Well, this is a surprise — the Ministry of Defense announced today that two sites have been selected as a possible place of deployment for Korea’s dispatch of 3,500 troops to Iraq, Sulaimaniyah and Irbil. Both those cities are in the Kurdish autonomous region. Said the Joongang:
The government will send another fact-finding team to survey the two northern areas around April 10. Further consultations with the United States are scheduled to take place through late April, and an advance team will leave for the new destination in mid-May. The bulk of the deployment is expected in mid-June, the ministry said.
The defense ministry said it has no plan to reorganize the contingent, despite preparations already made for the Kirkuk region.
South Korean officials still differ over where the forces will eventually be sent. The defense ministry reportedly prefers Irbil, an economic and transportation hub in northeastern Iraq.
The National Security Council, however, prefers Sulaimaniyah, where no terrorist activities have been reported since the Iraq war ended, a military source said. In Irbil, 250 people were killed or injured in a terrorist bombing on Feb. 1.
While both Kurdish-dominated provinces are considered relatively safe compared to much of Iraq, observers worry that demands may arise among the Kurds to build a separate independent state. “The Zayituun ["Olive"] unit will maintain political neutrality and will not interfere in domestic Iraqi affairs,” a defense ministry official said.
The U.S. chose the sites, apparently. The Chosun Ilbo, however, found this a bit odd — according to them (and I’m too lazy to check, so if this is widely inaccurate, please let me know), both Sulaimaniyah and Irbil are controlled by about 300 U.S. troops. Both regions are relatively quiet — hence why they’re so attractive to Seoul — but as far as post-war reconstruction is concerned, there doesn’t seem to be much of a need, given that the Kurdish provinces didn’t see much fighting and/or bombing. The Chosun is left asking, what’s the point in sending 3,500 troops — half of whom are Marines and Special Forces — to a region apparently well maintained by 300 U.S. troops and the Kurdish authorities? At first glance, it does seem a bit peculiar, but I’m in no means an expert on the security situation in Iraq — come to think of it, I’m not much of an expert on anything — so I think I’ll leave this discussion to those more knowledgeable than myself (meaning just about everyone).
BTW, get a load of the caption on the photograph accompanying this Chosun piece:
A Kurd family enjoys a spring outing on a mountain in the outskirts of Sulaymaniya, Iraq, March 23. They said, “We feel at peace because we don’t live with Arabs.”
Ouch. I’ll say this, however — the Koreans definitely seem to have gotten a pretty part of the country to spend time in.
25 Comments
Who says the specialized forces will stay there the entire deployment?
Robert,
The reason there’s so few US troops in those regions is because it’s one place the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC) is succeeding. From a December 2003 CENTCOM briefing:
To date, 12,500 Iraqis have answered the call to join the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps. In the north, over 2,500 ICDC personnel are serving the Iraqi people. They’re in Mosul, Irbil and Sulimaniyah in about four battalions, fully integrated into our security operations as they secure key infrastructure sites.
According to CJTF-7’s LTG Ricardo Sanchez, that’s one of the reasons they can replace 17 combat brigades with 14 during the latest US troop rotations.
This fits. I was worried early on as Korea discussed sending troops the Koreans would send them to get killed. And I worried the US would be forced to provide protection for them.
I didn’t see this option and I should have.
I guess I don’t really mind, because I don’t think Korea gained anything significant from the US based on the simple fact they were willing eventually to send troops. The way they have carried it out, and they haven’t even really carried it out yet, they managed to still convey how disappointing the US-Sk relationship is.
Compare this with the relitively quiet manner Japan sent its troops in when doing such was such a big step for them post-WWII…..
Most of the non-US, non-UK coalition forces are stationed in relativly “calm” or “secure” regions of Iraq. The hotbeds of guerrilla attacks, terrorist bombings and ethnic tensions are in mainly in the Sunni triangle, around Baghdad and in Kirkuk. Now the security situation in UK-conrolled Basra in the Southern Shi’ites region is deteriorating. The Northern Kurdish region is and has been (also under Saddam’s rule) a de facto independent and autonomous area mainly controlled by two rivaling Kurdish leaders (Barsani and Talabani). Comparable to the cooperation of the US with the Tadjik-dominated “Northern Alliance” in Afghanistan.
