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-Kevin Park

“North Korea’s Rocket: Making a Splash” (The Economist)

“Toppling Kim Jong-Il” (Newsweek)

1. How has the international media responded to North Korea’s missile launch?

The Economist viewed the North’s launch as provocative like South Korean, American, and Japanese governments. While the North praised the launch as a success, other governments called it a failure. However, a failure is more useful for future developments. Therefore, we must be careful of further developments. For now, the launch was not much of a threat, but more of a symbol or message. The North wanted to show their technological capabilities so that it could receive more unconditional aids from surrounding nations. On the other hand, Newsweek offered a clear solution to the problem. Lankov states that the Kim Jung-Il administration will never cooperate with the rest of the world. Therefore, the six-party talks and the huge amount of aids will not change how the North behaves, since the only thing that Kim wants is total control and isolation. The only solution to the problem is creating a revolution or changing the regime in North Korea. Lankov states that this has already begun as Northerners have increasing access to illegal South Korean DVDs and brochures. Therefore, if the international community joins the effort in educating the North Koreans about the outside world, the North Korean regime under Kim will quickly disintegrate.

2. In what ways might international perceptions of North Korea impact how the world views South Korea?

In a negative way, the international community might view South Korea as a very dangerous place to be even though that is not the case. For people who do not know the conditions very well, South Korea might look like a perfect target for the North. The media always mentions how the two nations have been at war and is still at war. This might bring fear to other people who do not realize that neither nations exchanged fire for more than fifty years. Even if I was an outsider, I would think that South Korea is a dangerous place, because it is so close to a nation that is described as crazy. Seoul is only few hours away from the DMZ. 

However, if the world views positively, then South Korea might seem like a defender of democracy. Since the South is much more prosperous than the North, people from other countries might view it as success of capitalism and democracy. 

3. Has anyone ever asked you “which Korea are you from, North or South?” What does that question reveal on the part of the speaker?

When I first went to the States in 2000, many students asked me if I came from the North or the South. Very rarely, some teachers would even ask me which side I was from. I was clearly awestruck, because people from the North can not even leave their own country. I felt embarrassed and angry at the fact that someone would even dare compare me to a North Korean. At first, I thought it showed ignorance and stupidity. How could someone not know this obvious fact that the North is ruled under a strict policy of isolationism? Then, I began to realize that it was natural for them to ask, because both Koreas back then were not highly publicized. Unless one had keen interest in global issues, it would be very hard for someone to know about the situation in the Korean peninsula. However, I never receive those type of questions anymore, because the North has been on the media almost everyday. We never pass a day without hearing North’s new “threatening” and “provocative” actions. Therefore, I realized how significant the media is in educating people. 

Taepodong 2 ICBM Missile

I never knew there was a school in South Korea specially made for North Korean refugees. However, when I saw what the school (Hangyeore High School) was teaching, I knew the importance of having one. I always knew that North Korean students were poor and that they didn’t receive a proper education, but it never came to me that they had no computers, credit cars, nor cell phones (which are almost necessities here in the South). It would certainly be very hard for these students to join South Korean schools if they did not know how to open a Word document. It would also be difficult for South and North Korean students to adapt with each other, since there is so much gap. The North uses a different dialect. They dress, eat, and look different. While Korean students carry Western brand handbags and backpacks, North Korean students carry ones provided by the government. While S. Korean students eat McDonald’s and drink Pepsi, North Korean students have lived their whole lives eating rice and kimchi. Most importantly, there is a major economic gap. While an average South Korean parent makes around 30,000 dollars each year, North Korean parents make only few hundred dollars. These type of differences could bring shock to both North Korean defects and South Korean students. Therefore, I support the idea of separating North and South Korean students. I think the government and Hangyerae is doing a good job of educating North Korean students so they can adapt to our society of IPods, McDonald’s, Macbooks, and much more. 

Also from the video, we saw the students going to the DMZ, the line they crossed and the line that signifies separation and war. One of the more shocking images was how most of the students faces had to be covered, in fear that the North Korean government might recognize them and punish their family members back in the North. It is a sad reality which must be solved. However, I disagree with the students’ view that unification is the only way they can reunite with their family. Although I support unification, I believe it is unlikely to happen. The two nations have been separated for more than fifty years. Although we share a common name, we are totally different. I think a better/faster way of getting the two Koreas united is by formally separating and creating an alliance. The two nations don’t have to be in a war. We can be two separate countries and still be allies. I want the two Koreas to be like U.S. and Canada. Although Canadians and Americans share a common background and language, they are separate countries under different governments. Yet, the two countries are strong allies both militarily and economically. Most importantly, millions of Americans and Canadians cross each other’s borders every year. If South and North Korea can create an alliance, I think it would be better than a unification. 

