Juggertha's Hall

Moved!

2006-10-27T15:58:00.000+09:00

If anyone is still reading this/looking for me, I have headed over to The Korean Right.

Come on by and say hi.

Remembering Sept. 11th

2006-09-06T14:44:00.000+09:00

Well, I recall that day quite vividly. I was logging onto a my usual game site and heard tlak of a building blowing up. I figured it was a castle siege - until someone explained that it was real. After rushing to the TV and watching in disbelief, I woke my roomies and we sat in shock.

Even as a non-American, I felt terrific shock and sadness.

Now that brings me to my next point, how much I do not like Hankyoreah. I try to site from them as often as possible, and they do a fine job of attacking big business, but all to often, they step over the line.

The Grand National Party is flying into a building titled the "transfer of wartime command authority," which they are opposed to currently.
"Thanks to this, we’re going to be able to get Korea to foot more of the bill for having U.S. troops over there," says Bush. - (Hankyoreh Geurimpan, 5 September 2006)

Way over the line.

Roh Defends Himself Against ... ME!

2006-08-31T23:03:00.000+09:00

Noh Moo-Hyun is one of the worst presidents I've seen in my lifetime. Here he tries to convince me (ok, everyone) otherwise:

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200608/200608310021.html

Roh said the game arcade scandal “was caused by several complicated, connected reasons such as systemic faults and industrial deregulation policies and lax policing of gambling. It is difficult to deal with the case since a cluster of several small problems have combined into one big scandal.” He vowed to reveal on a different occasion what steps the government is taking. Roh waited 12 days to apologize after the gambling scandal broke on Aug. 19

Not one mention of his nephew? Of his "talent supporter's" leading role? What kind of appology is this?

Roh suggested the overall economy and people’s economic difficulties should be talked about separately. He said macroeconomic indicators including exports, prices and foreign reserves were strong and the stock market more than doubled during his tenure. “But even when our economy is doing well, people can find themselves in economic trouble,” he said, due to the growing wealth gap in a globalized era and a surge in the number of temporary jobs and small businesses.

I call BS. Sure the stockmarket is up, and I have little doubt that it is a result of his policies, but can anyone tell me the last time they heard lower income workers bragging about making money in the market? The truth is, Noh's family is heavily invested in the market and they are raking it in. I have no doubt this will come to light after he is out of office.

He also reiterated a class-conscious justification for the government’s controversial real estate policy. “Everyone wants to see housing prices rise, but if they do, those with smaller homes will lose out,” the president said, adding the hope that there will not be too much resistance to the policy. “There were those who raised the toast, ‘Let it be forever!’ during the financial crisis of the late 90s when our economy was in serious trouble,” he said. “They were not ordinary middle class people” -- an apparent suggestion that the rich benefited from the high interest rates during the crisis.

Wow, nice to try to sound like you're taking the working man's side, but what are you doing? I wokr in Seoul Station every day and things have only gotten worse! Noh has redistributed the wealth alright, right into the pockets of his supporters.

The president also rejected accusations of cronyism in his personnel appointments. “The administration has much improved in managing personnel affairs” from its predecessors, he said. “People keep taking issue when someone close to me is appointed to high office, but it’s only natural that I choose someone who understands my policy well.” He warned if the criticism refuses to go away, “it will make it very difficult to manage administrative affairs.” He added pointing out glaring errors in personnel appointments was fine, but constant griping was “inappropriate.”

He cannot keep a minister for longer than 6 months before they mess something up. He is surrounded by inexperience and idealism - a bad combination. here is a nice enough to give an old drunk friend a job:
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200608/30/200608302216172279900090309031.html
Nice to know who is at the wheel of the Unification Ministry.

Turning to the question of Korea taking over sole operational control of its forces, the chief executive said the core of independent defense was “physical military force.” “We headhunt the most suitable Korean candidate, not a foreigner, when selecting the president or the chief of general staff,” he said. “That is the basic principle of managing a nation.” Roh reiterated the plan to “withdraw” wartime operational control of Korean troops from the U.S. was already hatched during the Roh Tae-woo administration, while the target date of 2000 was set by the Kim Young-sam government. “The Grand National Party shouldn’t oppose the plan just for opposition’s sake,” he added.

This I am not opposed to. I think it is becoming too much of a political issue, where it should be a defense one. All parties involved need to let the experts figure it out...

They just have to figure out who the experts are.

The North is a Push Over

2006-08-29T16:36:00.000+09:00

well, at least that is what old Rummy has to say.
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/152628.html

It seems that the man who said to "watch out for a musroom cloud from Iraq" and "the war will be over quickly" is now sharing his wisdom about the Peninsula.

I'm not saying he is wrong, but honestly, at this point, who trusts him?

"I think the real threat that North Korea poses in the immediate future is more one of proliferation than a danger to South Korea,"

Testing, testing...

2006-08-29T16:17:00.000+09:00

This is a test. This is only a test. If you are surprised to see me writing on this blog again, please realize that... this is only a test. I'm writing again to find out if I have time to try to revive this 'ol thing. If I keep posting, then I guess you'll know eh?

Speaking of tests, the Chosun Ilbo http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200608/200608280027.html
is warning that a North Korean Nuclear test is just over the horizon.

National Intelligence Service director Kim Seung-kyu said Monday. “Nuclear test facilities are always on standby in North Korea, but we don’t have any direct information indicating that the North is preparing for such a test,”

And what is the South going to do about it? Nadda! As it stands right now, the current administration is planning to do exactly, well not exactly, well, almost something... ok, not much. But they just might get "red in the face" - oh wait, that's only for the Americans. For their Northern Brethren, I'm guessing Noh will send rice! Gotta' celebrate a passing test score somehow!!! lol

Yodok Story

2006-03-16T00:17:00.000+09:00

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200603/200603150026.html

A controversial musical set in a North Korean gulag has at last been staged, overcoming pressure from powerful circles to bin the production for fear of offending Pyongyang. Wednesday night saw the opening of “Yoduk Story” at the Seoul KyoYuk Munhwa Hoekwan auditorium.

It has been a difficult road for producer Chung Seong-san, himself a North Korean defector, that saw him reportedly exposed to death threats and official pressure. “Yoduk Story” centers on Kang Yeon-hwa, the daughter of a party official and a promising dancer. When her father is falsely accused of being a South Korean spy, she and her family are detained in the notorious Yoduk concentration camp, where she is raped and becomes pregnant.
If you are able to I recommend checking out this musical. Although I have not seen it yet, and most likely I will understand little when I do (it's in Korean), the back story is quite interesting.

Rumor has it the producer put up his rights to his kidney (that's right, his own kidney) to some mobsters to finance the show. Good luck to him, just for guts like that, I'll shell out the dough to check it out.

Plus, ya just might learn someting! ;)

The PM is leaving

2006-03-15T10:43:00.000+09:00

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200603/200603140036.html
Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan has resigned because of a "scandal" over his golfing (with some bad guys) during a holiday (that also saw the launch of a nation-wide railway strike). Now, I'm glad to see the guy go. Personally, I've always felt he was a Noh lapdog, but I guess that what the position of Prime Minister is often about.

Leaving because of a golf scandal though, I'm not sure about it. I am the first to say that this administration needs to leav, but all too often nowadays it seems that they bow far too quickly to public opinion. A Super Comment Tribe (http://news.naver.com/news/read.php?mode=LSS2D&office_id=025&article_id=0000599179&section_id=105§ion_id2=226&menu_id=105) Seems to be ruling online opinion (See Marmot for translation - http://www.rjkoehler.com/?p=2541).

I worry about how this will affect politics in the future. It seems far too easy to bend to the eb and flow of internet waves.

*sorry for bad link, I have forgotten how to hot-link
/sigh

Noh is makin' Moh!

2006-03-02T21:19:00.000+09:00

That's right, people think that president Noh is your average joe. That he made his money legally and such. Well take a look at this:

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2006/03/01/200603010040.asp

President Roh and his immediate family saw their wealth increase by 12.9 percent or 94.47 million won (about $97,400) with total assets now reaching about 829.3 million won.
The increase mostly came from bank savings and stock investments, according to the government ethics committee.

And then think about how much Noh has been pushing the devaluation of Real Estate. His family is heavily invested in the Stock Market and he is flodding investors into that sector by making Real Estate a bad buy.

maybe his strategy has less to do with the nation's welfare and more to do with his own pocketbook?

Danger: Chung takes another step

2006-02-20T09:30:00.000+09:00

It seems that this past weekend was an interesting one for the Uri-party. They had their leadership election and they all smoked A LOT of Marry-Jane. I'm not sure on the second point of course, but how else could they have elected someone like Chung?

My only positive feeling about this is that it might just result in the chrushing defeat of Uri-dang that I have so long dreamed for.

Korea's ruling party has a new leader in former unification minister Chung Dong-young. Chung was elected chairman of the Uri Party on Saturday at a national convention attended by some 12,000 party members with 48 percent of the vote. His main rival, former health minister Kim Geun-tae, lost by a 6 percent margin.

President Roh Moo-hyun, himself a member, sent Chung a congratulatory message, saying he hopes the transition of power will help advance the ruling party. Party officials expect the new leadership to boost the party's chances in local elections on May 31. The party hopes to recover from a crushing defeat by the main opposition party in last October's parliamentary by-elections.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200602/200602190012.html

Ban Ki-moon for UN Secretary-General

2006-02-15T11:01:00.000+09:00

Well, someone who I've liked on the political scene for quite some tie has been Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon. I've always felt that while the current administration has tried it's best to subjegate the South to the North, Minister ban has taken the middle-road to most issues. he has always seem to play the level head in a feild of occasional loons.

I'm not sure he'd be up for this challenge though:

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200602/200602140009.html

Korea will field Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon as a candidate for leadership of the UN to replace Secretary-General Kofi Annan, whose term ends in the second half of this year. The decision was made last December but the government delayed making it public to avoid prejudicing Ban’s candidacy.

“I humbly accept the nomination, which is based on the nation’s strength on the global stage and on public support,” Ban told reporters Tuesday. The UN secretary-general is the world body’s chief administrative officer in charge of 3,000 UN staff. He earns US$200,000-300,000 a year and is treated on a level with heads of state around the world.

Dubbed the CEO of the international community, the secretary-general also has a role to play as a mediator in international conflicts in a post symbolic of the global community’s administrative, political and moral authority.

Government officials give Ban a 50:50 chance of being elected. Given the principle of rotation by continent, it is theoretically Asia’s turn, but on the continent Ban is up against Thai Vice Premier Surakiart Sathirathai, who has the support of ASEAN. The AFP news agency reports Surakiart and Ban are the “leading” candidates. Singapore’s former prime minister Goh Chok Tong is also reportedly in the running.

However, the U.S. has recently come out against rotation by continent and could support a candidate from Eastern Europe. A high-ranking Foreign Ministry official said the U.S. was also not helping in another sense since Seoul’s alliance with Washington could make Ban suspect to other members of the UN Security Council, who could exercise their veto in the belief that he will side only with the U.S.

China, which is on the Security Council, has warned it will veto any non-Asian candidates. France is sticking to a notion that the secretary-general must speak French, and Ban is reportedly learning what was once the language of international diplomacy.

Another disadvantage for Ban is that Korea is $130 million in arrears in UN membership dues. Even government officials say it is “like a billionaire trying to get a top government post without paying his taxes.” The government has promised to pay up soon.

North Korea is another factor. A high-ranking Foreign Ministry official said, “We informed North Korea of Ban’s candidacy separately but haven’t received a response.”

North Korea may think twice about Ban’s candidacy. Any increase in South Korea’s international standing could mean problems for Pyongyang, but Seoul could counter North Korean objections by pointing to the plentiful help it has given the North. Pyongyang would probably prefer to work behind the scenes by urging its ally China to support the ASEAN candidate.

What happens in the deadlock over North Korea’s nuclear program over the next few months could also have a decisive influence. If the six-party talks resume and North Korea is willing to open up further, Ban’s candidacy could gain momentum. But if the matter ends up being referred to the Security Council for resolution, it could deal a fatal blow to South Korea’s bid.

N.K. Prison Camp Musical

2006-02-07T10:16:00.000+09:00

It seems that I have not had a lot of time for blogging of late , but hopefully that will change soon. Here is an article about how the Ui party is not the fan of free speech it claims to be.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200602/200602050001.html

N.K. Prison Camp Musical Falls Foul of Seoul Officialdom
A planned musical about human rights abuses in North Korea’s Yoduk concentration camp has run into massive obstacles, not least from officials fearful of upsetting the Stalinist country. South Korean government agencies are demanding changes to the story, which they say dwells too heavily on the negative aspects of the camp, according to producers. Officials also allegedly invoked the National Security Law to warn producers against showing a portrait of former leader Kim Il-sung and the singing of North Korean songs in the show.

Director Chung Seong-san and cast rehearse for the musical ‘Yoduk Story’, which deals with human rights abuses in North Korea, despite government pressure to tone down the show’s criticism of the Stalinist country.

After the Chosun Ilbo ran a story about the musical, one theater abruptly canceled the run there and a company which had promised to invest W300 million (US$300,000) pulled out. A key member of the production team has quit, and the director Chung Seong-san, who happens to be a North Korean defector himself, has received death threats.

Political prisoners carry pails of human waste from guard barracks at the Yoduk concentration camp in South Hamgyeong Province, North Korea in this video grab of footage shown by Japan's Fuji TV.

“Yoduk Story” focuses on a camp where 20,000 inmates work more than 14 hours a day living on just one bowl of cereal and a spoonful of salt. Those who try to escape are executed by hanging or stoning because the authorities do not want to waste bullets killing them. But its scheduled debut in March is now in jeopardy. Reportedly under official pressure, more than half its budget of W700 million has disappeared, making it difficult to feed producers and cast. "After reading our script, government officials demanded that we change part of the story, saying it’s too much,” Chung said. “I got a phone call, I don’t know if it was a government official, saying 'It's so easy to get you. You will be punished.'”

But Chung is determined to plough on. When Seoul KyoYuk Munhwa Hoekwan promised to show the musical in its theater last December, Chung borrowed W20 million against a contract to sell his left kidney. His father was publicly stoned to death in a Hoeryeong concentration camp in 2002. “I feel that my father is watching over our rehearsals,” Jeong says. Private citizens are also chipping in. One elderly woman sent a gold ring, a jade ring and a pair of earrings after reading about the show, and an elderly man sent a box containing W500 coins, W1,000 bills and W10,000 bills totaling W10 million. Chung says he is always hopeful in rehearsal but anxious when he is on his own. But he believes the show must be staged. "This is not a political activity. What we’re trying to do is just let people know about human rights abuses in North Korea by producing the musical. We are ready to deliver the message in the right way to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il,” he said. For more information call 02-569-4483 or go to http://www.yodukstory.com/

Show me the MONEY- Kim

2006-01-13T16:15:00.000+09:00

Well, I know I haven't been posting much of late but I thought I'd take a few minutes to post up something I thought interesting. It seems that North korea is in need of some funds.

First, they filed a suit/complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. It appears that they would like to be paid $1,000,000,000 in compensation for the imprisonment and torture of some of it's newly-repatrioted citizens. Not to be outdone though, a day or so later some party from the South filed a similar suit against the North. The Noh administrations response... chirp, chirp.

As well, just the other day, a North Korean (soldier?) was killed in an automobile accident involving a Hyundai Asan employee. I'm not sure on the details of this, but I seriously wonder if $1,000,000 (what they are asking for in damages) would be what the family of the victim would usually get in any similar case in the DPRK.

I seriously wonder though if the North just isn't hard up for money. Right now Kim Jong-il is in China and living it up and no doubt either trying to broker more aide or spending more of this hard earned cash on a new fighter jet.

Chung resigns!

2006-01-02T07:27:00.000+09:00

That is right, my nemesis has stepped down from his post as Unification Minister *cough* DPRK kiss-up *cough* and is heading on to try for the presidency.

Awhile ago I was worried that he might just have a chance of winning. That somehow he would pull a rabbit out of the bag and pull offf a diplomatic wonder. Luckily, that never happened.

So, now begins the race for the Blue House. No one out there would be dumb enough to vote for this guy... right?

Kim Dae-jung to visit North

2005-12-20T22:32:00.000+09:00

Well, I dare say that Chung may be bumped off of my #1 slot for most asinine. An old favorite has come back to haunt us here in Juggertha's hall. Apparently Kim Dae-jung is planning on visiting the DPRK sometime soon. With comments like those below I seriously wonder why this man was not thrown off that ship so many years ago.

"Although they (the US) use strong rhetoric, I don't think they don't have the strength to carry out the military operations that the neo-conservatives insist upon."

"South Korea cooperates with the United States for peace. If war is the premise, everything must change."

Wow, could it be possible that I am GLAD that Noh is president instead of this guy? Well, maybe that is taking it a bit too far but seriously, is he just losing it in his old age? I'm no fan of US foreign "excursions" but I have little doubt as to their power.

Also of note is where this is an official visit or not, you decide:

Former President Kim Dae-jung said he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-il for a second time in the near future. He said the governments of both Koreas had agreed to his trip, but that he would travel there in a private capacity, not as an envoy of the Roh administration.

The visit, at an unspecified time, would be Mr. Kim's second encounter with Kim Jong-il, whom he met in June 2000 for the first meeting of the two nations' heads of government. "Pyongyang has requested a visit several times, and President Roh Moo-hyun officially asked me to make the visit," he said.

A peek at North Korea

2005-12-20T06:58:00.000+09:00

I've been away for awhile but now I'm back and I thought I'd start this week's blogging by making note of some pics from the North. Normally it is difficult to take pictures of anything but the "official sites" but for some reason an annonymous businessman was able to snap these pics.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/asia_pac_unseen_north_korea/html/1.stm

I could travel more or less where I pleased for my work, and even though we always had translators and minders, I was rarely prevented from taking photographs.

