NORTH KOREAN HUMAN RIGHTS SEMINAR AT STANFORD... IMMATURITY OF HAN AND SOME KOREANS

Last night I attended a speaker event at Stanford which was hosted by a student group called NK Focus. Young O. Kim, who is District Representative to Congressman Ed Royce and also serves as his Director of Asian Community Affairs, spoke on her experiences on The Hill and abroad as an advocate of North Korean Human Rights. She is also the wife of Charles Kim, executive director of the KAC (Korean American Coalition).

Ms. Kim was a decent speaker, but had a few great anecdotes. One that was disturbing to me was how a radio program in South Korea called 'Free North Korea' has been harassed by pro-North Korea groups where the staff had to move several times within a handful of months. One incident, which led Ms. Kim to visit Seoul, was when the police used forced on the 'Free North Korea' radio staffers but they were the ones calling for help against a mob. The irony is that these staffers are North Korean refugees who have a passion to free North Korean from the rule of Kim Jong Il. So if these people have a passion for North Korean and its true freedom, who are the idiots that want them to stop the information flow that leads to people seeking freedom beyond North Korea's borders? I hope at the least they are North Koreans. Possibly spies from North Korea or brainwashed students by North Korean spies. If they are simply South Koreans thinking they are doing a good thing, they must be some of the stupidest people in the world.

During the Q&A session, Ms. Kim was challenged by a native Korean on issue of the growing anti-American sentiment in South Korea and the recent call for the removal of General Douglas MacArthur's memorial statue. To provide some background, there is a small movement for its removal and part of the extreme left in South Korea that are calling MacArthur a war criminal and accusing him of killing innocent citizens, which is ridiculous. Some even blame him for the divided nation, which is even more retarded because he was the one that wanted to invade China and actually took some initial steps but President Truman ordered him back. MacArthur pushed and this led to Truman firing him for insubordination.

Anyway, this person was reminding us of the secret pact the U.S. forged with Japan during the Chosun Dynasty that favored Japan's interests over Korea's. He was basically stating how these past events showed that the U.S. wasn't an ally to be trusted. PLEASE. GET OVER IT. Many of these events that the IDIOTIC LEFT in Korea rally on were before 54,000 U.S. bled for South Korea's freedom. Before South Korea benefitted from military contracts, technology transfer, and favored trading status that were the basic elements of its current economic success.

The man's griping during the seminar reminded me of a conversation my mother had with my friend (I posted this a while back, but couldn't find it right now). He was getting his graduate degree in Korean literature at Seoul National and was expounding upon the beauty of "Han," which doesn't have an English equivalent. The basic concept is a long sadness reflected by past trauma or a certain bitterness which stems from a broken heart or lengthy period of suffering. In a simple manner, this concept of Han mirrors Korea history since it has been a nation that was constantly invaded and stepped upon for over 5,000 years.

My mother started softly into the discussion with my friend, and then dropped the hammer, "Dear, once you really think about it you'll understand that Han is basically an immature way for Koreans to deal with their emotions..."

She went on with this discussion and soon after that day he ended his program at Seoul National. A few weeks later, he moved to NYC and eventually earned a role on a major broadway show.

So the man in the seminar reminded me of this situation and how some Koreans simply cannot move on and deal with the past in a mature manner. GET OVER IT. South Korea stands as the 11th largest economy in the world, and it should behave as such. South Korea's positioning is a lot different than during the days of the Chosun Dynasty or even a couple decades ago, so people over there have to truly realize their standing in the world. They have to stop making South Korea act like a 4 old year child and grow up. It cannot take steps backward and dwell on the past like some loser who constantly repeats his mistakes in his head or never forgives a friend over a minor spat. SO FOR THOSE IN KOREA READING THIS AND IF YOU HATE THE U.S., GET OVER IT. This is an alliance that South Korea needs more for its future than the U.S. needs it. It is a beneficial partnership that many Koreans have forgotten or where arrogance has blinded them. Open your eyes.