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My Dad playing golf with Willie Mays at Doral in the 1970s. Happy Father’s Day. Miss talking with you every single day.
Victor Cha
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Georgetown / CSIS / former USG official/ author / NY Giants / Views my own
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Jeez. That looks like a broken rib. @Giants
Every @nyknicks player tonight who has touched the court is net negative right now. Awful. Refs not helping but awful play 7 turnovers. Poor shooting. No rotation on defense.
Regardless, it’s not good foreign policy to fight it out in the press wh in the ROKG seems to be doing with multiple actors. Better behind closed doors.
I wouldn’t necessarily interpret Seoul’s unusually harsh criticism of Ukraine and its subsequent decision to withdraw some embassy staff from Kyiv as evidence of a pivot toward Moscow.View quoted post on X
From what I’ve observed on the ground covering the presidential office, Seoul’s unusually forceful response appears to be driven primarily by frustration with Kyiv’s handling of the fallout from its unilateral disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean POWs.
What particularly appears to have angered Seoul is Kyiv’s refusal to publicly acknowledge that it had initially requested confidentiality over the transfer, let alone issue an apology, despite President Lee Jae Myung’s repeated expression of regret and warnings of further action.
That’s not to discount Seoul’s incentives to restore ties with Moscow, given their prewar economic relationship and South Korea’s ambitions to develop Arctic shipping routes.
The sensitivity of the POW issue for Kim Jong Un’s regime may also factor into Seoul’s calculations, particularly as the Lee administration seeks to play a “pacemaker” role in facilitating a potential Trump–Kim summit.
But from my vantage point, Seoul’s escalation appears to be driven more by its anger at Kyiv’s subsequent response to the controversy than by a deliberate strategic shift toward Moscow.
The broader geopolitical considerations may be at play, but they shouldn’t be mistaken for the immediate cause of Seoul’s actions.
A great discussion with the guy who knows the most on the planet about NK
📢 ICYMI: Bridge to Beijing? Kim Jong-un Crosses the Yalu | The Impossible State
Join @CSIS @VictorDCha and @sydseiler as they unpack the significance of Kim Jong-un’s surprise visit to China over the weekend. Why did Kim choose to visit China now? What does it mean before President Trump comes to Asia?
🔗 Watch & Listen
YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=a0dYa4…
CSIS: csis.org/podcasts/impos…
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0zZl18XNx…
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the…View quoted post on X
