Eyes on Korea: 2004-03-16

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. Today's Regional Briefing focuses on Korea, courtesy of Robert Koehler in Seoul.

TOP TOPICS

• Impeachment! South Korea's opposition-dominated National Assembly voted to impeach President Roh Moo-hyun only a year into a five year term.

• For all your NK diplomacy needs, I direct you to NKzone's archive on this subject -- there's enough info in there to keep you contented until next month's briefing.

• North Korea has been getting quite a bit of negative press lately, almost all of it -- IMHO -- deserved. Most of this was covered by my March 5 briefing (Eyes on Korea: Dispatches from Hell) at this very weblog, and if you haven't read it yet, you are highly encouraged to look at it now.

Other Topics Today Include: NK Nukes; More dispatches from hell; North Korea roundup; More on Roh's impeachment; South Korea roundup; US Forces Korea; Your moment of Zen from Big Hominid.

North Korea

• The six party talks came and went, with not a whole lot getting solved. Frankly, Korea bloggers are getting rather sick of talking with North Korea (see also the Flying Yangban, X-Rays and IA). For an interesting look at James Kelly's non-verbal diplomatic activity in Beijing, check out Joseph Bosco's post on this subject. Kirk of It Makes a Difference to the Sheep also has some ideas on the North Korean nuclear crisis that are worth reading.

• The Seattle Times (actually, it's a pickup of the LA Times) lets us know why progress is unlikely before the November election. The Chosun Ilbo's political cartoonist agrees.

• North Korean nukes: the Canadian connection

• In case anyone cares, the North Koreans are apparently demanding an American withdrawal from South Korea -- among other things -- in return for complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement (CVID) of North Korea's nuclear program.

• Just to tack on a few more additions to our Dispatches From Hell, the LA Times ran more defector testimony on North Korea testing chemical weapons on its own people, and this time, we have a North Korean scientist who claims to have witnessed the experiments with his own eyes. There is also a report that even North Korean internal security forces are feeling the pangs of hunger, as they may have been ordered to start fending for themselves as far as food is concerned.

• One country that doesn't look like it will be helping the North Korean people anytime soon is South Korea. Seoul plans to sit out -- again -- a U.N. vote if another E.U. sponsored resolution condemning North Korean human rights abused comes before the Human Rights Commission. And a South Korean civic group is condemning the North Korean Freedom Act of 2003. Just lovely.

• As always, for a constant source of information on North Korean human rights, visit Free North Korea!
  

South Korea

• Roh now awaits a Constitutional Court decision on the validity of the impeachment, and the smart money's on Roh returning to office. This is currently the talk of much of the Korea blogging community -- read the Yangban (link to his South Korean politics archive), X-Rays, Jeff in Pusan and Marmot. However, if I had to direct you to two places in particular, I'd say read this post by Woojay the Pythi Master and then move on to the Oranckay's blog -- his coverage of the impeachment crisis is the best in the English-speaking world. Start with this post if you're pressed for time. Also, make sure to read Don Park's take on this whole fiasco.

• Despite the political mess, USFK business goes on as usual, and South Korea will be sending its troops to Iraq according to schedule. The Kimchee GI also discusses some of the command structure issues that might accompany a joint U.S.-R.O.K. deployment in Kirkuk.

• Let's make it a Kimchee GI trifecta -- check out his roundup of an online discussion between USFK commander Gen. Leon LaPorte and Korean Internet users.

• Rathbone Press discusses why the Korean dispatch of troops to Iraq is in the ROK's best interests.

• NKzone links to an outstanding RAND report on dwindling (yet complex) South Korean support for the U.S.-R.O.K. alliance. A must read!!! If you're interested in South Korean attitudes toward the United States, perhaps you should also take a look at this survey.

• This might story might sound a bit odd, but it was one of the biggest stories of the past month -- a certain Korean actress and former Miss Korea got the bright idea of posing for a collection of nude photographs dressed as a WWII Japanese military "comfort woman." Also read here, and here. On a somewhat related note, read Cathartidae's post on Korean "patriotic dating."

• Jeff in Pusan contributed some very interesting social commentary, including two posts on the Korean education system (here's the first, and here's the second), as well as an essay on Korean women's obsession with beauty.

• The theologically minded might wish to read another Big Hominid special.

• Guess what Iranian soccer fans won't be seeing?

• Let me conclude by pointing out one of the most knowledgeable blogs about Korea written by a non-Korean. Hunjangui karuchim deals with a myriad of Korean social issues and is, in a word, a terrific read by someone who knows what he's talking about. He also posts some terrific photos from time to time.