I’ll tell you, these North Koreans are a piece of work. At yesterday’s intra-Korean ministerial meetings in Busan, the North Koreans actually claimed that Pyongyang’s military-first “Songun policy” was helping protect the security of South Korea and that the majority of South Koreans have benefited from said policy.
To which, South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok replied, essentially, “Who the hell asked you to protect us?”
Oh yeah, and Pyongyang asked the South to send rice and raw materials for North Korea’s light industrial sector.
Brass balls, man. Brass balls.
UPDATE: Joshua also discusses North Korea’s “offer [Seoul] can’t refuse,” while a commenter on his blog offers this wisdom:
Now should ROK not pony up the dough then DPRK’s will “rough” ROK a little. Just like your local neighorhood “yangachee” thugs. It’s all “protection” money man!
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I am always on the desperate lookout to defend the current administration (NOTE: I did not say regime.) so let me point out this from the same piece:
I personally think the “has anyone asked” bit is the money shot of the whole piece.
Yeah, I think lee hasbeen growing some balls of late. i was worried about him at first, but after the North shafted him on the DJ visit, he’s been hittin’ them hard.
Was about to add that.
Since when had the north occupied Gangwha-do?
Oops, nevermind.
I guess I was a little quick on the gun with that one.
I hope the Korean press dwells for a few moments upon this telling attitude of NK. Those guys are pure gang-bae.
That Chosunilbo article reminded me of a Sopranos episode where Tony and crew are exacting “payments” for protecting mom and pop stores all over town. What’s the equivalent of Cosa Nostra in Korean anyone? Don Jong Il’s lieutant is now demanding rice and raw materials for protection? Oh my, Question is: Is Roh a
“Made Man?”
Rho will tell Lee, “it is NK’s national right to ask for rice”.
He will also call Koizumi and say, “Japan has to send rice to North Korea as well, to maintain peace in the region”.
The Great Pretender is Charley ‘the Gent’ Malloy to Korea’s Terry “I coulda been a contender” Malloy. I guess that makes KJI Jonny Friendly.
Read the Korean netizen comments about this.
Chosun readers are predictable
http://www.chosun.com/politics.....30009.html
But I wouldn’t have expected this from left wing Hankyoreh readers.
http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/pol.....40826.html
Well, those are some strong words from the Hani readership.
Sometimes it takes a collection of articles such as those found in today’s papers to put into focus how disingenuous Asian politicians and diplomats may act without coming to grips of the issue - an insecure nation state run by a regime that acts more like the Mafioso than any other political model. The DPRK is a “nation” that routinely attempts protection rackets upon its neighbors - such as threats, depending on the neighbor, as “sea of flames,” “we will swamp you with our refugees,” “we have the right to have our nuclear weapons and missiles for our defense and its your problem if there is a destablizing arms race in NE Asia.”
China tries to play master power broker but wimps out like a cheap politician, always looking to have it both ways at all times. North Korea tries to intimidate Seoul one week by threatening to devastate the capital and ten days later suggesting that S Koreans should take comfort in the North’s weapons as they are for their own protection. South Korea’s president, a full week following the missile tests, finally comes out with a public statement admitting he can’t get his mind around the situation — which doesn’t surprise me given his Never-Never Land, ideological blinders.
And then we have Japan and the US. The Japanese ultra-conservative establishment is working its mass media overtime to get the national Tribe used to a more conventional, military-ready Japan of the 21st century - thanks to Dear Leader’s antics (they just got to love the little rascal). The US is now in the midst of this circus with a conflicting agenda of not trying to destablize the regime and to coax it back to six-party talks, while at the same time, is doing all it can to put on the financial squeeze that could conceivably weaken the DPRK to its ultimate destablization, in the name of criminal activity sanctions. The US piously says the sanctions are not linked to other diplomatic activities — but try to get anyone in N Korea and China to buy that line.
What really impresses me most about all of this is there are hundreds of people in these nations that draw significant government salaries and benefits to play this strange, strange game. What a way to make a living. Meanwhile, the band plays on…
Thinking long-term, the north Korean may be right, in a round about sort of way. Given the fact that many Koreans view north Korea as a miniscule threat versus the serious one posed by Japan, what will happen when the zoo up north finally collpases? Does anyone really believe a unified Korea will be fully transparent in divulging the disposition of all of the WMD or missile technology they discover.
If the North imploded and the South had to absorb them, this place would be finished.
I am going to suggest that N Koreans are not the only Koreans with brass balls…. This was from a couple of days ago…
Uri Bigwig Asks U.S. to Atone for Korean Division in FTA
The chairman of a National Assembly oversight committee on Monday night stirred up a demure Korea-U.S. party in Seoul by linking tariffs on goods from an inter-Korean joint venture to America’s role in dividing the two Koreas.
Kim Won-wung, who is a Uri Party lawmaker, said the demand to include goods from the Kaesong Industrial Complex north of the border in a free trade pact with Washington “has something to do with the U.S. paying the historic debt it owes over the division.”
“If the two Koreas hadn’t been divided, the Korean War would not have occurred, which in turn would have eliminated the need to create the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the first place,” Kim told startled guests at the party marking the second round of bilateral FTA negotiations at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on Monday evening.
Kim expressed hope to see U.S. companies operate in the Kaesong complex “and Americans buy affordable quality products produced in the North Korean complex.” That, he said, would help the U.S. “to repay its historic debt it owes for dividing the two Koreas and help South Koreans see genuine will in the U.S. to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
Kim told reporters by phone on Tuesday his remarks were intended to stress that the Kaesong Industrial Complex “plays an important role in unifying the two Koreas, and the U.S., one of the powers that divided the two, needs to offer assistance to the North Korean complex.” After liberation from Japanese rule in 1945, Korea was divided by the Allies roughly along the current border, with the South put under U.S. administration.
(englishnews@chosun.com)
url: http://english.chosun.com/w21d.....10021.html
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that’s priceless.
Classic, the U.S. “paying the historic debt it owes” — which is a line I’m sure Mr. Kim would also throw out at receptions for Chinese or Russian officials….
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Many call North Korea crazy- maybe so but they play SK like a fiddle.
Yes they got a proper response from the unification minister. We all know the undisciplined Roh government ministries don’t know what the other ministry is doing and the unification minister said the first thing that popped into his mind. Tomorrow we will get another take on it from another ministry and I am sure it will be much more compassionate and understanding of North Korea. Slowly this reasoning will gain traction and have followers in SK. The hard core lefties will grab onto this idea of the selfless North Koreans developing nukes for the Korean peninsula. Then the teachers can teach it to all the students. And the journalists can sell it to the people. And any politician, namely Roh, who wants a way to try to understand the poor misunderstood brother, or more likely desperately needs a way, any way, to smooth things over with North Korea, now has ammunition. Trust me this WILL catch on in time.
Oh, YEAH. This is going to stick like stink on shit. It just doesn’t get any better, does it?
Perhaps as a counter claim, the US representative should push to include a clause that will provide for the immediate repayment of US aid provided under the Korean Agreement on Aid (1948), the Korea Econonomic Coordination Agreement (1952), the Assistance to Korea Act (1953), and later the Foreign Assistance Act (1961).
It should state in clear terms that the prosperity of South Korea is due directly to the said division and the aid that followed. Moreover the repayment shall be made in present day value, not in nominal terms of the aid provided. Then once payment has been made we can “discuss” Kaesong Industrial Park goods.
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[...] I would love to know where the ‘muntual’ part comes in. I have seen plently of help over the last decade or so but, as far as I can tell, it has been all one-way. Perhaps he is talking about how North Korea is defending the South from the dirty Japs. Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]