Jesus, you know things are bad when even South Korea turns down an offer to slip Pyongyang pocket money hold talks with the North:
South Korea rejected dialogue with North Korea on Friday for the first time since they began to reconcile in 2000, shunning talks on easing border tension due to Pyongyang’s missile launches this week.
The move was South Korea’s latest effort to balance its”sunshine policy” with pressure on its communist neighbor, which defied weeks of appeals by launching seven missiles on Wednesday, including along-range Taepodong-2.
About next week’s intra-Korean ministerial talks scheduled to be held in Busan, however, Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok appeared to favor convening the meeting:
“The South Korean government wonders what it would mean if we refuse to talk to North Korea.”
It would probably mean you have a set of balls, Mr. Minister. Heaven forbid the North Koreans should think that.
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“The South Korean government wonders?”
If he and they are that clueless — well….
Roh’s growing a spine…? Nah, it won’t last long.
The spine has disappeared. According to the AP story I just read:
“South Korea has taken a markedly softer approach with Pyongyang, shelving earlier criticism of the missiles and insisting on maintaining ties with the North developed in recent years.”
I knew it was too good to be true when I heard that Noh and Co. were finally waking up.
Ah, But Then — there’s this update:
South Korea delays food aid to the North
6 minutes ago
SEOUL - South Korea said Friday that it will delay food and fertilizer shipments to North Korea until international tensions created by the North test-firing missiles this week are resolved.
The North had requested 450,000 tons of fertilizer and 500,000 tons of rice this year. The South has already shipped 350,000 tons of the fertilizer.
“We will hold off” on plans to send 100,000 tons of fertilizer to North Korea, the South Korean Unification Ministry quoted Minister Lee Jong-seok as saying. “In addition, we will hold off on providing 500,000 tons of rice,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “This will continue until there is an exit out of the missile problem.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....a_missiles
Well, here’s the way I see how things are for South Korea:
The sickly guy holding a gun in your face since 1953 MAY be full of shit and all you have to do is one Captain Kirk type karate chop and manly drop kick to send his ass home to mommy… not to mention pleasing the WWE-style international diplomacy desires of most right leaning bloggers.
Then again, he MAY ALSO blow your face off.
So I can kinda understand South Korea’s half century long neurosis about the situation.
Uri politicians are very sneaky bunch. They are actually more pro-Chinese than pro-North. They want to bring Korea into new Great Chinese Empire.
So, they are wondering what China is feeling about this reported “KJI’s unilateral action”? They want to know if this is really KJI’s defiance of Chinese order(funking lie) as reported in all media or KJI’s obedience to Chinese order.
They are confused.
Whatever happens these politicians want to sell stuffs to the Chinese. They wouldn’t do anything to cross them. “Kowtow to the Chinese and make money” is their motto.
Since the Chinese seems to act together with the US in condeming KJI, Uri pigs are doing the same. However, they know as I know that the missile lauches are coordinated by the Chinese.
So, they are hopeless lost.
However, soon they will go back to the way they were. Pro-China and pro-North. They will not change until they are overthrown.
If NK keeps shooting missiles, there may be a military coup in Korea. Some major generals are thinking about it. They know things are getting dangerous.
Half century neurosis? Try ten years. South Korea used to be, if anything, more hardline vis-a-vis North Korea (i.e., “pleasing the WWE-style international diplomacy desires of most right leaning bloggers) when the guy holding the gun to their face was a lot less sickly.
And nobody is asking South Korea to do a “Captain Kirk-type karate chop” All anyone is asking is that Seoul at least pretend that rewarding Pyongyang is contingent on Pyongyang’s behavior, not throw money at North Korea in the hope that all you need to do is shower KJI with enough love and they’ll realize just what a swell place the world is, not to mention be please the Oprah-style international diplomacy desires of most left-leaning bloggers (heh, that is fun).
Pyongyang isn’t crazy—they do what they do because it pays well.
“Pyongyang isn’t crazy—they do what they do because it pays well.”
We’ll see how well this pays off. This looks to be, for the most part, a calculated decision, with risk involved on either side. Once there was international chatter about the missile being on the platform and a potential missile test, they were forced to make a decision either way, cognizant of the costs. We see how they have chosen. Stay tuned for a possible Part II, with adjustments made on whatever feedback they may have received before the launch became unstable.
As far as paying well… I don’t think the result of the launch was what KJI intended to happen. If he has a more successful Part II, then he will earn considerably more social capital in the international arena, as it were. Again, stay tuned.
On a side note, its amusing the opinions and ideas that individuals formulate off of purely open source (internet news, opinion articles, and blogs) media.
Korea must decide its future now. It cannot go on like this. Time to decide on the fate of the nation is coming closer every day.
Korea can turn into VietNam(a part of GCE) or into Taiwan(fight against GCE). I believe the nation is divided into two camps right now. But, a nation divided into two major camps cannot survive, especially when it is surrounded by enemies.
A great leader with exceptional foresight is needed to buck the trend into NK-like future and unite the nation. Another support for military coup!
“South Korea used to be, if anything, more hardline vis-a-vis North Korea”
That’s the problem. South Koreans lived during the military governments (predecessors of the current conservative opposition) who drummed propaganda into the South Korean heads. For that reason South Koreans today are deeply suspicious of what they see as just more propaganda to avert attention away from domestic problems.
