US to import North Korean...

US to import North Korean... soju?!

This soju will run $90-$100 a box and $10-$12 a bottle. I wonder if this will actually happen and if it will expand.

Documentary

Sorry but I realized that I had forgotten to post references for the documentary I included in my blog post earlier. The title of the video is:

"Welcome to North Korea" by Peter Tetteroo for KRO Television, 2001

Length: 50 minutes

US to brief on alleged N.Korea-Syria nuclear link

The Bush Administration has decided that it would start briefing members of Congress today on alleged connections between Syria and North Korea in creating a nuclear powered reactor. This occurs months after an Israeli air raid in Syria on Sept. 6th, 2007 revealed suspicious structures in Syria. At first, only "appropriate" members of Congress had been informed, which is often the case when dealing with sensitive matters concerning international issues. Even though other lawmakers will be briefed today, they will only be the ones serving on military and intelligence committees.

The issue is that the United States wants to negotiate with North Korean officials, yet most of the work had been done behind closed doors. As more information is known about the Syrian issue, it can become problematic as Syria was never covered in previous negotiations/talks. As the situation develops, it will be interesting to see what this can lead to in the future.

As we have seen in class throughout the semester, negotiations with the North Korean regime have always been complicated. As the Bush presidency comes to a close this year, it will be interesting to see what their last efforts in the field of foreign affairs yield. Soon, another Administration will have to start negotiating with them, which can only leave us to wonder what their strategy will be concerning North Korea.


Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN22325946

Also, I found this interesting documentary that was shot in 2001 by a Dutch reporter crew. It is interesting to watch if you get the chance.

The Samsung chairman, Lee Kun-hee, resigns over scandal

Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, who had been indicted on tax evasion and other charges, said Tuesday he was stepping down after 20 years as chief of South Korea's biggest conglomerate. There is some news article from the New York times.
Special prosecutors Thursday indicted Lee on charges of evading 112.8 billion won ($113 million) in taxes, ending a three-month probe in the family-run conglomerate prompted by allegations of wrongdoing by a former Samsung lawyer. However, the Prosecutors dismissed the most explosive claim -that Samsung used affiliates to raise a slush fund to bribe influential South Koreans for lack of evidence. They also decided to indict Lee without arrest, saying his apprehension was too big a risk for South Korea, citing ''the extremely competitive global economic situation.''
These results from the special prosecutors provoked widespread criticism from Korean public. However, it is not expected for Lee Kun-hee to step down.
Besides his stepping down, Samsung said that it would eliminate its Strategic Planning Office, long a lightning rod for critics of its management structure. Samsung also said Lee would pay the taxes he is accused of evading and that $4.5 trillion of won ($4.5 billion) of his assets special investigators discovered in stock and bank accounts would not be used by Lee personally. Addressing two key issues, Samsung said it would not move into the banking sector, nor would it set up a holding company.
Lee Kun-hee’s decision was surprising to most of Korean people, but it is still controversial because the family succession structure is still intact.
For example, Park Won-suk, a senior official with the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, a leading shareholders' activist group said that "This cannot be considered a major reform measure even with Lee stepping down, because the management structure of Samsung is built up so that he can influence it as he wishes anyway."

Chairman Lee Kun-hee and Vice Chairman Lee Hak-soo

The Bataan Death March

Have you ever heard of the Bataan Death March?
























It is one of the Japanese war crime took place in the Philippines in 1942. The 60-mile (97 km) march occurred after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines (1941–42), during World War II. The march involves the forcible transfer of 90,000 to 100,000 American and Filipino prisoners captured by the Japanese in the Philippines from the Bataan peninsula to prison camps. During the march, Japanese soldiers committed wide-ranging physical abuse, murder, and very high fatalities were inflicted upon the prisoners and civilians along the route. Beheadings, cut throats and being casually shot were the more common and merciful actions — compared to bayonet stabbings, rapes, guttings (disembowelments), numerous rifle butt beatings and a deliberate refusal to allow the prisoners food or water while keeping them continually marching for nearly a week (for the slowest survivors) in tropical heat. It was as horrible as other Japanese war crime.

I found a website which contains testimony from the Bataan survivors. What I found very interesting in the website is the American victims’ attitude in comparison with Asian countries’ public’s attitude. Most of Asian countries’ museum and websites contains certain degree of nationalism and collective antipathy against Japan (For example, the Chinese website on the Nanking massacre). However, this site is just trying to record and remember what happened in the Bataan and trying not to be emotional. Is this a difference of culture? Or American public perceived Japan was underwent enough punishment while Asian countries’ public still do not think so?