I am under no illusions about the nature of the state. What I saw was how North Koreans live and work.

North Korea is a land of vast motorways, some with as many as 10 lanes. But they are always empty. Very few people own cars.
Pedestrians and cyclists zig-zag across them as they are so unused to traffic.

But even though these roads host few vehicles, they are beautifully tended. Every Sunday, the people who live close by can be seen dusting down the gutter and pruning the shrubs on the road. Some might be visible in the distance here.

A woman stands in contemplation at the side of a village lane.
The most impressive aspect of such villages is that even in the remotest areas and despite their poverty, they are maintained with great care.

Scrap metal and twigs are intricately entwined to create the fencing that demarcates each home. Villagers often tend allotments together and share the produce.

Men thatch the roof of their home as winter draws in. People are responsible for the upkeep of their own properties and in remote rural areas they can only rely on the natural resources that lie around.
In the background, there is a TV aerial jutting out of the neighbouring roof. Many homes in rural areas have such aerials and I can only imagine they are for receiving broadcasts from the local state-controlled channels.

The yards are tidy. Even the most humble dwellings are clean and well-presented.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/asia_pac_unseen_north_korea/img/5.jpg

On a frosty day, peasants cluster on a remote country lane to dig at the ice caking roads and streams so they can access the mud underneath.
Mud is valuable as a fertiliser. Throughout the seasons, piles of mud and even human manure will be applied onto fields in order to make the crops grow better.

Red flags and banners bearing government propaganda slogans dot these fields. Their motto is: 'Dig for victory'. In this case they seem to be digging for sheer survival.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/asia_pac_unseen_north_korea/img/6.jpg

Despite the deprivation, children will always find creative ways to play. As they are too poor to afford ice skates, these boys have improvised with knife blades stuck onto blocks of wood. They propel themselves along with sticks.
The ice on this lake is about 25cm deep. As people walk across it you hear pistol shots ringing out as hairline cracks develop. But it is perfectly safe and in the winter people cycle across the lake to get to the other side.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/asia_pac_unseen_north_korea/img/7.jpg

This department store in the centre of Pyongyang has the latest goods for sale.
The food counters sell vacuum-packed foods. There are also traditional medicines and imported pharmaceuticals. Electronic devices are also on sale, including digital cameras and the occasional MP3 player.

Just who can afford these items on a Korean salary is not clear. Perhaps some are just there for show.

NORTH KOREA: The Struggle Against American Power

2005-11-27T15:51:00.000+09:00

Well now, this seems to be an interesting idea for a book.

Description:
George W. Bush's infamous remark about the 'Axis of Evil' brought North Korea dramatically back into the international spotlight. During the late 1990s relations between North Korea and the US and its allies were on the mend. However, the election of George W. Bush resulted in renewed crisis. The nuclear accord between the two countries was torn up, dashing North Korean hopes for establishing normal diplomatic and economic relations. Though malnutrition has eased and the economy is growing, the outlook is bleak.

This book cuts through the propaganda to unearth the complex and contradictory realities of this much-demonised country and its geopolitical context. The North is not a ‘workers’ paradise’ but, like Iraq, neither is it a threat to its neighbours and the region in the way usually portrayed.

Tim Beal reveals a country overburdened by military spending that sees itself under constant threat. However, he also shows that North Korea is pragmatic about negotiating with the United States. Attempts at economic reform and export expansion are shackled by US and Japanese hostility. Exploring a broad range of subjects including the historical and political framework of North Korea, the development of the nuclear crisis, human rights issues, drug trading, as well as its shifting relationship with South Korea, this is an ideal book for anyone who wants a thorough introduction to the daunting challenges faced by this country.

Chung caught doing crack!

2005-11-16T21:10:00.000+09:00

That's right, you heard it here first! Chung Dong-young has been caught doing drugs

Apparently, he gave an interview while high. Read on:

"Communist North Korea and capitalist South Korea are likely to have formed at least an economic union by 2020"

"North Korea would be ready to accept Seoul's offer of free electricity as a stop-gap until light-water atomic reactors were built"

"The vision of the Republic of Korea -- my personal vision as a politician -- is that by 2020 we will be a welfare state, and also at the same time, the South and the North will be able to communicate freely, that we will at least have developed into a joint economic union,"

"With North Korea, sticks don't help in solving problems," he said. "It doesn't give you the short cut, but only aggravates the problem."

Well, now that explains it. He has been dreaming of making the ROK into a welfare state the whole time. Now I understand why he is giving away so much of the tax payer's money! He wants the government to support the masses, ok, but where will the money come from? He keeps talking about providing all this funding to the North, but I am still missing the announcement of the tax hike that will pay for it all.

Unified Olympic team

2005-11-02T07:17:00.000+09:00

Do you see how ugly this girl is? Well, at least how bad all those colors look on her? For some reason it smacks me as a hint of how ugly this news is.

I am in a hurry but I thought this was worth posting. A unified Korean team eh. Well, I'm very curious to hear how they plan to pull that off. I mean really, which flag and anthem do they plan to play?

A good weekend for me.

2005-10-31T21:57:00.000+09:00

Well, it seems that the Uri party Leader ship bowed out of the lime light after a crushing defeat in some local elections. Buahahaha. Seriously, did anyone expect any different? The Uri party was NEVER meant to lead and the people of the ROK have been feeling it's ill effects. I must say, I giggled like a school girl when I saw this news on the stands. Heck, I even stooped so low as to buy a Korean Herald edition just to gloat.

Also in the news was a couple of tid-bits on the DPRK. man, I thought that Bush was having a hard week (ok, he is). These guys from the North sound stressed.

First there were some shots fired at the South from the North (quite under-reported)

SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- A shot fired from North Korea fell near a South Korean guard post inside the demilitarized zone late Friday, but there were no casualties, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.South Korean soldiers immediately returned several rounds of fire toward the North but received no response, the JCS said in a statement.

Then, a North korean diplomat decided he'd " curse at some guy for bad mouthing his dear leader.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean activist protesting against North Korea said he was called a "son of a -----" after he whispered to a North Korean diplomat that his leader Kim Jong-il must be overthrown.

And now it has been reported that Kim Jong-il is having troubles removing all the mustard stains he got on his nose from kissing Chinese president Hu Jintao's Butt.

Seoul sends regrets after death in North

2005-10-25T22:07:00.000+09:00

Well, it seems that Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has sent a letter of condolence to the North in regards to the passing of a DPRK official. Among many nations, this is not really newsworthy, but by many accounts, this is the first time a South Kortean official has done it (in this way?). It seems that someone has forgotten that there is still technically a war on.

Anyway, on to more exciting news. It seems that I was able to get my hands on an actual copy of the letter. Please read it at your own risk. I have no idea how many laws I may be breaking by posting this.

Warming tides?

2005-10-24T14:34:00.000+09:00

It seems that the ROK and the US are in the minds of renegotiating the details of their military alliance. There are no real big changes on the table (last year was more about moving the base out of Youngsan) but one issue that sems to be the darling of the Korean media is that of "Control over 'wartime' forces". As it stands right now, the ROK has control over it's forces during peace, but should ar break out on the peninsula, the US gets opperational command.

Personally, I'm glad the ROK is in a position to negotiate important points like this. I would like to have the Korean people more responsible for their own future, and this might just be a step in that direction. I hope though that it can be done with as little "kick out the foreign devils" as possible. The truth is, and this might surpise many of my readers (do I have many?), I think the US should look at a staged withdrawl of the majority of their troops. In the very least, they need to pull the troops out of Youngsan. The ARMY should never be in the heart of a city, it just doesn't fit with their job.

President Noh seems to think though that the Americans are looking at him more fondly. Lets hope that translates into more negotiating power eh.

"The United States appears to be accepting South Korea's changed attitude," Mr. Roh said. "The U.S. must be relieved to find that I am more moderate than they initially thought."

Hankyoreh speaks!

2005-10-14T23:10:00.000+09:00

Well some students of mine accused me of being too conservative. Who, me?? Not the Juggster!!

Anyway, they suggested I might do well to read some more "left leaning" papers. I am always up for the chance to broaden my perspectives, so I checked out an article in Hankyoreh

Well, most of their stuff was in Korean but if you look at this editorial (and most are translated thanks to the folks at http://www.seoulselection.com/) you'll be able to slug through "their thoughts".

Let's take a look at some of these thoughts:

There are persistent accusations that permitting a massive delegation to go to North Korea's "Arirang" performance is shaking the state's foundation. It's the same old people and arguments, too. It all got started when the government allowed around 5,000 people to watch an event that is used as propaganda for the North Korean system. Maybe they think that those who have watched the mass games have come to admire North Korean-style socialism.

OK, so the government in the South allows 5,000 people to partake in a admittedly propagandized ceremony and you have no worries?

Card sections and other elements of mass games were rampant under South Korean dictatorship as well.

So, it was bad then but because we've learned from it, it won't affect anyone now?

How could someone think that a person could be moved by such an event and come to sympathize with the North's government? Viewing the Arirang event was probably time in which people reaffirmed the democratic and pluralist nature of Southern society and came to agonize over what the Korean nation has to do in the future.

Well, at least somebody thought so (bah, can't find link for the first "unification baby" that was born in pyongyang this past week).

Currently there is rice, flour, corn, powdered milk, and oil going to the North, while defectors are continuously arriving in the South. Unless you're worried about criminals taking flight, there's no reason to be scared about people traveling to the North.

So, they send propaganda and defectors to the South, while we send food and aid to the North. Sounds like a GREAT trade.

We hope to see the procedures and qualifications for visiting the North changed swiftly to be consistent with changed realities. The principle should be that there is more frequent and freer passage.

Ok but you mean both ways right? Right? When making a statement like that I AM SURE that you mean that travel rights should be "freer" (sic) for ALL koreans right?

Funny how this article did it's best to lambaste the "conservative side" in the South while totally letting the North off the hook for any responsibility. Wow, am I ever glad I found this paper to add to my collection.

Confused?

2005-10-11T23:03:00.000+09:00

Well, I'm not really sure if I should be happy or sad. Kind of a mixed message here, all within the nice time frame of 24 hours.

China Deports N.Koreans Sheltering at Int'l School

Seven North Korean defectors who entered the compound of a Korean international school in the Northwestern Chinese city of Yantai, Shandong Province, on Aug. 29 and requested safe passage to South Korea have been returned to the North. The group consisted of two men and five women, four of them from the same family.

China Softens on N.Korean Defectors

Chinese authorities have agreed to let eight North Korean women who made their way into a Korean international school in Qingdao, China on Tuesday seek shelter at the South Korean Consulate. "After negotiations with the Chinese government, the entire group was moved today at around 2:50 p.m. to Korean consular buildings, where they are safe and being looked after,Â Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said.

Now, I'm not one for conspiracy theories but I have to wonder at the timing. All to often of late the North has tried to "respond" to possibly bad press in the South. This seems a little too smooth for that but it makes you wonder. With China being in the picture on all this, it makes me wonder too how close the two counties coordinate all/any of this.

Who will foot the bill?

2005-10-10T21:51:00.000+09:00

Well, it seems my buddy Chung is at it again, laying down promises that in my opinion he has no right to. First he said that the South would provide energy to the North (I suppose he got approval for that one from Noh but I'm still waiting for the public referendum) and now he is making blanket statements of a massive commitment of aid to the North.

He addressed lawmakers and said "I believe we should shoulder at least 2 trillion won to 5 trillion won (US$1.92 billion-$4.82 billion) a year to save our reputation in the international community as a civilized nation," Wow, is that all? All for the sake of saving your reputation? I hate to tell you this Chung, but you don't really have one and you've apparently done your best to drag the South's through the international mud.

If you truly are concerned with keeping pace with the international community, why not try to actually support human rights initiatives in the UN. Or better yet, why not (as Kang mentioned below) monitor all of the South's aid to the North and make sure that it is going to the right recipients?

Oh, wait, I know why you don't do it...

You're too busy styling your hair with the sweat off of Kim's butt cheeks.

EDIT: It seems that this money will go to a good cause

North Korea spent an estimated $10 million in 2004 to purchase Chinese and Russian defense products, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

Kang Chol-hwan (Aquariums of Pyongyang)

2005-10-09T22:55:00.000+09:00

Well this evening was an exciting one. I went to the Seoul club to listen to, and hopefully meet the author of one of my favorite books on North Korea. Kang Chol-hwan was giving a talk at the joint invitation of the Democrats and Republicans abroad.

Before tonight though, I re-read his book. I had been a few years since I last looked at it (actually I had to go and actually buy a copy) and I felt I had better brush up. The book itself is a facinating glimpse of life in a North Korean labour camp. Of Kang's life and death struggles to survive in the tyranical DPRK regime.

"The sweatbox is one of the harshest punishments imaginable, and since it could be used as retribution for the most trifling of offenses - offenses that would seem downright ridiculous on the outside - it was perpetually dangled over our heads. I exagerate when I say "our heads": it wasn't used on kids. But when a relative was sent to the sweatbox the whole family was scared, not knowing whether the loved one would make it out alive. Stealing three ears of corn, responding to a guard's command with insufficient zeal, missing a role call, even if the absence clearly had no wrongful intent - any of these was reason enough for being sent to the sweatbox. Yet all were "faults" that anyone could commit - and often had to commit - to survive."

Kang made mention during the talks that "one of the biggest pillars supporting the regime were the labour camps" and that "South Korean students are facinated by an illusion... (where as this) sentiment is affecting the DPRK and extending it's tyranny."

I took a number of notes but i do not have the time to put them down here tonight. Basically, he held a lot of my views on aid to the North, that it should be monitored and measured against a backdrop of concessions from both sides. He seemed like a level headed guy and impressed me as a survivor. I wish him the best and hope that his nightmares are behind him.

Are you watching Chung??

2005-10-02T10:29:00.000+09:00

I really hope that Chung Dong Young has these pictures shoved down his throat some time. The NKZone has a few wise words on the subject. How legit is it? I'm not sure. Some may doubt, but to me the important point is that this type of thing is acknowledged to happen regularly. Real or not, I truly think that even the possibility of truth in this should send a reminding shiver down our souls.

President Lee Myung-bak?

2005-10-01T20:09:00.000+09:00

Well, with the water flowing in Cheonggye stream it seems that Seoul's Mayor Lee Myung-bak is riding the crest of the wave. While some say the water will die down quickly, others hope that he rides it all the way into the presidency.

The Chosun put out a small interview in English with the Mayor. I think it deservers a read in it's entirety:

It seems not a day goes by without an article about the Cheonggye Stream. Why do you think the restoration project has been such a hit?

“I think it’s people’s interest in seeing something they thought was impossible come to fruition. It’s a positive response to seeing something unexpected accomplished in an age when ‘nothing is being accomplished even as nothing fails.’”

There also appears to be some jealousy from those who say you are over-praised for doing something that wasn’t all that spectacular, while others say you’ve spent tons of money on nothing more than sprucing up a canal.

“That’s because they don’t know its history. The Cheonggye Stream is an artificial waterway that differs from a natural stream flowing through the fields. It was built during the reign of King Taejong of the Chosun Dynasty to stop flooding, and during the reign of King Yeongjo, 200,000 men from around the country were mobilized to build the embankments. The stream has been restored to how it looked back then.”

Have you had difficulties being Seoul mayor as a member of the opposition party?

“There were major traffic problems with construction going on in the heart of the city. Authority over traffic rests with the central government and police, but there were difficulties owing to poor cooperation. When we had to remove 1,500 stalls, not one policeman helped. The authority over cultural properties, too, rests with the central government’s committee, but although the city carried out its construction according to the decision of the committee, there were many instances where it tried to find fault, saying Seoul was building things and ignoring the city’s historic sites.”

The covering of City Hall with Korean flags on Liberation Day was a hot topic. Was there a think-tank that gave the city this idea?

“There’s no think tank, but there are people I consult about personal life and politics. It’s not an organized thing. This Liberation Day was the 60th anniversary of Korea’s liberation, so we pondered what we could do. We wondered how we could peacefully make Japan aware, inspire patriotism in the people, and give courage to the young. So we drew up the Korean flag idea in outline and debated it in several departments, but some thought it might be impossible because of the wind. Seoul officials were added to the meeting, and in the end, some young artists said it was possible, and it was done.”

You’re making a people-centered city, building many crosswalks downtown and planting grass in Seoul Plaza and Sungnyemun Plaza. Is this the result of a consistent plan?

“Actually, I made my own preparations for it before becoming mayor. I made a list of 20 things. The Cheonggye Steam restoration, public transport reform and the New Town construction were carried out according to the order of the list. Welfare and cultural projects are now being carried out in the second half of my term. The group that gave me the most help prior to my inauguration was a Seoul metropolitan government advisory team composed of foreigners. It was made up of foreign CEOs, academics and diplomats and their families who have lived in Seoul for more than five years.”

You’re believed to be a major contender for the next presidential election. Many people are saying you’ll carry out a major national project of a vast scale dissimilar to the Cheonggye Stream restoration. Is there some project you are thinking of should you become a presidential candidate? Some are talking about the construction of a “Seoul-Busan Canal” linking the Han and Nakdong rivers.

“The biggest problem facing out society at the moment is employment; the most basic thing to make the people happy is to create jobs. One cannot create jobs through cutting-edge IT and BT industries alone. In a country of 50 million people, you can create jobs only by appropriately endowing the country with high-tech industries, financial services and manufacturing. In order to foster national competitiveness, we must cut prime costs by decreasing distribution costs. Transport costs from Seoul to Busan are similar or greater than those between Busan and Los Angeles. The Seoul-Busan Canal plan I announced during the 14th National Assembly is a comprehensive plan to foster national competitiveness and create jobs. A leader is someone who endlessly gives the people vision and hope.”

Is your wealth, which some say is excessive for a man even with a past in a white-collar job, perhaps a weak point?

