In the Field: Hear from CNN reporters across the globe Blog Archive - Little stir in South Korea «

March 10, 2009

Posted: 217 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea - After more than 20 years of covering Korea, it never ceases to amaze me how seemingly blasé South Koreans can be to the North Korean threat.

Take Monday, for example, the day North Korea hurls fiery rhetoric at the South by using words such as "all-out war" and "combat ready" at South Korea and the United States.

It was a day when hundreds of South Korea's citizens were stranded in the North as Pyongyang in effect closes its borders in retaliation for U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

We take to the streets to do a story about the reaction (I'm thinking "shock and horror") of the average South Korean. Here's what we got.

Um Sung-eun, a 25-year-old college student, said, "North Korea is threatening us, but I think they are trying to fight with the U.S., they don't mean to threaten us."

Ko Chong-Chu, a businessman old enough to be her father says, "In the past, North Korea carried out a missile test to strengthen their negotiation position. I think they are doing the same thing again."

North Korean experts with doctorates from Ivy League universities couldn't have been more analytical.

So what gives? South Koreans will stop traffic for miles to hold shouting matches at the mildest fender-bender. Why the seeming lack of fiery emotion where North Korea is concerned?

The best explanation I've ever received is that having lived under a North Korean threat for more than half a century, South Koreans have learned to tune most of the rhetoric out. I mean, how many times can you hear "wolf" and still jump?

Or maybe the thought of North Korea firing anything, never mind a missile, at South Korea is too horrible to even think about.

Whatever the reason, I once again retire the microphone to another non-story about a panic attack that never appeared.

When will I ever learn?

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Sohn Jie-Ae
Filed under: Asia • North Korea • South Korea • United States

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Armando R. Garcia

March 10th, 2009 1919 GMT

South Koreans have proven to be emotional and vociferous on several occasions, especially when it comes to the perceived threat of US products entering their shores (I'm thinking about US beef, cars, etc.).
But on the subject of North Korea, it seems that these emotions are put aside, replaced by the hope that the wolf knocking at the door will go away if it thinks that no one is home. Or maybe South Koreans understand better than anyone else that the North is just puffing up its chest to look menacing...maybe so. In which case we should ask ourselves, if they aren't worried, why are we keeping thousands of US troops in South Korea at a time when we really can't afford it. Fifty plus years of US spending on South Korean security is more than enough. We should pull out of South Korea in a phased withdrawal and allow the South to take care of their own security. Maybe their fairy tale view will be the right one after all.

Elliott Kim

March 11th, 2009 054 GMT

What I find so shocking is the country's youths and how they perceive North Korea's nuclear weapon development. A Korean article pointed out that the students felt pride in the fact that North Korea was becoming one of the few countries with nuclear weapons. How can they feel pride when a country directly north of them created an extremely dangerous weapon?

B Davis

March 11th, 2009 250 GMT

I agree 100%. I have lived in Seoul for two years, and it drives me crazy how Koreans will protest en masse every little thing, and yet completely ignore the serious stuff that North Korea does to them. For example, 300,000 people will protest the re-importation of US Beef, but not one person seemed to mind when the North committed the horrible act of gunning down a woman in her 50's who was visiting the North's Geumgang resort (and paying exhorbitant prices to do so).

The South is so petrified of the North, and I don't see why. They have twice the population and 100 times the wealth. They should easily prevail in any war. I am glad to see Lee Myung Bak stand up to the North. The previous administrations were ridiculously soft, and gave away hundreds of millions of dollars to Kim Jong Il just so he wouldn't say mean things to the South. Ridiculous!

terrell m

March 11th, 2009 259 GMT

the South Koreans should take a minute and learn from the U.S. in regards to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 in that the moment you get too laxed with a seemingly baseless threat is the moment you get caught by surprise and are sitting wondering how you didn't see it coming.

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