Korean Job Discussion Forums

[gregoriomills]

I never even thought of it until my co-teacher suggested it today when I brought up the NK stuff on our awkward ride to school this morning. I kinda joked about how worried my family was, and she thought about it for couple minutes and then said, "Oh, you should leave, and come back after a week or two, when things calm down. Your family must be so worried!" She's clearly more worried about my family worrying about me than she is for my actual safety, but nonetheless....

Is anyone actually considering going home before all this stuff weathers over? I expect the overwhelming response to this to be "no", but to say the least it would be a very easy way to break a contract without losing face. "I was worried there was going to be a nuclear war" is a little easier to swallow for a future emplyer than "I hated my job and ran on my contract in the middle of the night." Hell, if I was in a miserable situation, I would even use it, especially after 6 months.

[Adjumas Cheekbones]

It's too late. The bombs have already been dropped. One can be found in my schools toilet, the toilet normally resembles a scene from 'hostel' but yesterday looked like ground zero following a healthy log-size deposit in the pan from one of our little angels.

[Adventurer]

Brother Gregorio, you should not worry about a nuclear threat.
North Korea would lose everything in such a fight.

[oskinny1]

[RufusW]

[oskinny1]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[gangwonbound]

[billietea]

This has come from a family discussion on the matter of NK. It was helpful for me and I hope helpful for you. I wouldn't presume to tell you what to do but here are my observations and thoughts for you to consider:

1. Uninformed people always panic in a crisis whether it's real or not and
they always imagine the worst.
2. All governments lie and you cannot rely on what they tell the public.
3. When people panic for whatever reason, governments always seek to
convince the people that they ( their government ) is doing "something"
to protect them whether it's reasonable or effective - doesn't matter - as long as they put on a good show to make the people think they are doing "something."
4.When the people perceive a crisis or threat, whether it is real or not, they lose their minds and the Premier or President becomes the "protective father" and they look to him or her to "protect " them from all danger by doing or "appearing"to be doing "something." It's called the "Daddy" or "Father" syndrome.
5. So much of this sort of thing is reminiscent of the story about Chicken Little who felt a nut fall from a tree and hit her head. She perceived a disaster ahead and went around telling everyone "the sky is falling, the sky is falling" ( or perhaps a more modern version would be "Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming. Repent before it's too late" !!! ).
6. The other side of this rediculous coin is what Rudyard Kipling wrote in his poem "If" - it goes "
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs .............. "

And that's what you have to do when all about you appear to be losing their heads.

Now let's look at some other factors:

1. The "Dear Leader" in North Korea had a stroke not too long ago and this nuclear experimentation may in part be put on just to show he is tough and in charge in spite of a stroke.
2. The Korean premier who was trying to negotiate reasonably with North Korea just committed suicie, and that has unnerved the people.
3. The current premier in South Korea is a "hard liner" - just the opposite of the premier who killed himself. That probably has the North Koreans stirred up.
4. North Korea does not have any deployable nuclear weapons nor the capacity to deliver them. Their recent rocket launches are primarily for show at this point. They haven't got the capacity yet to attach a nuclear warhead and deliver it.
5. Unlike 1951 when North Korea invaded South Korea, they now would not have the backing of China as they did then. If you remember, the Chinese sent thousands of their troops into South Korea to help the North. This country is now too closely allied economically and diplomatically with China and they are not going to destroy that relationship.
6. Furthermore, the Chinese most assuredly regard any attempt by North Korea to attack the South as dangerous and a threat to them as well. They would do their best to discourage any such thing. There is no Mao Tse Tung to back them up this time.
7. The military in North Korea knows that if they ever attacked the South, especially if they ever tried to do it nuclear, they would be toast. The USA and other nations would blast them out of existence. This would be an invitation to national suicide for them.
8. The North Koreans, having watched what's been happening on the world stage,know very well that if they have nuclear weapons, we and other nations would never invade them. This is, believe it or not, a protection for them from nations like the U.S. who have this inflated idea that they should overthrow legitimate governments and impose their kind of "democracy." They know full well that if Sadam Hussein had actually had nuclear weapons, this country would never have invaded Iraq because to do so would have meant Sadam would have fought back nuclear.
9. The United States has not followed through on their agrements with North Korea. Back when Clinton was President we talked to them and we had an agreement with them that we would send them some reactors ( I forget the exact term and type ) in response to their promise not to pursue nuclear activity. Then Bush came into office and this agreement was never followed through by his administration so the North Koreans are thinking the Americans are liars and can't be trusted to keep their word.
10. North Korea wants recognition and attention as a real entity from the rest of the world and that's what they're getting with these nuclear underground tests.
11. The Obama administration will undoubtedlly approach this problem in a much more sensible waiy than the Bushies. As Winston Churchill once said: "It is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war."

So there you are - that's enough food for your thoughts. I predict that there will be a great deal of fluster and bluster, sanctions, and lots of talk-talk over all this and no renewal of any war.

Having said all this, I cannot be responsible for what someone who is crazy might do - and the "Dear Leader" is a crazy ego maniac with a Napoleanic syndrome. He is short - and to make himself appear taller, he wears elevator shoes and a hair style that makes his hair stick up instead of lay down. But remember, his military is not going to cooperate with any orders from him that is going to get North Korea and them obliterated from existence.

[Komichi]

I hope there are enough dissenters within the regime to successfully oppose Kim Jong-Il should he actually decide to go for broke.

[b-class rambler]

[bassexpander]

[b-class rambler]

[kiknkorea]

[RufusW]