“I’m proud of the fact that I have a lot of property. I think it gives hope that a poor person can become rich. My total current wealth isn’t even the annual salary of a CEO of a leading global firm. I went into a firm with 100 employees (Hyundai Construction) and made it into one with 160,000, so I think I had the right to be sufficiently compensated. I’ve lived by saving. If I had spent money I didn’t have to spend, I wouldn’t have become rich.”

There are some who expect that you’ll return your wealth to society one day.

“This is usually said by people who’ve made their money unjustly or those with an interest in other people’s money. I won’t bequeath all my money to my children, but I won’t say I’ll give it back. This is a political statement. I’ve made plans on how I’ll use my wealth in the future. I will do it according to those plans.”

Your supporters are calling for an early party convention. Do you agree with this?

“That should be left to Grand National Party chairwoman Park Geun-hye. Whether someone retires should be left to them; it’s not desirable to create an overheated atmosphere by calling a party convention and fight. I will take a step back and follow the party’s decision. I won’t differentiate between what is advantageous and disadvantageous to me.”

What do you think makes you different from Park Geun-hye?

“There’s no need to ask that. Everyone knows. We’re completely different. The lives we’ve lived are completely different, and our administration styles are different. But only when two very different people come together can they become powerful and cooperate. If Park and I combine our strength, it could produce a great synergistic effect. People see us as rivals, but I think of us as collaborators. I will join hands with Park to cooperate and take back the government.”

Some smart ones

2005-09-25T11:22:00.000+09:00

It seems that some lawyers in Seoul have decided that they will pick up the torch on human rights in the North. The torch that had carelessly been dropped by the government a few years back is now in some professional hands. Lets hope they do something with it.

In a closing declaration, participating lawyers said the South Korean
government claimed to be taking a gradual approach to human rights in the North
but had in fact been consistently tepid on the issue. It expressed concern that
the governmentÂs logic ran along the same lines as that of South KoreaÂs past
military dictators, who suppressed human rights under the pretext of economic
development or the threat of war.

Also, a respective nod to the Marmot for posting on this woman's odyssey of trials and escape.

According to the Chosun Ilbo, a North Korean woman, identified by her family name of Park, recently arrived in Thailand with her 19-year-old son and two North Korean women and is awaiting passage to South Korea. What makes Park’s story truly amazing is that this she made the trip without feet, having lost them thanks to torture she suffered at the hands of North Korean security authorities after she was repatriated to the Workers’ Paradise during a previous defection attempt.

Now, it is THAT type of strength that will save the ROK! Unfortunatly, it seems that it is lacking right now. With Chung at the helm of the Unification ministry, few have the backing of the ROK government when trying to escape their lives in the North.

To make up for this shortcoming, many NGOs have stepped up offering assistance. While I am not sure that their motives are always pure, the outcome is generally the same; more people are able to shake off the shackles of the North. These NGOs so not help without risk though;

15 S. Koreans in Chinese Lockup

A total of 15 South Koreans are being detained in China after
being charged with helping North Korean refugees depart for a third country, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Friday.

In a report to the National Assembly, the ministry said
that a total of 64 South Koreans had been arrested in China since 2001. Among
them, 49 were set free while the others remain in custody.

North korea is set to enter the real world

2005-09-19T16:44:00.000+09:00

Well, it seems that the DPRK has finally take it's collective head out of it's ass (at least part way) and has decided to give up all nuclear activities and rejoin the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. In return the US said it had no intention of attacking the North, which was also promised aid and electricity. I wonder if this has anything to do with last weeks rumors about China putting the lean on the North?

MacArthur

2005-09-17T19:12:00.000+09:00

Well, I've been hessitant to write on this simply because I am not as familiar with the subject of the General as I would like to be. I have heard the whole gambit in regards to U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur and I honestly am not sure if he is a criminal or a hero.

Now, before I get jumped on for not being firm on it either way, let me put it to you this way; I firmly beleive that the majority of HEROES that have been made into icons over the past thousand or so years, have had that distinction occasionally because of greatness, but more often than not, because of victory.

MacArthur was successfull with his landing in Incheon and as such he is a hero to many. He helped to push back (or at least cut off supplies to) a North Korean Army bent on dominating the peninsula. And there in lies the rub;

Some in South Korea now would want you to beleive that he actually stopped a sovereign country's right to determine it's own destiny.

Others take it at face value that he helped to stop the unwanted flow of Communism into the south.

For me, I think I'll form my own camp likening him to a guard dog. I have always said that if a dog bites, it's rarely the dogs fault. It is the owners responsibility to keep him on a short leash. If MacArthur stepped out of line, then it was up to Truman to give him a tug back into place. I guess, in the end... he did just that.

He did the job he was positioned to do, repulse the North korean attack. He did it by a risky strategic move, flanking the enemy in an amphibious assault. The citizens of Incheon made a statue to commemorate his acheivement and I stand along with these old chaps in saying it should not be taken down.

EDIT: Well, apparently the "left" side of the argument has been asked to apear before a judge. While South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon (one of my few I like in this administration) has sent a letter off to the US pledged (that) his government to do its best in thwarting any attempt to demolish or damage the statue, saying such a bid runs counter to the "mature perception of history by South Koreans".. Good on ya ban old buddy!

Offers of help

2005-09-07T12:34:00.000+09:00

Well, it has been about a week since Hurricane Katrina hit the Southern US and offers of aid are popping up from all sources. Europe and Canada were no surprise but some less fortunate countries also weighed in. I think Sri Lanka offered $20,000 and even Kuwait offered up a sizable sum.

Korea has done itself proud by offering 30 million dollars. Some may note that this was a move to put Japans offer to shame (about $500,000) but I am hoping that it is simply a gesture of good will.

I have been watching CNN a bit more than usual because of this (ok, I never usually WATCH CNN, I prefer to read nowadays) and noticed some interesting things;

1) The reporters are doing their utmost to show bias and mood. I really felt that I was watching a talent contest when I saw some of the phoney reactions from the news casters.

2) Opinions are flowing all over the place. Not just from "sources" but from the reporters themselves. When did journalism totally abondom any attempt at neutrality?

3) The questions have been fairly decent though. When asking the State Dept. why they are not immediately accepting foreign aid the response was "We don't have the infrastructure to support such a move at this time". The reporter cut through the BS and asked again, why not just accept it and deal with it after?

"Because that is not how we do things"

So I guess the 25 doctors waiting in Cuba to come help should not be holding their breath.

Get your nose out of my...

2005-08-30T23:51:00.000+09:00

Well, color me shocked. I was reading an article in the Chosun Ilbo about how the North was cutting back visits to Mount Kumgang. Normally, I would care less about this as I have always seen it as less of a cultural/brotherly exchange, and more of a "give the North some money" exchange.

What tweaked my interest was the reason behind the North's particular storm. Apparenty Hyundai wanted to let go of its vice chairman Kim Un-kyu becuase an internal inspection had found Kim guilty of corruption, and he resigned at a board meeting on Aug. 18. Now if your OWN company finds you guilty (in Korea), chances are you did a bad thing.

The North, apparently though, really liked this Kim guy so they objected, and then were shocked by the decision to let him go anyways. So, now the North not only wants southern dollars (ok Won) but now they want to run their companies as well?? Since when did the DPRK become management icons?

The Editor jumped on this (as would I) and said:
The resignation of Kim Yoon-kyu is the internal affair of Hyundai Asan. However much the two Koreas may differ in their political and economic systems, Pyongyang cannot presume to meddle with the personnel decisions of a South Korean corporation. That it has thrown its weight behind a man who had to resign over allegations of corruption, incidentally, is generating speculation about the exact nature of the relationship between Kim the executive down South and Kim the dear leader up North. But whatever it may have been, if North Korea keeps trying to influence a South Korean company this way, it will be hard for inter-Korean relations to improve.

The occasion shows that something must be done about the Mt.Kumgang tourism deal to make sure that the North cannot arbitrarily determine the tourist quota and expect the South to comply unconditionally. The project is not a benevolent act on the part of Pyongyang; it is a business. It needs to reflect the interests of the South.

What I wonder is; how much worse will it be when the South starts to supply electricity to the North?

Is he quitting again?

2005-08-26T00:17:00.000+09:00

It seems that president Noh is threatening to step down if he does not get his way. I am lacking in links, but he has done this many times in the past. The whole; "well, if you guys won't do what I want then I guess you don't really want ME."

I'm getting tired of this. A president that is either so lacking in confidence that he has to whine to keep support, or one so cunning he has to play on the hearts of the ignorant.

"The greatest policy goal in the second half of my tenure should be changing the political culture and achieving national unity. I will focus on this during the latter half of my tenure," Roh said at the meeting.

Why? Why is this the greatest goal? Who is asking for it? I really wonder why he is so intent on this subject.

In reference to his approval rating, Roh suggested their was a need to discuss "whether it is right for a president with 29 percent of approval rating to continue to run state affairs."

That's the spirit, quit! Or at least threaten to I guess. This may have something to do with recent surveys that show 65% of respondents are unhappy with his presidency.

Personally, I think that reform is good. Change can also be good. Cleaning up the mistakes of the past, well, sometimes that is needed too. My problem with Noh is the fact that he does it selectivly. He chooses to honor leftist heroes but shuns anyone to the right. He is full scale supportive of investigations into prior regimes but pulls WAY back when it involves his idol Kim Dae Jung . I know hipocracy abounds in politics, I just have to write about it sometimes and complain.

My newest signature

2005-08-19T18:14:00.000+09:00

Something a bit lighter for this blog.

Woot! They're gone!

2005-08-18T00:22:00.000+09:00

Well it seems that my newest neighbors have finally flown the coop and have headed back to the land of the great General. I for one am glad to see them gone. With all this butt kissing in the news I was scared to hear that maybe Kim Dae Jung would step back into the lime light and try to get another Nobel Peace Prize.

Oh wait, maybe he will...
Apparently Kim Ki-nam (DPRK) has invited Ex-President Kim back to the North.

I even hear that they read a few ROK newspapers. Too bad Chung didn't let him read them all.

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young handed over the file of news scraps to Kim, a secretary of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, inside a passenger car at a hotel in eastern Seoul at 10:20 a.m.

It was intended to let Kim, 79, know that the visit by North Koreans and their unprecedented activities, such as a visit to the National Cemetery where the war dead are enshrined, were invoking good reactions from South Koreans, a politics expert said.

Another Seoul official said the ministry staff occasionally delivered South Korean morning dailies to the North Korean delegates’ hotel rooms, as some of them wanted to read local newspapers.

To me, that last part is the most important. I'm not one to stand in the way of a countrys unification, but I would like to see the exchange flow both ways. Lately though, it really feels like the ROK gives and consents, and then gives some more.

I would like to see the North open up more. If it is now legal/acceptable to view pro-DPRK websites, then should it likewise not be made legal in the norht to get news from the South?

What can Koreans learn from the Japanese?

2005-08-18T00:04:00.000+09:00

Well, I'm not about to ask any Koreans what they think they can learn from the Japanese. The anit-foreign sentiment is just too high nowadays. But to my amazement I read an interesting article about one Japanese professor that could teach the Koreans a thing or two.

Professor Yuji Hosaka of Sejong University, who was naturalized as a Korean citizen two years ago, is a unique person. He is 49 years old and was born in Tokyo. After graduating from Tokyo National University, he made up his mind one day that he would jump into research on historic relations between Korea and Japan.

The reason I take time to explain Professor Hosaka's life story is to make you understand how different the background of his Japanese studies is from that of Korean scholars. He speaks whatever he wants to say on Japan's distortion of history. He is thorough and corroborative when it comes to history research and analysis.

That is why his studies of Japan's territorial claim of the Dokdo islands hold up. He not only analyzed the old maps of Japan, but he also analyzed all recent maps published by the National Geographical Institute of the Japanese government.

The result is a study showing that Dokdo was not included as Japanese land from the Meiji administration until 1988. (The study is published in the July issue of NEXT). Japan's reaction to this study was huge. There were groups that called Professor Hosaka a traitor, but there were a lot of Internet users who said they were surprised to see the evidence he produced. He immediately started to respond to the criticisms of the Japanese government and readers one by one and resumed debates on historic issues.

He uses hidden historical data to expose the fabrication of Japanese awareness.There is definitely a difference between Professor Hosaka's attitude to research and those of Korean historians. One Korean professor declined to give an answer when he was asked to historically analyze his contention that Dokdo is part of Korean territory. He did not so much as decline to answer as he ran away from the debate.

Another scholar got the media's attention when he produced some unreliable evidence and had failed to unfold his view logically. Korean people were too fragmentary and shallow in their research. One Korean professor clung to an anti-Japan report that was totally emotional. One elder professor ignored young scholars who objected to his Dokdo theory by saying, "What bad-mannered people..." and tried to clamp down on the freedom of study and the freedom of speech. The field of history studies in Korea is not free from the criticism that there are sanctuaries, whether right or wrong.

Professor Hosaka's study on Dokdo and other historic studies were all done by first approaching all the information he could find both in Korea and Japan. That is why a reasonable and logical discussion is possible.
-by Choi Chul-joo

Can it be? Can there be a reasonable editorial out there? Was this actually in the Joonan ilbo?

All I can say is, I hope this thought catches on.

When will they leave?

2005-08-16T22:56:00.000+09:00

So I was riding the bus today and noticed all the "blue unification" flags around Walker Hill. Apparently the delegation from the DPRK is still in town and everyone is trying to show them a good time.

I however, am getting really miffed at the uneven enforcement of national laws by the administration and the uni-ministry. The whole flag burning thing was bad enough, but now we have labour groups giving anit-US banners to the delegation

The North Koreans were given the sashes at a meeting of North and South Korean labor representatives at the Seoul Olympic Parktel on Tuesday by two members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, who shouted, "We must throw out the USFK and unite by combining our strength!"

North Korean delegate Choi Chang-man replied "The thing that stands in the way of our unification is the U.S. military, and our workers must stop this. This sash reading 'Withdraw USFK', handed to me by the vanguard of unification, gives great strength to the laborers of North and South who wish for the withdrawal of the U.S. military."

“Now, with our home threatening to become a war zone, let us hold high the flag of peace and use our strength to protect peace.” He said the young people of North Korea, “giving their youth to turn Korea into a wealthy and powerful country and unify the nation, have never forgotten South Korean and overseas Korean students."

That reads oddly no?

Korean Bar Association spokesman Ha Chang-woo warned the developments meant Korea’s National Security Law had become “useless.” He said inter-Korean reconciliation was fine, but it would not do to brush violations of the law, which bans North Korean propaganda, under the carpet. Only the rule of law was capable of putting a country’s national identity on a firm footing, he said. Lawyer Lee Gyeong-jae said, "The string of statements were a clear violation of positive law. We must change this idea that everything is permissible as long as it’s for the sake of unification."

So it DOES violate the law. Hmmm, I'm wondering if it'll be enforced though.

So close I could...

2005-08-14T22:51:00.000+09:00

Well, it seems that the North Korean delegation is staying at my place! Ok, not exactly "my place", but quite close enough. Apparently they are holed up at the Walker Hill in Gwangna-roo.

Now I KNOW it is an expensive place (evident from all the tall Russian dancers coming in and out) so I'm curious as to who is footing the bill.

Anyways, Mr BowdownandlickDPRKbutt Chung was there today visiting. If it wasn't so hot I may have taken the short bus ride just to give him a dirty look.

Oh, and I guess they (the delegation) Visited Seoul's National Cemetery and bowed. Wow, not too low fellas, you don't want to show too much enthusiasm. Also, I thought this was funny.

The 182-strong delegation of officials and civilians headed by Kim Ki-nam of the North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland paid only a silent tribute but did not lay flowers or burn incense. The North Koreans reportedly said during negotiations with South Korea on Aug. 5 they were not in the habit of burning incense and rarely laid flowers.

Wow, I guess somebody should tell these kids.

A flag burnin'

2005-08-12T21:20:00.000+09:00

Well, in my time in Korea I have seen my share of flags being burnt. None in person, but definitely enough on TV to get the idea. Most of them have been the US Stars and Stripes.... ok ALL of them have.

But, that may soon be changing. Apparently the Canadians are in for a bit of trouble with a report by a Canadian professor in Vancouver that talks about 60 or so court martials and the crimes against Korean civilians.

Now in no way do I belittle the acts. On the contrary, I am disgusted with soldiers who step out of line. However, I also acknowledge the realities of war and know such things do occur. It being now 50 some odd years after the fact, I'm really not sure what the Korean media (or this Canadian professor) hope to accomplish by releasing the information. I would hope that it is ear-marked for a history text but for some reason I think it'll be used to fuel the anti-foreigner sentiment in Korea right now.

Oh and as a side note, it seems that although it is illegal to burn the US flag in Korea (but totally socially acceptable) it is however LEGAL to burn the North Korean flag. Well, that is until this idiot gets his way. Apparently it is not ok to burn the flag of a nations that has murdered countless number of your citizens but torching the one of your strongest ally is ok.

``We cannot allow these unidentified groups to damage or burn things including North Korean flags,’’ Lee said during a meeting of senior officials on Monday. ``It cannot be tolerated anymore, politically and legally.’’
- Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan

I really wonder how long it'll take people to realize that the Noh administration is truely working with *cough* for *cough* the North.

Another great Korean blog

2005-08-11T11:14:00.000+09:00

While the Marmot may be "The Man" for breaking Korean news, it appears that this gentleman has got the goods when debunking some Korean myths.

