Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. This Regional Briefing focuses on Korea, courtesy of Robert Koehler of The Marmot's Hole.
Top Topics
- North Korea welcomed in October by announcing that it was using reprocessed plutonium to make bombs - South Korean president Noh Mu-hyeon responded by calling for calm, while the Minister of Unification requested that the US take a more conciliatory stance towards the North Koreans. The Bush Administration, on the other hand, was apparently unimpressed, much to the chagrin of critics on the Left and Right.
- For those interested in the debate surrounding democracy and "Asian Values," Prince Roy over at PRC News links to an outstanding paper by UCLA's Randall Peerenboom that you'd be advised to download
- The Hoover Institute's Harry Rowen contributes some outstanding analysis of the North Korean situation in this issue of Policy Review - a must read. For an excellent counter-opinion, check out Joseph's post on Rowen at Infidelworld.
North Korea: Developments
- US Secretary of State Colin Powell is apparently considering a multilateral security pact with North Korea. Chris over at Free North Korea! makes it quite clear that he does not favor security guarantees without North Korean promises to respect basic human rights - check out this sample letter at his site.
- The US is seeking a wider regional role for its forces in Korea, reports the Inifidel.
- Jasper Becker looks at some of the movement going on leading up to the next round of talks. Meanwhile, Joseph over at Infidelworld wonders if the North Koreans are "sexing things up" with their recent bluster.
- The North Koreans have apparently taken the liberty to cut the Japanese out of future talks concerning the nuclear issue. I also comment on this at the Marmot's Hole, as does Kirk at It Makes a Difference to the Sheep. Kirk also takes time to chronicle the opportunities lost by the North Koreans to improve their relations with the Japanese (here and here), as well as direct us to this post at Free North Korea! on how North Korea has miscalculated on the issue of Japanese abducties.
- Check out this October 10 piece in the WaPo concerning changes brewing in previously pro-Pyongyang ethnic Korean schools in Japan.
- What's the punishment for student radicals who break into a U.S. Forces Korea facility during a live-fire exercise? Why, a suspended sentence of course.
- Kevin of Big Hominid asks some extremely thought-provoking questions on North Korea - you'd be wise to give them a look.
- At Open Source Politics, Adam Morris - he of Brainysmurf fame - adds some very though-provoking commentary on North Korean refugees and the impact of Iraq on American North Korea policy. Check out Conrad's response over at the Gweilo Diaries, as well as my own over at the Marmot's Hole. This dialogue was sparked, BTW, by a heart-wrenching in the WaPo on the plight of North Korean refugees - Asia bloggers Andres Gentry and Peking Duck comment on it as well, as does Barry Briggs.
- Over at Tacitus, Big Dog asks us what we'd do about North Korea.
- Tony over at Oriental Redneck laments the failure of a number of Koreans to get a grip on reality when it comes to the North.
- Over at the Marmot's Hole, I question the thought process of the South Korean Ministry of Unification.
- Over at Big Hominid's Hairy Chasms, Kevin contributes quite possibly the definitive post on the debate surrounding food aid to North Korea (and it's not even finished yet!). Coincidentally, Kevin's analysis was in part triggered by this post by Brian of Cathartidae citing a report that food aid is being sold in North Korean black markets.
- On the topic of refugees, check out Alan Fung's series on the Sino-Korean frontier in the Asia Times - Part 6 deals with North Korean prostitution in Yanbian Choson Autonomous Prefecture. Also, the consulate section of the South Korean embassy in Beijing was forced to close due to an overload of refugees residing there.
- Thinking of taking a vacation to North Korea - take a look at this post by Brian of Cathartidae linking to some commentary on North Korean tourism at Right Wing News.
- Randall Parker takes a typically in-depth look at the North Korean economy over at Parapundit.
- South Korean President Noh Mu-hyeon may step down if he loses a proposed referendum on his rule in December. This is currently the biggest story in Korea at the moment, and Oranckay's Weblog is THE blog to consult on this matter - his posts on this issue are too many to link individually, so just visit his blog and enjoy. I offer a post on this topic as well at the Marmot's Hole.
- An initial fact-finding mission to Iraq concluded that South Korean peacekeepers would face little threat in the area around Mosul. That report received heavily criticism from a number of sources, and another fact-finding mission is now being arranged.
- Mike of Seeing Eye Blog takes the Korean daily Joongang Ilbo to task for their myopic vision concerning Iraq. Also worth-reading is his riotous and overdue assault on columnist William Pfaff, The Australian editor Paul Kelly, and Joongang Ilbo senior columnist Kim Young-hie.
- I offer my own thoughts on the debate concerning the potential South Korean dispatch of combat troops to Iraq at the Marmot's Hole (reprinted in the Korea Times here). Also check out Kevin of Incestuous Amplification's roundup of Korean news reports from the initial phase of this debate.
- Professor Song Du-yul, who is either a pro-democracy activist or a Communist traitor (it depends on who you ask), is back in South Korea after 37 years of exile in Germany, and his presence is creating quite a fuss. For those familiar with neither the man nor the controversy surrounding him, read through this Aidan Foster-Carter piece on him in the Asia Times. Two blogs you may want to take a look at for commentary on this issue are Oranckay's Weblog and my own. Choice pieces from the Oranckay - "Song Tortured By The Press," "For the Record: Song Du-yul," "Song Du-yul Admits Workers' Party Membership," and "The Chosun on Song and Kim Keun-tae." Over at the Marmot's Hole, the relevant posts are "Prof. Song Du-yul - A Couple of Thoughts," "OK, perhaps Song is a bigger scumbag than I previously believed," and "Song Du-yul's Flying Circus."
- Just how petty can South Korean politics get? This petty.
- Divorce - not just for Americans anymore. And on a strangely related note, Korea rules cyberspace.
- Outstanding Korea blogger and avid Red Sox fan (nobody's perfect, I guess) Kevin of Incestuous Amplification blogs at length about Red Sox reliever Kim Byung-hyun's infamous "one-finger" salute to the fans of Beantown - see "Done and Done," "Impressive Resume," "Customs" and "I Lied."
- On a more positive note, Samsung Lions first baseman Lee Seung-yup hit his 56th homerun of the season on October 2, breaking Sadaharu Oh's 39-year old Asian record for most homeruns in a single season.
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