In a way, I understand William_G’s point. South Koreans have lived under the constant fear of destruction by a massive artillary barrage. For Japan and the United States, understandably they are upset because they are just starting to come into the same range of North Korean weapons that South Koreans had to live under for so long. But for South Koreans, what’s the point of making a big deal over missiles or nuclear weapons, when you got 20,000 guns that are able to do the same job as any nuclear attack?
“And nobody is asking South Korea to do a “Captain Kirk-type karate chop” All anyone is asking is that Seoul at least pretend that rewarding Pyongyang is contingent on Pyongyang’s behavior, not throw money at North Korea ”
This, I agree with. South Korea should stop throwing away money for nothing and fall in line with the US. That probably won’t change much in North Korea or the situation in the Korean peninsula, but it’s important for South Korea to appear they are siding with and backing the US.
off topic
So what happened to Mr. Steinberg (the guest blogger) after the stinging rebuke? Did he commit 切腹?
切腹= seppuku aka harakiri aka Japanese ritual suicide, just in case you couldn’t guess from the context.
Good point Mr. Marmot. Maybe Miss Park can bring her fathers chutzpah to the show? My office faces Chung wha dea, I swear the parking lot has been empty since the Norks lit the candle. And what the hell is this failing to tell the Air carriers that missiles are going to be flying through their flight paths! I guess Mr. Rho has forgotten about flight KE 007!
From what I read, Korean military eavesdropped on NK communication telling their fishing boats to stay away from the missle area three days prior to launch.
They sent the info up the chain to Pres. Rho and KCIA. However, the info got no attention. Up to that point, the official announcement from the administration was that NK was launching a satellite, not missiles.
Rho basically lied to his people. Even his generals are telling him different, he stuck to pro-North line.
Now, he is mum on the subject. He has not commented on the NK missiles in last five days. He is hiding out. He does not know what to do and what to say.
A sorry state for a president to be in. Remind me of Nixon after the Watergate broke.
Rho may overcompensate for his failure by issuing some stupid order to military. Remember Nixon’s action of putting the entire military for the highest DEFCON level for nothing?
President Rho has been hiding out ever since he got elected. For the first six months, he got impeached and the secretary of state, Gohgun, ran things. Mr. Gohgun did a superb job as an acting president and he will run for presidency in the next election.
When he got restored to power, Rho could not bear the pressure of the presidency. He, basically a country lawyer, had no gumption. He was afraid of criticism and the consequences of his action. Many times, he officially announced he wanted to quit.
Finally, he chose Lee Hae Chan as the secretary of State and let him handle day-to-day president. Rho, meanwhile, hid in the back of ChungWahdae posting his comments to newspaper articles. He wanted to assume no responsibility.
When Lee was gone due to infighting within his party, Mrs. Han became the secretary of state. With no experience other than Welfare and Feminist agenda, she gives no comments on missile crisis.
There is no one running the show in the administration at this time. Korea needs someone like Hague who will run to ChungWaeDae and declare “I am in charge”. A military coup is needed to set Korea to the right direction!
This is very similar situation as Park ChungHee’s military coup. The president at the time (1960), Yoon Bosun, had lost all his power. The congress basically made him a “lame duck”.
He could not do anything. He just sat in the Chungwaedae and read newspaper. He was glad to see a military coup! And, initially Park lied to Yoon that he would restore the presidency. Well, Park did that after he got elected.
Rho wants all the benefit of the presidency but he wants none of responsibilities. He should not have run for presidency in the first place. He didn’t know what he was doing.
A president can cause many deaths. Rho almost did that by sticking to his pro-North line and letting airplanes fly over the missile area. He is responsible! Knowing this, Rho may be afraid. Afraid of being in charge of so many lives. Afraid of leading Korea into the path of certain destruction and war.
He does not know what to do. He has to make a decision now to belong to the US-Japan side or the China-NK side.
He wants to run away from home!
As one president said, “if you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”.
A president must set the goal for his country and tell people what to do in case of national emergency.
THAT IS HIS JOB!!!!!
A yellow who cannot do this minimum function for the job should not occupy the post. Rho must resign.
There can be, of course, more sinister reasons behind his silence. He may be in kahoots with Hu and KJI.
He wants to hijack Korea toward Chinese side!
The majority of Koreans do not want this. Koreans want non-Communist form of government and they want free market economy. Koreans have no intention of joining the poor house; the Chinese per capita income is about $1000/year and NK’s too low to mention.
Rho is crazy if he is doing this. He will be joined with Kim IlSung as the “worst traitors of Korean people”. Everybody will spit on his grave and kill his descendents.
So, beware.
Baduk, you need to lay off the catnip.
If SK hopes to have even the slimmest chance of reunification on their terms, they must throw their entire support to the US. Turn the screws on NK. Go back to Cold War mentality. Treat NK as public enemy #1. Absolutely NO mercy. Bring these NK bastards to their knees.
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Actions and Reactions…
You have to love the DPRK.
* They make preparations for missile launches and are told by Japan that “if they launch bad things will happen”
* They launch the missile anyway
* Japan imposes sanctions
* The DPRK demands that the s…
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[...] the Bush administration. That doesn’t mean that the US and Korea shouldn’t do anything. Korea has already suspended aid to North Korea which we will see how long that lasts, but at least it is something. So what are the US’s [...]