Some testimonies from the website:

"On the first day, I saw two things I will never forget. A Filipino man had been beheaded. His body lay on the ground with blood everywhere. His head was a short distance away. Also, there was a dead Filipino woman with her legs spread apart and her dress pulled up over her. She obviously had been raped and there was a bamboo stake in her private area. These are instances I would like to forget."

"They were expected to keep up like everyone else, regardless of their condition. But, some wounded prisoners just couldn't go on. They were either bayoneted, beat with clubs, rifle butts, or shot. Some soldiers had diarrhea so bad that they couldn't keep up and the Japanese shot them."

HITCHENS ON THE DPRK

Whatever else one may think of him, Christopher Hitchens is seldom if ever at a loss for words. Here, he takes on North Korea and what he sees as the Bush Administration's decoupling of disarmament and human rights issues. I have quite a bit of sympathy for his overarching point: what are we going to say to the citizens of North Korea if and when their oppressive regime collapses about what we did concerning their plight in the 90s and the 00s? On the other hand, it is hard to know what to do with this concern. What, exactly, would Hitchens or anyone else have Washington do about P'yongyang? Tighter sanctions (which would hurt the marginalized "hostile classes" of North Korea more than the leadership)? Stronger rhetoric (which always seems to prompt a howl of protest from the DPRK)? Something else? Like Gen. John Hodge of the USAMGIK in the late 1940s, I don't know the answer to this but wish I did.

Kicking it at Camp David

Publicly, it seems as if President Bush and President Lee have been getting along as well as expected during Lee Myung-bak's trip to Camp David. The future of trade relations between the two countries topped the discussion list as the realization of a South Korea-US FTA may be realized since the South Korean Parliament rescinded the ban of US beef imports. Bush declared that he will press Congress to agree to the FTA agreement but the increased importation of Korean cars under the agreement poses a problem under the Democratic controlled Congress.
Bush also spoke of the need to gain a definitive declaration of nuclear capabilities from North Korea as key to moving the stalled 6PT along with any hope of actual long term resolve of the North Korean Nuclear problem. Article


Without such a a declaration and a way to figure out if whatever claim by the North is actually a fact is the only way in which not to repeat the eventual breakdown of the GAF of 1994 in which concessions were made only to buy time against North Korea. I do not think the North Korean people who are starving all over again and the group of countries negotiation with the "rouge regime" have the time or energy to let this eruption of attention gathering occur again.

The Word of the Week is RICE

I have not been able to tune in to any news outlet in the past week without hearing about the rise in rice prices and the potential devastating effects a rice shortage has already put into motion. Already there have been riots in Haiti and a restriction of rice exports by Vietnam and India. With the focus centered on how the rising cost of rice will cripple impoverished people worldwide, I immediately wondered if South Korea may readjust their recent attitude toward North Korea in order to mitigate more starvation of their neighbors. The Korean Times published an article today explaining President Lee's swift actions to stave off potential hunger in the North. Part of the strategy for increasing production and food security includes storing grain in Russia's Far East and leasing land in Southeast Asia for possible simultaneous 2 or 3 crop production.

Korea and John McCain (continued)

McCain and Korea on YouTube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wk50_hyiZnE

"We must support our Korean allies" or John McCain's Perspectives on Korea

As we all known, Sen. John McCain has become the "soon-to-be" Republican nominee for the preseidential election to held in November. As such, he has traveled a lot over the past few months all over the world (he visited with G. Brown and N. Sarkozy) and has taken on issues of foreign issues a little bit more frequently. Therefore, his op-ed in an Arizona newspaper seems interesting, especially when it deals with relations between S. Korea and the U.S. This is also the same week that Lee Myung-bak will be in Washington, D.C.

In essence, his op-ed reminds the readers of the sacrifices made by all countries during the Korean War, but it also touches upon a lot of issues that we have talked about in class: abductions, nuclear programs, food shortages, lack of basic freedoms, etc... If you have the chance, read it as it is an interesting outline of a potential president of the United States' Korean policy...

Link:
http://origin.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_8942051

Kwangju Democratic Movement

Hello. Tomorrow is the discussion about the Kwangju Uprising/Massacre/Democracy Movement/Incident. Here are a couple youtube videos to watch. I think reading about something is completely different than seeing it on video. Seeing the videos make it more personal and real.

