South Korea’s Black Eagles Get First-Ever Refueling Support at Japan Air Base South Korea’s Air Force aerobatic team, the Black Eagles, received refueling support at a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base. The Yomiuri Shimbun and other outlets reported that the team refueled Tuesday at the JASDF base in Naha, Okinawa. It was the first time the JASDF has provided refueling support to a South Korean Air Force aircraft. The aircraft departed from Wonju Air Base in Gangwon Province and arrived at Naha around 10 a.m., one after another. Pilots also met with JASDF personn January 28, 2026

Rubio Warns U.S. Could Use Force in Venezuela if Other Options Fail U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to warn that the Trump administration could take additional military action if Venezuela’s transitional government fails to meet U.S. expectations. According to The Associated Press, Rubio said in prepared remarks released by the State Department ahead of a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Venezuela scheduled for Tuesday that the United States is “prepared to use force to secure maximum cooperation if other methods fail.” “I hope it January 28, 2026

Vietnam Streamlines Rail Approval Process to Speed Infrastructure Projects Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction has abolished and adjusted some administrative procedures in the rail sector to speed up rail infrastructure development. Vietnam’s government website reported on Jan. 22 that the ministry eliminated several rail-related procedures effective Jan. 1. The changes follow Decision No. 2,267 (2,267/QD-BXD), announced by the ministry on Dec. 10. Under the decision, the ministry’s approval process for commercialization policy for rail line-connection project January 28, 2026

Hong Kong Signs Precious Metals Cooperation Deal With Shanghai Gold Exchange Hong Kong’s Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau said Jan. 26 that it signed a cooperation agreement on precious metals trading with mainland China’s Shanghai Gold Exchange at the Asian Financial Forum being held in Hong Kong. The agreement includes setting up a new company, the Hong Kong Precious Metals Central Clearing System, fully funded by the Hong Kong government. The Hong Kong Precious Metals Central Clearing System will be chaired by Financial Services and the Treasury Se January 28, 2026

Remembrance as obligation: where Koreans, Germans and Israelis find common ground SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - Skeletons dance across the ruins of civilization, fiddling among the wreckage of Western art, science and technology. Human life has vanished into ash and rubble. Only kites drifting overhead retain faint traces of emotion, their faces suspended between innocence and despair. Painted in hiding in Brussels and dated April 18, 1944, Death Triumphant is believed to be the final work of German-Jewish painter Felix Nussbaum. Often described as a modern danse m January 27, 2026

Indian envoy pledges to deepen strategic partnership with S. Korea at Republic Day celebration SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - The Indian Embassy in South Korea held a reception on January 26 to celebrate India's 77th Republic Day, marking a period of rapid expansion in economic and defense ties between the two nations. The event, held at Sevit Island on the Han River, drew approximately 400 guests, including diplomats, government officials, business leaders, and academics. The gathering commemorated the anniversary of the adoption of India's constitution in 1950, a miles January 27, 2026

Kazakhstan president proposes vice presidency and unicameral parliament in major reform push SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced a major overhaul of the national government on January 20, proposing the creation of a vice presidency and a transition to a single-chamber legislature. Speaking at the National Kurultai in Kyzylorda, the president outlined a series of constitutional amendments intended to modernize the state system. The proposal includes the establishment of a Vice President who would represent South Korea's neighbor on the i January 26, 2026

Uzbekistan president to visit Türkiye for strategic council meeting and earthquake housing ceremony SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will travel to Türkiye on January 29 for an official visit centered on deepening bilateral strategic ties and inaugurating housing projects for earthquake survivors, the Embassy of Uzbekistan in the Republic of Korea said Monday. The visit includes the fourth meeting of the Supreme Council for Strategic Cooperation, an institutional platform designed to coordinate high-level policy between the two nations. During hi January 26, 2026

German embassies in Seoul and Tokyo to host amateur League of Legends tournament SEOUL, January 23 (AJP) - The Embassy of Germany in Seoul and the Embassy of Germany in Tokyo have announced a joint esports tournament, ".DE (Diplomacy Meets Esports)," scheduled to culminate in Tokyo this March. The event will gather amateur League of Legends teams from South Korea, Japan, and Germany to compete in a tri-nation format intended to blend competitive gaming with cultural diplomacy. The initiative follows recent major esports events in the host nations, wi January 23, 2026

Analysis: Why Greenland became the Arctic's most dangerous geopolitical flashpoint SEOUL, January 23 (AJP) - As Arctic ice retreats, Greenland has emerged as one of the world's most consequential — and misunderstood — geopolitical battlegrounds. The world's largest island, sparsely populated yet strategically irreplaceable, now sits at the intersection of U.S. missile defense, Russian militarization, Chinese resource ambition and Europe's evolving security posture. U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed push to assert U.S. control ove January 23, 2026