Monthly Archive: April, 2004

The new U.S. Ambassador to Seoul hasn’t even taken office yet, and he already sounds like my kind of guy. The Chosun Ilbo has some highlights of his confirmation hearing, like this gem: “The Korea-U.S. alliance must always re-adjust itself in accordance with the changes of the times, and that’s not an easy thing.” Funny, if I wrote the headline for that, it wouldn’t say, “Next Ambassador Stresses U.S. Alliance,” which he indeed did, of course, after dropping that thermonuke....

I’ve never been a sports fan, but I became a fan of Pat Tillman after he walked away from a $3.6 million NFL contract to enlist in the Army as a private–and then never once went on TV to talk about it. Today, he was killed in Afghanistan while serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment. His brother is serving in the same platoon. Tillman earned his business degree with a 3.84 GPA, had a young wife, and had everything the...

I have joined the swirling speculation at NKZone about what will come of the North Korean train accident, other than horrific and unnecessary suffering for more innocents. My prediction is . . . even more unnecessary death and suffering. While I don’t think it was an attempt to whack Dr. Evil, he’ll at least suspect it was. My first prediction is that he won’t accept any invitations to China anytime soon. Next prediction–the paranoia and purges this incident will unleash...

The new U.S. Ambassador to Seoul hasn’t even taken office yet, and he already sounds like my kind of guy. The Chosun Ilbo has some highlights of his confirmation hearing, like this gem: “The Korea-U.S. alliance must always re-adjust itself in accordance with the changes of the times, and that’s not an easy thing.” Funny, if I wrote the headline for that, it wouldn’t say, “Next Ambassador Stresses U.S. Alliance,” which he indeed did, of course, after dropping that thermonuke....

I’ve never been a sports fan, but I became a fan of Pat Tillman after he walked away from a $3.6 million NFL contract to enlist in the Army as a private–and then never once went on TV to talk about it. Today, he was killed in Afghanistan while serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment. His brother is serving in the same platoon. Tillman earned his business degree with a 3.84 GPA, had a young wife, and had everything the...

When you can’t get real news, you can only speculate. We can choose to ignore the grainiest theories about why Kim didn’t get his picture taken with Hu, but the North Koreans don’t have that choice. But it’s not enough that they were victims of this terrible accident; soon, heads will roll. Coup or not, the Dear Leader will see one, and so will many common citizens. He will also try to blame the outside world . . . in...

When you can’t get real news, you can only speculate. We can choose to ignore the grainiest theories about why Kim didn’t get his picture taken with Hu, but the North Koreans don’t have that choice. But it’s not enough that they were victims of this terrible accident; soon, heads will roll. Coup or not, the Dear Leader will see one, and so will many common citizens. He will also try to blame the outside world . . . in...

The train accident in North Korea looks absolutely horrific. The AP is talking about thousands of dead and injured after two fuel trains collided. One can just imagine the state of North Korean medical facilities for treating thousands of burn victims, much less transporting anyone to them. How many will die long, agonizing deaths because North Korea will almost certainly refuse to allow foreign doctors to treat the patients, or allow the patients out to seek medical treatment? Could this...

The train accident in North Korea looks absolutely horrific. The AP is talking about thousands of dead and injured after two fuel trains collided. One can just imagine the state of North Korean medical facilities for treating thousands of burn victims, much less transporting anyone to them. How many will die long, agonizing deaths because North Korea will almost certainly refuse to allow foreign doctors to treat the patients, or allow the patients out to seek medical treatment? Could this...

Yes, there is indeed much substance in what doesn’t happen, such as the non-reaction on the streets of Seoul to China shooting and killing a North Korean refugee. His life meant nothing because there weren’t any Americans to blame. On the flip side, here’s a story that drones on for columns, all speculation about the unknowable, secretive workings of Chinese and North Korean diplomacy, spiced up with doltish speculation. I challenge anyone to find a shred of substance in this....

I have previously described South Korea’s approach to sending troops to Iraq as study-and-stall. Take a look at this article from today’s Chosun Ilbo: ————– The government has chosen Irbil, located in the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq . . . . A high-level government official said Wednesday that the government has tentatively decided that of the two candidate sites — Sulaimaniyah and Irbil — Irbil is better suited for the deployment in terms of is security situation, basing...

. . . is how I would describe pouring one’s hopes into Chinese arm-twisting of Kim Jong-Il to give up his nukes. The Marmot initially seems optimistic, but by the end of the post, he isn’t falling for it. One point where I agree with Marmot wholeheartedly is the incomprehensible failure by U.S. leaders to talk frankly to the Chinese about the consequences of them not restraining the Norks. One hopes that we have done so privately, and Cheney is...

Yes, there is indeed much substance in what doesn’t happen, such as the non-reaction on the streets of Seoul to China shooting and killing a North Korean refugee. His life meant nothing because there weren’t any Americans to blame. On the flip side, here’s a story that drones on for columns, all speculation about the unknowable, secretive workings of Chinese and North Korean diplomacy, spiced up with doltish speculation. I challenge anyone to find a shred of substance in this....

I have previously described South Korea’s approach to sending troops to Iraq as study-and-stall. Take a look at this article from today’s Chosun Ilbo: ————– The government has chosen Irbil, located in the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq . . . . A high-level government official said Wednesday that the government has tentatively decided that of the two candidate sites — Sulaimaniyah and Irbil — Irbil is better suited for the deployment in terms of is security situation, basing...

. . . is how I would describe pouring one’s hopes into Chinese arm-twisting of Kim Jong-Il to give up his nukes. The Marmot initially seems optimistic, but by the end of the post, he isn’t falling for it. One point where I agree with Marmot wholeheartedly is the incomprehensible failure by U.S. leaders to talk frankly to the Chinese about the consequences of them not restraining the Norks. One hopes that we have done so privately, and Cheney is...

The North Koreans have taken a gigantic step forward if they get this off the ground (the link is in Korean and requires a Korean ID number). The pop-up letter roughly translates to “send a letter for freedom in North Korea.” More info and a picture here. Say what you want about Norbert Vollertsen; you can’t deny his acute grasp of the power of agitation. I strongly agree with him that the North Koreans must lead the movement for their...

The North Koreans have taken a gigantic step forward if they get this off the ground (the link is in Korean and requires a Korean ID number). The pop-up letter roughly translates to “send a letter for freedom in North Korea.” More info and a picture here. Say what you want about Norbert Vollertsen; you can’t deny his acute grasp of the power of agitation. I strongly agree with him that the North Koreans must lead the movement for their...

Mine sent me this column, which puts the killing of Rantisi neatly in its true moral context: ———————– “The world” has never cared about evils inflicted on human beings. The Communist genocides meant nothing to humanity. The Holocaust meant nothing. With almost no exception, the mass atrocities since World War II have likewise absorbed humanity less than the Olympics or the Miss World Contest. I have contempt for the United Nations. It is one of the great obstacles to goodness...