The conflict potential in the Kurdish region stems from the animosities between Sunni Arabs who had been forcibly settled there by Saddam, when he was “ethnically cleansing” the North before the protection of the Kurds through the US/UK no-fly-zones. Also the strategic security interests of Turkey in preventing a separate, fully independent Kurdish nation state in this oil-rich area at any possible costs are counterproductive, because the Turkmen minority consider themselves as ethnic Turkish-brethren and expects Turkish protection and influence, which would lead to a clash sooner or later with the Kurds. The Turks have still several thousand troops stationed deep in the border region and on Iraqi territory with the explanation, that these units would chase domestic Turkish-Kurdish PKK separatist fighters.
Uh, the Japanese military folks are the best US-poodles, huh? Good obedient boys?! They keep on building the super-luxerious hi-tech fortress in the middle of nowhere in Samariya (sp?) to save their sushi-butts. Can’t hear this Japan-stroking anymore… Koreans have a different mentality than the Japanese, understand???
Roh was not an ardous war-supporter, but Koizumi was a big-mouthed lion, so he had to deliver. Any questions about that?
The Iraq deployment was a damn good side entrance for the LDP right-wing to further push their future strategy to abandon or watering the pacifist Peace Article 9 and become a “normal” state with official armed forces. A permanent seat in the UN Security Council and a well-equipped offensive global(i.e. Asian-wide)expeditionary force are the main political and strategic goals of Koizumi’s Iraq policy and not the rebuilding efforts for the poor Iraqis. So the grapes of their involvement in the Iraq coalition will be much sweeter than the Koreans would ever get, even when we would station the whole ROK Marine Corps. and the Special Warfare Command in the middle of Baghdad or Falludscha to hunt down guerrillas and terrorists. The US is playing the first flute in Iraq and the Japanese and Koreans are dancing. If you like the Japanese hip-swing more, so what? I personally don’t give a fuck. I can’t hear this nagging about the whole fucking deployment anymore. Take it or leave it and if you want to
pull the USFK out of Korea to have more manpower for Iraq, than do it right now, but please stop this nagging, nagging, nagging. Argh!
BTW, to all US folks, I’ve seen the uncensored Reuters TV-footages of the babaric desecration of corpses after the bombings in Falludscha by the freaking out Sunni mob. These scenes have been one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen on TV so far. I was against the Iraq Invasion, so I frankly despise the Bush administration and I have no illusions about the darkest sides of human nature, but these cruel, shocking obscenity really left me disturbed and I think of the families of the US civilian victims.
I still don’t believe the ROK troops will be sent to Iraq and if they are sent it won’t take very much work on the terrorist’s part to get them to leave. We would have been better off if we cut a deal with Dear Leader. We could have gotten some real soldiers in time to do some good. Screw the South. Let the ingrates eat grass sandwiches while helping their northern brothers build their worker’s paradise.
We would defiantly be better off if we moved the USFK to Iraq. That way the spineless Korean government might be forced to draft the cowardly student protesters and move the lazy lot of them to the 38 parallel.
This is a real war not the all expenses paid exercise the ROK troops are use to.
Yet again Korea stands for too little too late.
Timmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
I don’t see any need for insults to ROK- sympathetic posters. But I will say to you, Mr. Shin, that I think your standard of comparison for the stationing of Iraq-bound ROK troops — in terms of “toughness” of the location, and “promptness” of their deployment — should be the same as the standards set in these areas by the US forces deployment to Korea, during the period June through September 1950.
And also with the USFK forward deployment “under the guns” of NorK ever since.
But that would require ROK to set itself a higher standard than that of the other non-US, non-UK forces, you say? Well yes, it’s politically difficult all right. But tell me, why do you automatically exclude the UK from your standard of comparison? Shouldn’t ROK be striving to match the UK standard, instead of looking to go for the “lowest common denominator”?
