PanMunJom

PanMunJom In note of the potential infiltration along the DMZ (in one direction or the other), here is a link back to my four-part note on my visit to this relic of the cold war.

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV

A Marker Along the DMZ

This is one of the old mid-line DMZ markers, written in English and Korean on the South side and Chinese and Korean on the North side. The signs, put up in the 1950s, are rusting, and really show their age and the age of the state of confrontation along the frontier between the two Koreas. Given today's news of a possible infiltration south or defection north, I thought I'd put a few pictures of the DMZ up. 

"Speaking in a Condition of Drunkenness"

One of the best articles of the day from the Korean press is the Chosun Ilbo's take on the media-slamming comments by South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hai Chan.

Drunken Prime Minister Rips Conservative Daily Papers
Prime Minister Lee Hai-chan, speaking in a condition of drunkenness, criticized the Chosun Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo in earthy language Monday, the last day of the Progressive Governance Summit, sparking controversy.

Despite attempts by his aides to restrain him, Lee poured out without reserve expressions like, "Chosun, Dong-A, don't plot against history," and "The Chosun and Dong-A are in the palm of my hand."
Read the rest HERE

Now, I have seen "speaking on condition of anonymity" and the like, but on condition of drunkenness???

That said, there is a bit of a serious note here. South Korean government has three major obstacles to overcome as it matures - The Military, The Unions, and The Conservative Media. The military has, for the most art, finally become subservient to the civilian leadership. The unions, while still a bit of trouble, are in and out of negotiations with the government and industry, and the massive and violent street demonstrations of years past are little more than the lingering smell of tear gas wafting on the springtime breeze.

But the media remains intransigent, and the current government has been on a crusade against the big three - Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo and JoongAng Ilbo - since before it came to power. There are alternative media out there, like OhMyNews, but even they have their own biases. Newspaper readership is quite high in Korea (I have to hunt down the numbers), as is broadband internet access, and information flows. Even more than the battles between Fox News and CNN and the like in America, South Korean media is fighting for the ability to shape Korean society through information.

The Zayitun Brigade

South Korean soldiers fashionable as ever... 

Here is a shot of the South Korean forces near Irbil, Iraq (Picture is from a South Korean newspaper). South Korea will ultimately have some 3600 troops in Iraq, making it the third biggest contributor to the international forces after the U.S. and U.K.

One note here is the very fashionable look of the soldiers. One comment from a Korean lady who saw this was that Korean women won't go anywhere without make-up on, except perhaps to exercise.

The Korean forces have been threatened several times by various groups, most of which are never heard from again. But al Qaeda #2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has specifically listed South Korea as a target due to its contribution to the Iraqi forces, even if South Korean forces remain in the Kurdish areas of the northern part of Iraq, and made it a stipulation of their deployment that they not be under the command of the U.S. forces.

The decision to deploy to Iraq remains unpopular, but President Roh managed to ride out the beheading of a South Korean civilian, and will continue to ride out opposition to this. For Roh, this is about much more than Iraq, it is about the future of a more independent South Korean defense force.