Current Events

The artillery attack on Yeonpyeong island certainy gives reason for concern here in Korea.  While this is considered the greatest non-wartime act since the Korean War, attacks and conflict between the two countries are not rare.  Throughout the past 60 years, there have been several instances where North Korea have pushed the boundaries trying to get international attention.

Since we've been here, this is the third (knowing) conflict exchange, starting with the sinking of the Cheonan, the gun fire exchange during the G-20 and now the artillery strike.  It's easy as an American to get frustrated with North Korea, especially when South Korea seems so submissive.  I hear all the time and have often times thought it myself that they should just go to war and "end North Korea".  The fact of the matter is that all of Korea has a lot to lose if that were to happen.  Seoul is not far from the border and is well in range of the hundreds and hundreds of North Korean artillery already pointed at Seoul.  If there was a war, Seoul could in fact be obliterated within hours.  Thinking of all the people I have met, living in the culture as well as teaching many children, I'd hate to see or hear of them die in a war.  There are 12 million people within the city limits of Seoul and several million in the surrounding area.  Only a few artillery shells would be catastrophic...imagine thousands.  That is something that is hard to picture to outsiders who do not live here.    

North Korea also has a lot to lose.  Countries, as an outsider, are usually always seen as a whole as opposed to the sum of its parts.  North Korea is always portrayed as an  "axis of evil" (good work Bush) but never seen as an impoverished enslaved nation.  It's a shocker to think that while I feed my students lunch, less than 30 miles north are very similar children who are malnourished, starving and dying.

There are a lot of unknowns in the weeks/months/years to come, the biggest fear now is how China and or U.S.A responds to all of this.  If a war does happen, then North Korea would surely collapse because China could not afford to support them in a war.  Without China's aid, North Korea amounts to nothing.