DMZ-Most heavily militarized zone in the world

Flags of South and North Korea

Article 1- “The Hard Part: Hitting a Target” by Rand Simberg

North Korean missile launch has definitely caught the world’s attention. From February and March, news agencies such as CNN and BBC have tried to gather information and guessed numerous times when the North will launch its Taepodong missiles. Simberg states that the launch does not signify an imminent danger, because missile technology is currently so developed that even a private company could shoot a better missile than the North. It is true that North Korea’s technology is very much outdated. While the North failed to launch a satellite, Soviets launched their first satellite almost 60 years ago. Simberg also adds that firing a missile is not a big problem. Any nation or company could do that. However, the real challenge is accuracy, which the North currently does not have. The North always states that it can fire a missile 3,000 km away, but it never has a clear target, signifying the lack of technology. Lastly, Simberg proposes more spending on missiles (or at least not cutting spending), because America’s advanced weapons can clearly dominate North Korea’s crude nuclear weapons. Although I like the idea of scare tactic and overpowering North Korean weapons, I believe now is not the right time. The American economy is badly hurt, and it must spend less on defense. As we’ve seen in the Cold War, massive retaliation and star wars resulted in long period of stagflation. 

Article 2-”Primitive, but Dangerous Skills” by John Pike

Pike gives  a more cautious view of North’s missile launch than Simberg. While Simberg states that there is no need for such overblown worry about North’s missile launch, Pike states that no one is sure how advanced or primitive the North’s technology is. He also states that with more practice, these primitive weapons could one day develop into potentially harmful long-range/highly accurate missiles. Therefore, Pike is going against the idea of apathy, which was one of the major causes of World War II. However, Pike’s biggest concern is not in the missile launch. His biggest concern is that North Korea might use their technology and weapons to trade with other nations. Selling weapons bring much profit to a country, which is what Kim Jung-Il wants. If these weapons get into the hands of rebels and warring factions around the world, we could see a dramatic increase in “provocative” actions around the world.

Article #1: “N.Korea detains 2 Americans” (AP)

“Two American journalists and their guide were detained by North Korean soldiers while on a reporting trip near the country’s border …”

Yesterday, two American journalists from the news agency Current were caught by the North Korean border patrol. Americans have been caught by the North a few times before. Each time, the United States made a secret deal with the North and got its people out of North Korea. This time, the situation could be a lot tougher for talks, because tensions have risen dramatically between US and the North recently. Furthermore, North is likely to push for their satellite launch. No matter what happens, North is likely to have a bigger voice than it did before, because of the detainees.

“Washington could not be reached for comment…South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young told reporters he had no comment.”

Currently, everyone is very cautious about this issue. This has to do with American lives and a misunderstanding or miscalculation could easily cause deaths. It also will not be seen often in the media, because the government (both US and South Korea) is hesistant to talk about it. Most of these cases often lead to secret talks, and the public is hidden from the truth.

Two of the journalists who got detained

Article #2: “North Korea fully reopens border” (AP)

“North Korea provided no official explanation for the closures…”

Recently, the North closed the border and cut the hotline between South Korea. However, nobody knows why they did it. Some contribute it to the new conservative government of the South, and some say it is beacuse of the Key-Resolve training between the South and US troops. Just last week, the North closed and reopened the border four times, leaving everybody perplexed. The significance is tht North Korea has changed its policy and is now becoming more unpredictable. In essence, they are becoming more isolated due to the unpredictability because countries will now be hesistant to make a deal with them. Experts say the unpredictable actions were part of Stalin’s policies back in the forties and fifties, and that Kim Jung-Il might be following Stalin.

“The firms give North Korean authorities about $70-$75 cash per worker each month, providing the regime with much-needed hard currency…”

The North receive huge beneftis from the South due to the Kaesong Complex. It is not the workers that get paid, but the North Korean government. This means the dictator earns about three to five millions dollars per month. Therefore, Kaesong Industrial Complex is a major source of income for the People’s Party. Therefore, experts say that closing the complex completely is unlikely because that would put already economically struggling North bankrupt.

