days of Eating Garlic and Mugwort.”.

• Jang Dong-hyeok’s remark, alluding to Jeong Cheong-rae’s earlier comment about only shaking hands with “people.” It implies gratitude for the handshake, as he’s still in the process of “becoming human” by eating garlic and mugwort.
• He also playfully complimented Lee Jae-myung, suggesting he’s become a “harmony maker.”
• Though the mood was warm, differences remained: Jeong Cheong-rae stressed “crushing rebellion,” while Jang Dong-hyeok urged, “Please exercise your veto on the special prosecutor bill amendment.”

President-Meets-Opposition-Leader Meetings: Kim Dae-jung Did It Eight Times.

• Park Chung-hee (former president) met five times, Lee Myung-bak three times, Roh Tae-woo, Kim Young-sam, and Roh Moo-hyun each met twice.
• Choe Kyu-hah, Chun Doo-hwan, Moon Jae-in, and Yoon Suk-yeol met only once. Yoon waited over two years for his first—and only—meeting.
• Related Link.

Deep Dive.

Only the President Is Visible.

• Kyunghyang Shinmun’s assessment of Lee Jae-myung’s first 100 days in office.
• Lee Jae-mook (professor, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies) evaluated, “The proportion of ideological appointments has clearly decreased.”
• Park Myung-ho (professor, Dongguk University) analyzed, “As a president who runs state affairs while watching the approval rating ticker, it won’t be easy to maintain balance.”
• Park Sang-hoon (political scientist) stated, “This is a government where the prime minister’s role is virtually absent, and even cabinet ministers are barely visible.” “There are concerns that all public officials will end up looking only to the president for direction,” he pointed out.

Better Naked Than in the SIU.

• Projections suggest many prosecutors will either move to the prosecution office or resign. If they go to the SIU under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, they become investigators (judicial police), not prosecutors.
• The decision to place it under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety is finalized, but supplementary investigations remain a major issue. The Democratic Party plans to strip the right to request them. The average processing time for criminal cases doubled from 142 days in 2020 to 312 days last year.
• Park Beom-kye (Democratic Party lawmaker) disagrees. “Completely abolishing prosecutors’ supplementary investigation rights could lead to ping-pong between agencies,” he argued, adding, “If investigations sent with prosecution recommendations are insufficient, supplementary rights should be allowed for fact-specific voluntary inquiries.”
• Claims also emerge that removing the “Prosecutors’ Office” title while Article 89 of the Constitution explicitly mentions a “Prosecutor General” is unconstitutional. There are also calls for institutional checks on the SIU.
• Related Link.
• Related Link.

“Can’t You Guess Whose Will This Is?”.

• Woo Sang-ho (Presidential Chief of Political Affairs) clashed with Jeong Cheong-rae over his claim that the Democratic Party should be excluded from the prosecution reform task force. When Woo stated, “It’s not customary,” Jeong retorted, “We should participate as if it was prearranged.”
• Woo bristled. “No, I’ve been in politics longer than you—don’t I know my own style? Do you think I’m here to push my agenda by trading on the president’s name? Can’t you guess whose will this is to keep the party out?”
• He ultimately pinned it on the president’s intent.
• Kim Min-seok (Prime Minister) stepped in to mediate: “Even if discussions included party participation, it was only a draft.”
• A Democratic Party official interviewed by JoongAng Ilbo called it “a preview of the ruling-party–executive conflicts to come during negotiations on follow-up prosecution reform legislation.”
• Related Link.

Missing Evidence Tag: A Case for a Permanent Special Prosecutor.

• Jeong Cheong-rae called it “proof that prosecution reform is urgently needed.”
• Prosecutors seized a wad of cash wrapped in Bank of Korea packaging from the home of a Buddhist monk but lost the identifying tag—a key clue to its origin. A prosecutor testifying at the hearing said, “I don’t recall whether the tag was attached.”
• The Democratic Party views this as the prosecution cutting loose ends. Kim Gi-pyo (Democratic Party lawmaker) said, “It’s absurd that prosecutors—who are trained more thoroughly than anyone on handling evidence—could have discarded the tag while counting the money.”
• Choo Mi-ae (Democratic Party lawmaker) also noted, “This appears to be an organized crime by the prosecution to cover up larger crimes or higher-ups.”
• Jeon Hyeon-hee (Democratic Party lawmaker) insisted, “The truth must be uncovered by an independent permanent special prosecutor.”
• Related Link.
• Related Link.

Another Take.

Three Reasons the Jeonse System Persists.

