War games on the Penninsula

Kim Jong Un threatened that North Korean army shall make pre-emptive strike if its territory is 0,001 mm violated. USA and South Korea start their war games tomorrow.

There is a lot of propaganda flying on both sides. South Koreans and Americans emphasise that military exercises are mostly defensive and computer based. North Korea claims that has only peaceful and defensive intentions.

The threat arrived day after special envoy to Seoul Glyn Davies said that before Washington talks to North Korea about any improvement in bilateral relations, first North has to improve its relations with the South.

Kim Jong Un said that during a visit to the unit that shelled the Yeongpyeong Island back in 2010.

Threatening South Korea is a regular habit between regular joint American- South Korean military exercises which happen usually once a year.

It is yet to be determined which way the new regime in North Korea goes. But what we see is likely inherited same old tale, threat and blackmail.

To those naive that think South may win the war: it may win it, but if attacked its core economic heart which is situated in Seoul and around it will be shelled by normal range tactic missiles. Their southern perimeter ends at the Ajou University Campus in Suwon.

This means that the two states actually checkmate themselves. Spoiled South Korean population ( with small exceptions) that is used to driving super cars and walking on cute high heels would not even support the idea of war if it meant sacrificing silver spoon lifestyle they have.

More on the topic:
Rice and Money - my amatour movie

Kimjongilia - Sundance Offocial selection 2009
had seen it in 2010 thanks to the kind invitation by Justice for North Korea at Gwanhammun Seoul,

BBC Access to Evil by Ewa Ewart

Yodok Stories by Andrzej Fidyk

China: key player in the Korean game

I have written last week about possible reactions of South Korean government to North Korea after the results of the Cheonan sinking investigation revealed last week.

One of the key roles in this situation holds China who has been North Korea's closest ally due to strategic reasons so far ( NK is a natural security layer from spreading harmful democratic ideas from SK citizens).

But recently it seems that it is changing. Any unstability is not good and maybe Beijing has come to the conclusion that North Korean leader is after all not predictable in his actions.

Today South Korean president Lee and Chinease prime minister meet and discuss possible common course towards North Korea, or at least Chinease admitting NK guilt, which would be a real breakthrough. Strong evidence presented by an international expert's commision shouldn't be ignored. There is a strong pressure on China to stop doing Public Relations and advert itself as a stabilizer and peacemaker, and finally start acting.

Meanwhile president Lee does exactly what he can do in this situation. As I have written last week, there is currently a show off with military power on the Yellow Sea, large scale maneuvers exercise the possibility of detecting NK submarines.

Last week I have mentioned as well that economy will suffer some shakes, and so it happens. But what is impressive is a decision to suspend trade, strongly against vital interests of Seoul's economy.

One thing happens normally- today all the workers in Kaeseong special economic zone went to work as usually including 650 circa of South Korean workers who daily cross the border and go to Kim Jong Il's world to work at industrial plants.  

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The photography comes from Korea Times

Mission Impossible

Sources close to Korean Government suspect direct North Korean involvement in Cheonan sinking. The chief prosecutor does not exclude the possibility of an underwater mine to be the cause of the event.

Even if tangible evidence of North Korean involvement emerges, the president’s caution and balanced behaviour will be understandable. Hot-blooded retaliation against a nuclear-armed neighbor would be a disaster for the entire region with strong possibility of foreign reaction, like China or USA, which are the main surrporters of south and north respectively.

So what's next? I had written about this on my polish blog two days ago. Nothing is next.

Next is a status quo in the situation, more South Korean aid for the North, more indoctrination in the North Korean tv, more jobs at Keseong Special Industrial Zone, more dollars flowing into NK budget.

What is possible resolution of this situation?
For as long as China directly or indirectly supports NK, there is none. United Nations will do nothing as they are paralised by China vote in the Security Council. USA will restrain and will only support SK just as it does for decades.

Google will cooperate with NK and will not publish North Korean maps on it's servers, press will be silent and so the world turns.

SK can only tighten it's security even more, though I have always been personally impressed by the discreet and efficient security system. USA can withdraw from trying to colonalise SK in economic terms and might consider selling their beef elsewhere.

NK plays the same role as Belarus in Europe. Is a border from democratic world which successfully helps stopping transformation and helps to keep control over number of processes.

In the mean time people in NK are dying of hunger and their government doesn't care.

National Branding and historical politics

....variety of ideas.
Today Korea Times has informed about the newest national advert in the US.
Korean ownership of the Dokdo Island will be promoted by 100 000 hand rubber bands in the USA, just after the full page article in New York Times and Times Square billboard.

