Though it would be difficult to find anyone in the United States who would praise North Korea for its dismal human rights record, this consensus of opinion by no means extends to practical foreign policy. In other words, there is broad agreement on what is wrong in North Korea, from the political labor camps to… Continue reading To Link or Not to Link: The Human Rights Question in North Korea
Hope springs eternal that the Bush administration, in its new post-election configuration, will finally get serious about the North Korean nuclear crisis. According to the most optimistic assessment, the new appointments at the State Department–Condoleezza Rice, Robert Zoellick, Christopher Hill–will leaven the administration’s hard-line policy with a measure of pragmatism. This more realistic diplomacy will… Continue reading Round Two of Bush vs. North Korea
On September 19, North Korea agreed to give up its nuclear program. As part of the same agreement, which followed the latest round of the Six Party Talks, the United States pledged not to attack or invade North Korea, to coexist peacefully with the country, and to work toward normalized relations. The United States and… Continue reading Uses of Ambiguity in North Korea Agreement
The South Korean farmer snaps a cucumber in two to show me the drops of moisture that bead to the surface around the break. “If you put it back together and wait a minute, then it will stick together,” Yang Yoon Seok says. Sure enough, he easily rejoins the severed halves and the cucumber is… Continue reading The Legacy of Lee Kyung Hae
Those crazy North Koreans. They’ve promised in principle to give up their nuclear weapons, but they insist on generating nuclear power for peaceful purposes. With Pyongyang and Washington at loggerheads over this point, the Six-Party Talks to resolve the nuclear crisis in Northeast Asia have taken a recess after two weeks of promising discussions. U.S.… Continue reading Atoms for Peace
Somenthing extraordinary is happening in Korea, and Washington appears to be paying no attention. The two Koreas have plunged headlong in to unknown territory: reunification. For 50 years, aside from the occasional defector, it was impossible to cross the demilitarized zone dividing the Korean Peninsula. Today a bus leaves the capital of South Korea every… Continue reading Korea’s Slow-Motion Reunification
North Korea’s public declaration of nuclear status does not definitively prove that it possesses nuclear weapons. What’s clear is that Pyongyang expects no changes in Bush administration policy. The announcement and North Korea’s decision to stop participating in the international negotiations with the United States and its neighbors known as “six-party talks” was designed to… Continue reading Dealing with the Powers in Pyongyang
“Super-Size Me, Tokyo Style,” Alternet, December 17, 2004 “North Korean Surprises,” Munhwa Ilbo, December 7, 2004 “Asia Holds the Key to the Future of GM Food,” YaleGlobal Online, December 2, 2004 “U.S.-ROK Relations after the Elections,” ZNet, November 26, 2004 “Election Day Hangover,” Munhwa Ilbo, November 2, 2004 “Untangling the Knot: The Future of U.S.-South Korean Security… Continue reading 2004 Archives
2004 Events Korean Food, Korean Identity Stanford institute for International Studies Friday, December 3 at noon Philippines Conference Room Encina Hall, third floor Stanford University Palo Alto, CA RSVP to hongkal@stanford.edu for buffet lunch What’s Next for North Korea? Bound to Be Read Bookstore Sunday, November 21 at 2 p.m. 6300 San Mateo Blvd. NE… Continue reading 2004 Events
Americans are fat. Visitors to the United States are often astonished by the serving sizes at restaurants and the waist sizes of clothing in department stores. One-third of the U.S. population is obese, two-thirds are overweight, and the Journal of International Obesity warns of an ？epidemic.?SPAN style=”mso-spacerun: yes “> This isn？t just a problem… Continue reading Fat and Foreign Policy