Writer, podcaster, managing editor of @southkoreapro. Opinions here: solely mine. [email protected]
Seoul, South Korea
Joined June 2013
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Today I learned that half a Scaramucci is a Zacharia.
Katie Zacharia was dismissed from her post, summarily ending the shortest stint as White House press secretary in anyone's memory.
The entire episode underscored the uneasy atmosphere that has pervaded President Donald Trump's inner circle less than three weeks before the midterm elections. cnn.it/4k6ZUGm
John Lee retweeted
Song Young-gil’s return as Lee Jae Myung’s peace adviser injects a pro-engagement, Russia-friendly voice into Seoul’s foreign policy just as ties with Ukraine fray.
koreapro.org/?p=2215783
Ukraine's war strategy is creating problems for Seoul far beyond the battlefield — from North Korean escalation risks to fuel shortages and Kazakhstan's dependence on Russian energy routes.
koreapro.org/2026/10/lee-zel…
Trump said the U.S. "secured majority control of more than 65 BILLION BARRELS of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela, at no cost to the American Taxpayer."
Let's assume that's true. Venezuela produces 1.25 million bpd. That's 142 years of current production.
reuters.com/business/energy/…
And all the while, U.S. oil companies would need to calculate whether reinvesting in Venezuela makes more economic sense than just continuing their business operations in the Permian Basin.
Current crude prices might justify investment, but prices won't stay elevated forever.
John Lee retweeted
South Korea already follows U.S. Iran sanctions. Treasury's "zero-leakage" push now risks narrowing Seoul's room to protect Korean ships in Hormuz.
Analysis by @koreanforeigner
koreapro.org/?p=2215228
Not gonna lie. I'd pay good money to see how the 101st Airborne Division performs against a yield curve.
John Lee retweeted
Excellent thread. Too much commentary treats every move by a middle power as evidence of realignment: closer to Washington or closer to Beijing, pick one. Reality, as laid out here, is layered: hedging, compartmentalisation and calculated self-abasement in the same week. Simplifying foreign policy through the great-power lens alone turns easily into projection.
It's not that black or white.
It's true that the South Korean public's trust in the U.S. isn't as high as it was just a few short years ago. There are various reasons for that.
But trust in China is even lower. Also a lot of reasons for that.
Sought to improve relations with China by taking selfies with Xi Jinping? Check. Because Korea and China have been neighbors for millennia and structural challenges notwithstanding, maintaining friendly relations with Beijing is important.