102 Defectors in 50 Days

. . . and that’s just in Beijing. Of course, embassies can only hold so many people. When the North Koreans start using boats, whether they embark from North Korea or China, the mass exodus becomes a real possibility. You’d think that under those circumstances, Kim Jong-Il would be less intransigent. To what extent does reality penetrate the Dear Leader’s universe? UPDATE: On 10/24, another 18 tried to get into the South Korean international school; only 4 made it. UPDATE...

102 Defectors in 50 Days

. . . and that’s just in Beijing. Of course, embassies can only hold so many people. When the North Koreans start using boats, whether they embark from North Korea or China, the mass exodus becomes a real possibility. You’d think that under those circumstances, Kim Jong-Il would be less intransigent. To what extent does reality penetrate the Dear Leader’s universe? UPDATE: On 10/24, another 18 tried to get into the South Korean international school; only 4 made it. UPDATE...

Whoreblogging

OK, I really tried to resist. I thought I was stronger than my temptation. I believed my values would always protect me. But today, I gave in to my purient side and blogged about Korea’s great prostitution crackdown. Now, I don’t claim to have any particular expertise on this subject, but having prosecuted and defended cases in courts-martial in Korea for four years, the impact on the Uniform Code of Military Justice does have some serious literary and artistic merit...

Whoreblogging

OK, I really tried to resist. I thought I was stronger than my temptation. I believed my values would always protect me. But today, I gave in to my purient side and blogged about Korea’s great prostitution crackdown. Now, I don’t claim to have any particular expertise on this subject, but having prosecuted and defended cases in courts-martial in Korea for four years, the impact on the Uniform Code of Military Justice does have some serious literary and artistic merit...

Fun With Statcounter

Statcounter! Greetings to my readers in New York, the San Francisco Bay area, Research Triangle Park, Queensland, the First Signal (where I used to be your damn prosecutor, back when Colonel R was in charge and Colonel G was his deputy), and of course, Seoul. I had absolutely no idea so many people actually read this site, and frankly, the sudden responsibility to post content is more pressure than I really need right now with two kids that scream all...

Fun With Statcounter

Statcounter! Greetings to my readers in New York, the San Francisco Bay area, Research Triangle Park, Queensland, the First Signal (where I used to be your damn prosecutor, back when Colonel R was in charge and Colonel G was his deputy), and of course, Seoul. I had absolutely no idea so many people actually read this site, and frankly, the sudden responsibility to post content is more pressure than I really need right now with two kids that scream all...

Today’s Theater of the Absurd

The NKHRA Makes Waves Korean press reaction to Bush’s signing of the NKHRA here, and the Unification Minister’s futile two cents’ worth of regret here. Now, the GNP (Grand National Party, South Korea’s “conservative” opposition) wants to get into the act. So they finally found their voice, now that the song is half over. And it’s a dirge. Meanwhile, the spigot on North Korean emigration has loosened another half-turn with only the second known successful defection by sea: Two North...

Today’s Theater of the Absurd

The NKHRA Makes Waves Korean press reaction to Bush’s signing of the NKHRA here, and the Unification Minister’s futile two cents’ worth of regret here. Now, the GNP (Grand National Party, South Korea’s “conservative” opposition) wants to get into the act. So they finally found their voice, now that the song is half over. And it’s a dirge. Meanwhile, the spigot on North Korean emigration has loosened another half-turn with only the second known successful defection by sea: Two North...

Today’s Theater of the Absurd

The NKHRA Makes Waves Korean press reaction to Bush’s signing of the NKHRA here, and the Unification Minister’s futile two cents’ worth of regret here. Now, the GNP (Grand National Party, South Korea’s “conservative” opposition) wants to get into the act. So they finally found their voice, now that the song is half over. And it’s a dirge. Meanwhile, the spigot on North Korean emigration has loosened another half-turn with only the second known successful defection by sea: Two North...

Korea Herald Ed: Which Side Is Roh On?

Sometimes, the ideological chasm between Seoul’s generations make you think America is positively single-minded. Nice to see Koreans defending the values our soldiers fought to protect like they actually mean it. Nice to see real common ground with a few Koreans. Too bad the people who share that common ground with us have a demographic half-life of ten years. The only way to keep Seoul from becoming Kim Il-Sung City is to capture the imagination of the younger generations with...

About Those Two Defectors . . .

They have arrived in Seoul, and L.A. is presumably not on their itinerary at this point. Sounds like the ROK government made a call to the Mongolians, sensing that the arrival of North Koreans in the United States would be a profound embarassment. Letting North Koreans arrive in the United States also threatens Seoul’s ability to keep muzzling defectors who might tell the Americans where the bodies are buried. Sounds like my theory that the North Korean Human Rights Act’s...

Korea Herald Ed: Which Side Is Roh On?

Sometimes, the ideological chasm between Seoul’s generations make you think America is positively single-minded. Nice to see Koreans defending the values our soldiers fought to protect like they actually mean it. Nice to see real common ground with a few Koreans. Too bad the people who share that common ground with us have a demographic half-life of ten years. The only way to keep Seoul from becoming Kim Il-Sung City is to capture the imagination of the younger generations with...

About Those Two Defectors . . .

They have arrived in Seoul, and L.A. is presumably not on their itinerary at this point. Sounds like the ROK government made a call to the Mongolians, sensing that the arrival of North Koreans in the United States would be a profound embarassment. Letting North Koreans arrive in the United States also threatens Seoul’s ability to keep muzzling defectors who might tell the Americans where the bodies are buried. Sounds like my theory that the North Korean Human Rights Act’s...

The First Two . . .

. . . defectors from North Korea arrive today. I’m glad the North Koreans have paid attention to our efforts and are already taking advantage of them. I yield to no one in my enthusiasm for the North Korean Human Rights Act overall; however, I have two reservations. Really. First, the President hasn’t signed the NKHRA into law yet, which means Section 302 asylum still isn’t available to these two individuals. Second, the North Koreans are too emotionally scarred and...