Korean Job Discussion Forums

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

The logic behind this would only make sense to the Korean mind...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060323/wl_nm/korea_north_reunion_dc

Moldy Rutabaga · Joined: 01 Jul 2003 Location: Ansan, Korea

South Korea should retaliate. Next year, after agreeing as usual to supply millions of bags of fertilizer for absolutely nothing in return, it should deliver the bags a day late. That'll teach the north to take the south seriously.

Ken:>

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Thread title of the year, so far.
You've captured the absurdity succinctly, MMT.

On the other hand · Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Location: I walk along the avenue

Ya gotta wonder what's going through NK's collective head when they pull crap like this. These detentions only embarass the Uri party, who are currently offering the Norks the best deal they could possibly hope for.

Possibly, it could just be that KJI and Co. are so insulated from reality that it really does hurt their feelings to read about "abductees" in the South Korean press. But I doubt this, because it can hardly be a traumatizing news flash to the Norks that some people in South Korea say bad stuff about them.

Maybe the NK leaders really think that they can prevent the South Koreans from hearing about adductions. But detaining the tourists only keeps the story in the news for a few more days, whereas if they just had just let the wording pass the whole thing would have gone largely unnoticed.

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Anyone care to bet next month's paycheck that the next round of family meetings will not see the term 'abductee' used in the SK press? I am. It looks to me like the Norks just won another round in its campaign to control political discourse in the South.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Technically a better subject line for my post might be "To prove North Korea doesn't hold South Koreans against their will, it holds South Koreans against their will." Should the press report it that way, I'm sure the North will hold more South Koreans to prove it didn't hold that batch of vacationers against it's will...

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

On the other hand · Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Location: I walk along the avenue

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Good points.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

I don't know if the yahoo report mentions it, but the Joongilbo/IHT reported the South Koreans the North Koreans kept from leaving were all like 80 years old. Great. Hold a bunch of tired, cranky, emotionally wrought seniors to make some political point. At least SBS didn't kowtow to the SK government which was urging the press to follow North Korea's script. SBS, they ream us teachers but I guess they're an equal opportunity reamer (Dr Hwang, North Korea, the sitting government...)

jinju · Joined: 22 Jan 2006

I really hope for a GNP victory and a GNP president. Then they can scrap the sunshine policy. I would love to see an eclipse policy. Basically stop shipments of everything to the North. No rice, no fertilizer, no money, nothing, nada, zippo. let China pick up the slack if hey want. Close down Kaesong and refuse to help NK start any sort of free trade zone as they wanted to do.

coolsage · Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:21 pm Post subject:

On the other hand · Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Location: I walk along the avenue

Hater Depot · Joined: 29 Mar 2005

I wonder if the die-hard, "don't upset NK", Sunshine supporters ever feel embarassed by stuff like this. I don't think history will judge kindly the selling out of their own people, no matter how necessary some of it might be.