Monthly Archive: June, 2004

Interesting report in the NYT. James Brooke seems to have the best understanding of the issues of any of the reporters from the major rags. The story begins with a discussion of the South Koreans dismantling those ludicrous loudspeakers along the DMZ. It then discusses some of the absurdities that result when you make an agreement with the world’s most closed society to restrict the flow of information. A month after South Korea allowed thugs to shut down Radio Free...

For all those who think that the murder of Kim Seon-Il will bring Korea and America closer together, I dissent. A wave of hatred against muslims and a desire to seek collective vengeance don’t add up to shared values and interests. If anything, this will only deepen Korean resentment of the U.S., particularly given the universe of difference in our views on North Korea. In fact, I still suspect the Uri will continue to stall the Iraq deployment until the...

The NYT is reporting on the terms of a potential deal Bush will offer the NorKs, and don’t bother looking for the words “human rights”: Under the plan, . . . the aid would begin flowing immediately after a commitment by Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader, to dismantle his plutonium and uranium weapons programs. In return, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea would immediately begin sending tens of thousands of tons of heavy fuel oil every month, and...

The circumstances of Kim Seon-Il’s capture are starting to look strange indeed. The AP apparently had another tape of him from early June in which he gratuitously denounced America, Bush, and the war on camera, apparently of his own free will. The AP, at least, didn’t think he was being held against his will, and neither his employer nor the ROK government got excited about it. No, the fact that he was misguided in his belief in a “middle way”...

For all those who think that the murder of Kim Seon-Il will bring Korea and America closer together, I dissent. A wave of hatred against muslims and a desire to seek collective vengeance don’t add up to shared values and interests. If anything, this will only deepen Korean resentment of the U.S., particularly given the universe of difference in our views on North Korea. In fact, I still suspect the Uri will continue to stall the Iraq deployment until the...

The NYT is reporting on the terms of a potential deal Bush will offer the NorKs, and don’t bother looking for the words “human rights”: Under the plan, . . . the aid would begin flowing immediately after a commitment by Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader, to dismantle his plutonium and uranium weapons programs. In return, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea would immediately begin sending tens of thousands of tons of heavy fuel oil every month, and...

Screaming Headline: “Bush Claims Right to Limit Geneva Protections!” Unreported Fact: He applied them anyway. What’s more, he’s not required to give terrorists the vast majority of Geneva’s protections under Article III. Rant all you want, but you ought to do yourself the service of reading the law first. Today, we see a shocking report that journalists have more liberal voting records than voters in the congressional district that includes Berkeley, California. Oh, that liberal media. Sheesh.

The circumstances of Kim Seon-Il’s capture are starting to look strange indeed. The AP apparently had another tape of him from early June in which he gratuitously denounced America, Bush, and the war on camera, apparently of his own free will. The AP, at least, didn’t think he was being held against his will, and neither his employer nor the ROK government got excited about it. No, the fact that he was misguided in his belief in a “middle way”...

The circumstances of Kim Seon-Il’s capture are starting to look strange indeed. The AP apparently had another tape of him from early June in which he gratuitously denounced America, Bush, and the war on camera, apparently of his own free will. The AP, at least, didn’t think he was being held against his will, and neither his employer nor the ROK government got excited about it. No, the fact that he was misguided in his belief in a “middle way”...

Screaming Headline: “Bush Claims Right to Limit Geneva Protections!” Unreported Fact: He applied them anyway. What’s more, he’s not required to give terrorists the vast majority of Geneva’s protections under Article III. Rant all you want, but you ought to do yourself the service of reading the law first. Today, we see a shocking report that journalists have more liberal voting records than voters in the congressional district that includes Berkeley, California. Oh, that liberal media. Sheesh.

I admit that I still often don’t get why some events (the accident case) create riots on the Korean Street when others (the shameful way China treats North Koreans) don’t even create a murmur. Peoples’ emotions tend to conform to their political preconceptions, but there must be more to it. The sheer brutality and senselessness of the murder of a Korean by a foreigner—on videotape—will certainly set off plenty of famously hot Korean tempers. My wife’s reaction was the most...

I admit that I still often don’t get why some events (the accident case) create riots on the Korean Street when others (the shameful way China treats North Koreans) don’t even create a murmur. Peoples’ emotions tend to conform to their political preconceptions, but there must be more to it. The sheer brutality and senselessness of the murder of a Korean by a foreigner—on videotape—will certainly set off plenty of famously hot Korean tempers. My wife’s reaction was the most...

CNN is reporting that the terrorists have killed him. Mr. Kim ought to be remembered for the strong intellect, beliefs, and courage that must have taken him to Iraq. Mr. Kim mastered Arabic, one of the world’s most difficult languages. In spite of his knowledge that Koreans had already been taken hostage in Iraq, he confronted the risks and went there anyway to support a noble cause. I do not share his relgious beliefs, but I admire that he had...

If my guess about Kim Seon-Il’s true character is even half right, this inexcusably hateful, incomprehensibly stupid attempt to exploit the death of this poor man is absolutely beyond the pale. What South Korea needs is a North Korean gulag exchange program . . . or perhaps the Hani might try to cozy up to Zarkawi himself . . . you know, to promote better “understanding” of his “grievances.” No doubt the experience would produce one video that I would...

Here.

Weakening a regime is not enough to destroy it, however; the North Koreans won’t risk their lives unless someone shows them an alternative. We, of course, could do that, and it would cost us next to nothing. A good start would be to bypass the government and deliver radios, cell phones, medicine, and even food to them directly. How, you ask? Let me hear from you first.

NKGulag reports recent changes in the “Military First” policy, including a reduction in terms of conscription. In the past, North Korea gave the military first pick of the outside aid, so it was spared the worst of the famine of the 1990s. Indeed, the army was one of the few places North Koreans could count on a steady meal—and maybe even a little something to send home. Recent reductions in outside aid have meant that hunger is now felt in...

I wonder how I could have ever claimed to be a fan of this guy. I liked “Roger and Me,” even if I recognized the absence of a single cogent alternative in his trashing of capitalism, and I thought TV Nation was geniunely funny. When he wrote in “Stupid White Men” that we should “lighten up” Kim Jong-Il by sending him a copy of “Dude, Where’s My Car,” I could only shake my head at such callousness toward the suffering...