The Marmot’s Hole

By SHELTON BUMGARNER
Marmot’s Hole Guest Blogger

Protecting The Protector

The news bouncing around the Korean blogosphere these days reminds one of William Faulkner’s quip that in the American South, “The past’s not dead, it’s not even past.”

Issues one thought were settled keep coming back like a dead body squirming because it isn’t quite ready to give up the ghost.

G.I Korea Blog is among several blogs to discuss the continuing political controversy swirling around the MacArthur statue at Incheon’s Freedom Park. One Free Korea also touches on the issue.

Koreans, G.I. Korea Blog points out, were among the millions of lives saved or changed by the decision to drop the A-Bomb on Japan.

A factor I think Truman should of taken into account was the fact that the Soviet military entered the war on August 8, 1945 one day before the bombing of Nagasaki. The Soviet invasion had both pros and cons for Truman. The pro was that the invasion would put more pressure on the Japanese to surrender. The negative was that the Soviets were gobbling up territory before the US military could claim territory which I think Truman took into account. If the war dragged on any longer the Soviets could of very welled occupied all of Korea and the Japanese main land island of Hokkaido since they had already occupied the Kuril islands.

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I feel Truman didn’t take this option into account because he ordered the bombing of Nagasaki only one day after the Soviet entry into the war. I think the fear of the Soviets gobbling up large chunks of territory in Japan is what forced Truman’s hand to bomb Nagasaki. The American leadership felt that the occupation of Japan was critical in the soon to be developed containment policy of the Soviet Union. If the United States did not control all of Japan or ended up with a split Japan then the Soviets would have the advantage in controlling all of northeast Asia. This was definitely geo-politics at its most cunning level.

The Lost Nomad covers another protest over the decision to move the Yongsan Garrison to the Pyeongtaek area about 70 km south of Seoul.

North Korea Zone provides a nice report of what happen during the most recent round of six-party talks. Over at my own Migukin, I brood about why what happened, happened..and what happens next.

Our “Korea, Assignment of Choice” for this edition of On Other Blogs comes from North Korea Zone as well:

Sigal writes: “far from isolating North Korea, the United States is itself becoming odd man out in the region. If this misguided course had a name, it would be hawk disengagement.”