Here is a taste:

Apparently the Korean soldier maneuvered the Japanese soldiers into taking a ‘friendship photograph’ in order to make this childish political statement, saying that the disputed island between Korea and Japan belongs to Korea. While there has been much joy in Korea about this photograph, Koreans are so self centered that they havent considered this:
*These kind of antics will make it even harder for Japanese to trust Koreans
*Once the Japanese soldiers realize what happened, it will damage their morale and make working with the Koreans in Iraq harder, jeopardizing the mission
*Did the Korean soldiers think about the kind of treatment these Japanese soldiers will now recieve? Even though they were tricked, they will be the subject of much criticism and mockery. Perhaps they will even be punished. Then they will say ‘I made the mistake of trusting Koreans’. What will Koreans say then?
*Japanese people will think twice about extending the hand of friendship to Koreans again
This is a truly disgraceful act. Rather than glorifying this soldier, Koreans should feel ashamed. ***
***Update: Some Korean netizens are saying that the picture is photoshop, some insisting it is real (although only a couple seem to think its a bad idea - indeed, fake or not, most seem to approve). See the controversy here.
***Update2: Mithridates makes a convincing argument that the picture is fake.
***Update3 - The final analysis: According to this site, the software responsible for the altered image was either Canon Powershot or Adobe Photoshop. The uniforms of the Japanese Army that were called into question are apparently genuine. The green garb means that they are intending not to fight in the desert, and shows peaceful intentions. Also on the Japanese version of Naver, some Japanese guys demonstrated the technique. Still, it left behind a lot of angry people, here, here, and here.
So we know the photo is fake. My last post should have kept me on guard for Korean fake photos, yet for a while, I was taken in. The lesson is still the same as what I wrote above - it becomes harder to trust Koreans. Luckily, I caught it within around an hour of posting.

Quite a decent blogger. I'll make sure to add it to my frequent visit list.

Roh or Noh or.. ah, whatever.

2005-08-10T23:32:00.000+09:00

So I ran across this Asia Times article today and almost spewed. The tripe that is written borders on hilarity. Here are a few excerpts;

Roh, who has authored a biography of Abraham Lincoln and on whom he models himself, like his American hero crafts speeches of great intellectual complexity.

Well, I just learned two things I did not know before. I had no idea his speaches were so complex. They must be I guess to make people jump out of their windows.

He has worked closely with North Korea on a variety of economic and social initiatives and does not see the North as a threat.

I guess giving them stuff is working closely. So, does that mean I work closely with the blind guy on the subway?

President Kim Young-sam continued many of the incestuous relations between government and business of his predecessors, even as he moved toward the rule of law.

I call BS on this. The relationships continue to this day and are all entwined in his administration. The whole "we are only covered with a little bit of poo" just doesn't cut it with me.

First, there are the conservative forces that look at the US-Republic of Korea alliance as the bedrock of foreign policy, concentrate on economic to the neglect of social issues, and rely on such sources as the conservative newspaper Chosun Ilbo for their information about the world. This newspaper has been unrelentingly critical of Roh from the day he took office.

Hmmm, would I prefer to read the Chosun Ilbo or OhMyNews? Well at least the Chosun has been consistant. Take the Joongan, they were "anti-Roh" untill their boss got promoted to US Ambassador. Hmm, I wonder how they'll swing now that he's stepped down?

The second group consists largely of younger voters known commonly as the 3-8-6 (sam-pal-yuk) generation. As students they longed for a democratic system and were willing to work hard for it. Many of this generation were involved in the student protests that turned universities into tear-gas testing grounds. These progressives are committed to social and political issues. The 3-8-6 generation is best represented by the Nosamo group (The Organization that Loves Roh Moo-hyun). This informal association of loyalists employed the Internet in an innovative manner to put him in office. They did so in spite of the overwhelming prophesies of doom produced by the conservative press that had most Americans - and many Koreans - believing that Roh did not have a chance. This group is highly critical of United States policy and imaginative in envisioning Korea's role in the world. Representing a broad spectrum of views, often crossing regional loyalties, they depend on such progressive online publications as Pressian and Oh My News for information and have embraced an interactive culture of instant messaging and video for both social and political action. The rate at which they disseminate information has transformed Korean society.

Well now, don't they just sound like the perfect bunch! Seriously, I'm glad I found this and it is definately an interesting read in regards to Roh's biography BUT for the most part this article is tripe.

Apples and ... apples

2005-08-10T10:25:00.000+09:00

Well, apparently it has started. I knew that some "stuff" would be stirred during the break.

Bush says North Korean nuclear issue different from that of Iran
WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday emphasized the difference between North Korean and Iranian nuclear intransigence as the issue boiled down to who deserves to pursue peaceful uses of atomic power."North Korea is in a different situation," Bush said at a meeting with economic advisers at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. "The North Koreans didn't tell the truth when it came to their (uranium) enrichment programs," Bush said.

We were on a BREAK!

2005-08-10T09:41:00.000+09:00

One of my favorite "themes" in FRIENDS was the whole "Ross and Rachel were on a break and Ross cheated on her but afterwards insisted 'we were on a break!'" Now, you may ask how that has anything to do with Korea, and although it's a bad transition, it does!! ;)

It seems that in the week I have taken off of blogging the 6 party talks have gone no where (surprise). They are now on a 3 week break and apparently there are a few "side-bar" meetings going on.

Ban Ki-moon, whom seems like a decent enough guy, will head to China this week to see what he can do.

"The participating countries are expected to hold separate consultations during the recess period," Ban said at a weekly news briefing. "The three-week recess is very important for smooth progress of talks when they are resumed, so we will make the most of it."

Ban indicated that North Korea needs time to build trust with the international community before it enjoys the right to peaceful nuclear activities.

Now see, that is why I think Ban is a decent guy. I know he has to tow the Roh line, but he still comes off sounding level-headed.

My worry though is that something will go onbehind the scenes that may cause some problems. I especially predict that the US might be on the "outs" in regards to it's Nuclear policies and uneven enforcement (ie. India, Iran, Isreal, another "I" country?)

And the game keeps on

2005-08-03T22:45:00.000+09:00

Well, I think this speaks for itself.

Initial high hopes gave way to frustration on the ninth day of six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program on Wednesday, as the Stalinist country’s delegation head failed to show for discussion of yet another draft statement of principles submitted by China overnight.

"With the exception of North Korea, all the other parties were satisfied with the final draft of the joint statement,” a South Korean official said. “We were waiting for North Korea only, but in the end we weren’t told whether Pyongyang had accepted the draft." U.S. chief negotiator Christopher Hill earlier indicated Washington was happy with the new draft. "I would say it is getting to an end-game text," Hill said.

North Korea reportedly objects to a portion of the draft that reads, "North Korea abandons all nuclear weapons and nuclear programs." That would include even peaceful-use nuclear facilities, which it wants to keep.

Well, who exactly does that surprise?

KIm Jung Ill's bodyguards

2005-08-03T22:39:00.000+09:00

I don't usually deal with stuff like this (even though it is Korean) but I thought I'd make note of it.

This video shows some interesting scenes of the Dear Leaders bodyguards. Sure, most of it is staged but in no way does it make it less impressive/disturbing.
http://www.mediazine.org/view.php?file=1107752400

The pot calling the kettle a 6-party talk

2005-08-03T09:29:00.000+09:00

Well, I am surprised as everyone else to note that it is China that is sounding like the sane one in recent days at the 6 party talks. Apparently they have said:

“It will be difficult to reach an agreement in this state. Let the participant nations reconfirm whether they have the will to compromise and decide whether to continue with the talks or stop,” - Wu

The divisive issue now seems to be over the DPRKs legitimacy of using nuclear power for peaceful means. The US and Japan have said NO WAY, while China, the ROK, and Russia have all in their various ways agreed to it.

Personally I really don't want to see the Norks splitting any kind of atom, however I have never really understood the US position of "we can have them but no one else should be able to develop them". I would be happy if NO ONE had them.

SO, now instead of "everyone" working towards a NUCLEAR FREE PENINSULA, we seem to have a house divided. Originally it semed like 5:1, everyone trying to rope in N. Korea, but now the numbers look more like 4:2, with the US on the outside.

I'm sure Mr. Hill is a qualified man, but I really worry if he is dropping the "popularity ball" over there in China.

Chung has competition

2005-07-29T20:55:00.000+09:00

Well, as you have probably noticed, I am not a fan of Chung Dong Young (because of his pure bravado in ignoring the plight of those in the North). I am also not a fan of Ahn Sang-soo (the Mayor in Incheon who recently promised $2 billion to the North to fix up their ugly ass hotel).

Now it seems I have a new hate-on for someone almost as dumb.

Professor Kang Makes Another Pro-North Korean Remark

A professor who was indicted for pro-North Korean comments during a
visit to Pyongyang in 2001 made a statement justifying the North-led Korean War,
saying the conflict aimed to unify the peninsula.
Kang Jeong-koo, sociology professor at Dongguk University, said in a column posted yesterday on an Internet news site that the 1950-1953 Korean War should be
regarded not as a ``war for sovereignty usurpationÂÂ but as a ``war for
the great cause of unification,ÂÂ a statement similar to North Korean
propaganda.

``No South Korean history textbook depicts Wang Kun and Kyon
Hwon as invaders. Wang is revered as a great king who worked for unification,ÂÂ
Kang said, advocating the communist countryÂs reasoning behind the war.

Wang (A.D. 877-943) was the founder of the Koryo Dynasty (A.D. 918-1392), unifying the three kingdoms split from the Silla Kingdom after defeating Kyon Kwon of Hu-Paekche.

In the column entitled ``True
Knowledge About MacArthur,ÂÂ Kang claimed the three-year war could have ended in
a month without the intervention of the United States.

``Without
U.S. intervention, Korea would not have suffered such bloodshed and destruction.
To 4 million Koreans killed during the war, the U.S. is not a lifesaver or
friend but an enemy,ÂÂ Kang said.

Kang was indicted for making pro-North Korean
remarks in August 2001 when he visited Mangyongdae, the birthplace of late North
Korean leader Kim Il-sung.

He wrote in the guest book, ``Let's accomplish the great task of national unification by cherishing the spirit of Mangyongdae.ÂÂ

In the column, the professor also made a cynical assessment of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who has been regarded here as a hero for leading the U.N. forces on the peninsula and turning the tide of the war through the historic Inchon landing.

``MacArthur was just a war fanatic. The Korean War was a civil war for unification. But just three days after the war broke out in June 25, 1950, the general called on the U.S.
government to intervene,ÂÂ he said.

``The favorable perception of the war maniac who caused the great tragedy to the Korean people should be scrapped. His statue should also be destroyed,ÂÂ he added.

A statue of MacArthur in Inchon, erected in 1957 in memory of the five-star
general, has been at the center of public attention recently as some progressive
and anti-U.S. military groups rallied at the site, calling for the statueÂs
removal.

everyonem glad not everone is jumping of that bandwagon Apparently South Korea's Minister for National Defense, Yoon Kwang-ung still has some integrity.

Such demands from progressive civic activists "are nonsensical, indiscreet acts
over which I must express my deep concern..."

Kang is trying to put forth the argument that if the Korean war didn't happen, all would have been well. Basically he goes with the logic that if a nation is left to its own devices, it will naturally develop for the better.

The problem in that though is that the peninsula has not been "left alone" for quite some time. If the US (and that bugger MacArthur) had let the North walk its way through the south, would that have been "natural"?

The truth is that the North was all too beholden to its big Soviet brother and rarely acted on its own (at least in the early days). Dr Lankov wrote on the Marmots :

But there is another dimension. The actual Soviet control over
the emerging NK regime was very minute and very restrictive. Until 1948 at
least, even speeches to be delivered at important meetings by the NK officials
had to be edited/approved by the Soviet political officers (can you imagine
Syngman Rhee looking for Gen. Hodge to edit his speech?).

Doesn't sound like a "war waged BY KOREANS FOR KOREANS!"

Anyways, I just have one question; how the heck can I get Dr Lankov to visit my site!?!?

My buddy is back!

2005-07-27T10:26:00.000+09:00

Well it seems that The Marmot has caught the "I hate Chung" disease again. I must say, I don't think I ever really shook off my last bout with it.

Gwangju Uprising Thwarted by 'Invisible Hand': Minister

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Tuesday the Gwangju Democratic Uprising of 1980 was thwarted by an "invisible hand." The minister was telling an Uri Party policy committee how the destiny of the Korean Peninsula has been controlled by outside forces for the last 100 years.

"A hundred years ago, the Philippines became a U.S. colony and the
Korean Peninsula a Japanese one owing to the Taft-Katsura AgreementÂ of 1905,
Chung said. ÂThe division of the nation and Korean War were not our will
either," nor was the failure of the Gwangju Uprising. A century later,
Chung promised Âa hot summer in which our fate will be decided not by North
Korea, China, the United States, Japan or Russia, but by our own pride and
self-determination." Chung recently told a weekly magazine the division and
war happened without regard to the will of the Korean people, as did the
suppression of the Gwangju Uprising.

The remarks Âmean we must actively decide our own fate,Â the minister
explained. ÂAs for the invisible hand, take my literal meaning." Chung also
asked the Uri Party to double inter-Korean cooperation funds, which currently
stand at W500 billion (US$487 million) a year.

While I agree with his thoughts of the people (note: NOT HIM) taking a more active role in their destiny, his blaming others for the fate of the peninsula is just a play for the masses. No one wants to be told it is their fault (or their fathers), it is much better to hear that it isforeignersegners fault. Or in this case the fault of some unseen magic hand.

I have said it before and I'll say it again, the day he becomes president is the day I leave this country. trulytruely an idiot.

Ah geez.. a scandal

2005-07-26T22:34:00.000+09:00

I think I'm going to have to wipe off my monitor. I was eating some left-over when I saw this article and I literally laughed out loud.

Now, I am no expert on the subject but it seems that for years the newspapers have been either "in bed" with the administration (of the time) or in direct and often violent opposition to it.

The Joongan Ilbo is just one of those papers. Although I have not been in Korea for all that long, in the short time that I have been here I have noticed something interesting. A few years back when Noh Moo Hyun was elected, most of the major papers (joongan included) tore into the guy. They arely gave him a moments peace. Then about a year ago the administration decided to "curb the monopoly" on news and threatened to break up certain newspapers (funny how they all seemed to be the ones opposed to Noh).

Anyways, soon after that the editor for the Joongan Ilbo was appointed as the Ambassador to the US (!!??). With little/no prior diplomatic experience he was given the crucial post of securing a 50 year alliance. Soon there after I noticed the 중앙일포 was decidedly less aggressive towards Noh. Funny how all that worked out.

However, apparently there were some tapes of then JoongAng Ilbo President Hong Seok-hyun and aides of (then president) Kim Dae-jung secretly doing... stuff! The tapes have yet to be released to the public but already they have caused quite the stir.

The other day I noticed the 중앙일포 printed an apology that was ... Interesting.

In view of the gravity of the case, the JoongAng Ilbo offers its deepest
apologies to the people...

After being appointed Ambassador to the United States in February, Mr. Hong resigned as leader of the
JoongAng Ilbo...

The JoongAng Ilbo endured great suffering in connection
with the 1997 presidential election. The Kim Dae-jung administration pressured
the JoongAng Ilbo after its victory, and Mr. Hong was detained on charges of tax
evasion in 1999. The so-called "Bokwang tax evasion scandal" was actually a
result of the Kim administration's displeasure with the Joong-Ang Ilbo for
supporting Mr. Kim's opponent. At the time, Mr. Hong himself offered a public
apology. He served his jail term...

Learning from its mistakes, the JoongAng Ilbo matured. It learned there would be no way for it to be a right-minded member of the press without ending inappropriate relations with the political circle.

Interesting history, but do they even read what they write? Seriously, how does "distancing yourself from politics" and "becoming the US ambassador" belong in the same statement?

Well it seems that today the dung finally hit the fan , or at least someone decided that it smelt enough to get out.

Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Man-soo said Tuesday that Korean
Ambassador to the United States Hong Seok-hyun had submitted his resignation to
President Roh Moo-hyun on Monday night, and President Roh had decided to accept
it. Accordingly, Hong will leave his ambassadorship just five months after he
was officially appointed on February 15.

Let the games begin

2005-07-26T00:17:00.000+09:00

Well, it seems that the dance is about to start and the first couple matched up is the US and DPRK.

Well now, don't I feel like a wallflower.

I'm very curious how this whole dance will play out and, just how many toes will be stepped on.

Hill on Monday only smiled when asked about reports that the U.S. has proposed setting up a U.S. liaison office in Pyongyang, which represents the lowest possible level of a diplomatic relationship. This was mooted during 1994 talks between the two countries but rejected by Pyongyang at the time.

Well, at least they made him smile

Peace?

2005-07-22T17:20:00.000+09:00

Well, it seems that the DPRK is taking a step towards peace. Earlier today I caught this headline on Yonhap.

Pyongyang calls for peace settlement with Washington . It seems that they are finally looking to settle down and draw a line.. or are they? What is leading the DPRK to this table? Is it the fact that they are trying to seriously open up and let the modern world in, or is it just another negotiating tactic like so many before it?

The truth is it is hard to tell. Lately the nes has been chalk-full of "attempts by Pyongyang" to make some peace. They are letting a US congressman come for a visit and are on their way back to the 6-party talks (albeit with a slightly different format).

But, how far are they willing to go? If they are really interested in peace, for paces sake, then would they not lay all their cards on the table? If they are seriously interested in reform and change, would they not allow inspections of food aide distribution (much less nuclear facilities)? The truth is I believe in a nations sovereignty and in now way does it surprise me when Pyongyang doesn't let inspectors in. But, when out of one side of their mouth they are expressing feelings of peace, and from the other side, mismanaged direction in regards to the DMZ and the like it begs to be asked... what DO they want?

In just one day, the headlines read all across the board. From demands of more electricity in return for the dropping of their nuclear program and denials of defection, to efforts to coordinate fishing rights, setting up fiber optic cable links, and setting up a private phone line between the two Koreas. It often makes me wonder if the is a united consensus in the North. Is there really just one direction the DPRK is wanting to go or is it more akin to different departments jockeying for position/achievement?