My goodness, it might actually call for some South Korean politicians to speak up and risk their careers. Sometimes that’s what’s needed to lead a country, rather than taking polls and trying to be all things to all people. If you’re an ROK citizen, why don’t you call upon them to do the right thing, to deploy forces promptly and to where they are needed, rather than stalling around looking for where it’s safe? I fully accept your estimate of the toughness and discipline of ROK Marines and Special Warfare types.
(Of course, do this only if you really believe the deployment is justified. It’s not clear to me that you do).
You’re angry about “nagging”? Well as far as I’m concerned, we Americans are a lot more entitled to our anger than you are, given the current casualty rate comparison in Iraq of ROK vs USA.
And, of course, 1950 was a “long, long time ago and a universe far far away…” as they said in the preamble to the first “Star Wars” movie.
From a purely neutral and cold-blooded military analysis viewpoint, leaving all passion aside, it seems pointless to me to send Korean troops thousands of miles away, to a language/culture/locale with which they are totally unfamiliar. I really don’t think we need them to garrison the mountains of Kurdistan, do you?
So as far as your last suggestion — I agree. If you’re a citizen of ROK and currently located there, you work on it from your end, and I’ll work on it from mine, to the extent of as much as one citizen can do within our respective political systems.
‘korea to babysit the kurds?’
well, what you are really saying here is you’d rather see koreans getting killed rather than americans getting killed. i’ll bet you want to put them in fallujah. then when scores of orean soldiers get killed, you’ll talk about the contracts korean comapanies got from sending troops to fight a war that was and is not their war to fight. the bush war is not a war on terrorism, it’s a war of imposition. instead of dealing a blow to terrorist, it’s given terrorism new life.
the koreans are sticking their necks out here and are going to make an enemy that they did not have before. i mean, i don’t think the arab world has ever looked at korea and thought of it as an enemy. but once koreans send troops, south korea will become a target for terror attacks. why should the koreans risk this for the kind of ingrates you see on this board?
first, they cry about korea not sending troops. then, they cry that korea isn’t making the decision with a smile. and now, we see them complain of south korea’s location in iraq?
who needs friends like that?
korea needs to ask the us troops to go. korea needs to stand up on it’s own and not allow another country to make decisions on the ways and means it will defend itself. korea must build nuclear weapons and the missiles that can deliver them in all types of situations such as breaching some kind of shield defense.
i cannot remember if koreans have launched a satelite into space, but if they haven’t, they will soon. korea will build nuclear weapons and will build ballistic missiles. korea does have and will have every right to do so in order to defend it’s people and it’s territory.
got that?
Shin — you forgot to add the operative word in the post’s title - “3,500 Koreans to babysit the Kurds.” What this refers to is the fact — as mentioned in both my post and the Chosun Ilbo editorial to which I linked — that it seems a bit odd to send 3,500 men (half of whom are combat troops) to a region where it appears they are not really needed.
And coincidentally, while this might not be “Korea’s war to fight” — despite the fact that Korea is even more dependent on Middle Eastern oil supplies (and dependent on the U.S. military presence in the Gulf that both ensures those supplies AND makes the U.S. a prime target for Middle Eastern terrorist organizations) — you’re perfectly correct in saying that Korea might be making enemies it didn’t have before. Although one should point out that terrorists struck the United States before the Iraq invasion, and as the anti-American crowd likes to point out, this may be in large part due to the relations Washington enjoys with a number of less than reputable regimes in the Islamic world. If this is the case, it might interest you to know that South Korea enjoys very close relations and is heavily involved ecomically with many of the same regimes (and for many of the same reasons that the U.S. does and is), so I wouldn’t be so sure that Korea hasn’t made those enemies already. Besides, it’s not like Korea (or the Europeans) — regardles of its (and their) views on the Iraq war — opposes the American presence in the Gulf and Central Asia and support to regimes like Saudi Arabia — Seoul’s vital interests depend on that presence. And just as Korea can tell the Americans, well, it’s not in our interests to make new enemies in Iraq — a very valid point — the U.S. can also say if that’s the way it’s going to be, then there is no need for the U.S. to make itself a target by assuming sole responsibility for protecting European and East Asian oil supplies in the Middle East. After all, the Middle East is the Europeans’ backyard, and they have the capabilities to police it if they had to. And, like you point out, South Korea has all the capabilities to hang with the big boys militarily, and it goes without saying that the Japanese do as well. I mean, why should the Americans ensure the smooth delivery of oil to European and East Asian markets (as well as our own, of course), and in so doing make our skyscrapers targets for Muslim terrorists, when the Europeans, Koreans and Japanese have the capabilities and even more immediate interests (given the relative dependencies of European and East Asian markets on Middle Eastern oil vis-a-vis the American one) to do so (and make their own skyscrapers targets for Muslim terrorists).
