[KS] North Korea

[Paikkim at aol.com]

Dear All:
I myself did not find Jay Lewis' comments excessive or offensive. On issues 
such as N.Korea, it is perfectly understandable feelings should run high, 
especially for those of us who call themselves Koreanists.
The discussions reminded me of what E. Said said of the British imperialist 
politicians in the early part of the 20th century. In his Orientalism, Said 
quotes A.J. Balfour declaring in Parliament explaining why Britain must occupy 
and govern Egypt:
". . . . We are in Egypt not merely for the sake of the Egyptians, though we 
are there for their sake; we are there also for the sake of Europe at large."

Substitute Egypt for Iraq and N. Korea and Europe for the so-called "free 
world," most of us would see the striking parallels.

I realize that most of us literature types do not have command of all the 
details that former CIA agents or former and present policy makers do have; 
nevertheless, we can see how wrong-headed the assumptions are on which the present 
government policies are based. That the U.S. knows better than the Iraquis and 
N. Koreans what's good for them and the world.

It may be extremely difficult because of the super-power politics and 
intentions and the relative powerlessness of the two Koreas, yet it seems to me more 
of the decisions should be allowed to be made by the two Koreas, since they 
are the most directly involved, literally a life and death issue. Nuking N. 
Korean nuclear facilities might an option for the U.S. policy makers, but it is 
not for Koreans.
This may not be an issue that can discussed emotion-free, nor should it be. 
Even for academics, shouldn't there be a balance between emotion, intuition, 
and reason in thinking about important issues?
Kichung Kim
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