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How Much Lower Can Roh’s Approval Rating Go?

Apparently, just 5.7%. Not much room, that.

Korean Politics

Six Party Talks: Off Again?

A North Korean diplomatic source told the Interfax news agency Wednesday that six-way talks on North Korea’s nuclear program cannot restart this year or in the foreseeable future due to ”unacceptable” conditions the United States had set. The demands the United States put forward at talks among the heads of delegations to the six-way talks in Beijing on Nov. 28 and 29, are ”unacceptable for North Korea,” the source reportedly said. [link] We have now been trying to lure North...

Diplomacy/Geopolitics/Six-Party Talks

‘Abduction’ Film Update

I’ve been somewhat derelict in plugging the run of the film “Abduction” as it plays in Washington. The film looks to be having great success here; the producers e-mail me to say that it’s been held over for a third consecutive week. I’ve only seen some extended excerpts of the film, but the imagery, score, and production values are truly something to behold. You can tell that two true professionals — National Geographic alumni — created this film. It’s...

Abductions

The Mother of All Distractions

While Korea’s eyes are on Tokdo, China’s tentacles are embracing Rajin. Mingi Hyun has more.

China & Korea/Geopolitics

Just Wondering…

Does the National Human Rights Commission make a distinction between peaceful protest and violent protest? On the one hand, it’s pretty obvious that the South Korean government is trying to censor both peaceful and violent opposition to the proposed Free Trade Agreement (and it’s such a dead issue, all you can do is wonder why anyone bothers). On the other hand, when protestors get through the police blockades, things like this happen. Another 20 injured today. Gee, I wonder if...

Anti-Americanism/Korean Law/Korean Society/The Fifth Column

A Billion for Tribute, But Not One More Cent for Defense!

Update: Guess what? GI Korea had it exactly right all along. All hail GI Korea! Wow. Talk about nailing it. Let’s compare the $780 million dollar cost sharing agreement to the amount of money Seoul sends to North Korea. While North Korea was busy creating international stability with their ballistic missile and nuclear bomb tests, the South Korean government was busy sending them a record amount of humanitarian aid. The South Korean government sent $227...

An Alliance?/NK Economics/U.S. Military/Washington Views

South Korea’s ‘Hostile’ Class

Leaving no stone unturned in its quest to emulate North Korean concepts of social justice, South Korea has announced the first official list of 100 Japanese collaborators whose blood, we can suppose, will hereby stain three generations of class enemies (from way back in 1904, in some cases!). Just to make sure the new songbun designations become nice and official, the government sent notices to said descendants. Depending on whose report you believe, there are either about 400, about 800,...

History/Japan & Korea/Korean Law/Korean Politics/Korean Society/WTF?

Three Cheers for Silvestre Reyes

You may recall my previous post on Silvestre Reyes, the Texas Democrat picked to lead the House Intel Committee. Reyes is now setting a new standard for “realism” worthy of the name. Reyes, whom news reports then described as an “Iraq war opponent,” has called for putting more troops into Iraq. In the process, he’s given the sort of that I’ve been waiting in vain to hear from President Bush, and he begged the questions that the escapists can’t answer:...

Diplomacy/Uncategorized

Just the Latest Juche Idiocy from the Korean Teachers’ Union

The students went up on stage and told participants they had distributed anti-war badges around the nation in protest against the Iraq war and said they felt unifying the two Koreas was a way to create “a world without wars. They also joined the former communist guerrillas in the shouting of their old slogans against “imperialist Yankee soldiers” and the “puppet regime of Syngman Rhee. Kim, who also instructed his students to operate an online group that opposes the U.S.-led...

Anti-Americanism/Korean Education/The Fifth Column

Robert Gates Gets It (Mostly) Right on Korea

Consider that: how often do bloggers, who live to bite ankles, find no fault with the pronouncements of those who make policy? I begin my observation of Gates as SecDef as a skeptic. And indeed, nothing that Gates could say about Korea could make me a fan if he prescribes Surrender Lite in Iraq or “learning to live with” an Iranian bomb. But listen carefully to his views on the Koreas, from his confirmation hearings. Begin in 1994, back when...

An Alliance?/U.S. & Korea/U.S. Military/Washington Views

The Cons Are Running the Prison: Why Is S. Korea Subsidizing Violence?

[Updated and bumped up] To the astonishment of absolutely no one, union goons affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions are (yet again) unleashing a wave of violence: We saw 47 arson and vandalism cases around the nation suspected to have been committed by Korea Cargo Transport Workers’ Union members,” Lee Taek-soon, head of the National Police Agency, said yesterday. “Thirteen cases were reported in North Gyeongsang province, seven in Ulsan and six in Busan.” It would surprise...

Korean Law/Korean Politics/Korean Society/The Fifth Column

Kremlinology, Luxury Goods, and Stolen Rice

I don’t expect Resolution 1718’s luxury goods ban to have much of a short-term impact on North Korea, beyond focusing attention on all of the frivolous things Kim Jong Il would rather buy than rice. For the longer term, however, Korea watcher Ken Gause, in what is probably the definitive work of North Korean Kremlinology (ht) did a pretty good job before-the-fact of explaining the gradual trends we seem to be hoping we can advance (Gause actually spends almost none...

Famine & Food Aid/Kim Jong Il/Korean Politics/Kremlinology

Maybe The British Can Teach Them How to Cook It.

Zanzibar is getting agricultural assistance from North Korea.

WTF?

The UniFiction of North Korean ‘Journalism’

South Korean journalists recently traveled to North Korea and met with what represents their profession up there. And wouldn’t you know it? They found a remarkable degree of common ground. “We, journalists of the South and the North, support the Joint Statement of June 15, 2000 and take the lead in implementing it; We firmly oppose and reject any outside intervention in the internal affairs of the nation and threats of war; We will reject any report that can foster...

Media Criticism