Discussing Korean human rights... in the USA

2005-07-20T23:09:00.000+09:00

So it seems that someone is finally getting around to having a serious conference on the rights of humans within the Korean peninsula. I'm guessing that it excludes all other mammals and the like so I'm not sure what surprises me more; the fact that it is being held in the US and not Korea or the fact that someone actually acknowledges North Koreans as human.

Well, I guess I'll continue in my amazed stupor and make note of some interesting quotes.

Washington Sees N.Korea Human Rights Conference

The largest conference on North Korean human rights in the United States opened on Tuesday at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C. Some 1,000 advocates of human rights in North Korea, including about 300 from Korea, were present amid much interest from the press. The Voice of America Korean-language service broadcast five and a half hours live from the conference to North Korea...

The discussion between Sharansky, a former Israeli politician, and Kang Chol-hwan was one of the highlights of the event. Sharansky said after reading Kang’s “The Aquariums of Pyongyang: 10 Years in the North Korean Gulag”, he was surprised that despite the differences in culture, history and background, the fundamentals of fear and the mechanisms of resistance were the same. He said his happiest day in the Soviet gulag was when U.S. president Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an “evil empire.” He said Reagan had made it clear that as long as the Soviet Union locked up its own citizens, the U.S. could not befriend it, a strategy Sharansky claimed could also pay off with North Korea...

Kang said the human rights situation in North Korea deteriorated over the last eight years of South Korea’s “Sunshine Policy” toward Pyongyang. Rashly offering help to North Korea without appropriate criticism of the human rights issue could be seen as ethical backsliding, he added.

The conference was organized by Freedom House, a group promoting U.S. leadership in bringing about global democracy using some of the US$1.87 million the State Department has set aside for such events. The group said it planned similar conferences in Seoul this year. (??)

You know, I think I'd really like to meet Kang. He sounds like someone who would help me in my new endeavor (I've been itching to write a book called "Life in the shadow of the sunshine policy").

Anyways, if anyone sees the date for this "proposed" conference in seoul, let me know!

But as always, the man with the hair has something to say:

N.Korea Warns Human Rights Could Rupture Talks

Reacting to a conference on North Korean human rights that started in Washington on Tuesday, the KCNA said “provocative acts like slandering and showing envy of your dialogue partner” were unlikely to produce results and “can bring only conflict and rupture.” It said the U.S., by bringing up “non-existent human rights issues” and issuing “political provocations,” was robbing other neighboring states of their hopes for substantive progress in the six-party talks.

Well, I think I need to brush up on my English and learn more about that word ENVY

Edit: The Marmot also weighs in with some links.

North Korean parliamentarian defects to South Korea: official

2005-07-18T23:50:00.000+09:00

This is interesting

SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean parliamentarian has defected to South
Korea, a government source said Sunday.The source, requesting anonymity, said
the North Korean defector is now undergoing an investigation by the South Korean
intelligence agency.

But I'm sure it'll be some time before we get to hear it all. Actually, for some reason I doubt the current administration would release ANY bad news about the DPRK, so chances are we'll hear nothing.
UPDATE:
It seems the Chosun has more to offer now.

Kim reportedly told investigators North Korea had 4 kg of
plutonium and manufactured a one-ton nuclear weapon,
but added that North Korean scientists were doubtful about ability of the
developed nuclear weapon. That was why, he said, the Stalinist country had been
trying to make a miniaturized nuclear warhead weighing 500 kg, the magazine
reported.

Kim testified he himself visited Taiwan to sell North Korean-built
missiles, the monthly said. He also told investigators Pyongyang was
developing small submersible boats and stealth uniforms that were difficult to
detect on radar, while developing weapons for its 30,000-man Special Forces,
according to the magazine.

The NIS would not confirm the report, saying the government made it a rule never to comment on the status of defectors to protect
both them and any family they leave behind in North Korea.

Well now, Plutonium, Missiles and Secial Ops. ... Oh my?!!

I'm glad someone got ahold of this info. I truely believe that the ROK Gov. would prefer to have none of it see the light of day. There are some things the Sunshine policy likes to lighten and others it prefers to just leave in the shadows.

Worht the price of admission?

2005-07-18T23:36:00.000+09:00

Funny how in the same day they announce that Seoul will foot the entire electricity bill for the DPRK but as a consolation prize the ROK citizens will be able to tour the wonderland known as the workers paradise.

Man, any more expensive and it'd be Disneyland!

Seoul's Mystery Proposal Includes Massive Energy Aid

2005-07-13T10:40:00.000+09:00

Well now. I wondered what the price was for getting the DPRK back to the table, and now we know.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who put the proposal to North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il behind closed doors last month, disclosed its contents to
reporters on Tuesday after a National Security Council meeting chaired by
President Roh Moo-hyun.

Under the proposal, annual shipments of 500,000 tons of heavy oil suspended
after North Korea's uranium enrichment program came to light in October 2002
would resume, with the cost shared between the five nations.

In the long term, South Korea would supply its surplus energy directly to
North Korea -- reportedly 2 million kilowatts, or the amount that would have
been produced by the two 1 million kilowatt reactors that were to have been
built under the 1994 Basic Agreement between North Korea and the U.S.
Construction of the reactors has been suspended.

So not only is the south giving the North food to support its people *cough ARMY cough* but now they are going to send "surplus" energy !!?? I always thought the South was a net imported of energy (looks at electricity bill). Wow, things 'dun changed.

Dokdo

2005-07-12T09:21:00.000+09:00

Well I've been meaning to post for quite some time but I've been busy. This however is a "must post" and after you watch it you may see why.

It seems that in their fury to cement Dokdo as their, some Koreans have come upon the ideal to have a commercial advertising their sovereign rights.

Now, I for one am all for comedic release (and wish this was the case) but this commercial smacks of racism and it's just not cool.

Someone got the hint

2005-07-08T22:10:00.000+09:00

It seems that the recent shooting may have led to some actual thinking. The Korean Times has an article that seems to be a rarity in Korea. They are actually talking about "planning ahead" and looking out for the future". Wow, with this type of logic, this little penisula could do even more amazing things.

Rep. Kim Myung-ja of the ruling Uri Party stressed the need to reform the
military culture to correspond with changing social trends, and to help young
soldiers develop themselves during their two years’ service, as well as to
promote the human rights of service members.

``South Korea is changing rapidly and dramatically in every sector of society. But the military has failed to keep pace with social changes, and instead is retaining its `old and rigid’ culture,’’ Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times.

``The new generation is quite different from the older generation. They place emphasis on individual freedom and human rights. They want to be respected by others and are often against authority,’’ she continued.

``It never works and it is wrong to ask them for `unconditional obedience and sacrifice’ as in the old military culture. Otherwise, deadly shooting
incidents could occur again and again.’’

That part worries me. Especially from someone who has presumably never served in the military (Kim Myung-ja) .

The government and the ruling party earlier this week agreed on a set of reforms focusing on building an information and technology infrastructure in the nation’s military camps to provide soldiers with online education programs.

Under the proposed ``e-Learning Portal System,’’ soldiers staying out of colleges due to military service are able to take regular courses for up to nine credits per year, said Kim, who is a member of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly.

Kim emphasized the need to set up a ``culture of learning’’ in the military to help soldiers keep on developing their abilities as part of an efforts to secure quality manpower for defense.

Well, I am glad that they are finally taking a look at an antiquated system. Too many young lives are wasted within the military here. Instead of "just putting in 2 years", the young could possibly be learning job/survival skills and be a few steps ahead of where they were when they got in.

Heck, why not go all the way and make mandatory service for females as well! Honestly, if this country needs people to do a 2 year stint, then I think it should be equal, contructive and positive.

Is Korea next?

2005-07-08T12:11:00.000+09:00

The Chosun has this little diddy about the London attacks:

No Report of Korean Casualties in London Blasts
The Korean Embassy in London said there were no reports of Korean losses as of Thursday afternoon after a series of bombings ripped through the heart of the British capital, killing at least two people and injuring hundreds more.

Now, although I too am happy there were no Koreans killed, I really wonder about the reporting strategies of this. All to often in the Korean media I see a "Korean only" view of things. Now all countries do this, I know, but to relegate such a huge headline to a simply dismissive stance of "well, none of us died" is just a little too ignorant for me.

The truth of the matter is Korea could very well be next!
-Korea has the 3rd largest force in Iraq (behind the US and GB)
-Korea has a very exposed populous (massively packed transit system and such)
-Korea has a usually enept police force (too many forced into service)
-Korea has a lot of disgruntle 3D workers from the third world (where Islam is occasional ripe).

Simply put, Korea may be standing in line for this chopping block. If/when it does happen though I predict two things;

1) The government will shift any responsibility to somewhere else. Not only will the attack be blamed on "out-side" elements (and they would probably be correct to a large degree) but the insuing confusion with rescue workers will be blamed on someone else as well. Instead of taking this as a wake up call (as London did in the case of the year previous Madrid bombings), Seoul will most likely want to keep with the thought that "it won't happen here".

2) The Korean people will be outraged!! I am not totally sure in which direction it will head but I do know that the "Nembe" Korean spirit is not one I'd like to be in front of (well, not initially at least). Chances are, Korean will be calling for revenge against the attackers. In the Vietnam war, the Koreans soldiers were known for their ferocity, I expect it would be little different.

What the Korean government needs to do is to IMMEDIATELY start training their emergency services for just such an attack and to examine their policies in regards to foreigners (woo, there's a doosy).

Inter-Korean ties revived, normalized

2005-07-07T00:32:00.000+09:00

Well, Chung is definately wallowing in it.

"After the fifth anniversary ceremony of the June 15 joint deceleration,
the South-North dialogue was completely revived and normalized
and found an occasion to make a fresh jump-start," Chung said in a forum in
Seoul.

"were a precious meeting that government and civil sectors
took part in and showed their capability for reunification,"

"There was sincere dialogue on the nuclear issue on the Korean
Peninsula,"

One question... how much did it cost?

2005-07-06T23:47:00.000+09:00

Well I had planned to write a review for every book I've finished of late but sometimes I just don't seem to have time.

Anyways, this one was unfortunately a dissapointment. It had potential in possibly shining light on a much neglected subject (that being Japanese attrocities commited before and after WWII) but it feel quite short.

The truth is, I totally believe that the Japanese (and the Americans, Germans, Russians, Bristish, ect..) commited all sorts of nastyness during the war. It was a time in which "the bombing of civilians was considered good strategy".

This book though only delivers hal-hazard testimony "hinting" at a possible Unit of scientific experimentation. I'm guessing it is true but I would have felt a lot more comfortable with a more detailed and comprehensive accounting.

I'm hoping someone out there can recomend a good read on the topcis of "Japanese colonialism" and the "Massacre at Najin".

Do you smell something?

2005-07-03T22:48:00.000+09:00

Well it seems that a new wind is blowing and i'm not sure of what direction it will take.

Among State Department officials involved with Korea policy, the most
influential are Philip D. Zelikow, an advisor to Rice and her co-author in
writing “Germany Unified and Europe Transformed”; Krasner, who is a friend of
Rice’s from Stanford; Burns, a former ambassador to NATO; and Hill. None but
Hill has much experience with Asia. By contrast, the former assistant
secretaries of state Richard Armitage and James Kelly were Japan experts.

These personnel changes signal a wider shift in U.S. foreign policy
away from the force-based unilateralism of Bush’s first term to one emphasizing
cooperation with allies and prioritizing a diplomatic solution to the North
Korean problem. But they have yet to show any concrete results in the
department’s biggest headache, the dispute over North Korea’s nuclear arms
program.

I firmly believe that the "korean issue" must be addressed and that leaving it to fester is not going to win the day. However, this new dream team leaves a lot to be desired (number one being Rice as its leader). I wish them (and us all) luck.

Chung to "soften" Cheney

2005-06-27T23:18:00.000+09:00

OK I saw this and had to take a quick poke at it.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young will visit the U.S. from Wednesday to
Saturday, apparently with a view to softening up Washington’s leading hardliner.

Well, good luck to him. If he can accomplish that I guess he is more of a politician than I give him credit for (not that that is a good thing).

So it is going to get even more expensive?

2005-06-27T22:27:00.000+09:00

So I was reading this caption in the Chosun today and this part made me wonder;

"In order to reduce the costs of unification, we must quickly unify, and North
Korea must end its one-sided devotion to politics and the military and open up
substantially,Â Prof. Hwang Eui-gak of Korea University

How much more will they really have to spend?

So far it is estimated that S. Korea Gave North US$3.5 Billion Since 1995 and that

Total South Korea aid until 1998 totaled $306.2 million, including Seoul's
contribution to the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization. But when
the Kim Dae-jung administration took office, aid to the North increased,
recording $706.5 million in 2000 and $584.9 million in 2002. Since the start of
the Roh Moo-hyun administration, annual aid to the North has been in excess of
$500 million.

I also read through this RAND report last month that stated some wild numbers.

The truth is I am not really sure that an estimate could in any way be accurate. They are trying their best to compare it to the German model (in GDP %s and population comparisons) but the Korean peninsula is a unique entity unto itself.

To truly estimate the costs of unification one must quantify 1) any long lasting effects of DPRK "education" on the people of the North, 2) the actual situation in the North right now (estimates are there but few really know the numbers), 3) the Korean spirit must be understood and managed.

If a strong leader was to bring the peninsula together under a common vision and direction I truly think that any costs would be moot. The question then comes; what direction would a unified Korea take?

The Korean War

2005-06-25T22:54:00.000+09:00

Well, I really don't have enough time to write my thoughts on this but I did start on this day so many years ago.

Some have argued back and forth of who started it. I would like (in some ways), to go to the DPRK and "hear them out" as to their theories on how the war was started.

Yes, I know Rhee was an idiot and an egomaniac that wanted to start something/anything with the North. But from all my readings he simply did not have the means. The South at the time was militaity not able and the US had no real want to involve itself (I know McArthur wanted to but those above him preferred to draw different lines).

Kim as well seemed to be chomping at the bit to get his hands deeper into the South. The situation seems different though when looking at his backers. Initially it seems the Soviets did not want a "Korean front", but after being assured that "it owuld be a quick victory" they allowed Kim to roll into the South.

Now the simple fact is... I was not there. However, just looking at it from a strategic stand point, it would be a huge leap for me to understand how the South attacked and within moments the North was able to muster a massive sweep in retaliation. Eventually leading clear down to Busan, honestly, the legistics for that takes planning and I do not see how it could simply be explained away as a counter-attack.

Like I said, I don't know who started the war, I'm just sorry it ever happened.

Lest we forget.

Play nice

2005-06-24T11:50:00.000+09:00

Well, I guess everyone has to

eventually kiss and make up.

Why not us?

Korean education?

2005-06-21T11:27:00.000+09:00

Well it seems that some Korean Elementary school kids are doing their part to show Japan just how much the ROK hates it.

GORD does some nice picture taking here.

Apparently he saw these at Gyulhyeon Station

And while I do not agree with all of his conclusions (the history debate is quite interesting though) he does shine light on the sad fact of brain-washing in the Korean system. I wish I could say it was only the DPRK that is responsible but... the South all too often shows its proficiency in the area as well.

Funny DPRK humor

2005-06-20T22:13:00.000+09:00

OK, they may not think they are funny, but the rest of the world does.

This guy actually looks like has some fun with it. Surprisingly the Korea Times seems to agree with him.

``The KCNA’s humor stems from its hyperbolic prose, strange sense of
priorities, absurd assertions that often violate common sense, and an
extreme disconnection with the rest of the world,’’ he said.

And if you haven't seen it yet, please take a momnet and watch TEAM AMERICA. If not for the great "I'm so loney" song by Kim then just for the puppet sex!

Some more fall-out form the visit.

2005-06-20T22:00:00.000+09:00

Well it appears that not everyone was impressed by everything in regards to last weeks meeting between Chung and Kim. The Chosun said this about a particular part.

The discussions aside, the time has come for us to think about Kim Jong-il's way
of treating South Korean leaders. That Kim behaves like some potentate granting
an audience at the last moment and without giving any advance notice whether he
will meet senior South Korean officials does not conform to our traditional
etiquette, to say nothing of international diplomatic protocol.
They present a pitiful sight, our leaders, hankering after an audience with Kim Jong-il and waiting upon the pleasure of the great man. It is difficult to see how they could under these circumstances have gone into the meeting thoroughly prepared and with a steady heart.

However, it appears that Chung is already spending his political capital. Unification minister calls for bills on inter-Korean relations and from what I just heard on the news tonight, the North is already asking for more donations. Apparently the fertilizer that was already given didn't quite fit the bill for the visit with Kim.

The picture

2005-06-20T09:10:00.000+09:00

How much Chung will milk out of this, I am not sure. But I notice "his" web site already has the info up. Me thinks he might have prepared it before hand.

http://www.unikorea.go.kr/en/
Results and Significance of Presidential Special Envoy Chung Dong-young’s visit to North Korea
→ Made proactive and leading efforts for the resolution ofthe North Korean nuclear issue through frank exchanges ofviews and persuasion on the North Korean nuclear issue.

→ On the occasion of commemorating the August 15th National Liberation Day, there will be reunion of separated families as well as video reunion; on the occasion of the joint inter-Korean celebration of the sixtieth anniversary marking the liberation day of August 15, North Korea will dispatch high-level governmental delegation; there will be consultations on measures for establishing peace on the West Sea including resumption of general-level military talks as well as fishery-officials talks.

→ The establishment of mutual trust and respect throughan indirect dialogue held between President Roh and Chairman Kim for the first time after the Participatory Government was launched is expected to lay a firm basis for future development of inter- Korean relations.

→ He explained the results of the Korea-U.S. Summit meeting held on June 11, the Korean government’s effort to resolve the nuclear issue in a diplomatic and peaceful manner, and urged the North to return to the six-party talks at the earliest date possible.

→ Chairman Kim Jong-il referred to President Bush as “His Excellency” and stated that he was “a good person to talk with.”