BTW, no one ever disputed the fact that South Korea has the right to build any kind of weapons system it so desires — in fact, the U.S. does not “order” it not to build long-range ballistic missiles, for example. What the government in Seoul has done is, by treaty arrangement, agreed not to build certain systems in return for security guarantees (including the American nuclear umbrella) that it finds both more effective and a lot cheaper, both in terms of economic and political capital. That is neither a violation of sovereignty nor an arrangement unique to South Korea. Of course, as the global security environment changes, these agreements may become obsolete, if they haven’t already. Whether it would be in South Korea’s national interest to immediately scrap its security relationship with the United States, however, is a rather long (and interesting) discussion that I should probably make into an entire post. To make a long story short, I happened to agree with you, Shin, that the U.S. must pull out of Korea and Seoul must take full responsibility for its security affairs — I think that’s in the long term interests of both Washington and Seoul. But that decision must be made knowing that Korea is a powerful nation with global interests, so “taking full responsibility” for one’s security affairs means a lot more than simply contingencies in Northeast Asia.
Just some food for thought.
Mr. Paul H.,
my standard of comparison with European coalition forces in Iraq is rightful to me, because those European states like Poland, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark etc. aren’t also matching up to the security and economical contributions of US forces during Wolrd War I and II and the Cold War, though these forementioned state governments have been eager supporters of the Iraqi War, which the ROK administration was not before the war. Not many US folks have objected to Denmark sending a tiny SSK in the Persian Gulf and a few hundred reconstruction soldiers into Iraq, as an example, but when we plan to send 3600 combat and engineering soldiers, “too little, too late”.
To late for what, do you really think that the US can leave Iraq anytime soon, Blue Eyed Devil? The US has a long-term strategy to be stationed in Iraq, so for the coming years (decades?) US servicemen and civilians have to stay and work in Iraq…
Why I excluded UK from the other coalition forces? The Brits are the closest ally before, during and after the battles in Iraq and to a certain lower degree Australia. ROK should seek a similar standard of involvement as Great Britain? The United Kingdom, former a global empire: economical powerhouse, G7-member, mighty nuclear power, permanent member of the UN Security Council, member of NATO, member of EU, sitting on an easily defendable island without any enemy around their shores, which has not been successfully invaded and occupied since 1066 AC. I don’t think so, that the ROK could be compared with UK.
Actually, I’m not residing in Korea but in Germany, so my little ass is save on European soil, but I’ve interests for my family and countrymen over there on our nice peninsula.
I’m not angry or enraged about the “nagging”-issue, I’m simply fed up with the overcritical comments of many non-Korean folks. Yeah, the decision process and the bilateral negotiations in puncto Iraq-deployment was not smooth, clever or a PR-medal for the ROK, but the Koreans are trying to do more than many other nations, but from the commentors here their efforts are only getting a verbal fart in the face. Nice.
From a cold blooded military and economical viewpoint the USA don’t need any of the coalition
forces in Iraq, you have all capabilities to do it alone. The US as the sole superpower has different interests and political strategies in the Middle East than any other nation. Only China and Russia are actually a kind of serious competitors/ challengers to America’s power in the mid-and-long-term. So I don’t agree with Mr. Marmot’s asessment about the oil/ strategic-interests of middle powers from Europe and security “clients” like Japan and South Korea in the Middle East in comparison with the global powerhouse USA. The US team is playing in the heavier Champions League (to use a soccer metaphor) and should compare themselves with teams of similar weight/ class/ ability (i.e. Russia and China).
