I guess this had to be expected. Allow me to reprint the stirring finale of today’s Hankyoreh editorial on Iraq:
The attacks by resistance forces in Iraq, conducted against a background of support from the locals, reveal aspects of increasing organization beneath their consistent political objectives. In this situation, even if we do send troops to aid in reconstruction, it will be difficult to achieve results. All it will do is increase both feelings of animosity and the risk of terror. Recently, Baghdad University’s International Research Center issued a public opinion pole at the request of the Hankyoreh that revealed that 80.1% or Iraqis opposed the dispatch of Korean combat troops. 54.5% opposed the dispatch of non-combat troops. There is no reason now for the government to hesitate in rethinking our decision to dispatch troops to Iraq. To say that you cannot change a decision because you’ve already made up your mind is not a responsible attitude to take.
Support from the locals? Yeah, I’m sure the locals just love to see their police stations blown up and the security situation turn to crap because a bunch of former Baathists and foreign terrorists are pissed that Saddam Hussein can no longer screw the country. Besides, let’s assume the Hani’s dream scenario - an American withdrawal from Iraq - were to take place, who the hell benefits from that? Nobody said that turning a country that has spent most of its history ruled by despots and tyrants into a successful democracy was going to be easy, but then again, many of the “experts” said it couldn’t be done in South Korea, either. As a nation that has succeeded (for the most part) in escaping its past to become a wealthy and vibrant democracy, South Korea has much it can teach Iraqis so that they may seek a better tomorrow. But this will require resolve - the same kind of resolve that the Americans displayed (again, for the most part) in sticking by South Korea during its basket-case years, when this nation’s prospects looked just as grim as Iraq’s appear today.
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At the time of the survey I checked, and the original article about the survey says it’s Baghdad University’s Center for International Studies.
When private piano teachers write “??씲?????┑??째?????졙???짚” on their doors and some shamans have “….??쨈?????째?????졙? on theirs, you know its a Korean desire to put “research” in those names, even when translated from names that didn’t have them.
Good thinking, to check Hani’s eddie after an event like that.
Hmmmm~
I was surfing through the net and ran across your site on a recent editorial in the Chosun Ilbo. First, I’ll try to frequent your site more often, because some of your points caught my attention. A lot of times I try to talk to foreigners and Koreans about my views, but I always end up sounding pro U.S or pro ROK. I enjoyed your comment about hating foreigners that always bitch about and Korea and the always objective Hankyoreh. And their lovely motto of, “it’s not our fault, it’s not Korea’s fault, blame everything on the Yankees..!”
Anyhow, I know the post might seem random, but I need to a source to vent some bottled up anger. Korea Herald didn’t really like me too much. =(
doesntmatter
I can’t think of an Army in the world that is not more dedicated. This military does not just pull out because it’s been hard. We’ll be there for a long time, if we have to.
As on occasional reader of the (Buk)Hankyoreh, I’d love to know the composition of the Iraqis in that survey. Call me unfair, but I do not believe that the Hani would have published a survey that showed support for the troop dispatch.
As it stands, the tone of the “debate” on the deployment — and the number of troops, a reported 3,000 — makes it seem like the move is more a gesture to allow South Korea to feel like it is doing something to help the U.S. and Iraq than an actually helpful deployment. Roh announced his “decision” on Oct 18 as a downpayment for a good meeting with Bush in Bangkok. But he has waffled badly on settling the bill….