Archive for the ‘ Military ’ Category
The De-Milatarized Zone buffering North and South Korea lies just 25km away from one of the most heavily populated cities of the developed world. I’m on a bus headed there. Barb-wire fences run along the highway between Seoul and the DMZ. Rifle-armed soldiers man lookout points every few hundred metres. This stretch of road runs parallel to the massive [ READ MORE ]
When travelling with a motley group of international tourists there can be rare but wonderful moments when one person in particular says or does something that exemplifies their national stereotype to a tee. Fortunately for my co-writer and I, there was such an occurrence this weekend. It was on a bus in the middle of the [ READ MORE ]
Author’s Note: Below is an article I wrote for the Gwangju News in July 2009. While it is obviously out of date, everything written within it is still relevant and should serve as a very solid recap of North-Korean-U.S. diplomacy over the last two decades. Further, since I have not been credited by the [ READ MORE ]
This is an update on a previous post written about anti-Americanism in Korea. This post is part of an ongoing debate between two contributors of this site. It is ongoing. Check the comments section of this post for future updates. Please contribute to the debate. Everyone please go read this link, a response to my previous post about [ READ MORE ]
South Korea is bracing itself for one of the worst disasters in its Navy’s history after a 1,200-ton corvette sunk in the Yellow Sea, just north of the Republic’s Baengnyeong island. The patrol ship Cheonan sank west of Seoul, close to territories disputed with their communist neighbour, North Korea. Initial reports suggested that Kim Jong [ READ MORE ]
Yes, I’m back with another film entry. “So soon?”, you say? I know, but you see, I’ve been sick for over a week, so I’m not capable of reflecting upon much anything of substance these days (see previous entry). However, in this case, I’ll let the film do the heavy work. I’m talking about Joint Security [ READ MORE ]
* This is part two of our series on the social consequences of the Korean age system. Go here for Part one. People from the West (what a great all-encompassing word that is) tend to accept a romantic stereotype of Asian nations such as China, Japan, and South Korea — that of the great respect the young yield [ READ MORE ]
In June 2005, I graduated from University with a Degree in History and Geography. I always enjoyed the latter more than the former, but the topic of Irish soldiers fighting abroad has forever been close to my heart. None more so than in, of all places, Latin America. Later this month, I will travel to [ READ MORE ]
The South Korean government announced last Friday that it will increase it’s civilian presence in Afghanistan from 24 to 150. To accompany – and presumably protect – it’s civilian aid army are a reported 200-300 military and police personnel. This is fairly major development for South Korea. Those following international news might remember the hostage crisis [ READ MORE ]
News from the last couple days is that the two Koreas have reconnected with new military telephone lines that will allow the two countries to directly communicate with each other more swiftly. The new fibre cables replace old copper ones which could sometimes create delays in communication between the two sides (obviously unacceptable given their current [ READ MORE ]