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According to foreign media reports, President Lee Jae-myung decided, after taking office to relocate the presidential office from Yongsan back to the Blue House (Cheong Wa Dae). The relocation work began on December 8 and is expected to complete the main phase of the move around December 25, before Christmas, marking the official return of the “Blue House era” after an absence of three years and seven months.

On the 22nd, the South Korean Presidential Office confirmed that most staff units have already moved in. To facilitate the administrative transition, the Blue House has been temporarily closed to the public since August. As the residential facilities were damaged during the previous period of public access, repair work is currently being accelerated. President Lee Jae-myung is therefore still commuting from Hannam-dong for the time being.

The presidential office emphasized that the return to the Blue House is a transitional arrangement. The ultimate goal remains fulfilling the pledge to relocate the presidential office to the administrative capital, Sejong City, by 2030. This move reverses former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s 2022 decision to relocate to Yongsan, ushering in a new chapter for South Korea’s administrative center.

Japan’s Niigata Prefectural Assembly is expected to pass a resolution on Monday (the 22nd) approving the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, marking a major milestone in Japan’s renewed reliance on nuclear energy since the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Located about 220 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa facility is one of the largest nuclear power plants in the world and is operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). If approved, TEPCO could begin restarting the first of the plant’s seven reactors on January 20 next year. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry estimates that bringing the reactor online would increase electricity supply to the Tokyo metropolitan area by about 2%.

However, local residents remain wary of the restart plan. A survey released by Niigata Prefecture in October showed that 60% of residents believe conditions are not yet ripe for a restart, while nearly 70% are concerned about TEPCO resuming nuclear operations. Anti-nuclear activist Ayako Oga said the trauma of the Fukushima disaster has yet to fade. “We have personally experienced the risks of a nuclear accident, and we cannot ignore them,” she said, adding that she will join other residents in protesting on the day of the assembly vote. Although Governor Hideyo Hanazumi has expressed support for restarting the plant, he has emphasized that he ultimately hopes Japan will reduce its reliance on nuclear power.

At the national policy level, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi supports restarting nuclear plants to strengthen energy security and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. Japan spent as much as 10.7 trillion yen last year on imports of liquefied natural gas and coal, accounting for roughly one-tenth of its total import costs. As AI data centers drive up electricity demand, Japan has set a target of increasing the share of nuclear power to 20% by 2040. Consultancy Wood Mackenzie said that if the restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa gains public acceptance, it would become a key milestone in Japan’s transition toward a new energy mix.

A latest opinion poll conducted by Nikkei Inc. and TV Tokyo from December 19 to 21 shows that approval for the Sanae Takaichi Cabinet remains at 75%, unchanged from the previous survey in November. The disapproval rate also held steady at 18%. Since the cabinet was formed in October, public support has stayed above 70% for three consecutive months.

Among respondents who support the cabinet, the most frequently cited reason was that “her character is trustworthy” (41%), followed by “she has leadership ability” (38%). Among those who oppose the cabinet, the top reasons were “her character is not trustworthy” (34%) and “she lacks an international outlook” (30%).

During the same period, the Bank of Japan, at its monetary policy meeting, announced a rate hike to 0.75%, the highest level in 30 years and the first interest-rate increase since January this year. According to the poll, 55% of respondents viewed the rate hike positively, exceeding the 26% who evaluated it negatively.

As for policy priorities, the largest share of respondents said the Takaichi Cabinet should focus on measures to address rising prices (50%). This was followed by foreign policy and security (31%), pensions (29%), and economic growth (27%).

In terms of party support, the Liberal Democratic Party remained in first place at 37%, though this marked a decline of four percentage points from the previous month. Support for coalition partner Nippon Ishin no Kai rose to 7%. Among opposition parties, the Democratic Party for the People climbed to 9%, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan held steady at 7%, while Sanseito slipped to 5%. The share of undecided voters stood at 23%, slightly up from 22% the previous month.

The survey was conducted by Nikkei Research using random-digit dialing of mobile and landline phones, targeting people aged 18 and older. A total of 916 valid responses were collected, with a response rate of 40.1%.

On the 16th, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a comprehensive blockade of sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela, following earlier U.S. military actions in which suspected smuggling vessels were destroyed on the high seas. Despite criticism that attacks near Venezuelan waters have exceeded constitutional authority, Trump said on the 18th that he believes even launching military action against Venezuela’s mainland would not require congressional approval.

According to Agence France-Presse, when asked whether he would seek congressional authorization if the United States were to strike drug traffickers on Venezuelan soil, Trump said that while he was not opposed to doing so, he was concerned about information “leaking like a sieve” from the political establishment. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said, “I don’t mind telling them [Congress], but you know, it’s not a big deal; I don’t have to tell them.”