America doesn’t need the ROK dispatch anyway for their strategic purposes in Iraq, so the Korean troops contribution is simply a symbolic one, a show of good will to put our soldiers in harm’s way without having any say in the future progress of the Iraqi country, the whole Middle East region or the oil supplies. We depend on the US here in NE Asia and in the Middle East, so why presenting us bigger boots, than we could fit in?
BTW, Marmot, after he had seen the chaotic flight/ retreat of the US forces out of South Vietnam, Park Chung-Hee tried to kick off a indigenous nuclear bomb project and the US political folks went on red alert and forced him to scrap the whole project, we all know it for sure.
Well, more American lives were lost per capita (of those we were defending) defending South Korea than in WWII, and possibly more than any other foreign affair of ours.
So yeah, while most of those under-30 over here in the US probably formed most of their impressions of Korea via M.A.S.H. and cheap import cars, that’s by no means the extent of our collective knowledge of Asian affairs.
Frankly I expect ingratitude, just as we got from those who’s nuts we pulled out of the fire all throughout the 20th Century. Dependance breeds contempt. That’s all that we seem to have gotten from the French and Germans, no?
So by all means let’s get American troops out of S. Korea and Western Europe. There are multiple other places that would either welcome contingency bases, or that need the tender mercies of the US Army in a more direct fashion, as it were.
But right now, it’s payback time, see my opening point, and 3,500 walking examples of a people we’ve helped out from under the jackboot of tyranny in Northern Iraq is fine by me. The Kurds seem more amenable to learning the habits of civil society and democracy than the Arabs to the south anyway, and I’m sure the Koreans can teach them a thing or 50 about such transitions.
Shin: by “too little , too late” I mean that ROK troops showing up - maybe in June - is like the US showing up with a platoon in late 1951. Too little, too late. Korea is a success today as a direct result of the US intervention in the Korean civil war and 50 years of subsequent aid and trade. It was/is very expensive in terms of blood, treasure and jobs. This is a friendship all your new FOUND treasure couldn’t hope to buy. All this is bad enough. But the worst part is we’re not asking to be paid back. This drives Koreans crazy! This insults their manhood. In order to expunge this enormous debt Koreans over react to every perceived slight past, present and expected. They project all manner of evil intent on a fifty year long rewarding friendship. Korea now seems to be embarrassed by these facts and likes to manufacture crisis with their main benefactor and friend to show the world that they are independent. Most mature people see this as childish at best. It does not garner respect.
Hey Shin. I’ll bet you know very few Americans. You don’t seem to understand us at all. We don’t need your new FOUND money. We don’t need your troops. We’re not angry with you. We’re simply disappointed. That’s it. We’re sadly disappointed. Please stop telling the world that you’re fighting the good fight against the ugly Americans. We don’t deserve that. We’ve been nothing but loyal to you.
What’s the word for loyalty in Korean? How do you say “stand by you friend”? Do these concepts translate? You can’t demand respect. You can’t buy respect. You earn respect. Don’t worry about creating enemies by helping us. If the US is defeated by the IslamoFascists they’ll turn you and your German friends into comfort boys (if you’re lucky) and they won’t allow colorful street protests. Have you been paying attention? You can’t negotiate with these idiots.
I’m sure Korea can reverse engineer any weapons system it wants. Slap a Chaebol name on it and aim it any where their insulted manhood desires. But Korea can’t afford to do that and pay for it’s own defense. The filthy American tax payer might cut off Korea’s allowance if it decides to start an arms race. Stop worrying about face and manhood. Just stand by your friends. Be loyal to those who have been loyal to you. Face, manhood and respect will follow.
Regards,
Tim
Blue Eyed Devil,
your response is a little bit confusing, because I think you are reacting to certain parts of the comments made by me (Sugar Shin)and Shin Jong-Il by mixing our opinions together.
Comparing the crisis situation of June 1950 (the Forgotten War - you have forgotten your own sacrifices and the spilled blood of your boys? I haven’t forgotten to appreciate the American help in the Korean War, but what about your own countrymen?) of the ROK with the invasion of Iraq by the deliberate decision of the US government cannot be taken serious. If the US had been militarily attacked on home turf by Canada/ Mexico or a hypothetical illegal domestic separatist force, the South Koreans would probably send you anything the US needs in promptu. You want the Koreans to take part in any adventurous US foreign policy project and the cynical things you’ve said about the Vietnam War participation and sacrificies made by Korean troops shows ME something about your selective definition of friendship, manhood, mutual respect etc.
