Korean Job Discussion Forums

[catman]

I find a lot of disinterest and outright ignorance when it comes to the issue of North Korea among younger Koreans. I'm not talking about kids but am referring to young adults.

This comes up again with the recent missile launch by the Norks. I don't expect people to panic but there is just no interest in the topic.

As an army brat I grew in West Germany before the wall fell. At the time the issue of East Germany and the Cold War in general was something that was not ignored.

[sarbonn]

I think a lot of it has to do with it being a continuous problem that never really lets up. After awhile, you have to stop paying attention to it, or you go nuts worrying about it all of the time. This problem has been going on for longer than half a century now.

When I was in the Army here, we were cognizant of the dangers, and after a few months of being here, you kind of settle in and realize that the dangers have been here since the 1950s, and that chances of something REALLY happening are slim to none. Sure, ANYTHING can happen, but so far NOTHING has happened, so you start to put the horrific images into the back of your head and worry about what you can deal with on a daily basis.

I think a lot of Koreans are that way. And I don't blame them.

[jotgarden]

I guess they're just too young to remember that we saved them.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I agree with the posters above who mentioned the constant threat tends to numb people to the danger and they end up going on about their lives. I'd like to add to that that their parents' generation was much more political because they were concerned with changing the government from a military dictatorship to a democracy. That had a clear and direct influence on their daily lives.

The present generation is much more concerned with making a living and looking good, a much more normal thing than being concerned with a neighboring country. They have experienced two severe economic crises ('97 and '0 so are much more aware of that kind of problem.

[Beej]

[jdog2050]

[catman]

I also find that North Korean refugees do not get the attention that they should.

[Cerriowen]

A recent poll of military privates

"Who is the greatest threat to South Korea's security?"

#1 - Japan
#2 - USA
#3 - China
#4 - North Korea

[eamo]

[chickenpie]

When I discussed the the N.K. launch with one of my co teachers he seemed pleased, even saying "It went further and longer than last time"

[3MB]

What would you like them to do? Ive been here for over 7 years. When the current crisis started way back at the beginning of my time here I was freaked out, but eventually you have to stop worrying about it, or you will kill yourself with stress before the Norks kill you with a missile. These days I dont pay much attention to NK unless they do crazy stuff like test nukes or missiles but then I try to ignore them again. 50+ years of history and my own 7+ years here tell me that they throw hissy fits on a regular basis and will continue to do so unless the US, SK and Japan take them out. Which will be never.

Id be MUCH more worried if a threat came rarely. But they threaten to turn Seoul into a sea of fire over some of the most trivial things. For example they threatened to turn destroy Seoul if 2MB won the elections. He won. Seoul is still here. They threatened to destroy Seoul of the GNP won the parliamentary elections. They won big time. Nothing happened. They threatened war if anyone dared to put sanctions on them after the last missile test, or was it the nuke test. They got sanctioned, nothing happened. They threatened war if the UNSC even met to DISCUSS their latest missile launch. Guess what, the UNSC met and nothing happened. They are now threatening "strong measures" if the UNSC takes action.... do you see a pattern?

[nosmallplans]

[Xuanzang]

It would take another Korean War to get the SK colective consciousness to grip the harsh realities that 2 generations ago went through. Right now it's more about Big Bang, soju and Biys before Flowers than the North.

[OnTheOtherSide]

I always thought that South Koreans seem to be in blissful denial about NK. I think they are aware of the threat, and fear it, but they choose not to think about it and dont show their fear.

That's something about human psychology i've noticed. People really, really need to beliee that everything wil be ok. Fear and uncertainty are things that many people block out, even on a subconscious level.

[3MB]