Winds of Change.NET: Eyes on Korea: 2004-10-26

October 26, 2004

Eyes on Korea: 2004-10-26

by The Marmot's Hole at October 26, 2004 3:21 AM

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. Today's Regional Briefing focuses on Korea, courtesy of Robert Koehler in Seoul.

Top Topics

WOC's very own Robin Burk did a bang-up job analyzing Nick Eberstadt's The Persistence of North Korea as presented in Policy Review. The Flying Yangban contributes his thoughts on Eberstadt's piece as well.

Manchurian Incident: Part II? The Republic of Korea may or may not have placed a (qualified, perhaps) territorial claim on a large chunk of the Chinese Northeast. The Chinese have or may not have reciprocated with plans to annex N. Korea should that last outpost of Stalinism fall apart. The South Koreans also figure that should the balloon go up on the Peninsula, the PRC would dispatch up to 400,000 men to support the North.

On Tap This Month: NK defectors making "big push"; Chinese humanitarianism; Reactions to the NK Human Rights Act; The information war; NK prison camps; Various diplomatic & military strategies; ROK in Iraq; Anti-Americanism in ROK; US Forces changes; Prostitutes; Silicon butts, and much more!

North Korea

Mass defections of North Koreans are on the rise, leading some to speculate that the "big push" ala East Germany '89 might be on. The Infidel discusses how N. Korean defectors may be trapped between lions.

The Chinese have apparently resorted to using electric cattle prods on N. Korean defectors trying to enter diplomatic compounds in Beijing.

The N. Korean Freedom Act has been passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Bush. Some in S. Korea, including a large number of ruling party lawmakers, were none too pleased. Karin J. Lee also offered some thoughtful criticism of the NKHRA.

Wonsan Ghetto offers sage commentary on winning the information war in the DPRK.

For those with a really, really strong stomach, read this letter from a N. Korean defector child hiding in China that goes into gruesome detail about life in N. Korea's prison camps. Simply horrifying.

The Infidel says the U.S. lacks an end game for N. Korea.

The Flying Yangban emphasizes -- not once, but twice -- that the six-party talks to resolve the N. Korean nuclear issue are the only game in town.

Kirk (and Frank Cossa) offers some thoughts on the U.S. presidential debates and the Korea question.

Would John Kerry take a tougher line against N. Korea?

Some analysts in S. Korea speculate that without U.S. support, S. Korea would lose Seoul within 15 days of a N. Korean invasion. S. Korea's defense minister, however, said there might be no reason to worry about N. Korean artillery, because blowing the heck out of Seoul would be a war crime, and Pyongyang wouldn't countenance a war crime, right?

With N. Korea seemingly hell-bent on acquiring nukes, there may be a new regional tripwire.

Not only does the U.S. apparently got the capability to surgically strike 900 targets in N. Korea, but S. Korea has reportedly got contingency plans should Pyongyang go in the tank, too.

Stalinists against N. Korea?

South Korea

S. Korea goes on high alert following its inclusion on al-Qaeda's Christmas Card list. al-Zarqawi's crew has apparently placed a bounty on Koreans' heads as well.

GI Korea offers some wise advice to Koreans in Iraq, namely that they should learn from Japanese mistakes.

Choe Won Joon traces the roots of anti-Americanism in S. Korea to the scheming of the Kim Dae-jung administration. Woo-jay takes issue, however (comments particularly noteworthy).

USFK consultations might get a whole lot closer. The Kimchee GI also discusses cost-sharing among allies, something that's particularly relevant since the U.S. has apparently asked the Koreans to help foot the bill for USFK C4I upgrades and some Koreans feel the Yongsan Garrison relocation deal was crap.

BTW, the timing for USFK reductions has been stretched out over a three-year period.

OK, I admit it -- I hate S. Korea's National Security Law, especially when it's being wrapped in the U.S. flag.

What the latest barrier to S. Korea's capital relocation really means.

Screw the War of Terror -- the real story is Seoul's War on Prostitution.

S. Korea's plastic surgery craze has hit bottom. Literally.

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"Eyes on Korea: 2004-10-26"

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Comments

#1 from Simon at 9:30 am on Oct 26, 2004

Great work, Robert. Very comprehensive.

#2 from Raymond at 10:02 am on Oct 26, 2004

Be still my Heart, could these people ive found be not leftist wearing Liberal sheepskin, but Classical liberals, before the marxist takeover of the democrat party ?

I am an even more Classical Liberal, but i cannot use that label, lest I be misunderstood, Liberal=Marxist these days in the USA. Well at least it does that control all the levers in the democrat party. for those of you that are not Stalinists or Staists, your party has been Hijacked !

My flavor of Classical Liberalism goes all the way back to Jefferson Maddison and Adams et al, Im near liberatarian, which makes me a cross between a Republican and a Liberatarian, and also makes me a particular faction Ultra "Right Wing" Conservative.

Why all of this ?

The topic of this post, I think ive found a place hwere there are people that understand the absurd nutbar character of the almost universal clammor that we should have invaded N Korea or Iran instead, as if like, North Korea, we wouldnt find ourselves in battle with China the same way we did when McAuthur was in Korea. McAurthur xould be said as correct at the time, we could have beat them, Maoist Chinas very backward and dysfunctional nature and inability to support a war machine, made it thinkablke then, its utterly unthinkable now.

And a free China would not be the menace it is today, that right now plans for the "inevitable" war with the USA. It would have been worth the cost, we or our children might find out the cost of rejecting McAurthur. And it wont be small.

And anyone listening and urging others to listen to the crys of those that have escaped that Stalinist hellhole is certainly not any marxocrat whackjob dreaming of nanny state utopia, or at least is looking at it darker side. (flirting with leftism reminds me of the end of that cartoon where the fellow is testing for dud bombs with a hammer)

Excellent topics, be still my Heart !

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