The “IslamoFascists” can’t beat America, are you so unsure about your strength? Why do you think, they’re using terrorism to fight against the West, because they are weak and have no means to occupy neither Germany nor Korea, so I’m comfortable not to become a “comfort boy” of them.
BTW, you seem not to have understood the concept of a globalized economic system. The US is pumping a lot of taxpayer’s money into Korea for the maintainance of the USFK and the related military equipment. Therefore Koreans prefer to buy US-made military equipment for billions of dollars, with the trade surplus accumulated through export gains in the free US market. Furthermore they buy US dollar currency and treasure bonds like hell, co-financing by proxy the US household budget deficit like many other Asian allies (i.e. Japan) and China. In return the US consumers get nice, affordable electronic gadgets like notebooks, cell phones, DRAM, DVD-Players, LCD/ Plasma-TV-sets or ships, steel, carsa and so on. The Korean consumers buy your movies, music, lifestyle products, high-tech machinery, commercial & military airplanes, nuclear reactors,satellites, licenses and patents and we pay royalties to many of your Fortune 500 companies. This is how business works between partners.
Why do you always talk about “manhood”, there are also Korean women who share my views. Is their womanhood also driving them crazy or insulted?
“Please stop telling the world that you’re fighting the good fight against the ugly Americans.” - Blue Eyed Devil
Err, have I ever made such a claim? I do like what America stands for very much, your culture and achievements, and I know a handfull of Americans here, but I personally judge people individually and not by their nationality or my own projections about a nation’s perceived psychological shortcomings. I don’t know, if so many “average John Doe Americans” are disappointed about South Koreans, they usually don’t give a rat’s ass about us “weird, ingrateful, violent some-kinda-China-Japano-people with the ugly Hyundai/Kia/ Daewoo junk cars” or any other unimportant sissy allied state.
Have a nice day, Blue Eyed Devil.
you know, it really saddens me to see so many of you so bitter about korea. i just got to shake my head and wonder if so many of you aren’t so really blind to the vast benefits you can get with a korean as your friend. do you remember how your korean friends helped you out in a jam? do you remember that korean stranger who helped you find you way when you were lost, not by showing you on a map on how to get there, but by getting into the cab with you to make sure you got there? do you all remember that? do you ever translate that individual behavior into a national behavior?
the koreans make good friends. you’ve pissed them off by refusing to respect them and treat them according to their advanced status in this world of ours. koreans don’t need to earn your respect. who the hell are you? equals do not need to do this. you don’t respect korea and koreans, so be it. you give them face, and you gotta a friend who will quite literally die on your behalf. tell me, how many japanese soldiers died in the vietnam war?
i personally don’t need to placate any of you and care not if thou art offended. to me, you represent the worst kind of right wing dreck. just look at the mess you volks have created in iraq. the shlim-shlamming shias are now on the floor enjoying their dance of violence as our soldiers (american) pay for your fanatic and evangenlical policies. iraq will fall further into chaos.
because of you.
lastly, blueeyessatan, the winter can be bitter. put on a jacket. go to your favorite korean restaurant and get some spicy pork. have seasoned tofu as a side dish. drink some poricha. comtemplate on how you can be more respectful. show you’re the mature one. use the force, blueeyessatan, let go.
Hey Shin don’t bother responding to a post if you don’t fully understand it. You obviously don’t get it. Hubris and bravado are a poor substitutes for earned respect and quite confidence. How are the America haters able to forgive Dear Leader and forget his gulags while remembering every perceived slight administered by the people who helped them the most. It’s totally irrational. Koreans are egomaniacs with an inferiority complex. They can’t believe that the superiority of their people and culture is not daily sung by all the inferior peoples of the world. Get a grip Shin. Take a trip north and face your real enemy. Looks a lot like you. Doesn’t he?
Tim
Which “Shin” do you mean, Blu Eyed Devil?