AFP noted that since September, the U.S. military has carried out multiple airstrikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the Pacific, killing at least 99 people. On the 21st, Reuters reported that the United States intercepted and seized a ship in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, sparking intense debate over the legality of U.S. actions.

Under the U.S. Constitution and laws such as the 1973 War Powers Resolution, the president may conduct military operations without congressional consent, but typically only in situations involving national emergencies. Whether Trump can unilaterally use force against a specific country or target criminal organizations remains a highly contentious constitutional issue within the United States.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has previously accused Washington of seeking to overthrow him, rather than merely combating drugs as it claims. On the 17th, Venezuela also sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council requesting an emergency meeting.

A campus shooting recently occurred at Brown University in Rhode Island and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), resulting in two deaths and nine injuries. After several days of pursuit, the suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, was found dead by suicide on the 18th inside a rented self-storage facility. Valente entered the United States in 2000 on a student visa and obtained permanent residency in 2017 through the green card lottery. In response, U.S. President Donald John Trump has ordered the suspension of the “green card lottery” program and announced plans to revoke the citizenship of individuals who have already been naturalized.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program was established by the U.S. Congress and issues up to 50,000 green cards annually through a lottery to applicants from countries with historically low levels of immigration to the United States, with a relatively high proportion of applicants from Africa. Approximately 20 million people applied for the 2025 visa lottery. Including the spouses of lottery winners, it is estimated that more than 131,000 people ultimately became naturalized U.S. citizens after selection and screening.

According to media reports citing internal documents from the immigration authorities, the government plans to further tighten immigration oversight. Beginning in fiscal year 2026, regional offices will be required to submit between 100 and 200 denaturalization cases each month, and the immigration status of some individuals who have already obtained U.S. citizenship will be revoked. Analysts note that the linkage between future immigration policy enforcement and specific cases may trigger legal and political controversies.

U.S. and Russian officials are scheduled to hold talks in Miami on the 20th to advance the U.S.-proposed Russia–Ukraine peace plan, with negotiations aimed at ending a war that has lasted nearly four years. The U.S. delegation will be led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, while the Russian side will be represented by Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation. The United States has issued a special waiver allowing the sanctioned Dmitriev to enter the country to participate in the talks.

The U.S. side is expected to discuss with Russia the outcomes of last week’s meetings in Berlin with Ukrainian and European officials. Regarding the previously proposed U.S. draft peace plan, the parties have reportedly reached consensus on about 90 percent of the issues; however, territorial concessions and security guarantees remain the two largest points of contention. Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, is also expected to meet with U.S. representatives over the weekend.

The Trump administration continues to pressure Kyiv on territorial issues, while Ukraine firmly rules out recognizing Russian control over any Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and the Donbas region. Russia, for its part, insists that the objectives of its “special military operation” must be achieved, whether through diplomatic or military means, and does not want a peace agreement to become merely a “temporary ceasefire” that would allow Ukraine time to regroup and prepare to continue the war. The United States has also proposed providing Kyiv with “robust security guarantees” similar to those under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, though no specific details have been offered. Meanwhile, the parties hold differing views on the roughly €210 billion in Russian assets previously frozen by the European Union, each hoping to take the lead in controlling and using them for postwar reconstruction.

In fact, Russian forces currently hold the initiative on the front lines. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claims that troops of its Eastern Group have taken control of Gerasimovka in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Should negotiations fail to produce an agreement, Russia has stated that it will continue to “liberate” these lands—territories it claims have historically belonged to Russia—through military means.

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) recently stated that China’s diplomatic restrictions on travel to Japan in November had little impact on overall visitor numbers. The total number of visitors to Japan in November increased by about 10.4% compared with the same period last year.

According to JNTO, amid continued tensions in China–Japan relations, the number of Chinese visitors to Japan in November reached 562,600. While this still represented growth, the increase was about 3 percentage points higher than last year’s rate of 37.5%, but lower than the growth recorded during the January–November period. In contrast, the total number of overseas business and leisure travelers entering Japan in November reached 3.52 million. Total inbound arrivals this year have surpassed 39 million, and by the end of November had already exceeded last year’s full-year record of 36.87 million.

Asakusa in Tokyo has long been a must-visit destination and is usually crowded with tourists. Recently, however, there have been reports of a noticeable decline in Chinese visitors. Shoji Imai, owner of a kimono rental shop in Asakusa, said, “My impression is that revenue has dropped by around 20 to 30 percent.” With fewer Chinese tourists, kimono rental businesses in Asakusa have been affected, and operators are concerned about future operations.