Kaesong Industrial Complex

Article #3: “US Wary of Upcoming N.Korea Missile Launch” (AP)

“U.S. military officials confirmed Thursday that North Korea has filed an official notice that it intends to conduct a missile launch early next month.”

This means that even with huge amount of international opposition, the north is planning on sending a missile or a satellite. If they do, they will probably become America’s top enemy (they are currently fourth on the priority list on American foreign policy). Seding a missile indicates that the North is ready for a war and that they will harm either Korea, Japan, or US if they do not get what they want. Sending a satellite indirectly indicates that the North can send a missile anywhere they want on Earth, especially mainland America. If the North does send a satellite or a missile, it will cause major outcry/upset among the major powers (US, Japan, Korea, China, Russia).

“The last North Korean missile test of a Taepodong-2 two-stage missile in 2006 was a spectacular failure when the missile started to cartwheel out of control shortly after it left the launch pad and was either destroyed by ground controllers or simply flew apart.”

Two years ago, when the North tested its first missile, it resulted in a complete failure. After forty seconds from the launch, the missile began to go out of control. It was a major embarrassment to the North Korean government that was so confident about its military power. This time, however, the mistake is not likely to happen again, because the North has developed tremendous amount of new knowledge and technology since the last incident. Therefore, the success and the failure of the soon-to-be test launch is crucial to the future of our global peace.

Question: considering the events of the past year, is North Korea becoming closer to the international community or more isolated?

North Korea has become much more isolated than before. Similar to many other Communist countries, the North is also very secretive. We do not know what is going on in that country or the leader’s mind. This increased over the past year, because of Kim’s health issues. We all thought that he would die soon. Some said he couldn’t even get out of his bed, and some said he was seen at a soccer game, waving at his “dear friends.” We do get photos from the communist government, but we are not even sure if those photos are recent. Furthermore, its actions have become increasingly unpredictable. For example, they closed and reopened the border four times in one week. We also do not know if they will test its missile, even though they say so. These types of mysterious actions from the North makes other countries hesistant. Eventually, increasing number of countries are becoming wary of the North; therefore, the North continues to distance itself from the international community.

At the bottom of the pyramid, there is the physiological level of human need. This is the basic needs for our survival such as food and water. Without these, we cannot survive. It is important to note that it comes below friendship or security. Therefore, this means that people are willing to break friendship and moarlity for food. After that comes the safety level of the pyramid. After we have our needs for survival, we then start to concern ourselves with safety and sercurity in our lives. Then comes friendship. After we have the needs and safety, we have the family and the development of human bonds. We begin to desire happiness in life. At top, there is esteem. I think this is the beginning of the “pride” that everyone has in their lives. After achieving happiness (of family and love), we begin to feel pride in our lives. At the very top, we have philosophical and innovative terms mentioned such as problem solving. We begin to reason about why we live, what is going to happen in the future. We also think about religion and laws (ethics).

I agree with the author that food and water come at the bottom of our needs. When humans are desperate to survive, I think we try to find a way to live, not matter what the rules and customs are. Who cares about laws when we are about to starve to death? I think the belief is that, if we break a law in order to survive, the worst that could happen is punishment. If we decide to stick to the law and not steal food, we will die.

• What reasons are implied for hiding the identity of the artist?

Sun Mu is an unknown/faceless artist who is known only through his highly political paintings, such as the drawings of Kim Jung-Il and the nude woman wearing a North Korean flag. From the article, we can clearly notice that Sun Mu’s biggest concern for not revealing his identity is because of his fear that the North Korean government will hunt his family down an start torturing them for treason. In North Korea, if one of the family member is accused of treason, then the whole family is treated as betrayers and disloyal people of the country. People from the North Korean government might recognize his face, which would result in another showcasing of North Korean brutality. For this reason, we can see (as people living in a world far from that of North Korea) that Sun Mu is still in fear of the North Korean government, and that dictatorship might be even scarier and more authoritative than we had originally imagined. 

• Why is his art considered to be controversial?

