Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mack the knife]

Why doesn't he just come out and admit that he's fully pro-Pyongyang? He's done everything short of that. Last week he said that conscription is a waste of time, and that Korea needs to gain wartime control of the troops ASAP.

Both of these ideas are BAD NEWS for South Koreans.

First, conscription trains South Koreans. South Korea got it's ass owned by N. Korea back in the day because they had no army to speak of, and the average male didn't know one end of a rifle from the other. Should another country attack S. Korea today, not only would they be facing the regular army, but also millions of potential reservists. Thank you, conscription.

Second, should S. Korea gain wartime control of its troops? The answer is yes, but not anytime soon. As long as N. Korea remains a very real threat (more so now because China has its eye on them, too) it doesn't make sense to have two "separate but equal" armies on the peninsula. Can one imagine the debacle of trying to coordinate two entirely distinct armies during a crisis which would come across the border like lightning? Either the Koreans have to control the full deal by themselves, or the U.S. does. Right now, the U.S. is holding the world's last remaining trump card (nuclear strikes from submarines). Ergo, let us run the show.

Roh is sending Korea up the creek without a paddle. Perhaps S. Koreans are getting what they deserve. After all, Roh came into power based almost entirely on his anti-U.S., pro-North agenda.

[sadsac]

Roh has certainly turned up the heat regarding anti US sentiment and unfortunately that impacts on most foreigners, as Koreans think if you are a white anglo, thyen you are American. Sad to be sure.

[sumfunu]

I could not agree with you more.I personally hate the little douche bag and feel sincerely sorry for the many good friends that I still have in Korea. He is too worried about " restoring the honour " of North Korean spies/communist insurgents( I heard that his father-in-law was executed as a commie and there is a so-called " red-stripe " through the family registry, which is supposedly why he has such a burning hard-on about that issue, but I stand to be corrected on this ), instead of working on more pressing problems, such as, THE ECONOMY( he has done a fine job of scaring away FDI ), the education system,etc. He has taken Korea back in the eyes of the world( in my view ) and the sooner he is sent back to the rice paddy, the better off the country will be. His witch hunt for " collaborators "( 97% of them are dead, but hey, let`s dredge up some hatred and really polarize the country ) was/is another stellar piece of work that has taken valuable resources and time away from pressing issues.

[Kimchi Cha Cha]

Korean people deserve a lot better than this clown. Thank goodness he's nearing the end of his term and they won't have to put up with him for much longer.

[Unposter]

Whatchya talking about Mack?

The U.S. Army is an all-volunteer Army and it is the best in the World! Do you really think conscripts are better than people who want to be there?

So what if the Korean government got their hat handed to them by the Communists? That was what? Over 50 years ago! It is like investing in stocks, "Past performance does not guarantee future results."

The only way South Korea will become a mature, independent nation is if they do it themselves. The longer the U.S. holds their hand, the longer it will take to do things themselves.

Roh's policy on this is actually on the mark. He has not done it unilaterally in one fall swoop; it is a gradual process with the U.S. Army's backing. We are asking the Iraq people to govern and protect themselves after four years; I think 50 is plenty for South Korea.

And Roh wants a free trade agreement with the U.S.! It would have been done by now if he were dictator of Korea and not their President. I don't call that Anti-American.

Roh may bot be refined, cultured, eloquent or highly educated. I can think of a few U.S. Presidents like that...Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, George W. Bush...but so what? Roh had the charisma to win a national election, give him credit for something.

Personally I hate seeing my tax money wasted guarding the 48th Parallell. The sad part is if the U.S. troops ever did leave Korea, that money would just be wated on something else instead of spent on things we need like financial aid for university students. Got loans? Blame our idiotic government's priorities. Could you imagine a war on college debt?

[RACETRAITOR]

Get some perspective. There's a wide difference between acting like a liberal democratic leader and worshipping a fascist Stalinist state.

[Moldy Rutabaga]

[....]

[mack the knife]

[Captain Corea]

He 's doing it solely as a political move to gain support from young voters (for whichever candidate unluky enough to get his endorsement).

How is any opposition party going to stand against this type of plan and not loose voters?

The only thing that can save them is to hammer on Noh about how he sullies the Military' accomplishments/service.

[Moldy Rutabaga]

I'm not saying one is good or one is bad, but to me military service is something every male does at a fixed time for a fixed length, and conscription is more of a one-off thing; people are called up for a particular service (war) for an unspecified time (until the war ends).

Ken:>

[Vancouver]

i'm surprised he hasn't been assasinated yet

[Pluto]

[freshking]

I think Roh is somewhere around 10% right now, give or take a few points. Comparatively "W" is at around 30% in the states. Couple of lame ducks. Roh had better be careful what he says about the military...just look at Thailand. BTW that was a joke.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[bjonothan]

First of all, only a narrow minded American would believe that their army is the best in the world. What a joke! The American army believes in numbers, not quality. Check out how many get killed by friendly fire. Ask the Canadians about that one. Secondly, Korean men are fags at the best of times. Imagine if they didn't go into the army for a couple of years....