In this week’s episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, co-hosts Jeongmin and John discuss the unexpected election of five-term lawmaker Woo Won-shik as the National Assembly speaker and the strategies employed by Woo and his rival, Choo Mi-ae.

The duo also examines the first lady’s recent public appearance amid the ongoing Dior bag scandal, with the latest investigations focusing on the pastor who deliberately gifted her the bag. They analyze President Yoon Suk-yeol’s pledge to support non-union workers and its potential impact on the Democratic Party and unions.

Jeongmin and John explore Naver’s growing concerns over its stake in LY Corp. and how ROK politicians are using the issue to push anti-Japanese narratives. They also discuss the implications of U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to maintain or raise tariffs on Chinese exports for South Korean businesses.

In the tech sphere, the co-hosts highlight the government’s support for R&D on low-noise hydrogen fuel cell generators and KAIST researchers’ proposal for mass-producing nano-threads for smart fabrics.

Finally, they discuss South Korea’s foreign minister Cho Tae-yul’s visit to Beijing and its significance for the upcoming South Korea-Japan-China trilateral summit and the second round of Special Measures Agreement negotiations between the U.S. and South Korea.

About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly 15-minute conversation hosted by Editorial Director Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) and Editor John Lee (@koreanforeigner), diving deep into the most pressing stories shaping South Korea — and dissecting the most complicated ones for professionals monitoring ROK politics, diplomacy, culture, society and technology. Uploaded every Friday.

This episode was recorded on May 16, 2024. 

Audio edited by Joe Smith