This is a video that shows American newscasts covering the Gwangju Movement. It is VERY interesting. I think the 3rd video (the one that is playing at around the 5:00 time) is the best one.




This video is a "Remember Gwangju" video, so it focuses on the violence and destruction. I am wondering about a couple scenes from this video. In the video, you see caskets lined up with Korean flags on them and people massed to view them. Then you see more scenes of caskets made of wood with the names written on them. There is a clear difference between the memorials, so I am assuming the first group of caskets that looked more respected with the flag were soldiers who died and the others were citizens.



This is an EBS channel video, which is Korean. I think it is probably really informative.. but it is in Korean. Be aware, this one has really sad music.





This video shows a later democratic movement in 1987. I think it is the one discussed in the introduction Gi-Wook Shin from "Contentious Kwangju". Look on page xxv. I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure that part of the reading is about the movement in this video. When trying to find more information about this.. I found an interesting article from the China Post. The article is here.

First the Pope. Now who else is coming?

So Washington, DC is quite the place to be in this week. The blooming Cherry Blossoms. The Pope celebrating mass at Nationals Stadium. And finally, ROK President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to the White House on April 18-19.

This article in Bloomberg.com outlines Mr. Lee’s agenda, and you know the two main topics to be discussed will be the KORUS-FTA and North Korea’s nuclear program.
Because Lee promised to revitalize the ROK economy during his campaign, he certainly has to be concerned over recent protectionist actions and rhetoric coming from US Congress and presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, especially after the House rejected the Colombia FTA. In my opinion, I hope Congress and the next administration will look beyond the economic implications of this FTA and think more broadly of the security benefits of a strengthened US-ROK alliance. Also on the table will be the issue of what to do with the pesky North. Mr. Lee’s firmer stance on the DPRK is certainly a welcome change for President Bush, who was at odds with Roh Moo Hyun’s engagement policies. However with Bush’s lame-duck status, our presidential candidates have yet to express their strategies in dealing with the North Korean nuclear issue. At any rate, it should be interesting to hear the statements coming out of the North following Mr. Lee’s visit to the White House and his subsequent stop in Japan on April 21-21.

Samsung investigation and 'the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice'

International Harald Tribune had an article about 'the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice' and Samsung inquiry in Korea.
The Catholic Priests' Association for Justice performed a central role in South Korean struggle for democracy during the 1980s. And now the priests are fighting against Samsung, the country's largest conglomerate, which faces allegations of large-scale bribery.
With their brave efforts, Samsung's chairman, Lee Kun Hee, was questioned, for a second time by an independent counsel investigating the corruption charges on last Friday. Lee said that "All this is due to my oversight," after a five-hour interrogation. "I will take all responsibility, whether moral or legal. I appeal for leniency for my subordinates." Lee, 66, also said he would "seriously consider shaking up my group's management structure and its management lineup, including myself." But he did not clarify whether he admitted to any wrongdoing or would step down. Bodyguards whisked him away while protesters called for his punishment.

The priests consider Samsung as 'a more elusive Leviathan' than the past dictators. In other words, they are arguing that Samsung, a father-to-son dynasty which bribes governments, politicians and judges and crushes its labor union, is a counter-force against the real democracy in Korea as military government was during 1980s.
The months-long investigation has entered the final stages. And the counsel is expected to release its findings by April 23. However, many people in Korea are skeptical about the investigation because they believe that Samsung is too powerful to handle, and the new Lee government, which is very neoliberalistic and pro-corporation, does not have strong will to investigate Samsung.

'VICE GUIDE TO NORTH KOREA"

A series of short documentary-like clips of one person's encounters with the DPRK can be seen here. I find it interesting to consider what the very fact that this guy was allowed to visit and film in the North says about the current state of DPRK-foreign relations.

update: This looks interesting too.

Current views of former anti-Japanese students

Hello. I found an Asahi Shimbun article that talks about some South Koreans who were student protesters against normalized relations with Japan and Park Chung Hee and how their views have changed today. I didn't know it before reading this article, but the new president Lee Myung Bak falls in this category. He was a student anti-Japanese activist, but today he is promoting strong South Korean-Japanese ties for the sake of development. This article also talks about how some Japanese also did not support normalized relations because they thought it may represent revival of Japanese imperialism over a former colony. This article has some opinions that are not usually covered in South Korean-Japanese relations publications. This is the article.

