Recent conflict between North and South Korea.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

This morning, on NPR, they were talking about the growing "dispute" between North and South Korea regarding the sinking of the South Korean's navy ship. And once again, I am glad I am taking this class. I'm looking forward to our next class about Korea to hopefully shed some light on the ongoing conflict between the two neighbors.

[Anonymous]

I listened to NPR this morning as well, and I shared your opinion that this is a great time to be taking this course. I am looking forward to hearing what Jennifer Jung Kim has to say about the situation. It's like having a live session of "Meet the Press." See you tonight.
[Edit by="nstansbury on May 25, 7:17:42 AM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Interesting topic. I also heard that North Korea is warning that if South Korea does anything in retaliation towards them they plan to bomb Seoul. This sounds crazy, but looking at geopgraphy of Korea it is quite possible.
I am also interested on how this will be addrressed in our next class meeting.

I be there is a lot of fear and anger in South Korea.

[Anonymous]

I think we all feel that we have a better understanding of Korea now that we have taken this class. It is not only the information we heard about Korea but the long term relationship that China has with Korea. In the news right now China is saying that they are going to be unbiased. An interesting position since China now has economic ties with the "West" and still is a close trading partner with North Korea. Last week when we talked about inviting the Russians into the North part of Korea I have a better comprehension of the division of Korea. We have also learned about the long term difficulties between Korea and Japan. It does make me appreciate why we are taking "East Asia Since 1800" since the histories are so interwoven. Makes me feel less clueless.

[Anonymous]

I also agree. Learning about the past is making the present situations much easier to understand.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it will be extremely interesting to watch what happens with the N. korea situation. I found out lecturer's response interesting during the last session. He was basically saying that Kim Il Jong is a little crazy. Prior to this class I considered my self pretty ignorant but from basic and general reading, (always looking between the lines and beyond the writer's motivations/ bias') my intuition was that the dude is a bit whack! He's like the unstable variable in any equation over there. And it's kind of funny (but not) that China has to play the moderate role of the so-called radical (China, Korea, Russia any more?) communists.

[Anonymous]

This event, like all other conflicts on the world stage, is full of contradictions. The contradictions are the different versions of what really happened to initiate the event. I find that the truth is usually somewhere between the two versions of the parties that have the most to win or lose from the outcome of how the situation will eventually be acted upon. There is always a "history" behind the conflict. There are no random events at this level of international relationships. Every side with an agenda or a bias will only profess the factors that will enhance their position. Time usually will bring forth a clearer picture.

[Anonymous]

Time will reveal the true reasons behind this event. Right now everyone is putting forth their reasons for why this ship sinking occurred. We have to be aware that it is unwise to rush to conclusions of what is happening.

[Anonymous]

I also heard NPR this morning and I didn't hear anything about the possiblility of "friendly fire." I wonder why U.S. corrrespondents aren't picking up these alternative explanations. I was glad to get a different perspective from Dr. Jung-Kim last night, and I would also love to hear more from her on this subject, but isn't our last class with Dr. Dube?

[Anonymous]

It boggles my mind that people with the same language, same culture, and the same ancestors would be such mortal enemies. I also heard the story on NPR about the conflict between North and South Korea. And why can't these two sides just unite as one? It all boils down to power! People have become slaves to it. So powerful is power (no pun intended) that it can and has corrupted the mind, body and soul.

[Anonymous]

http://www.japanfocus.org/-Tanaka-Sakai/3361--

I googled the friendly fire question. I found an article in the Japanese press. I actually found the comment in class a bit off putting since I think there has been a lot of caution and restraint in response to this event. Notice how quickly the U.N. responded to the flotilla of boats fired on by Israel. Some of the suggestions of the friendly fire have already been disproved. The supposed sunken submarine currently is in Hawaii.

Clearly there are many unanswered question about this event. I find the thoughtful response is a positive in that there has not been an over reaction. It makes it possible perhaps for a peaceful solution. Once again - optimism runs rampant.

[Anonymous]

http://theglobalrealm.com/2010/05/27/who-sank-the-south-korean-warship-cheonan/

fyi -- this article has maps too.--I think this is a perfect example of the problems of internet "history." Anyone can write anything without much review. Some people criticized our press for not picking up on this story and many parts of this story have been proven false. This is how rumors get started -- boohiss

[Anonymous]

It is hard to believe that the North and South Korean tension is still going on today. I really believe that North Korea is not going to do anything irrational. Why? The US is huge and North Korea does not want to upset the US. I suppose the US is so huge that it could squash North Korea in seconds. So why is North Korea making all this noise? It wants attention!!! I think they're smart enough not to bomb South Korea or Japan because everyone will turn against them. There must be a reason why they're creating all this noise. I think they really need help but they don't want to follow anyone's rules but their own. Stubborn? Yes.

[Anonymous]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-norkor-kim-20100606,0,6529548.story

I think this article and this event illustrate that we really have no clue about what really happened and what the motivation was. I also think it is interesting that the response in South Korea is not what people expected. The young people want normalization. They don't remember the war and the politics has shifted. We are shifting to increased globalization and are more and more dependent on a world economy.

It is getting increasingly difficult for any government to isolate itself. We have tracked some of the increased global issues from the Boxer Rebellion on. If we were tell the story just from the aspect of trade it could be said that trade has been a major force in shaping world politics. Oh and the internet too. -- trading on the internet-
information.

[Anonymous]

Crazy! Before this seminar I had no clue about North Korea and really feared them because "they have nuclear power." The recent hysteria associated with nuclear powered North Korea has created a sense of fear and stereotypes. After this seminar and the readings I better understand how North Korea basically has been left behind by the disappearing Communist power, lacks natural resources, and has tried to maintain their own identity. The google night picture of North Korea really made me realized how much North Korea lacks in power and what we take for granted-- electricity!

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