This is just one of the actions of Korean authorities to promote the country and it's interests. Korean PR and soft power has been deeply involved in promoting Korean dramas ( soap operas) in the Far East, Korean music and contemporary youth bands, even Korean fashion brands.

This has caused increased numbers of Japanese and Chinease who travel to Korea just to learn the language or watch the house or caffeteria of their favorite amants from the soap operas ( here especially girls).

That would be enough on national branding in this post.

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There is however another interesting issue about Korean politics and foreign relations with it's neighbors.
Dokdo is an island otherwise called Takeshima by Japanese and is located in the sea south of Korean coast. There are some traces of natural resources on the island, but the whole conflict in Japan has deeper roots.

This is more about memory and historical politics. Japanese occupation has exceeded Hitler's regime in accuracy and implementation of methods and left huge traces of bad memories in both Koreas. So therefore the ownership of Dokdo is more a matter of national identity and common sense of harm which has never been excused for up till now. Historical politics in Korean education system builds many myths about nation's history as it helps to improve the identity and mobilizes human powers into any action for the common goal (whether real or imaginary).

There might be critics of such policy of the state which tells a lot of tales to Korean children, but on the other hand the same happens in Japan.

Contemporary Japan had not experience any denazification process as it was done in Germany post World War II. In the West it would not be accepted that Nazi officers are invited to tv stations where they are treated like national heroes in the 21st century in front of millions of young Japanese. This attitude is simmilar to the attitude of current Russian leaders who still try to deny the massacres of Katin ( see Katyń of Wajda if you are interested, but warning, the movie contains drastic scenes). However current Russian leaders stopped denying communist crimes, these crimes are nameless, they were done by anonymous people who "had their orders". This quote: "I had my orders" is also very often mentioned by Japanese veterans when they sometimes face more detailed quations about their actions during the war.

Tensions between Tokyo and Seoul are big and not easy to resolve. But time heals the wounds as I have mentioned before and young generation of Japanese raised on Korean Wave will show different attitude, also young generation of Koreans who have no historical burdens will be able to say: "It is past now. We will remember but we do not have to hate".

What will be with Dokdo then? I don't know, but knowing the energy of Koreans in fighting for their interests, it will be Dokdo and it will be Korean.

I am sorry if this post is not answering all as I write in haste this time.

Korea Times on Dokdo Bands:http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2010/04/123_63870.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM1zyQ_zffM.... and this one a movie on Katin

Che Guevara

I am very busy lately. So busy that I did not have time to go out and catch images of the beautiful Korean fall and I am watching leaves slowly going down. Red, Yellow, half green, half orange...

Last week I went to the War Memorial. If someone wants to know what korean history really is about, should see that one. From exhibition to exhibition, window to window, one by one we go through the ages of constant struggle for independence.

Bizarre though, why this museum is not the one most advertised in the Korean folders for foreign visitors? Artificial rebuilt and boring palaces or the static and rather boring National Museum gets more recognition than this one.

It was there were I severely quarreled with a friend of mine. It started from perception of Poland in the modern EU and ended up with the bigger discussion between a liberal by heart and more than a socialist.

An intellectual clash between a liberal and a socialist is indeed a severe one. Like two totally different species tried to establish a union... and yet they fail because their inner nature is too different one from another.

French people have been fascinated by communism ever since the idea developed. Many of them married Russians or Ukrainians during Soviet times and went to experience the heaven on the Earth and enormous embrace of Uncle Joe. Never woke up, maybe only when they discovered weird diseases killing them one by one after May 1986.

Initially I wanted to say that it is not my fairy tale as I am polish. But is it so? Some of us recently dream the same illusion, would love to go back to the old good times of forever joy and peace.

I don't. But...
I was looking for arguments to support my theories and couldn't find sufficient ones. How to convince someone that the state aid is not something which makes most of the people in the world happy?

I will put it this way. A slave is not a someone I force and torture. It is someone fed and it is someone whose life is being organized but himself has not got anything to say. A slave is a model of a zoo animal. Because there are big spaces and this life is even comfortable but this is life ruled by somebody else.

I haven't met a single person who would envy the zoo animals for their life. If someone does then I recommend that person a trapped cage zoo experience. A free person must be self - reliant and responsible both cooperative with others towards the goals in life, not passively waiting for some authority to share goods by any "equality" meaning.

There was a small tale about two birds:

"Why do you cry? " - asked the young bird to the elder -
"You have a lot of food here and the shelter"?
" You were born in the cage that's your tomorrow
I was born free my dear and that is my sorrow"

How is it related to Korea? Maybe it isn't and yet maybe it is... In the War Memorial there is the entire stand about Korean troops protecting independence for whatever it takes. No matter what sacrifice it takes.