Political Consensus

I go on Korea Times online everyday and I have overlooked this article everyday for several weeks. I finally clicked on the link tonight, and it happened to be about what our class discussed today. This is an opinion piece written by Andrei Lankov. I think the article has some good information. I don't know how I feel about his point that there was not loud dissent in the 1953-1979 period in South Korea. I think there was dissent, but it was forced to be quiet. I don't think dissent was non-existent, though it may have been ignored. We will hear more about this next week. Article.

Rocket Man vs. the Bulldozer

So I just picked up this week’s Economist. And for those of you who haven’t read it yet, there’s a good article on recent North-South relations aptly titled “Rocket Man v. Bulldozer”. As anticipated in my “Sing Song Diplomacy” entry last month, it looks like music can win hearts and minds for only about oh…..a day. The Economist essay details Kim Jong-Il’s actions in response to Lee Myung-bak’s more aggressive strategy. Since February, KJI has kicked out South Korean business officials, launch naval missiles into the sea, and sent his MIG’s and army units provocatively close to the DMZ. Although the South has remained relatively calm – calling the missile tests “routine military exercises, one has to wonder how long Lee Myung-bak’s approach can persevere in the face of criticism and a DPRK looking upset a strengthening US-ROK alliance. Mr. Lee's promise of economic revitalization already looks to be in trouble with the indefinite shelving of some investment projects in the North. Indeed, both the "Rocket Man" and the Bulldozer" are playing a high-stakes game of chicken.

JAPANESE MOFA ON TAKESHIMA

Japan's Foreign Ministry throws down the gauntlet here. I find the timing of this a bit puzzling since the rhetoric of the newly elected South Korean president, Myung-bak Lee, appeared to provide an opening for not going down the usual path of conflict and controversy. Plus ca change ...

‘China’s Political Fragility’ and ethnic minority problems

I went to Prof. Susan Shirk’s lecture today, titled as “The Foreign Policy Implications of china’s Political Fragility.” You will be able to find her interview on her recent book (China: Fragile Superpower) here and her lecture clip here. Her lecture was very good in general: she mentioned various sources of instability and the Chinese political leader’s concern for them.

However, I was surprised that she did not even mention about ethnic minority problems in China. It is very recent phenomenon, but the Tibetan case clearly demonstrates the backfiring of Chinese policy toward ethnic minority and ‘historical revisionism’. I guess she didn't understand how imfortant and sensitive the enthnicity and history issues are in the Asian culture.

I think that as much as China trying to infuse nationalism and seeking integration by historical revisionist projects such as the South West project for Tibetans, it will inevitably create resentment from minorities and even create 'resistance nationalisms' from minorities' sides. (I mentioned about the relations between the South East project and Tibet demonstrations in my previous posting on Tibet's demonstration)
At the same time, historical revisionism and nationalism will inevitably raise some ontological questions within China: What is China? Who is Chinese? The Han Chinese? The communist Chinese? Or anybody who is in current Chinese national borders? Those will be very difficult to answer and make the Chinese government's attempt as self-contradictory.
The worst case for the Chinese government is when the economic polarization problem is worsened and combined with the ethnic minority problem. It will be the most explosive situation in China.

Pieces of Memories from the Ground

In preparation for our discussion of the Korean War, I called my grandma to see what she could remember of my grandfather's experience as a member of the air force during the Korean War. (My grandfather currently resides in Arlington Cemetery, a victim of a car crash when I was 9. I get more angry about it as the years go by at the irony of him living through WWII, Korea, and Vietnam only to die in a car accident.)
I think my grandma surprised herself at how much she remembered. Although Grandpa flew bombing missions in the Atlantic during WWII right up until the end, the interwar period saw a dramatic increase of the technology and style of the planes into jets. Although he just needed some training, the large number of young pilot fresh from school and with superior training on the newer birds allowed Grandpa to be stationed on the ground. For more about the aircraft used in the Korean War by the U.S. and how technological innovation and capability restriction determined the evolution of aerial support in the war, click here. He experienced a few trips of R&R in Japan during his station in Korea and did not return until his mission ended.
He did bring an interesting souvenir home form Korea, though. Apparently, the area in South Korea where he was stationed was quite friendly with the U.S. soldiers and my grandfather became good friends with one family in particular. Because the family knew my grandfather was going to be a father soon, the patriarch of the family presented my grandfather with a set of traditional Korean baby clothes which were made by his wife. My grandma recalled how impressed she was with the vibrant colors and at the fact that the family went to the trouble to make clothes for a boy and a girls since she was indeed expecting twins.
Time permitting this weekend, it would be good to find some of his military logs as kept them all from each tour of duty served.