• First, jeonse loans prop up the market. A survey also found 81% of households prefer jeonse over monthly rent.
• Second, gap investment demand remains high. When apartment prices rise, so does gap speculation.
• Third, in agrarian times, parents would allocate rice fields or farmland when children married. Today, parents provide jeonse deposits—a mutual exchange of support between generations.
• According to Korea Housing Finance Corporation data, households with deposit-based monthly rent pay an average of 380,000 won, while pure monthly rent households pay 630,000 won.
• In Seoul, average apartment monthly rent is 1.09 million won—up 30% in five years.
• Park Won-gap (KB Kookmin Bank Senior Researcher) warned, “Rapid monthly rent conversion is more threatening to low-income groups.”
• “Already shrinking middle class will thin further, deepening polarization and social instability,” he said. An era where 30–50% of income goes to rent—like in foreign countries—could arrive.
• Park emphasized, “To adapt to the monthly rent era, public housing and housing vouchers must expand.”
• Related Link.

50,000 Households Added, Only 30,000 Apartments Built.

• As of 2023, Seoul has 1.75 million apartments.
• The city’s total households stand at 4.14 million.
• In 2022, households increased by 52,019, while apartments rose by only 34,693.
• Seo Jin-hyeong (Kwangwoon University professor) criticized, “The September 7 measures mention nothing about private-sector supply,” adding, “To make real demand feel the impact, revitalizing redevelopment and reconstruction through deregulation of urban renewal projects is essential.”
• Ko Joon-seok (Yonsei University professor) argued, “If large-scale supply within Seoul is impossible, dispersing demand concentrated in the capital to bordering regions is crucial,” urging, “GTX construction and groundbreaking must accelerate.”
• Related Link.

“Release the Hostages,” Final Ultimatum to Hamas.

• Trump pressured on Truth Social, “Everyone wants this war to end” and “Israel has accepted ceasefire terms—now it’s Hamas’s turn.”
• Hamas also signaled openness, stating, “We are ready to sit at the negotiating table.”
• Reuters reports three conditions: First, Israel must end its Gaza City offensive. Second, Hamas must release all 20 hostages held in Gaza. Third, Israel must free over 2,500 detained Palestinians.
• Trump warned that if Hamas rejects the ceasefire, Israel will launch a large-scale military operation. Hamas demands explicit, public guarantees.
• Related Link.

Beware the Textbook Trap.

• Learning (學習) combines learning (學) in class and practicing (習) through homework.
• Lee Beom (education critic) believes AI can assist with the “習” (practice) aspect: by assigning personalized homework and feedback based on student levels, it can reduce academic disparities. However, AI replacing the “學” (learning) component is problematic.
• Lee warned, “Being confined to the ‘textbook’ framework risks prioritizing easily digitized ‘homework’ over harder-to-digitize ‘classroom instruction’—a reversal of main and secondary elements.” This is because personalized homework is easier to standardize than personalized instruction.
• “Lee Jae-myung’s digital textbook (AIDT) must paradoxically not be a textbook. Retain the AI and digital elements but free them from the ‘T’ (textbook) constraint to unleash imagination.”
• Related Link.

The Fix.

2035 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target Draft Released.

• Under the Paris Agreement, 10-year targets (NDCs) are submitted every five years. The 2035 draft includes four options: mid-40%, 53%, 61%, and 68%.
• First, mid-40% aligns with industry demands—a strategy of postponement.
• Second, 53% divides the 2050 carbon neutrality goal linearly.
• Third, 61% matches the IPCC’s recommended level.
• Fourth, 67% reflects civil society’s demand.
• Plan1.5 called the inclusion of the “67% reduction target a significant step forward.” The Korean Federation for Environmental Movements argued, “Any tokenistic reduction plan must be discarded.”
• Related Link.
• Related Link.
• Related Link.

Half of Construction Fatalities Blamed on Individual Negligence?

• Kukmin Ilbo analyzed all 32,516 reported construction site accidents from 2019 to August this year.
• Of 1,432 fatal accidents, 46% were classified as individual negligence.
• The Korea BIM Society noted, “Accidents should not be dismissed as mere personal errors but understood as outcomes of systemic factors like ordering, bidding, and management structures. Without a systematic approach, prevention remains ineffective.”
• Jeong Jin-woo (Seoul National University of Science and Technology professor) added, “There is a strong tendency to conceal factors that could implicate management responsibility,” warning, “Many accidents ultimately become recast as worker faults.”
• Kukmin Ilbo identified the multi-tiered subcontracting structure as the main reason accident causes are reduced to individual failures. Even if the main contractor emphasizes safety, accountability blurs as work cascades through layers of subcontractors. Lower tiers face shrinking budgets and intensifying deadlines.
• Lee Eun-hyung (Korea Construction Policy Research Institute researcher) stressed, “Safety regulations must be enforced under guaranteed timelines and budgets, with strict penalties for violations. Society must shift from viewing safety as a cost to recognizing it as an investment.”
• Related Link.