→ If a new direct air route crossing over the Military Demarcation Line opens between Seoul and Pyongyang, it will not only save time and cost, but will also contribute to easing military tension on the Korean Peninsula.

Well, isn't that interesting. The truth is, the majority of the points are fine and it seems, that for the most part, Chung was doing his job. The whole "direct air route" has me a bit baffled though. With no ROK nationals being able to legally go north, I guess this is only for the elite.

Maybe then it would be easier to get pictures like this!

Bah! Chung got his wish

2005-06-18T10:43:00.000+09:00

So I was hoping that during their trip to the North this week, the South Korean contingent (lead by Chung Dong Young) would not get to meet with Kim Jong-il. Not because I fear the outcome of the meeting (as in potentilas in unification), but rather because ANY news from this meeting will be milked by Chung in his bid for greater glory.

Bah! He seems to have gotten at least a bit.

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050617/610000000020050617225025E8.html
Chung had a one-on-one meeting with Kim for two and a half hours and an additional two-hour, 20-minute lunch session with the North Korean leader along with several other South Korean officials and civilians.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200506/200506170026.html
Chung reportedly briefed Kim on the outcome of the June 10 South Korea-U.S. summit, including an American offer of security guarantees and an offer of help from Seoul in normalizing ties between Pyongyang and Washington if North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons.

I'm really not looking forward to this milking.

S.K. government delegates to stay in top guest house in Pyongyang

2005-06-14T23:26:00.000+09:00

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050614/630000000020050614211940E2.html

2005/06/14 21:19 KST (4th LD) S.K. government delegates to stay in top guest house in Pyongyang
PYONGYANG, June 14 (Yonhap) -- A group of 40 former and current government officials from South Korea will be put up at the Baekhwawon Guest House in Pyongyang, where former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung stayed for his June 15, 2000 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, a participating official said Tuesday.
The delegates, who came here earlier in the day to attend four days of events to mark the fifth anniversary of the historic inter-Korean summit talks in 2000, were supposed to stay at two lower-level state guest houses, but North Korea changed their accommodations to the Baehwhawon Guest House, accepting the South's request, according to the official.

OK, so the South Korean Gov. officials are basking in the warmth of DPRK hospitality while thousands are suffering from malnutrition. I'm sure they are having a ball up there; women, neng-myon, making fun of Americans. The thing that has me is, why stay in a guest house? Why not stay at The Ryugyong Hotel ()!!)? Oh wait, I know... Because it was never finished! Personally I think they should have stayed in it anyways. It would have gave them valuable insight into how the DPRK actually opperates. Imagine this postcard...

Common, I know you want to be one of the first guests. If you go now, you may not get to steal any towels but you sure will get an unobstructed view (as in NO WINDOWS).

Good news

2005-06-14T23:12:00.000+09:00

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050614/410100000020050614223240E4.html
Commercial whaling unlikely in future: Int'l Whaling Commission chair
ULSAN, South Korea -- Commercial whaling will not be possible in the foreseeable future, the head of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) said here Tuesday.In a news briefing in Ulsan, 414 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Henrik Fischer said that there was too much opposition to allow the killing of whales.

Now most of my friends know that I'm a big fan of sushi and that I have often tried "exotic foods". whale meat though, is something I'd never try. Yes, the picture looks awful (but so would any pic from a slaughter house), but for anyone to eat an endangered animal just seems wrong to me. I hope they continue the whaling ban but I fear that already countries are looking the other way when it comes to this issue. Japan has nurtured its support, and with countries like MONGOLIA (a land locked nation) voting with it, Japan might very well be able to hunt these beasts to extinction.

formal arrest of Daewoo founder

2005-06-14T23:04:00.000+09:00

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050614/610000000020050614203634E0.html
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- Daewoo Group founder Kim Woo-choong, who was taken into custody early Tuesday morning after returning from nearly six years in exile overseas, will be formally arrested on fraud charges Wednesday at the earliest, the prosecution said...

Kim faces three primary charges -- doctoring accounting books to inflate the group's assets by 41 trillion won (US$40.8 billion), borrowing 9.2 trillion won on the basis of the fraudulent books and smuggling about 25 trillion won abroad through Daewoo's secret financing unit, the British Finance Center.

So, he hid money and gave it to politicians and sent some over seas. Hmmm, I guess if he instead gave it to the DPRK he would have got a Nobel Prize?

2005-06-09T23:49:00.000+09:00

Ok, you have to subscribe to the NY times to read this so I thought I'd post the whole thing. Although he takes a few steps I wouldn't, I still found myself nodding along to many of his points.
http://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/09/opinion/09becker.html&OP=4669f8d/21Q25x2hQ5B!wQ27Q5BQ5BU525Q5EQ5EJ2Q5ES2Q5EQ3C2Q5BmgQ5DgQ5BQ5D2Q5EQ3CxQ25!XQ25Q27WeUQ24p
By JASPER BECKER
Published: June 9, 2005
Beijing
THERE are hopes that President Bush’s meeting tomorrow with President Roh Moo Hyun of South Korea, coming on the heels of the latest North Korean overture on restarting nuclear-weapons negotiations, may lead to a breakthrough. However, anyone who expects the South to help us put pressure on the North hasn’t been paying much attention to what has happened between the two countries over the last five years.

Since South Korea’s president at the time, Kim Dae Jung, met with North Korea’s Kim Jong Il in 2000 (and pocketed a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts), Seoul has gone to remarkable lengths to gain the North’s trust. Unsurprisingly, the only real changes under this Sunshine Policy have occurred in South Korea. And efforts by President Roh, who was elected in 2002, to engage Kim Jong Il have led him to plunge his own nation into North Korea’s world of lies.
Actually, it has affect TOO much change in the South. Acording to many defector testimonies, they feel the South "is not ready for the true brutality of the North".
For example, Seoul no longer sees any evidence of North Korea’s crimes: the government tries to keep South Korean newscasts from showing a smuggled tape of the public execution of “criminals” by the North that has been broadcast in Japan and elsewhere; reports that China is shipping refugees back to North Korea are denied by the Roh government; the North’s testing of chemical weapons on live prisoners goes largely unmentioned; and even Pyongyang’s apparent preparations for nuclear weapons tests are played down.
South Korea, a member of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, has abstained for the last three years from voting to condemn the North for its abuses. The South’s latest national defense white paper even indicates that Seoul no longer considers the North to be its “main enemy” - which implies that the presence of American forces on the peninsula is no longer necessary.
They current regime WILL however go out of its way to try and tear down (former) president Parks reputation buy calling him a dictator. I guess he must have been worse than Kimmy.
Because Seoul chooses to regard the North as a friendly neighbor, it no longer wants to help North Koreans fleeing the regime - even though its Constitution declares that these refugees have the legal right to become citizens of South Korea. There have been press reports that Seoul has been pressuring China to prevent North Korean escapees from seeking asylum in South Korea’s embassy and consulates in China (there are at least 100,000 North Koreans hiding in China).
I'm waiting for the day that they try to change that part of the constitution. For some reason I can picture Chong Dong Young initiating it.
Last year, when 468 North Korean refugees who had taken refuge in Vietnam were flown into South Korea, Seoul’s minister in charge of reunification declared that “we disapprove of mass defections” and promised there would not be another large-scale movement of refugees. In December, the ministry cut the “resettlement” grant program for escaped Northerners by two-thirds and announced that henceforth there would be far greater scrutiny of asylum-seekers (on the questionable grounds that these refugees might be spies).
Any guesses who said that? (hint, it is in yellow for a reason)
President Roh has defended this approach by more or less throwing up his hands. He refuses to give even moral support to dissidents in the North, claiming that Kim Jong Il would ruthlessly crush any protests. For Mr. Roh, there is no chance his “partner for peace” will fall from power; in fact, he makes clear that he would not wish the regime to crumble any time soon.

So, what has President Roh received for all this appeasement? The South still has to keep paying in hard cash for any political or economic contacts to take place - it even has to bribe the North to take part in tae kwon do competitions. No reunions among families who have been divided since the armistice of 1953 have taken place in the last year; the previous rounds of reunions received a lot of positive news media coverage around the world but consisted of only brief encounters involving a small number of elderly people wanting to meet loved ones before they die. And, of course, the entire world has to put up with Pyongyang’s nuclear shell game.
As posted a yesterday, it looks like the talks are back on... AFTER the South send XXX tons of shit to the North. Way to go guys!!
Many of those pushing the Sunshine Policy came of age while trying to force South Korea’s postwar dictators to step down; they believe that the North can follow their model, in which economic gains paved the way for democracy. But forcing North Koreans to remain under Kim Jong Il’s rule and hoping that he will make gradual reforms is unlikely to bear fruit.

North Korea undertook some economic changes in 2002, but they actually left the people worse off. A United Nations World Food Program report last month noted that the market price of rice in North Korea has nearly tripled and that of maize has quadrupled in the last year. And of course it is the government, with its monopoly on commodities, that reaps the profits from high prices.

Kim Jong Il has conned the South’s big businesses as well as its government, luring them in with offers of exclusive concessions. For example, in 2000 the automaker Hyundai gave the North $500 million in exchange for a promise that it would be awarded all the major civil engineering projects Pyongyang would undertake after it received an influx of foreign aid. Hyundai has yet to realize any profit from the deal and its chairman, who faced criminal charges stemming from his dealings with the North, killed himself in 2003.
And now the Incheon mayor has pledged to help rebuild the Ryugyong Hotel at a cost of about $500 gazillion.
WHY does Seoul pay so dearly to prop up the criminal regime? It has claimed that if North Korea were to collapse, it would cost $1.7 trillion to rebuild it, a sum that would cripple the South’s treasury. But this figure seems preposterous. Given its population of about 23 million people, the North would need an emergency influx of only about $1 billion a year to pay for food, medicines and fuel until it got back on its feet. South Korea, with its trillion-dollar gross domestic product, could easily afford this.

Nor is Seoul necessarily correct to assume that the collapse of the North would lead to an exodus of desperate people to the South. After ridding themselves of the criminal regime, wouldn’t those in the North be just as likely to stay in their homes than to flee south as paupers? The huge need for capital investment in the North would probably create an economic boom, just as it has done in China over the last 25 years. With Mr. Kim gone, South Korean conglomerates and international agencies like the World Bank would be eager to invest in new power stations and factories. Unification is more likely to provide a boost to the South Korean economy than to damage it.

But beyond the economic factors, we must consider the moral ones. South Korea is seeking to keep a tyrant in power against the wishes of his own people. At 63, Kim Jong Il has spent a lifetime in a paranoid and claustrophobic dictatorship. If he were going to become a reformer, we would surely know it by now. And even if against all odds he undertook reforms, he is still personally responsible for a manmade famine that has killed 3 million people over the last decade. Would Pol Pot have been given a second chance if he had vowed to open Cambodia’s markets?

Rather than coddling Kim Jong Il and paying him nuclear blackmail, we should be working to arraign him before an international criminal tribunal, just as we did with the murdering leaders of Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. Yes, it is highly unlikely we would ever get him before such a court, but simply making the symbolic effort might get leaders in China, Japan, South Korea and the West to envision just how attractive a post-Kim era would be for everyone.

he finishes really weak but the begining to middle parts are quite decent IMO.

So, I wonder...

2005-06-08T23:15:00.000+09:00

I wonder if Mr. Chung (from the so called Unification ministry) is going to ask these people to "be quiet and not cause any trouble."

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050608/410100000020050608184509E2.html
Seven N. Koreans seek refugees in Thai embassy in Vietnam
By Kim Kwang-taeSEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- Seven North Koreans, including five members of a family, barged into the Thai embassy in Vietnam in an apparent asylum bid, a South Korean human rights official in Seoul said Wednesday.The three male and four female North Koreans entered the Thai mission around 2:05 p.m. (local time), according to Kang Sun-kyu, who said she had received a phone call from a South Korean Christian activist in Vietnam.

You know... they just started talking again with the North after a year of "silence" because the DPRK was miffed that the south let in a whole plane load from Vietnam (of defectors). This is only a small family but I wouldn't be surprised if the north asked for more fertilizer or something...

Just to save face of course.

They call him "MR."

2005-06-03T21:31:00.000+09:00

Well it seems the North is latching onto any form of "respect" they can salvage.
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050603/630000000020050603153737E3.html
N. Korea elated by Bush's use of "Mr." for Kim Jong-il
By Kim Kwang-taeSEOUL, June 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Friday that it will closely watch whether U.S. President George W. Bush's recent use of "Mr." when he refers to its leader Kim Jong-il means a shift in Washington's "hostile" policy toward it.
North Korea has reacted angrily whenever Bush and other U.S. officials criticized its leadership and system, vowing not to rejoin stalled six-nation talks on its nuclear weapons program.
But on Friday, the North held out the prospect of improvement in its relations with the United States, saying that "We take note of this (the use of Mr. by Bush).""If Bush's remarks put an end to the scramble between the hawkish group and the moderate group in the U.S., which has thrown the Korean policy into a state of confusion, it would help create an atmosphere of the six-party talks," a spokesman for the North's foreign ministry said in a report carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency.

The spokesman, whose name was not identified in the KCNA report, said a softened U.S. stance toward his communist country's leadership and system could help reopen the six-nation talks which have been stalled for almost a year.The spokesman specifically demanded that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice retract her earlier description of North Korea as an "outpost of tyranny," a demand already rejected by Rice."If the U.S. truly wants a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue, it should make a bold decision to withdraw the remark 'an outpost of tyranny' to remove the biggest hurdle lying in the way of resuming the six-party talks," the North's spokesman said.

Some experts said the North may be looking for an excuse to return to the negotiating table."North Korea for sure has the intentions to come out for the six-way talks," Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korean affairs professor at Seoul's Dongguk University, said. "They are now appealing to U.S. leaders not to eliminate the minimum available conditions for dialogue."Earlier this year, Bush denounced the North's leader as a "tyrant" who starves his people. In April, Bush again attacked him, calling him a "dangerous person" who operates "huge concentration camps." North Korea countered by vilifying Bush as a "hooligan" and a "philistine."In Friday's statement, the North's spokesman referred to Bush as "president" and avoied any derogatory comments on him.

There is no clear sign that Bush has changed his negative view of the North's leader. But at a White House news conference on May 31, Bush called Kim using "Mr." and said he believed that diplomacy would produce a breakthrough in the 32-month nuclear impasse.As late as Thursday, North Korea vowed to stay away from the dialogue table, taking issue with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's description of its leader as "one of the world's most irresponsible leaders."The North retaliated by calling Cheney "the most cruel monster and blood-thirsty beast" who "has drenched various parts of the world in blood."Three rounds of six-nation talks, which include the two Koreas,the Untied States, China, Japan and China ended without a breakthrough. A fourth meeting, scheduled before the end of last year, did not take place due to a North Korean boycott.

This pretty much supports my theory that the regime in the North simply wants respect. It will join ANY group that will let it in (namely the non-alligned movement) and for the most part it just wants to be recognized as something other than "that goofy state". The South has succeeded in "getting whole world" to acknowledge it, now the North is wanting the same.

Too bad they think that outlandish statements will do the trick.

NK human rights

2005-06-03T21:20:00.000+09:00

Well I went to this "conferance" on North korean human right over at Korea University. Honestly, it was a bit of a dissapointment. I know, I know, you're probably saying "But Juggy, you can't speak Korean!!" And yes, that did play into my lack of enjoyment, but the truth of it is the 20 or so other people there seemed unenthused as well. For such a potentially passionate subject, those in attendance were more than sedate.

Thanks to the Marmot for the heads up, but hopefully next time I'll find a crowd more to my liking.
http://blog.marmot.cc/archives/2005/05/31/looking-at-north-korea-2005/#comments

Slightly conflicting

2005-06-03T21:05:00.000+09:00

A few days ago I read about how the DPRKs economy continued to climb this year.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200506/200506030024.html
but now I hear that they need more food aid and that they will be going through another difficult time like in the 90s.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200506/200506020019.html
Hungry N.Koreans Mobilized for '2nd Difficult March'

Food shortages in North Korea became so bad in mid-May that Pyongyang told its citizens to prepare for a "second difficult march," in an allusion to the famine of the 1990s, an official from the reclusive country revealed Thursday.

You would think that the fertilizer (that bought last weeks summit) and the milk (Korean milk bites anyways) would make this march a little easier...
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050531/430100000020050531135049E4.html

But NO, instead the DPRK is focusing less on crops (don't let the pic above fool you) and more on their nuclear deterant.
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050601/430100000020050601095105E5.html
U.S. intercepts nuclear, chemical materials to N. Korea
Good on them ;)
Who needs food when you have nukes anyways right?

I doubt it

2005-06-03T21:02:00.000+09:00

Although a "united front" in dealing with the DPRK would be nice, I canot imagine a time where the South AND the US are sending aid while China pushes its brethren away. Politically, it just won't happen.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200506/200506030024.html
China Could Stop Food Aid if Pyongyang Tests Nuke
China has told North Korea it could suspend food aid if the impoverished country goes ahead with a nuclear test, Japan's Kyodo News reported Friday.
The agency quoted a U.S. government official and a source familiar with the situation in China as saying Beijing would consider suspending food aid, and North Korea "clearly knows China's position."

Chinese food aid makes up about 30-40 percent of North Korea's needs.
The officials said China also considered plans to suspend energy assistance, but in the case of the heavy oil it supplies to North Korea via pipelines, there is a danger that problems could develop should fuel supplies restart later, so this option was ruled out. Kyodo also said China apparently worried that cutting off fuel supplies would impact North Korea so severely that it could threaten the regime itself.

The news agency said many in the U.S. government believed Beijing's temporary suspension of heavy oil supplies in spring 2002 was a decisive reason behind North Korea's willingness to negotiate.

A good lookin' Morlock

2005-06-03T20:58:00.000+09:00

Ok, so I've stated before my thougths on the widening gap between the two Korea's. Not just in political or economic fronts but also in the "asthetic" areas.