Sugar Shin or Shin Jong-Il? Or both? Koreans look, smell, sound and think all the same, huh?
Great kitchen psychology 101, my friend.
Check out the post just previous to mine sugar baby. But if the shoe fits. Wear it. I doubt that there is anyone who goes to the trouble to read a Korean blog who hates Koreans - except maybe other Koreans. Get off the pity pot. Korea’s real enemy is Dear Leader and his slave army not the blue eyed devils from America.
Tim
“Screw the South. Let the ingrates eat grass sandwiches while helping their northern brothers build their worker’s paradise.” - Blue Eyed Devil
“It’s totally irrational. Koreans are egomaniacs with an inferiority complex.” - Blue Eyed Devil
“Get off the pity pot.” - Blue Eyed Devil
Hahaha, this was good, Blue Eyed Devil. Who’s started shitting around here, Baby Blue?
Btw, Shin Jong-Il is a countryman of yours. Black Eyed Demon? Nope, and I still don’t think, that guys like you are representative for all Americans.
Oops, excuse the typo’s:
1) “due to near…”
5) “Considering”
Man, it’s way too late & I have to get up at 06:00! (2 jobs.) You guys fight it out… I’ll try to get back here sometime
Paul
‘we (and a few other friends) appear to be the only ones really willing to prop up the whole darn house of cards.’ Paul
yes, and let’s not forget that one of those friends is south korea who, btw, will have some four thousand troops in iraq. japan will have about seven hundred. why don’t we ask the japanese to match korea’s contribution since japan is such a wondeful friend? and advanced. let’s not forget that japan is really advanced. you folks like to remind the yemaek of that i’ve noticed.
guys, tell me, why don’t you feel the japanese should be giving more? we rebuilt them. they had our markets. they should be giving us thousands of troops. and don’t tell me about that ridiculous constitution of theirs. i wouldn’t wipe the morning mailbox with that piece of paper. constitution my ass.
man, you people telling koreans all the time how unimportant they are but then you expect them to give more than the second largest economy in the world.
some of you need to relax; go see a korean movie. might i recommend?
BED,
i wouldn’t say that we have always been south korea’s true blue friend. there have been numerous times over the past 50 years that we have acted in our own interest at their expense. for example, clinton negotiated the entire ‘94 agreed framework without consulting the south korean government. kind of a slap in the face. i certainly wouldn’t have liked it if i had been in there position.
There is some great stuff going on down here, and I really do intend to use some of it in a post I’ve been meaning to get to. Hopefully, this weekend I can finally do it. Got to brush up on my Paul Kennedy first, however.
Hey Sugar: Thanks for gathering all my comments into one place. You can use it as handy reference whenever you start feeling sorry for yourself or whenever you suspect some other ugly American is disrespecting you or your culture. Japan should defiantly do more as should every other country that is overly dependent on Middle East oil. I haven’t ragged on them because this is not a Japan blog. Japan is as paralyzed by guilt as Korea is by hubris. The Japanese also burn fewer American flags. This is not because they resent America any less so they say. It’s because flags cost much more in Japan. This is probably an odd source of pride for Korea (lower prices-more fervor) but any time you can beat Japan at anything it’s a good day.
Tim (Blue Eyed Scum)
Are you seriously pissed, Tim? Don’t wanted to personally insult you or degrade you as a person or US national. I’m not looking for a dog fight with you.
“Sympathy for the devil.” - Rolling Stones
‘this is not a japan blog.’ blueyessatan
are you sure? i see quite a bit of talk around here about the japanese. you all seem to take every opportunity to use japan as a club to strike at koreans. you going to tell me that’s not true? you don’t slam the japanese because that’s not your interest; your interest is to slam the koreans. arahsoh?
‘japan is paralyzed by guilt.’ blueyessatan
really? what guilt? you mean like the guilt they feel for the millions of asians their parents and grandparents killed? that kind of guilt? you mean the kind of guilt that makes them feel shame grandpa conducted medical experiments on their brothers(koreans) and cousins(chinese)? you mean that kind of guilt?
it would be wise of you never to post here again. this is the big leagues. so,
scram, kid!
