Bring . . . the Comfy Chair!
From the Chosun Ilbo:
President Roh Moo-hyun on Monday signaled a tougher line with North Korea over its reluctance to return to nuclear disarmament talks, saying there are times when Seoul needs to get “red in the face” with anger in its relationship with the Stalinist country. “In the intra-Korean relationship as well, we must express criticism and get red in the face when it’s time to get red in the face,” Roh said, quoting his own remarks during a trip to Washington last year, then directed at the U.S.
Here’s another OFK Exclusive ©–an artist’s conception contrasting the old and new Roh policies:
That’ll soften ’em up!
Meanwhile, the new hard line appears not to have reached all levels of the South Korean bureaucracy, judging by this semi-official declaration that Kim Il Sung was a “freedom fighter.” Aside from the obvious issues anyone should have associating “freedom” with one of the world’s most ruthless and fratricidal tyrants, virtually all of Kim Il Sung’s anti-Japanese activities took place outside of Korea–as a part of either Chinese Communist units (spent fighting against the Chinese Nationalists, in part) or in the Soviet Army (spent training in Siberian garrisons). Although Kim briefly held command around 1941, his unit was driven into Siberia shortly thereafter, suggesting that he wasn’t nearly as successful at command as he proved to be at infighting after the Soviets carried him into Wonsan in 1945.