In the time it would've taken me to drive from Oklahoma City to Guymon

In the time it would've taken me to drive from Oklahoma City to Guymon, I could now drive from my apartment to the site where North Korea ostensibly tested a nuclear bomb yesterday. In other news, warning shots were fired Saturday at five North Korean soldiers who provocatively ventured inside the DMZ not 70 miles north of where I live. Not to mention the fact that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il made a rare public appearance just last week to rally top military leaders. "For what reason?" I'm asking myself as I rethink my decision to live in Korea during the Bush administration. 

Though I know I'm in no real, immediate danger, I've become incredibly aware that what used to be headlines to me are now much more than that.  And, at the risk of getting political, it's hard not to notice that my government's policies are putting me in danger instead of fostering some kind of balance in which that government has the strength, political clout and allies to deal with situations like this instead of being heavy-handed in a way that is counterproductive.  In line with the latter stance, the U.S. is aggressively proposing that punishments imposed because of North Korea's nuclear test be classified under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which according to the BBC means that they would be mandatory and ultimately enforceable by military means.  This does not sound pretty.

(CNN International's Talk Asia actually ran a great interview with Nobel Peace Prize winner and former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung in which he outlines the way Washington's hard line policies and tough talk since 2000 have negatively affected attempts at diplomacy and have actually encouraged the North to go nuclear.  While I don't completely agree with Kim's lax policies and occassional apologetics for the North, his analysis is nevertheless truthful and incredibly well-informed.  Catch the interview if you can.)

tags: northkorea  korea  issues