Well this fine pic might just prove me wrong. /sigh

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200506/200506030012.html
Commercial Unites Stars from Both Koreas
TV commercials for Samsung's "Anycall" cell phone featuring North Korean dancer Cho Myong-ae and South Korea's Lee Hyo-lee will hit the airways from June 11. The ad campaign, entitled "Sound of One," is divided into four installments, the first two of which will be simultaneously broadcast until June 24. The storyline takes place against the background of a joint North-South artistic performance, and focuses on the first meeting between Cho and Lee, the curiosity and goodwill they feel toward each other, and their sympathy for one another as young Koreans.

Over the line?

2005-05-31T00:34:00.000+09:00

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505300013.html

N. Korean Cartoon Show in Hamfisted Attack on Rice
Pyongyang Broadcasting on Monday got personal when it attacked U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in terms that more enlightened societies would consider frankly sexist, calling the chief diplomat, who famously described the Stalinist country as an “outpost of tyranny”, a "hen" and a "bitch".
"There is incessant fighting in a house being ruined with a hen running amok, that is to say, there is incessant fighting in the White House, and the White House is clearly showing signs of ruin,” a laugh-a-minute cartoon program on the state-run channel said. It said a U.S. magazine had compared the relationship between Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to that between a "strong-willed hen" and a "rooster that has been pushed aside by the hen."
The channel did not identify the magazine. The South Korean Unification Ministry said, "North Korea frequently quotes the foreign press, but almost never makes public the source."
Pyongyang Broadcasting offered more gems of totalitarian wit when it elaborated that Rice, “who was cackling like a hen on her eggs that she had acknowledged North Korea as a sovereign state after we thrashed her for gravely insulting our republic as an 'outpost of tyranny' in February, recently did a crazy thing by calling us a 'frightening regime.'" It said Rice was "howling like a bitch at the beach." A Unification Ministry official said, "There are feudal vestiges in North Korean society, but it's rare for the North to be publicly derogatory to women."

While I'm not a fan of Rice, I do believe that name calling (from a state agency) is a low form of diplomacy. Hmmmm, can it can make for interesting comedies! ;)

Iraq Insurgents in First Attack on Korean Troops

2005-05-31T00:20:00.000+09:00

Iraq Insurgents in First Attack on Korean Troops
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505300017.html
Korea's Zaytun Division in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil took cover late Sunday evening when four shells presumably fired by insurgents landed near the unit's base compound, the first direct attack on Korean troops since they were deployed to the area last September. There were no casualties among Korean soldiers or civilians, but the division's activity is likely to be curtailed for some time.
"At around 11:00 p.m., there were blasts and flames as two shells landed in wheat fields 500 m south of the Zaytun Division base walls, and two more shells fell in the wheat fields about 200 m south of the base five minutes later,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday.
Military authorities believe the blasts likely came from Soviet-made Katyusha rockets and 82 mm mortar shells.
A JCS official said, "Insurgent forces are presumed to have fled immediately after launching vehicle-carried rockets and mortars about 4-5 km away from the base walls." Kurdish militia forces have set up checkpoints and are patrolling the area 3-5 km outside the base walls.
Immediately after the incident, the Zaytun Division beefed up security and took shelter in underground entrenchments.
At 11:40 p.m., U.S. helicopters started searching the area.
The incident follows suspension of the Zaytun Division's civil operations after a May 4 car bombing of a police recruitment station in downtown Irbil and intelligence of possible attacks on Korean troops. Meanwhile, political controversy is also possible over whether to accept a UN request for Korean troops to guard an office of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) being constructed in downtown Arbil.

I have been wondering how long the Koreans could stay in Iraq without getting some blood on their hands. War is a dirty business and I'm still shocked that this "squeaky clean" image has been holding up for the Zaytun unit. I'm guessing that the killing of a civilian a month back (actually the news broke in april but the shooting was months before)
http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2005/4/koreakurdistan2.htm
April 14, 2005 ㅡ Five months after an Iraqi Kurdish militiaman was accidentally shot by a South Korean soldier, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff made the incident public yesterday. According to an officer on the staff, on Dec. 7, a day before South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun paid a surprise visit to South Korean troops at their base near Irbil in nothern Iraq, a South Korean soldier, identified only by his last name Hong, mistakenly discharged his K-2 rifle and hit a Kurdish militiaman who was helping guard the South Korean compound.

The Korean soldier was apparently unaware that his rifle contained live ammunition. Depending on the security situation, South Korean soldiers carry live ammunition, but do not load it, or just carry rifles without ammunition. The soldier is serving an 18- month prison term for negligence. Compensation of $10,000 was paid to the family of the Kurdish man.

Coming out of the Closet

2005-05-30T23:15:00.000+09:00

There is a dirty little secret in Korean politics that I'm going to give you a peak at. Are you ready? Can you handle what I am about to say?

Roh Moo-hyun is a closet Communist! There I said it. And before you get all funny on me i'll try to explain a bit further.

When I call him a "commie" it has only so much to do with his economic planning. More so I am refering to his wanton promotion of seemingly "Northen Ideals".

Just reading through the papers today I have discovered a number of interesting pieces.

Roh Attacks Domestic and International Press
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505300015.html
Roh called for "institutional mechanisms that can hold in check the misuse of media authority” including "democratic control structures", saying only if those were in place were newspapers qualified to supervise and criticize. He warned a press that was biased toward the values or interests of a particular “controlling group” should not be allowed to dominate the market.

"Newspapers need to look back to see whether they did not cause tensions between nations by ceaselessly exaggerating suspicions about weapons of mass destruction." Observers say that this statement was aimed at how the U.S. media has been reporting on the North Korean nuclear issue

OK, so in and of itself this is not breathtaking news. The problem really lies in the fact that the newpapers he's trying to "put down" oppose him. it has only so much to do with "dmocracy" as he would like to say, but more to do with silencing the opposition.

S. Korea Sets up Task Force for Inter-Korean Celebration
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505300008.html
The South Korean government on Sunday set up a task force to prepare for the four-day celebration in Pyongyang starting June 14. The move comes a day after the two countries agreed on which and how many officials from both sides of the border will attend the event. Each government will send a 20-member delegation, headed by a ministerial-level official.

So, the ROK cannot seem to get the NORKS back to the 6 party talks nor have them stop beating on their citizens while making nuclear weapons BUT they sure can get them together for a party! Hmmm, I wonder who is bringing the food?

Economic Slump Haunts Korea
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200505/kt2005053019064311950.htm
Finance-Economy Minister Han Duck-soo warned that the economy may fall into a long-term slump as industrial output and other key data are turning worse before getting better.
The top policymaker also for the first time acknowledged that the country will could miss its 5 percent growth goal this year.

Well, we all know that the economy cannot be blamed on the president. I mean, come on, can we really expect him to take the reigns and lead the country to prosperity?? Nope, instead he would like us to focus on Dokdo, or Koreyo, or the US, or anything but the lagging economy and "the situation up north".

Epithets increase tension over Korea
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/30/news/korea.php
Officials said President Roh Moo Hyun of South Korea would not want to discuss economic sanctions against North Korea when he meets with President George W. Bush in Washington on June 10. At the same time, South Korean officials urged North Korea not to miss the opportunity for a diplomatic settlement.

So here is an opportunity for "two allies" to get together and truely be on the same page in dealing with the DPRK. The problem is that Roh/Noh truely doesn't want to solve any problem. In fact i believe the only problem he see's is that fact that the world is looking at the nuclear issue instead of focussing on how well the "Hub of Asia" is doing.

President Roh plays golf with chiefs of three key state bodies
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050529/410100000020050529184240E0.html
SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- President Roh Moo-hyun met with the heads of the three major state bodies on Sunday, not at his office but on the green, Roh's aides said.Kim Man-soo, a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman, said Roh played a round of golf with National Assembly Speaker Kim One-ki, Chief Justice Choi Jong-young and Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan at a private golf course in Gyeonggi Province.

So, while the economy continues to lag, and while millions of North Koreans lack proper nourishment, Roh decides the best way to get a handle on the situation is ... to go golfing! Man, if only he could invite Kim Jeong Ill along they might have really had a hoot! heck, if they really wanted to whup it up, they could have all went and got eye surgery (oh wait, Roh did that earlier in the year).

Roh pledges to develop S. Korea into regional financial hub
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050527/410100000020050527100016E3.html
"We will no longer discriminate against foreign financial institutions as we are greatly enhancing fairness and transparency of the market and boldly abolishing unreasonable regulations."

What a joke! A few weeks ago they were tlaking about limiting foreign investment, now they are saying that they will abolish unreasonable regulations!!?? Hah! When was the last time one of these guys actually walked into an immigration office and had to deal with the red tape that is the foreigners lot in life here in korea?

S. Korean ship carrying fertilizer aid leaves for N. Korean port
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050528/430100000020050528193859E5.html
GUNSAN, South Korea, May 28 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean ship departed for a North Korean port to deliver part of fertilizer aid Seoul agreed to provide at an inter-Korean meeting earlier in the month, government officials said Saturday.The 3,900-ton Pioneer Kona left Gunsan port, 270 kilometers southwest of Seoul in North Jeolla Province, at 5:15 p.m., according to the officials.

So, the South wanted the North to come and talk. what better way than to PAY THEM! heck, it worked before in 2000, why not now right? Just in time for DPRK planting season AND for summit season. I hope the brass up North have polished their bottoms cuz' it's ass kissin' time!

O, so this wasn't the best news day to prove Roh a "Commie". I KNOW there will be other days and other quotes. instead today I'll have to be satisfied with showing him to be a pathetic leader.

wippee

I didn't see a thing.

2005-05-30T09:14:00.000+09:00

Well, it seems the "kids" are back at it.
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050529/610000000020050529221823E2.html
Anti-U.S. rally leaves 12 seriously injured
SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- Thousands of student activists took part in protests in Seoul on Sunday, calling for the withdrawal of United States troops here and the renunciation of the U.S.' hostile policy toward North Korea.

City center traffic was halted for hours as demonstrators marched through the streets.Demonstrators tried to physically surround the U.S. military headquarters in Yongsan before attempting to enter the compound.

Scuffles with riot police left more than 20 protesters arrested, with 12 being seriously injured and taken to a nearby hospital.A reporter covering the demonstration for a local newspaper was also sent to hospital after being hit by a stone hurled by a protester.Demonstrators also gathered near the U.S. embassy in Gwanghwamun in downtown Seoul and criticized the U.S. ambassador to South Korea for refusing their demands for public discussion.

Sunday's rally was the largest-scale anti-U.S. protest of late. Such demonstrations, routine in the 1980s and 1990s when they were often put down by riot police and tear gas, had been largely replaced by more peaceful candlelight vigils in recent years.

I'm not sure who organized it or for what exact purpose, but generally I'm not a fan of student demonstrations (especially violent ones). For some, students represent the balancing force. Something akin to a "pure moral compass". However for me they seem more like a bunch of idealistic punks, who often have conflicting ideas in their heads with no real basis in reality.

The truth is, most of these kids would give their left nut to study/live in the States. Does that mean they shouldn't protest? No. But it often hints at an odd conflict; they believe the US is evil but yet they gobble up that same ideal (in the form of consumerism usually). None of them have the true conviction to actually ... permanently, press against the US.

What usually happens is, they get wise, get a job, buy a house, and start to realize something;

That stability is what people 30+ want. Stability for their investments, future and family.

These will be the same adults who now look at these demonstrations with detachment and disinterest. Stop jumping on the band-wagon students! Wake up and get some foresight!

Can-Norks??

2005-05-27T22:52:00.000+09:00

Hmmm this is interesting...
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050527/410100000020050527221222E6.html
Senior N. Korean diplomat to visit Toronto
TORONTO, May 27 (Yonhap) -- A senior North Korean diplomat stationed in New York will visit Toronto next week for a lecture on Korean Peninsula issues, a report said Friday.Amb. Park Gil-yon, chief of North Korea's mission to the United Nations, will deliver a speech at a York University seminar on June 2, the Korea Times Canada, a Korean-language paper affiliated with Seoul's Hankook Ilbo, reported.

I seriously wonder what the heck he is going to speak about. How to make Canada into the Socialist utopia? How to live on 2kg of rice for one year? How to have a party or leader rule for decades (oh, wait, Canada already has that)?

Did I ever mention that last time I was in Calgary I ran into some North Koreans? They were at the airport heading back east. I tried to talk to them (in Korean) but they would have none of me. My wife was no help either as she seriously despises them. I eventually got out of their handler that they were in Alberta to study potato farming.

Ok, so the Canadians taught them about potatoes, what did the Norks teach us?

Let's talk about...

2005-05-26T00:08:00.000+09:00

I try to stay away from sex (on this Blog), but this definately qualifies as Korean news and of course, it's interesting. I've "bolded" some parts.

Quarter of Korean Students Sexually Active
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505250014.html
Little more than a quarter of university students have had sex, and most of those first slept with their partner within six months of meeting them, a Chosun Ilbo survey of university students has found. They limit themselves to about five times a month.
The survey investigated the sexual attitudes of 1,276 students at universities in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Wow, "limiting yourself" to only 5 times a month, that is quite some will power. Seriously though, with all the activities these students do, i'm impressed they manage 5 times a month.

Only 354 of the 1,276 -- 27.7 percent -- said they were sexually experienced. About half of them -- 46.3 percent or 164 respondents -- had their first sexual experience when they were 20-21, but a third of the group had their first sexual experiences in middle or high school.
Yup, I've been wondering when this is gonna' catch on. The youth of today (in Korea) are way more savy than their parents in ALL issues. They have access to the internet and each other. I'm cringing to hear about the future rise in teen pregnancy.

Of the 175 that said they are having sex, 30 said they thought of their bedfellow as "just a sexual partner."
Hmmm, this musta' come from tha movie "Singles" or something.

Overall, students appeared fairly liberated in their attitudes, with a robust 61.1 percent (780 respondents) saying they were against the idea of chastity before marriage at least in theory, while 40.9 (522 respondents) said it was possible for men and women to live together without getting married. An overwhelming 85.3 percent (1,088 respondents) said they did not think it necessary for two people to get married if they have slept together.

Asked if prostitution helps prevent sex crimes such as rape, most men or 51 percent said yes, but most women or 65.5 percent said no.
I have NEVER figured out why anybody would think that prostitution prevents crime. Actually, I don't think I've heard of this premis before coming to Korea.

Respondents revealed gaps in Korea’s sex education, with only 36.8 percent saying such classes were helpful in improving their understanding of sex. Among students who found out about the birds and the bees from other sources, 58.5 percent of women fingered friends, and 55 percent of men the Internet.
OK, I had to BOLD that one. But seriously, from the Koreans I've talked to, their sex-ed is a joke. I'm glad they finally started carying the Discovery Channel on Skylife. Maybe now they will all figure out that the gestation period is 9 months and NOT 10!

"At a time when open and conservative attitudes toward sex coexist in Korea, we need social agreement concerning the sexual culture of the young and adolescent sex education,” said Prof Kang Suk-ja, a women’s studies expert at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Safe Nukes?

2005-05-24T23:41:00.000+09:00

N.K. says its nuclear power guarantees peace in Asia

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050524/630000000020050524115207E3.html

SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korea claimed on Tuesday that its nuclear capability serves as a deterrent and a fundamental guarantor of peace and stability in Northeast Asia, including the Korean Peninsula.

"Our possession of nuclear weapons is the best option to safeguard our sovereignty and dignity from the escalating U.S. nuclear maneuver to crush the Republic (North Korea) and realize a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula,"

Well, I for one feel safer! Honestly though, if one was to look at the question from the DPRKs perspective, you might start to understand their logic. The majority of them have been raised with the belief that the South started the war. That, coupled with the fact that the US has been the only nation to use Nuclear weapons in a time of war, gives them the heebee-jeebees.

Honestly though, I think their reliance on conventional arms has more than bankrupted them. They lack any serious striking mobility and as such lack any real bargaining force. They "may" be able to invade the South, but their ability to loose weapons on the continental US is nil. With bringing the Nuclear card once again to the table, coupled with memories of missile tests not so long ago, the DPRK is once again trying to stand out and get some attention. It seems to be working, everyone's listening.

A sad state

2005-05-24T00:02:00.000+09:00

Well, as my journeys now bring me into Seoul more often, I am routinely in and around Seoul Station. I get the pleasure of seeing some interesting architecture.

But I am all too often confronted by the "reality" of the lower classes there. The place is "swarming" with homeless and the destitute. It's one of those places that you would most likely "just put your head down and walk quickly" through. it's a shame though because I'm sure that there is something to be learned in it all, it's just tough to be the one standing there asking the questions.

Here is a sad article I came across one just one of their stories.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/exclusive/200412/kt2004122617412763570.htm
Jun-ho is 13 years old. He looks just like any ordinary schoolboy in the sixth grade, but he has not gone to school for about two months.
He is among some 300 homeless who live around Seoul Station, having spent seven years on the streets with his father.

Most homeless are middle-aged or older and sleep lying on the cold, bare floor of subway stations or underground passes.
However, when people look at the clean face and clothes of Jun-ho (not his real name), they might think that he is a boy living in the neighborhood just wandering around.
But instead of a toy, he holds a bottle of ``soju,'' or traditional Korean liquor, showing that he has another story to tell.

The bottle is not his own. ``I just wanted to take the bottle away from my dad,'' he said.
Jun-ho has spent seven years moving from one place to another, including different shelters, subway stations and tiny, tattered rooms called ``chokpang'' in Korean, which can barely hold two people and an old-fashioned television set.

His father's small restaurant in Chonan, South Chungchong Province, went out of business after being hit hard by the 1997 Asian financial turmoil.
They were unable to stay in a shelter for long because his 56-year-old father, an alcoholic, could not adjust to the shelter's regulations.
It is a good day if Jun-ho and his father make 8,000 won (around $7), the money needed to rent a chokpang for a night.