Media Literacy’s Core: Reading Context and Intent.

• Jeong Hyeon-seon (Gyeongin National University of Education professor) stated, “South Korea’s media literacy education leans heavily toward protectionist perspectives, such as excessive media usage restrictions and blocking harmful content. The foundation of media literacy lies in reading the hidden social context and intent within content and interpreting it critically—yet this aspect of education remains lacking.”
• Kwon Jeong-min (Seoul National University of Education professor) criticized, “The CSAT [College Scholastic Ability Test] is an exam where you fail if you read the passage twice—meaning you shouldn’t think.” The radicalization of teenagers, he argued, stems largely from educational failure.
• Related Link.

Time Bomb Theory.

• Population declines, growth stagnates, the national pension dries up, health insurance collapses—future outlooks are always bleak.
• Ju Eun-seon (Kyunggi University professor) pointed out, “This fiscal projection framework treats expenditures on health insurance, long-term care insurance, and the national pension solely as costs,” adding, “The cyclical elements like improved health and adequate consumption that social security fosters are rarely factored into these projections.”
• “Forecasting society’s future is not about surrendering to individual vulnerability but about collectively mustering courage and preparing more solidly. It’s not about stoking anxiety to make people give up on this life—it’s about inspiring action to broadly unite, drive social transformation, and fairly share the burdens. Examples include achieving climate justice, reducing working hours, extending retirement ages, and tax increases. Whether one believes in prophecies is irrelevant. The only inevitability is continuously shaping an open future.”
• Related Link.

ICYMI.

Cho Kuk’s Early Return Theory.

• The Justice Party Innovation Committee requires an emergency response chairman until the November party convention. The leadership has resigned en masse amid sexual misconduct allegations.
• One lawmaker stated, “Cho Kuk (former Justice Party Innovation Committee leader) is the only remaining card.”
• Kang Mi-sook (lawyer representing the victim) said, “If Cho Kuk assumes the emergency chairman role, his opinions would take precedence—it would be better for a third-party figure to lead, ensuring a more horizontal structure.”
• Related Link.

Is the Lee Ufan Painting Received by Kim Keon-hee Fake?

• Kim Sang-min (former Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office prosecutor) acquired the painting he gave to Kim Keon-hee for 30 million won at a 2022 Taiwanese auction house where it was listed for 2.2 million won. It entered Korea through an intermediary dealer, whom Kim Sang-min purchased it from for 140 million won.
• A special investigation team’s appraisal found one institution certifying it as genuine, another as a forgery. Opinions diverge on the severity of punishment.
• First, some argue the actual appraisal value should determine the case: if genuine, the final purchase price applies; if fake, the appraisal value.
• Second, others suggest splitting the criteria—using the purchase price for the giver and the appraisal value for the recipient. If someone bought a painting believing it to be worth 100 million won and gave it as a bribe, they should bear corresponding responsibility.
• Kim Keon-hee claims, “Lee Ufan has many forgeries, so I naturally assumed it was fake.” While this is a tactic to evade bribery charges, it marks an unintended defeat for Lee Ufan.
• Related Link.

The Reason Why Publish Failed.

• Park So-ryeong (former Publish CEO) released a book titled “Passing Through Failure.”
• The number of heavy content users never exceeded 5,000, and the market “did not see significant demand growth even with lower prices,” leading to failure.
• “Blinded by the desire to meet public expectations, I realized I was running a business unrelated to content. I understood that the fire in my heart had gone out.”
• In an interview with Chosun Ilbo, she said, “I’ve lived a long life as a praise addict—now I want to live a life where the baseline lies within.”
• Related Link.

Rùnr Fever: Japan’s Era of One Million Resident Chinese.

• Rùnr (潤日) combines the Chinese character “Rùn” (潤, pronounced like “run” in Mandarin), meaning “to escape,” with “Ri” (日, Japan). It roughly translates to “jumping to Japan.”
• The trend is so strong that “these days in Shanghai, all talk at the dinner table is about Japan.” While U.S. immigration was once popular, Japan has emerged as the new destination under Trump’s second term. Secondary escapes—first to the U.S., then to Japan—called “Èr Rùn” (二潤), are also increasing.
• The Japanese government issues up to five-year business management visas to foreign entrepreneurs with over 5 million yen in capital or at least two full-time employees. Some Chinese have exploited this by creating paper companies to enter Japan.
• According to JoongAng Ilbo, opinions in Japan are split: some prefer “Chinatowns over ghost towns,” while others demand, “We must block Chinese infiltration.”
• Related Link.

