I should probably be grading the stack of diaries my T6 class just handed in, but my dinner will arrive in a few minutes, so I’m taking advantage of the for-once quiet teacher’s room to sit back and think. It’s eighty five and humid as a greenhouse today, which makes the Asian answer to Gatorade—named Pocari Sweat, thanks to an overly literal translator—even less appealing than the average ion-supply drink. But the heat is the least of Korea’s crises this week.

Turmoil first beset South Korea last weekend with the suicide of their much beloved former president, Roh Moo-Hyun, following allegations of a bribery scandal. Rather than continue to take part in the federal investigation which tarnished his reputation, Roh leapt to his death from a mountain behind his house. “Too many people have suffered because of me,” he said in a note, according to CNN. He was 62. I can’t help but consider the various forms of scandal to blemish U.S. leaders from Jefferson up through the Kennedys, Watergate to Hanging Chads. I’m not saying anyone is wrong or right, but I don’t believe any of the latter were so distraught by disappointing the American people that they had to jump off a mountain. You have to admire a culture with a sense of honor. And yet, despite the allegations, Roh was an extremely popular president, and the first Korean leader to cross the demilitarized zone into North Korea to meet with Kim Jong Il.

I’m amazed at the desire South Koreans have to reunite with the north. If U.S. history had been written differently—say, if the south had won—I’d want to be as far towards the California coastline as possible, perhaps even on a houseboat. I certainly wouldn’t want to readopt them and try to meld our opposing ideologies. Admittedly, this is only one of many reasons why I would make a poor world leader. But every now and then my students will write diaries or essays about Korea, and without fail, they want to see the countries reunited.

"Korea is many war history. Fighting is very many. And north, south Koreas was one korea unity ago. But today, not. I very want unity. And dispersion --> teachar dictionary okay? --> dispersion family, together not. My sad. :( "

Which is a pretty solid political analysis for a nine-year-old in a second language.

Dinner is taking longer than usual to get here today, so I open up a diary. They’ve chosen to write about North Korea today, and it’s a timely topic. North Korea is being a decidedly poor neighbor again this week, having just launched another nuclear missile. This week, South Korea officially joined the U.S.-led effort to limit trafficking of weapons of mass destruction, which I think we can all agree is a wise effort. You don’t want to accidentally leave one of those nuclear warheads underneath the couch cushion! But naturally, North Korea—specifically Kim Jong Il, but it’s getting harder and harder to separate the man from his country—doesn’t see things that way. Instead, they’ve chosen to interpret the South’s participation in the effort as a declaration of war. To boot, they no longer plan to abide by the 1953 armistice which ended the Korean War.

Needless to say, we’re all a little sketched out by the north. Here’s another diary entry from today: "I think North Korea is very very VERY MANY BAD!! Because Kim Jong Il is bad man. And north Korea is bomb. And bomb is Boom!!! And that is scary. Because north Korea wars well. Many guns."

Which is true.

Still, the actual threat of war is questionable. North Korea needs economic and energy support from the world, and thus far, it seems all the UN has done in response to what CNN reporter Elise Labott calls North Korea’s display of pyrotechnics has been even less than a slap on the wrist. More like a long, stern look over the top of the glasses. It seems that the North is acting out like a petulant teenager, simply hoping to get attention; at least, we can hope that. I’m no political analyst, but this is what it feels like from where I’m sitting tonight, half an hour from Seoul.

Rest assured that if war does officially break out, I’m skipping town. It’s actually in my contract. My coworker said today, “Hey, at least if there really is a war, we get out of our contracts for free!” Strange that the threat of nuclear war to an entire region makes us think only of the immediate effects on our individual wallets. Then again, isn’t personal economics the driving force behind all wars?

written by  alli_ockinga on May 27, 2009 from Inch'on, South Korea
from the travel blog: I go Korea!
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We have a couch!

Please don't die.

written by  Ryan on June 28, 2009

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