``We pay an extra 1,000 won for more water so I can help my boy keep neat and clean although he often has to sleep on the streets,'' the father said.
He said it had been over three years since he made any money through physical labor. After attempts to make a living shining shoes near Kuro and Seoul station ended in failure, he has managed to get by each day begging with his son.
Although the boy has been a vagabond for the last seven years, he is a sixth grader at an elementary school in Pongchon-dong, southwestern Seoul.
However, the boy has not attended classes for around two months, his teacher said.
Children are generally able to adapt to new environments very quickly and Jun-ho is no exception.

The streetwise boy seems to have already adjusted himself to the hardships, taking it as a matter of course.
Jun-ho said he does not want to complain about his life, although spending a night at a warm chokpang is much better than sleeping in the subway station.
``We tried sending Jun-ho to a welfare facility, but it didn't work since he prefers to live with his father and he's already accustomed to that way of living,'' his teacher said. However, he admitted he has not seen how and where the boy lives.

According to his teacher, the only subject Jun-ho does well in is social science, not because the boy likes to read textbooks, but because reading magazines is one of the few things he can do to kill time until the subway station gets quiet enough to sleep at midnight.
The boy's father is one of the 3.65 million credit defaulters in the nation, having around 30 million won in debts. His father said the boy's mother, who left the family four years ago after three years on the street, has an additional 60 million won in debts.

``Jun-ho will graduate from primary school in February, but I don't have any way of buying him a uniform for junior high school,'' the father explained.
According to statistics compiled by the Korea Support Center for the Homeless, the number of homeless in Seoul rose to 672 this month from 596 in June. It stood at 532 in 2003, 444 in 2002 and 263 in 2001.

When those living in shelters run by the government, civic groups and religious organizations are included, the figure could be as high as 2,801 this month, up from 1,962 in June.
For those interested in offering financial or other support for Jun-ho, please call (02)-724-2359.

My girl (the other one)

2005-05-23T23:40:00.000+09:00

Park Geun-hye is in China right now and trying to garner support in leading the DPRK away from the nuclear void. I have always found her to be a very grounded a deep individual. I heard that after her father was killed she spent a decade or two in solitute, studying and writing. i would like to get my hands on a biography of her.
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050523/610000000020050523221010E9.html
Chinese official warns N.K. not to pursue nuclear ambitions
BEIJING, May 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea was warned by a Chinese official not to pursue its nuclear program, a spokesman for South Korea's main opposition party said Monday."Wang Jiarui said that Beijing's foreign policy toward the Korean Peninsula remains unchanged, and this entails a nuclear-free, stable region," Grand National Party (GNP) spokeswoman Chun Yu-ok told reporters. Wang is head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.Chun, who was present during talks between GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye and Wang in Beijing, added that he told North Korean leader Kim Jong-il of China's position.
Apparently she will be there for 6 days.
Hopefully she'll get that meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao and get her face in a few photo's. I'm not a big fan of "politiking" this early out but i think Chung wil be all over any phot shoots with the bad hair man in the north later this year (if he gets his visit approved).

More thoughts on the Eloi and Morlocks

2005-05-22T21:04:00.000+09:00

Well, I happened upon an article awhile back and it got me thinking...

Ok, I'm lying. I didn't think much of it at all actually. Not at first. For the most part I just thought that "body makeup" was another dumb trend. That is until I saw all the advertising in the subways and started to wonder, are the South Koreans becoming more and more like the Eloi?

The Eloi in H G Wells, "the Time Machine" the Eloi were a beautiful race without a care in the world. Nothing in their environment worried them and they had a singular drive in life; pleasure.

Hmmmm, maybe the "beautiful people" wore beautiful makeup?

So what does that leave the North Koreans looking like?

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505120018.html

Pushed away from the table?

2005-05-22T21:02:00.000+09:00

It seems that the US may have had enough of the "unwelcome dinner guest" that is the DPRK.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200505/kt2005052220031411960.htm
US Denies Halting Food Aid to NK
The United States has denied a report that it has halted food aid to North Korea amid a deepening standoff over the impoverished communist country’s nuclear weapons programs.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said a Wall Street Journal article claiming Washington had stopped its food donations to the North is incorrect.
``We’ve completed last year’s shipments of 50,000 tons and we’re considering what we might want to do this year,’’ he told reporters at a regular briefing in Washington on Friday.

He also said
``It doesn't have to do with the comings and goings and rise and fall of six-party talks or any other issue like that,’’ he said, referring to the stalled nuclear negotiations with the North.
``We do want to help the people of North Korea and make sure the people who are in need get the food that they need,’’ he said.

Interesting seeing as how there are "talks" on the go right now (ok, maybe not real talks but there are a few meetings between the parties)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8548932

Now I know that the food aid is supposed to help the PEOPLE of North korea. And that, for the most part, the WFP and other respective parties have peoples interests in mind (well, let's hope), but from all the defector testimony I've read over the last few weeks I really doubt ANY is getting to "the people".

The simple truth is that any food sent to the North is first picked over by party officials, then sent to distribution centers where the Army takes its fair share, then divied out to the people. By the time the average person gets his hands on the bag of rice, all he's got left is the bag to eat. Strike that, chances are the DPRK would have changed the bag so no one would know it was aid from outside and not a Juche effort.

Surprise surprise...

2005-05-20T23:55:00.000+09:00

Well it seems that Mr Chong is getting his wish and having a go at the North Koreans. This will really be his time to shine and get his face on many a postcard. Seriously, I am not looking forward to seeing his mug plastered along side that of Kim Jon Ill.

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050520/610000000020050520135501E4.html
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government plans to urge North Korea to return to the six-way talks over its nuclear weapons program in the upcoming inter-Korean talks, the country's point man on North Korea said Friday.Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said he will try to persuade Pyongyang that the six-way talks are the only solution to the nuclear standoff. Chung is to lead a delegation to Cabinet-level talks in Seoul from June 21 through June 24...

The unification minister has also been named to lead a 30-member government delegation to a ceremony in Pyongyang marking the fifth anniversary of the meeting between former president Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

And will ya look at this! I could have sworn a few days ago I would be expecting some news on the South sending food aide to the North. There always seems to be a price in getting the DPRK to the table. It's a shame it's always the ROK that's paying it.

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050520/610000000020050520164134E6.html
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Fifty South Korean trucks assembled near the tense border with North Korea Friday to deliver emergency fertilizer aid to the impoverished communist country, Seoul officials said.The overland shipment is part of 200,000 tons of fertilizer South Korea has promised to give to the North free during the just concluded border meeting. Seoul plans to send 10,000 tons across the land border and the remainder by ship.

For future reference

2005-05-19T00:21:00.000+09:00

Edit: I'm adding a few more books to this list.
THE COMING COLLAPSE OF CHINA

Crisis in North Korea

Just to make note, I've been doing a fair bit of reading on the marmot's lately and have been more than impressed by the discussion regarding the Gwangju Uprising.
http://blog.marmot.cc/archives/2005/05/18/gwangju-uprising-day-1/

Some great points were made by many and I've been inspired to read up more on the event.
Bulsagari (who can be found here)
http://populargusts.blogspot.com/

made mention of a potentially interesting book.
http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/cart/shopcore/?db_name=uhpress&page=shop/flypage&product_sku=0-8248-2543-8

I'll have to make sure I order it next time I'm at http://www.whatthebook.com/

(ok, enough links for tonight)

Holy fudge nuckets!!

2005-05-18T23:38:00.000+09:00

How long will it take until someone stands up and tells this idiot that he is not the president!!??

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050518/410100000020050518215212E7.html
S. Korea's unification minister to visit Japan next week
SEOUL, May 18 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Chung Dong-young will make a trip to Tokyo, Japan, on May 25 to deliver a lecture on South Korea's regional policy, officials said Wednesday. Chung is to give a speech at the Nikkei Forum titled "South Korea's choice for peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia" during his two-day visit at the invitation of the forum. He will return to Seoul on May 26.

He has done little to promote anything other than his own career. 'F' him and the horse he rode in on. I hope that those over 50 are still alive to see him run in the next election and to remember the asshattery he's done in the past.

Gotta love 'dem tanks

2005-05-18T09:22:00.000+09:00

Sometimes the purely massive size of a tank just impresses me.

S. Korea develops advanced infantry fighting vehicle
SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea unveiled a prototype of an advanced armored vehicle equipped with guided anti-tank missiles, a large-caliber gun and a laser warning system, a state-run institute said Tuesday.

The infantry fighting vehicle that is expected to reach frontline armored units of the South Korean military, starting in 2008, is part of a broader arms buildup program, said Choi Chang-kon, a researcher at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD).

The vehicle that can accommodate 12 troops is armed with such sophisticated weapons systems as anti-tank "fire-and-forget" missiles, a 40mm automatic main gun and co-axial 7.62mm machine guns, the researcher said in a press briefing.He added that the main gun will permit the next-generation vehicle to engage most armored personnel carriers and even helicopters at some distances.The K200 armored personal carrier, currently being used by South Korea, is armed with a 12.7mm machine gun and is designed primarily to deal with "soft-skinned" vehicles like trucks and close-range aerial defense.

The vehicle is also amphibious and equipped with a "friend or foe" identification system, a laser warning system, ultraviolet sensors and other high-tech systems, Choi said."We expect this to be the world's best armored vehicle, superior to the U.S. M2 Bradley and Russia's BMP-3," he said.Choi said the new armored vehicle will be cheaper and lighter than its foreign counterparts. The South Korean vehicle will cost US$2.5 million and weigh 25 tons, while the M2 Bradley costs $4.5 million and weighs 33 tons, he added.

The South Korean armored vehicle is capable of moving at a maximum speed of 70 kilometers an hour on paved roads, 40 km/h on off-road surfaces and propel itself at 6 km/h in water, he said."We can export the vehicle to Middle Eastern and Central and South American countries. It has export competitiveness," Choi said.South Korea has spent 91 billion won ($90.2 million) since 1999to produce the vehicle, he said.The ADD is expected to hold an official unveiling ceremony for the three prototypes of the new vehicle on Thursday in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.

I'm impressed. The thing is, I wish they'd show a pic with more than just one. Something like this...

Tunnels... oh my!

2005-05-17T15:34:00.000+09:00

Over at the marmot's Hole and interesting piece was posted that I thought deserved being snatched.

http://blog.marmot.cc/archives/2005/05/15/nk-has-547km-of-underground-tunnels/

The original piece is in Korean but marmot was nice enough to offer a little translation.
http://news.naver.com/hotissue/daily_read.php?section_id=100&amp;amp;office_id=025&article_id=0000556644&datetime=2005051406510556644
[Lee Yeong-jong, Kim Jeong-uk: JoongAng Ilbo] Mr. L, who visited North Korea not so long ago on business, witnessed a surprising scene on the road linking downtown Pyongyang with Sunan Air Base. In the early morning, a long line of residents could be seen leading up to near a hill about 1km off the main road, where it then suddenly vanished. Thousands of male and female laborers and soldiers in uniform were entering this one area as if they were being sucked into a black hole. The area where the progression disappeared seemed suspicious, as there were no facilities of any kind; just armed guards carrying red flags. Mr. Ls suspicions were cleared up only when he returned to Seoul and authorities explained to him that the place was an underground facility presumed to be where North Korea produces munitions. During a conversation with members of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on Friday, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said the underground tunnel in Kilju, North Hamgyeong Province was one of these underground facilities constructed all across North Korea.
Underground fortresses everywhere > According to relevant authorities, North Korea has built military-related underground facilities in 8,200 places. North Korea is also moving major facilities beneath the earth, having moved about 180 major munitions factories underground in the late 1990s. There are even air bases where runways penetrate whole mountains. North Korea is evaluated at being among the worlds best at constructing underground facilities.
An intelligence official said Friday, North Korean underground facilities larger than a set standard have been under joint U.S.-South Korean surveillance for the last 10 years When theres a lot of activity, such as a large amount of dirt and sand resulting from digging, the site becomes a target of intense surveillance.

North Korea has also turned a tidy profit from its ditch digging. In 1998, a U.S. spy satellite (KH-11) picked up thousands of soldiers conducting work at an underground facility at Kumchang-ni. In order to pay a confirmation to the site, which was suspected to be a nuclear facility, the U.S. paid the worlds greatest admission fee of 600,000 tons of rice, but an inspection team turned up nothing other than an empty cave.

North Korea spends a lot on building and maintaining underground facilities. Its underground munitions factories, the building of which began full-scale in the 1970s, suffer from serious problems due to the countrys antiquated power grid. This is related to the fact that the power grid losses about 30 percent of the Norths real annual electricity consumption of roughly 12 billion kWh (Unification Ministry figure). Intelligence officials figure there have also been a string of large-scale disasters involving explosives at the underground munitions plants, where the environment is poor due to dampness and other factors.

Kilju, according to NIS > During a closed-door talk on Friday, NIS head Ko Young-kooc said, South Korea and the U.S. have been monitoring signs of digging at a tunnel of indeterminate use in the Kilju area from the late 1990s. He reported, however, There is no evidence as of yet of signs of a nuclear test. According to ruling and opposition lawmakers with the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, Ko reported, Some media reports that claimed signs had been detected of preparations for a nuclear test, like indications the tunnel in Kilju was being sealed up and a viewing stand constructed, were not factual.

All Ko would say was, The U.S. used to conduct underground nuclear tests in vertical and horizontal tunnels, and India and Pakistan did the same The Kilju area has a rock floor, so its a good environment for a nuclear test. He said, however, For it to be for a nuclear test, we need to detect an observatory and additional facilities and a lot of people and supplies, but we havent detected any of this.

I was just reading about a defectors testimony regarding North Korean tunnels. He had stated that there were massive tunnels with makeshirt cities in them resembling those in the South. They would be used to train intelligence officers in the "intricacies" of South Korea.

Man, I'm starting to really believe the whole "Morlocks and Eloi" thing.

Difference is living conditions, skin color, eating habits, hmmm, it all fits.

Do you really want them "back at the table"?

2005-05-17T15:15:00.000+09:00

In the news lately there has been a lot of hubabaloo about bringing the North (DPRK) back to the negotiating table. Whether it be the six-party talks or inter-korean dialogue, people seem to really want the north back at the table.
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050516/630000000020050516173046E0.html
Two Koreas resume high-level talks amid nuclear row
KAESONG, North Korea, May 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea promised Monday to make a new "important" proposal to help resolve the growing tension over North Korea's nuclear weapons program if the communist country returns to the dialogue table, Seoul officials said. The 31-month nuclear standoff was a key topic at two days of inter-Korean talks which reopened at the North's border city of Kaesong on Monday after a 10-month hiatus, they said."We told the North Korean side that if it comes out to the dialogue table, we'll make important proposals for practical gains in talks aimed at resolving the nuclear issue," the chief South Korean delegate, Rhee Bong-jo, told reporters after a series of talks with North Korean officials...

Ok, so they got to talk. I seriously wonder though, was any price paid? Was anything offered to the North to get them to come back to the table?

North Korea shunned direct mention of its nuclear program but "carefully listened" to the South Korean proposal, Rhee said after the main meeting which lasted one hour. He later met his North Korean counterpart, Kim Man-gil, privately.

So they came back... but didn't talk much. Ok, maybe they just came for the food?

Um... now that I mentioned food, it got me thinking. I was just joking about having a free lunch, maybe the DPRK guys got to try some new Lotte hamburgers or something but now I wonder if FOOD was more of an issue. I know that the Souths food aid has been in "slight" jeopardy and maybe the North had that dangled in front of them. Hmmm, we'll have to see if any news in the next few weeks hints at food aide.

Ok, I'm a generous enough guy. I give what I can, when I can. But I have to wonder, how long until you stop inviting some if they've walked away far too many times without a "thank you"?

GNP is making its move

2005-05-17T15:02:00.000+09:00

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050517/610000000020050517113339E0.html
GNP calls for public consent on 'important proposal' for N. Korea
SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- The country's main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) said Tuesday that the government should obtain parliamentary approval before making any serious proposals to North Korea."(The government) says it is willing to present an important proposal for the North if it returns to the six-party talks... There must first be public consensus on what the proposal may be," said Rep. Kang Jae-sup, floor leader of the GNP.

You can read the rest on your own but basically it notes that the GNP are making their move to rein in Noh and the Uri camp. I'm glad to hear that people are voicing an opinion about the ridiculous stuff coming out of the administration (or usually silince) in regards to N Korea and that they have a seat to do it. My worry is that the GNP will hang themselvs like what they did during the impeachment. If they are smart, they will let Noh and Uri dang blow in the wind, not letting them attain any acheivements while limiting their public involvement.

Thanks to some inspirational bloggers

2005-05-14T23:12:00.000+09:00

I just recenly set up this site and wasn't quite ready to be "outted" but thanks to some bloggers that I know, apparently... I am out!

So, to any who visit from now on, thanks for any tips you can lend and any comments you leave.

And to the Marmot http://blog.marmot.cc/ "much respect man"

And my favorite Idiot http://idiotscollective.blogspot.com/ "please get rid of that picture of me you bastard!"

This time no one was hurt but...

2005-05-14T23:05:00.000+09:00

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050514/410100000020050514190107E7.html
Coast Guard Seizes Chinese Boat for Violating S. Korea's EEZ
TAEAN, South Korea, May 14 (Yonhap) -- The Korea Coast Guard said Saturday that it has seized a Chinese fishing boat forviolating South Korea's western territorial waters. The maritime law enforcement agency said the 67-ton vessel was catching fish within South Korea's Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ) without a proper log entry.

I believe it was last week that some Korean fishermen surrounded Chinese boats, "hooked 'em", and dragged them back to the coast guard. Apparently the navy boys must have been embarrassed because they've been out in full force ever since. Wait until they get a load of my rubber ducky.