690 Billion Won Worth of Water Leaks Away.

• No matter how much water is supplied, high leakage rates leave systems inherently vulnerable. As of 2022, annual water loss due to leaks reached 670 million tons.
• Gangwon Taebaek City once recorded a leakage rate as high as 60%.

Worth Reading.

Why Lee Jin-sook Holds Her Ground.

• Should Lee Jin-sook (KCC Commissioner)’s term be protected?
• Lee Jong-kyu (HanKyoreh Journalism Accountability Director) pointed out that the reason for protecting her term must be examined. The term is a device to guarantee independence, and independence is meant to ensure the freedom and autonomy of broadcasting.
• The KCC Establishment Act stipulates that commissioners may be dismissed if they violate official duties. While protecting the term is natural, dismissal could be considered if it is deemed to undermine the KCC’s raison d’être: broadcasting freedom and independence.
• Lee Jong-kyu interpreted Lee Jin-sook’s defiance as an attempt to “elevate her ‘political weight’ by projecting an image of confronting the administration.” Speculation about her running for Daegu mayor next year also stems from this context.
• Related Link.

Three Problems with the Special Prosecutor.

• Special prosecutors are special, but as Choi Min-woo (JoongAng Ilbo deputy editor) noted, “vestiges of the existing prosecution’s bad practices remain everywhere.”
• First, unrelated case investigations. They start by sweeping broadly and keep expanding the scope. The revised bill also includes plea bargaining.
• Second, cabinet-style investigations. While special prosecutors are supposed to be swift and decisive, there’s talk of them dragging on until next year’s local elections. The revised bill includes provisions to transfer unresolved cases to the National Investigation Headquarters, which would remain under the special prosecutor’s command.
• Third, public disclosure of alleged crimes. Special prosecutors hold official briefings, effectively broadcasting real-time updates on their investigations.
• Choi Min-woo emphasized, “The special prosecutor must now break free from prosecution dependency.”
• Related Link.

Cross-Stepping Questions Pile Up for Won Min-kyung.

• “Do you support homosexuality?”
• “Do you intend to continue advocating for the Anti-Discrimination Act?”
• “You know gender equality, gender equity—they’re controversial, right?”
• These were questions posed at the confirmation hearing for Won Min-kyung (Minister of Gender Equality and Family nominee).
• When asked if stating “opposition to homosexuality” constitutes hate speech, Won responded, “The phrase ‘I oppose’ could inadvertently become another form of discrimination and hatred toward someone’s sexual orientation, so I’m cautious.”
• Shin Dong-wook (Hankyoreh Gender Team Leader) called it “a courageous answer.”
• The Korean Women’s Association United and other women’s groups also assessed, “She has sufficient qualifications and capability to serve as a Minister of Gender Equality and Family who can restore and strengthen the collapsed gender equality framework and realize substantive gender equality.”
• Related Link.

Delaying Tax Increase Discussions Is Not an Option.

• This was a remark made by Lee Kang-kuk (Professor at Japan’s Ritsumeikan University) in an interview with Kyunghyang Shinmun.
• “Tax burdens have fallen to 18%, yet no tax increase plan is in sight,” he emphasized, urging, “The government should set a goal of aligning with the OECD average.” He added that if the Lee Jae-myung administration fails to act, it may become even harder for the next government to do so.
• Lee Kang-kuk argues that earned income tax should be addressed first. While nominal rates are not low, the effective tax rate for the top 20% remains very low. Politically, this is a challenging issue given that it concerns the Lee Jae-myung administration’s core support base.
• He warned, “As support for meritocracy grows, society is becoming increasingly conservative.”
• “Korea’s inequality levels remain high. Even for the growth the Lee Jae-myung government emphasizes, addressing inequality is crucial. I hope they don’t forget that countries with robust social safety nets are also more open to technological innovation.”

Diplomacy by Feint Won’t Cut It.

• Though they stood side by side on Tiananmen’s rostrum, Xi Jinping (Chinese President), Vladimir Putin (Russian President), and Kim Jong-un (North Korean State Affairs Commissioner) held separate talks—reflecting differing geopolitical interests.
• North Korea will hedge between China and Russia, while neither Beijing nor Moscow is in a position to distance themselves from South Korea. India, too, is likely to maintain a relationship with China that is neither close nor distant.
• Lee Dae-geun (Kyunghyang Shinmun columnist) observed, “Amid the uncertainty and chaos of this transitional era, South Korea cannot navigate the turbulent currents of great power politics with its greenhouse diplomacy or diplomacy by feint.” He added, “This is a world where conflicts of national interest can arise with anyone,” and “old solutions won’t solve new problems.”
• Lee emphasized that South Korea must break free from the framework of small-state diplomacy by actively engaging with and leading discussions to mitigate the instability of great power politics and rebuild liberal order in solidarity with other middle powers.
• Related Link.