A newly leaked North Korean war plan seems just as likely to be “fake but accurate” as real, if you ask me. Given the state of the South’s government today, one could predict they’d claim it’s not authentic, and that they wouldn’t be terribly credible in doing so. Of course, not knowing that it’s authentic doesn’t stop us from picking out juicy details: [T]he [North Korean] directive also calls for the recruitment of South Koreans recommended by local “revolutionary organizations”...

The Joongang Ilbo rips Roh and his Mini-Uni a new one over their plans to stiff-arm North Korean refugees: This is the most remarkable nonsense. Was Mr. Chung speaking in his capacity of unification minister? Including yesterday’s statements, Mr. Chung has shown that his awareness of defector issues and North Korea policy is seriously wrong. Mr. Chung has failed to understand that the defector issue is a matter of human rights “• a universal value of mankind. In the international...

Just how out-of-touch is Roh Moo-Hyun with U.S. public opinion, not to mention reality? He’s asked George W. Bush to tag along with him for a visit to the Dear Leader’s workshop in Kaesong. No, this is not from Scrappleface. I say make it a package deal, as long as they both tour Camp 22 first. UPDATE: The Joongang Ilbo reports, via Roh, that Bush accepted, (!) or at least “responded positively.” Later on in the story, the Blue House...

Just in case you were tempted to believe that the South Korean Unification Ministry was honestly only interested in keeping out fraudulent North Korean asylum-seekers and criminals, Minister Chung has opened his mouth and removed all doubt, saying that South Korea would refuse all future large-scale defections, period, criminal records notwithstanding, and especially in the case of legit North Korean defectors. The official policy is now to let Viet Nam, China, and Thailand deport them all back to the death...

The Chosun reviews next year for North Korea. It’s interesting, although you’ve already seen most of the same speculation here and on other Korea blogs.

Sanctions or normalization? For now, it’s neither one. Koizumi punts to consider his options.

Just how out-of-touch is Roh Moo-Hyun with U.S. public opinion, not to mention reality? He’s asked George W. Bush to tag along with him for a visit to the Dear Leader’s workshop in Kaesong. No, this is not from Scrappleface. I say make it a package deal, as long as they both tour Camp 22 first. UPDATE: The Joongang Ilbo reports, via Roh, that Bush accepted, (!) or at least “responded positively.” Later on in the story, the Blue House...

Just in case you were tempted to believe that the South Korean Unification Ministry was honestly only interested in keeping out fraudulent North Korean asylum-seekers and criminals, Minister Chung has opened his mouth and removed all doubt, saying that South Korea would refuse all future large-scale defections, period, criminal records notwithstanding, and especially in the case of legit North Korean defectors. The official policy is now to let Viet Nam, China, and Thailand deport them all back to the death...

The Chosun reviews next year for North Korea. It’s interesting, although you’ve already seen most of the same speculation here and on other Korea blogs.

Sanctions or normalization? For now, it’s neither one. Koizumi punts to consider his options.

Stingy Americans (and probably others as well) have now donated $11 million to tsunami relief through Amazon alone. But this really floored me–an apparently spontaneous flood of Christmas gifts to “any wounded soldier” at Bethesda has hospital officials saying, “Please, no more!” More here. * * * * * In the nearly one year I have maintained this site, I’ve spent more than my share of electrons dwelling on the brutality, apathy, and stupidity of human beings toward each other....

I’ve finally brought myself to say something about the South Korean left’s A.N.S.W.E.R. to human rights activism for North Korea. The central plank of the platform is opposing human rights: Speaking at the National Human Rights Commission-sponsored “North Korean Human Rights Symposium,” held on Dec. 1 at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Food First Economic and Social Human Rights Program Coordinator Christine Ahn said, “The current discussion on North Korean human rights is completely focused on the narrow...

Stingy Americans (and probably others as well) have now donated $11 million to tsunami relief through Amazon alone. But this really floored me–an apparently spontaneous flood of Christmas gifts to “any wounded soldier” at Bethesda has hospital officials saying, “Please, no more!” More here. * * * * * In the nearly one year I have maintained this site, I’ve spent more than my share of electrons dwelling on the brutality, apathy, and stupidity of human beings toward each other....

I’ve finally brought myself to say something about the South Korean left’s A.N.S.W.E.R. to human rights activism for North Korea. The central plank of the platform is opposing human rights: Speaking at the National Human Rights Commission-sponsored “North Korean Human Rights Symposium,” held on Dec. 1 at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Food First Economic and Social Human Rights Program Coordinator Christine Ahn said, “The current discussion on North Korean human rights is completely focused on the narrow...

I’ve finally brought myself to say something about the South Korean left’s A.N.S.W.E.R. to human rights activism for North Korea. The central plank of the platform is opposing human rights: Speaking at the National Human Rights Commission-sponsored “North Korean Human Rights Symposium,” held on Dec. 1 at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Food First Economic and Social Human Rights Program Coordinator Christine Ahn said, “The current discussion on North Korean human rights is completely focused on the narrow...

There’s some evidence of increased European consciousness about North Korea. I’d hesitate to call it a positive sign, though. I mean, really–just exactly what does Europe stand for these days, principle-wise?

Remember that summit spirit, back before the audits, resignations, and suicides? It produced some nifty slogans, but real life tends to me more complex. The South Koreans may not be ready for reunification if this is how they treat North Koreans. From the author’s tone, I suspect plenty of South Koreans are ashamed. These early examples may forecast a very difficult reunification if South Korean swindlers and carpetbaggers, sensing an easy mark, flood into the North and confirm the worst...

Of course, it isn’t just North Koreans who find some South Koreans to be less than welcoming, and South Koreans are realizing that it’s costing them money. The hordes of foreigners who never came back to Korea after the Olympics, the World Cup, or their military service might have had a number of reasons for that, but this appears to be one of them: Some other experts point to the problem of Korea’s tendency to be a closed society against...