Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BigHurt35]

I am very excited to be coming to Korea at the beginning of the school year in March. I will be teaching in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Of course, I've been interested in the recent news with North Korea. I don't want to sound paranoid, but I have to admit that I'm a little bit nervous about coming over there, especially with today's news that the young Mr. Kim and his leadership have no interest in talking with the South. They released a statement, which included the following:

"The veritable sea of tears shed by the army and people [of North Korea] will turn into that of retaliatory fire to burn all the group of traitors to the last one and their wailing into a roar of revenge to smash the stronghold of the puppet forces."

I understand that the North frequently says things without any real credibility. I understand that real conflict on the peninsula would only lead to the North's demise. But I am still a bit uneasy about flying to Seoul right at the beginning of an unpredictable regime's transition of power.

So, my questions are, 1) What is the general reaction to this news, and 2) Is there any real level of concern there for the people's safety?

It'd be great to hear what Korean citizens are thinking as well as foreign ESL teachers. Thanks!

[koreatimes]

It's just talk. Since Kim Jeong Il just recently died, attacking North Korea now would just make his "importance" stronger in the minds of the North Koreans. It's best for the outside community to lay low and hope for internal strife.

For North Korea, the new leader will not want to go to war and risk losing a 3rd generation of ruling so early on. Something else will have to happen to bring about war.

My guess is that we would see North Korea play a secondary role to something bigger like a Taiwan or Hong Kong uprising. That is unlikely to happen. As long as the politicians don't care about the conditions in North Korea beyond offering food and health supplies (which China is already doing), then there isn't going to be much change. Now, if you hear about internal fighting among the tribes, then I would suggest packing up and leaving.

[duke of new york]

If you want to know the Korean people's reaction, you can rest easy knowing that there is not much concern. I thought it was a little bit similar to the US reaction when Osama bin Laden died: a few days of morbid celebration, which was quickly forgotten about as people realized nothing had really changed. From what I have seen, people have just gone about their daily lives without really thinking about it. Jong-un is on the news a lot, but the public is not as interested as you might think.

[12ax7]

Every few months or so, North Korea threatens to "rain a sea of fire" over Seoul. They've been making the same empty threat for years. It's just posturing created for a domestic (i.e. North Korean) audience, most likely a means to justify their "military first" policy.

[northway]

[ttompatz]

[wishfullthinkng]

i think the rest of the world seems to care about it more than the south koreans. most koreans i know reacted something like this:

crazy scared waegookin: omg! kim jong il died! there will be war! there will be bloodshed! aren't you scared for your lives, children and houseplants?!?!! (grabs random korean)

random korean: that guy was a clown and an idiot. no one here cares that he died. the only thing we're worried about is how it will affect the kosdaq. oh can you pass the kochujang?"

[Died By Bear]

Don't worry, the Americans are spread thin as it is. There's currently a huge reduction in forces going on quietly.

Whatever they have left over gets rotated in and out of Afghanistan. The poor Taliban are only trying to protect their weed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRPCNUzkqXk&feature=player_embedded#!

[The Cosmic Hum]

[Julius]