Data released by JNTO show that although the growth rate of Chinese visitor arrivals to Japan slowed in November, the overall number of foreign visitors to Japan still increased by 10.4% year-on-year. This suggests that Japan’s tourism sector has not been significantly affected by the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Japan and China. Since the beginning of the year, Chinese travelers have remained the largest group of visitors to Japan, accounting for about one-quarter of all foreign arrivals.

Leaders of the United States and several European countries have recently reaffirmed their long-term commitment to Ukraine’s security, stating that they are exploring the creation of a “NATO-like defense mechanism” to ensure that Ukraine receives substantive and binding security guarantees before it formally joins NATO. These statements are widely seen as a clear signal to Russia that the West will not allow a postwar security vacuum in Ukraine.

The U.S. president noted that Western countries are working closely with allies to discuss establishing an institutionalized framework of cooperation in areas such as military training, intelligence sharing, air defense systems, and rapid response capabilities. The goal is to ensure that Ukraine can receive swift assistance should it again face external military threats. Several European leaders voiced support as well, emphasizing that while such defense commitments would not be equivalent to NATO’s Article 5 collective defense clause, they nonetheless carry significant political and strategic weight.

However, Ukraine’s stance remains firm against any proposal that would trade “territorial concessions” for peace or security guarantees. The Ukrainian president reiterated that national sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable, stressing that all territories—whether currently occupied or still under conflict—are inseparable parts of Ukraine. He emphasized that no peace plan premised on ceding territory could gain the support of the Ukrainian people.

Analysts point out that the proposed NATO-like defense mechanism reflects Western efforts to strike a balance between “avoiding direct confrontation with Russia” and “ensuring Ukraine’s security.” Whether such arrangements can provide sufficient deterrence, however, remains to be seen—especially in the absence of a formal collective defense clause.

Russia, for its part, has criticized these statements, arguing that they amount to a de facto expansion of military alliances and risk further escalating regional tensions. The international community is closely watching whether the United States, Europe, and Ukraine can reach consensus on the details of security guarantees in the coming months, as this will directly affect the trajectory of the war and the scope for future peace negotiations.

Against the backdrop of ongoing hostilities, Ukraine’s unwavering refusal to cede territory, combined with steadily increasing Western security commitments, suggests that the conflict is unlikely to be resolved quickly through compromise. Its future course will continue to have far-reaching implications for the global geopolitical landscape.

Australia’s national broadcaster ABC reported on the 15th that a major shooting occurred on the 14th at Bondi Beach, one of Sydney’s most popular landmarks, leaving 16 people dead and 40 injured. Police confirmed that the attackers were a father and son and have classified the incident as a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community. The shooting took place during celebrations for the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. According to Agence France-Presse, while police have not publicly announced a motive, they believe the attack clearly constituted an antisemitic act of terrorism.

Investigators revealed that a vehicle parked on Campbell Parade, believed to belong to the gunmen, appeared to have an ISIS flag displayed on its windshield, though New South Wales Police said this has not yet been confirmed. At the time of the attack, the 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, were dressed in black and stood side by side on a small bridge, firing rifles into the crowd. The father was shot dead during a gunfight with police and became one of the fatalities, while the son was seriously wounded and taken to hospital. Police said Sajid Akram legally owned six firearms, all of which are suspected to have been used in the attack.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Sajid Akram arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa and obtained a partner visa in 2001. Naveed Akram lived in the Sydney suburb of Bonnyrigg and had told his mother before the incident that he was going fishing. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that flags nationwide would be flown at half-mast to mourn the 15 victims killed in the Bondi Beach shooting, stressing that it was the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in nearly 30 years.

The U.S. military said a joint convoy of American and Syrian forces came under attack on the 13th in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, killing two U.S. service members and one civilian interpreter, and wounding three other U.S. troops. The unit was meeting with key local leaders at the time, and the gunman is suspected to have been a member of the Syrian security forces. U.S. President Donald Trump vowed the “harshest retaliation.”

In a post on social media, Trump said the incident was “an attack by ISIS in an extremely dangerous area of Syria, targeting the United States and Syria.” He pledged severe retaliation and said Syrian President al-Sharaa was shocked and disturbed by the incident. Pentagon officials said U.S. forces were providing security for a meeting related to counter-ISIS operations, attended by U.S. commanders and Syrian Interior Ministry officials, with both sides jointly responsible for security.

According to officials, during the meeting a gunman suddenly opened fire with a machine gun from a window. U.S. and Syrian forces returned fire and killed the attacker, but the assault left three Americans dead and three wounded, and injured three members of the Syrian security forces. Reuters reported that the shooter was a member of the Syrian security forces who was about to be dismissed due to extremist views. Pentagon officials said the attack occurred in an area not fully under the control of the Syrian government, and ISIS has not claimed responsibility.