If The Marmot flags me I’ll go quietly. But if you want everyone to agree with you there are probably plenty of Dear Leader blogs where everyone agrees. Hey Shin Jong Il: I can’t tell if you agree with me or not. Are you mad that I criticized the Japanese or that I don’t criticize them enough. I can start if you like. I’m an equal opportunity ball buster. Besides I don’t know any Japanese people. I know plenty of Korean people and I have these kinds of discussions with them all the time. Some agree with me. Some probably hate my guts. But then not all the Koreans get along with each other either. It’s a mixed bag.
I mention Dear Leader a lot because I think he is the single biggest threat to Korea-not America, not Japan. I can’t understand why there aren’t massive, daily, protests and NK flag burnings to protest his murderous regime. The fawning over the NK cheer leaders while so many of there landsman are starving and imprisoned was a disgusting national disgrace. I was the best man at a Korean wedding at the time and I couldn’t believe how many people fell for this bit of blatant propaganda.
The Blue Eyed Devil moniker was given to me by a Korean gent who told me that when he was a kid in a little town in the North he was told by an older relative that blue eyed people were devils. He said he never really believed it - until he met me. I thought he was kidding. But I’m beginning to wonder. Thanks for the kid reference. I’m not a kid just extremely immature.
Tim (Filthy Capitalist Pig Dog)
P.s. America imports 58% of it’s crude oil. “Around two-fifths of this oil came from OPEC nations, with Persian Gulf sources accounting for about one-fifth of total U.S. oil imports”. http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/usa.html
We could probably survive without Arab oil. We would probably pay a lot more for gasoline but we would survive. I buy Sunoco which is Nigerian in origin.
PING:
TITLE: newsmap on Korea
BLOG NAME: Budaechigae ?쨋??흸??째흸?째흹
I checked newsmap, the News aggregator from yesterday morming’s post. According to Google News, the Impeachment Trial has 139 articles floating around the net, and the Korean Troop Dispatch to Iraq relocation results in 65 articles. The biggest story? It
PING:
TITLE: newsmap on Korea
BLOG NAME: Budaechigae ?쨋??흸??째흸?째흹
I checked newsmap, the News aggregator from yesterday morming’s post. According to Google News, the Impeachment Trial has 139 articles floating around the net, and the Korean Troop Dispatch to Iraq relocation results in 65 articles. The biggest story? It
PING:
TITLE: newsmap on Korea
BLOG NAME: Budaechigae ?쨋??흸??째흸?째흹
I checked newsmap, the News aggregator from yesterday morming’s post. According to Google News, the Impeachment Trial has 139 articles floating around the net, and the Korean Troop Dispatch to Iraq relocation results in 65 articles. The biggest story? It
PING:
TITLE: Eyes on Korea: 2004-04-13
BLOG NAME: Winds of Change.NET
Does NK’s latest offer mean anything? Aid subsidizing NK regime’s depravity?; ROK forces to Iraq; RAND study of ROK-US relations; Major US military realignment; SK elections and key info sources; More on SK & Iraq; NK Freedom Day April 28; NK budget & …
PING:
TITLE: Eyes on Korea: 2004-04-13
BLOG NAME: Winds of Change.NET
Does NK’s latest offer mean anything? Aid subsidizing NK regime’s depravity?; ROK forces to Iraq; RAND study of ROK-US relations; Major US military realignment; SK elections and key info sources; More on SK & Iraq; NK Freedom Day April 28; NK budget & …
PING:
TITLE: Eyes on Korea: 2004-04-13
BLOG NAME: Winds of Change.NET
Does NK’s latest offer mean anything? Aid subsidizing NK regime’s depravity?; ROK forces to Iraq; RAND study of ROK-US relations; Major US military realignment; SK elections and key info sources; More on SK & Iraq; NK Freedom Day April 28; NK budget & …
PING:
TITLE: Eyes on Korea: 2004-04-13
BLOG NAME: Winds of Change.NET
Does NK’s latest offer mean anything? Aid subsidizing NK regime’s depravity?; ROK forces to Iraq; RAND study of ROK-US relations; Major US military realignment; SK elections and key info sources; More on SK & Iraq; NK Freedom Day April 28; NK budget & …