Some of Sun Mu’s audiences do not understand the meaning behind Sun Mu’s paintings. Although he is against all forms of North Korean institutes (government, society, education, etc.), some of his paintings seem like he is working for the North Korean government, and popularizing Communism. For example, his painting, “Happy Children” was under investigation by the Korean police because some viewers believed that painting as a Communist propaganda. Sun Mu’s original intention was to tell the people that the children’s smiles are all a counterfeit that the government forces them to wear. Sun Mu’s paintings are very “detailed” in that not many people can understand the intended irony or sarcasm. We need to know a lot about the situations in North Korean and its oppressive government to fully understand Sun Mu’s artworks. Since South Korea is a country that does not favor teaching much about North Korea, South Koreans tend to miss out on the intended messages in Sun Mu’s paintings.

• What specific details from his artistic style seem noteworthy?

Since Sun Mu used to be an propaganda artist for the North Korean government, most of his artworks are similar to the posters that are in Pyongyang. With bright red and blue colors, Sun Mu portrays the North Koreans as happy people. Kim Jung-Il, the nude woman, and the children in Sun Mu’s paintings all seem to be happy. However, one major difference from the actual propaganda paintings is that Sun Mu’s posters are full of irony and sarcasm. It is also very bitter. For example, to show defiance to the oppressive government, Sun Mu draws a painting of Kim Jung-Il, which is strictly prohibited in North Korea (only a few people can draw the dictator’s face). Furthermore, he has the North Korean flag upside down. These show that Sun Mu seems to be a Communist propaganda artist, but in reality, he is against Communism and the North Korean government.

• How is the work of artists relevant to larger political issues between North and South Korea? Do artists have a role in raising public awareness or extending a dialogue about reunification?

The tension is still very big between North and South Korea. Technically, we are still warring, because we signed a truce back in the fifties. The tension has grown bigger with the conservative Lee administration, after President Lee pledged to stop the free-flowing/no benefit aid to North Korea. Amongst this tension and turmoil, artists have a big relevance in the political issues between the two nations. For examples, some artists draw paintings that portray South Korea as a land of opportunity, and some portray North Korea as a place of equality and friendship (“family-like” country). In these cases, artists are using propaganda. In fact, both nations use propaganda posters to persuade the people of the other side to join the “good” side. This is one of the reasons why North Korea is so angry at the ROK government recently. Many North Koreans, after looking at South Korean propaganda, decided to flee their country and head to either South Korea or China. These types of reactions show us how important an artist’s role is between the relationship of the two countries. Artists have much influence on the public, because an art is easy to notice and can bring a lot of meaning. Sometimes artists use their skills to inform the public about corruptness of one government, and sometimes they use their skills to promote peace in the Korean peninsula. However, one thing that we must be careful of is overuse of propaganda, which could end up in growing tensions between two countries, and possibly another disastrous war.

A North-Korean Propaganda Painting

One of Sun Mu's Paintings

“Up Coming Schools”-

Although most of the schools listed inthe Up Coming Schools were unfamiliar to me, I was surprised to find George Mason Univeristy ranked number one on the list. George Mason Univeristy was on my list as a “safety” school, and I knew the school very well because my house in the states was only about 20 minutes away from George Mason University. I always thought of George Mason as a school that has potential. I watched a few concerts there and know the campus very well. Besides George Mason, I also think we should consider this list seriously. Most students at SIS consider this list as probably something that doesn’t fit them or doesn’t apply to them, but I think these schools 20 to 30 years from now might become better/prestigious schools.

“Narrowing Your Choices”-

I’m currently in the process of narrowing my schools to six schools, according to the “2-2-2″ rule. The article states that we need to not only consider what our brothers and parents recommend us, but decide for ourselves. Most of us tend to choose colleges that his or her parents attended. It is also true that many of us select careers that our parents have, because we are most familiar with them. However, the article urges us to set our own values and goals for going to college. For example, the best school for me might not be Duke University, where my brother attended, but maybe University of Illinois, where there is a great engineering program.

Another important thing that the article mentioned was to plan our college decisions early, so that we don’t have to panic when it is time to turn in our applications. Just like the what we are doing for the I-Search Project, the article mentioned researching a lot about various colleges and coming up with a list of schools that we might/probably/and will get accepted to. Furthermore, rather than applying to 25 different schools and turning in hasty applications, we should try to apply to about ten schools so we have more time to work on our applications. I believe that the college admissions officers, who have been in the job for many years, know whether we put a lot of effort into an application or not. 

Most of us have to make choices when we are choosing our schools