North Korea and South Korea: The gulf grows

[DogPoundPup]

Source: L.A. Times

BEIJING -- With surprising speed, the rapprochement between the Koreas has unraveled over the past month since the shooting of a South Korean tourist at a North Korea resort.

The North today started expelling South Korean workers from the resort at Mt. Kumgang, which for close to a decade has been a symbol of Korean moves toward unification.

Squabbling between the Koreas also forced organizers of the Beijing Olympics to rearrange the opening ceremony Friday night to keep the two nation's delegations apart. It was the first time since 1996 that the Koreans had marched separately at the Games' opening ceremony and a sign of just how much the relationship has deteriorated.

The strains have been building since July 11, when a 53-year-old South Korean housewife was shot to death while taking a sunrise walk on a beach.

Although there was little dispute that a North Korean soldier had fired the fatal shots, the North lashed out at South Korea. The communist regime said the tourist, Park Wang-ja, had strayed into a military zone, and it refused the South's request for an inquiry. The South has suspended tours to the resort.

Since 1998, almost 2 million South Koreans have visited Mt. Kumgang, which is located on the east coast of the peninsula just north of the demilitarized zone. The resort, which has hiking trails, a golf course, a spa and a beach, also has been used for reunions of Korean families divided by the demilitarized zone between the two countries. It is a major source of hard currency for the impoverished North Korean government.

Although the site is now closed, roughly 150 South Koreans are still there, most of them staff of the Hyundai Asan Co., which runs the resort. South Korea said the first four left today and 10 more would leave Monday.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-koreas11-2008aug11,0,7489624.story

[Taverner]

1. Why can't NK just have a nice little Military style Coup, and have China 'assist'?

[DCKit]

2. Lil' Kim's a wackjob, but he's not causing any major problems for the neighbors.

That's why. However, people like Kim seem to become further detached from reality with age and time - Nero, Caligula, Mad King George, W, Michael Jackson, any serial killer.... It may not be long before someone has to do something.

[Faygo Kid]

3. I think the Chinese may act before they face a refugee nightmare.

Which they have already faced, actually. They have got to want Kim gone; the last thing they want is some nutcase with nuclear weapons on their border.

Things are falling apart rapidly all over the world. Once upon a time, the U.S. provided sober leadership.

From the pics I see of Bush in China, sobriety is now in short supply.