The Marmot’s Hole

By SHELTON BUMGARNER
Marmot’s Hole Guest Blogger

The future weighed heavily on the minds of Korean peninsula residents this week, with a riot about the planned move of the Yongsan Garrison to Pyeongtaek, and fears about the future fall out of yet another drunken encounter between G.Is and Koreans.

But the tomorrow that we’re most interested in is July 25 — the day the long-stalled six-party talks are scheduled to begin anew.

Not only did the ROK give more details about what it will give the DPRK if it behaves and kills its A-Bomb program, the format of the meeting is set to change, as well.

Other interesting things about Korea were floating about, as well. The carrot of stability America is dangling in front of the DPRK is being threatened by the American government’s funding of a conference whose point is to quicken the collapse of…the DPRK.

The conference Tuesday in Washington will oppose economic aid aimed solely at persuading the regime to abandon its nuclear program without addressing human rights abuses, according to Allen Hertzke, director of religious studies at the University of Oklahoma.

Financial aid is at the heart of a South Korean proposal to end the North’s nuclear ambitions. It was announced this week and praised by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. South Korea would send 2,000 megawatts of electricity and a half-million tons of grain to the North if it gives up its nuclear program.

The conference will cost about $180,000, said Brown University Korea expert Jae Ku, who put the event together for the non-partisan group Freedom House. That money is part of $2 million Congress appropriated for a series of conferences under the North Korea Human Rights Act signed into law last year.

One interesting tidbit about the conference, according to USAToday:

Coinciding with the conference, President Bush will name a special envoy for human rights in North Korea, said Michael Horowitz of the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank. Horowitz, who with evangelical Christians has formulated strategy against the North Korean government, said the envoy will be Jay Lefkowitz, a former White House domestic policy adviser.

Lefkowitz is currently a lawyer with Kirkland & Ellis, LLP.

As mentioned above, he has existing ties to the current presidential administration.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s profit took a nose dive in the second quarter. The company can take heart, though, its credit rating is better than the ROK’s.

Our Week In Review “Quote of the Week” comes from the outgoing commander of the Yongsan Garrison.

YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea ??? Outgoing Area II commander Col. Timothy K. McNulty quoted a Fleetwood Mac song when addressing his troops for the last time during a change-of-command ceremony Thursday on Knight Field.

???Don?????t stop thinking about tomorrow, for tomorrow will soon be here,???? McNulty quoted after passing command to Col. Ronald C. Stephens. As Area II commander for the Installation Management Agency, Korea Region Office, Stephens now oversees Yongsan Garrison and Hannam Village in Seoul and camps Colbern, Market, Yongin and Tango, K-16 Air Base, the 8th Army Retreat Center and Sungnam Golf Club.