This may come as a shock to many of you, but U.S. officials are apparently unhappy with the Korean government:
The U.S. government reportedly has not shown much concern about some Koreans protesting against the transfer of the U.S. facilities in a disorganized way. However, it has been learned that the U.S. government is paying close attention to the organized moves of some anti-American civic groups in Korea and the reaction of the Korean government. Sources say the U.S. government is taking special note of how the Korean government complies with promises made to the U.S. and bilateral political and military pacts, and whether it intends to value the bilateral relationship in the future.
Diplomats in Seoul say U.S. governmental officials have directly and indirectly expressed discontent with the Korean government. The primary concern of the U.S. government is whether the Korean government would react the same way concerning the reconstruction of the U.S. Embassy as it did with the issue of U.S. military base transfers.
U.S. Embassy officials use every chance they get to say that the future of the Korea-U.S. relationship depends solely on the Korean government and if the Korean people do not want U.S. troops in Korea, the troops won’t be kept here. A U.S. official reportedly said the Korean government must see that diplomatic ties between the United States and Japan have been brought closer than before. He said in a worst case scenario, the United States could turn to Japan.
Ouch, that had to hurt. And it gets worse:
The U.S. government is reportedly also concerned about the possibility of U.S. diplomats and military officers avoiding work in Korea. In a situation in which the embassy facilities, lodging, and education system in Korea are poor and Korean citizens unwelcoming, the U.S. government said it is getting harder to find officers willingly to work in Korea.
Hey, I like it here. And my shack in Itaewon ain’t bad. Maybe it’s time to finally take that foreign service exam.
7 Comments
Looks like a classic case of OhmyChosun to me. They call that journalism?
You’re obviously overqualified to be in the Foreign Service.
They’d send you to Nepal or someplace where your Korean was useless.
I don’t think the US will leave Korea anytime soon. It’s too much of a resume-builder for the US Army general (or wannabe general) staff. Well, wait a minute…maybe that new “base-friendly” country (Iraq) can supplant Korea as the future home to thousands of young American servicepeople!
I’ve already heard both from the media and from a USFK officer that the US military already has a problem with career officers and NCOs retiring rather than being stationed in Korea. This is already a reality, not some future problem.
Since I’ve been in the US and starting a new career, I’ve been running into a good number of lower level former soldiers who did tours in Korea, and suprise suprise, they have next to nothing good to say about it. It is a tough job being prepared in a Cold War setting to begin with. Couple that will small bases and old facilities. Then couple that with knowledge that a good number of the Korean people either hate you directly or have some detached hatred of the You (USFK in general and “those” soldiers), and you can’t imagine why someone would want to do a tour in Korea.
I found plenty to make my 4 or 5 years there worth it, and I’ll go back from time to time to visit my in-laws and travel and buy Korean goods I can’t get in the US and such, but I was not a soldier.
Looks like a Korean paper is once again getting used by a certain faction in the Korean government - this time the pro-U.S. faction. Being a journalist for a Korean paper has got to be one of the best jobs anywhere - you just parrot what someone tells you and you get bribes to boot (especially in cases of business reporting).
Anyway, there is some truth to this. Japan is looking like a much better ally recently. The sooner Rummy pulls 2ID out the better.
So the Korean papers are parroting the news, but oh, yeah, it happens to be true?
I’m all in favor of ‘parroting’ the truth.
Korea has always been a hard-to-fill hardship post for the USFK, for a combination of factors including those mentioned by usinkorea, but also for cultural reasons(e.g Americans’ ignorance about/squeamishness with foreign culture; a generally greater affinity with say Germany or Italy). But I’ve been hearing that many USFK soldiers are extending in Korea these days … to avoid Iraq.
The Korean government has always been a prickly customer for the U.S. or any foreign partner. The Korea media are jingoistic handmaidens of the government. They may function as a check on government in the domestic sphere, but never do they report trade or diplomatic issues pitting Korea against country X impartially.
I agree with Oranckay that the insuation-laden article is a typical example of crappy Chosun journalism. But U.S. officials in Washington have gone on record expressing exasperation at South Korean officials’ handling of the base relocation negotiation. I expect it will get worse before it gets better — especially as the Uri Party cuts its teeth.