Here’s our game: We know that North Korea is a sad failure of a state with a leadership that doesn’t allow proper elections because, if it did, it would have been voted out years ago. This wretched country once thought of itself as the rightful owner of our beloved peninsula. Now it’s struggling to survive. It has lots of soldiers and a few nuclear weapons, which it employs for leverage. We’re not bothered by them. The real downer is that one day we’re going to wake up and find North Korea has collapsed and we, South Koreans, will have to bear the social and economic burden. That’s why we’re engaging them _ to soften the landing. The annoying reality is that our two closest allies, America and Japan, between them caused this whole mess in the first place, and haven’t even apologized. That’s all in the past, but what isn’t is their belligerence. In America’s case, President Bush is a stupid foreigner who doesn’t understand Korean culture. But the Japanese know better and are just cynically using North Korea as an excuse to return to their old unpleasant ways. The real danger is that overreaction by Washington or Tokyo, for whatever dubious motives, carries with it serious unintended consequences, all of which will make life worse for us.

This is how a majority of Koreans see things.

President Roh should be acknowledged for at least having correctly articulated his country’s perspective.

That is Mr. Breen's Korea Times column.

It touches on one of the aspects of Korean society that is very hard to understand if you don't know it well.

There is a reason I frequently say South Korean society likes to "pretend" they can't stand the US-SK relationship. On the flip side, there is also a reason why so many people who do know about Korea turn a truth into a lie by how they say, "The majority of Koreans don't want the US to leave. They really aren't anti-US."

This item also touches on why I believe the Roh phenomenon might not pass quickly from the scene once he leaves office as everybody predicts.

See ----

The only real vital difference with Roh in the Blue House ISN'T that his views are so far astray from a significant chunk of the people. Much of what Roh has said that has pissed Koreans off ---- is the exact kind of stuff Korean society has "entertained" for many, many years.

Simply put ---- the difference is that they have never expected them to come from the Blue House.

When the authoritarian rulers ruled in South Korea, from the 1950s to 1990s, part of the movement against those rulers was also movement against the US in Korea -- with many seeing the US and the South's dictators as virtually the same thing.

What happened during this period is ---- in part ------ South Korean society got utterly used to the Korean presidents maintaining the alliance in the face of anything -- like against the massive, violent demonstrations of the late 1980s.

The democracy movements and others screamed against the government and the US in Korea - because they saw them as virtually the same - and nothing ever changed.

Well, it did. Democracy did finally grow, but it was such a slow and often stagnant process, it seemed like it might never change.

No matter how hard people pushed -- they knew the authoritarian rulers would never give up power and the US would never leave --- even if the people demanded it.

So ---------- my point is ----------- bashing the US became safe.

At times, during the worst part of the South Korean dictatorship, many really believed what they said.

But, by the end of the 1990s ---- it was more of a routine.

It was simply part of the culture.

And part of this culture was the idea that the Blue House would always do what was best for the nation geopolitically speaking ---- that it would maintain the alliance while the people enjoyed bashing it.

Then Roh was elected ----

He won a close election thanks to his anti-US sentiment.

The part of his campaign that pushed him over the top involved things like saying he would not Kow-Tow to the US like all the presidents in the past had done.

The voters loved this....

But ---- they took it for granted once he was in the office, he'd understand to do what was vital to South Korean interests, and that was NOT pushing the US out of Korea.

They were fooled.

They didn't know Roh was going to push policy that reflected what the people said they believed in........

That is what has been the shocker.....

----not that Roh has been pushing ideas that the people --- on the surface --- have always been against.

They are shocked because Roh is pushing ideas they only like to pretend they really believe in.....

I think they elected him they got what they voted for. Part of the reason for the non understanding of the US South Korea Alliance is that the misinformation has never been refuted. Many of the older generation understand as they lived through it and remember what Korea was like 30-40 years ago and some remember what it was like during Japans occupation. The younger generation is now becoming the majority and they believe the Anti US stuff because that is all they have been told. It may be a time is coming that we have outlived our usefulness in Korea. Many of the soldiers now do not believe we are defending Korea but that it is a party playground for their enjoyment and to play Army.

The line that was going around in the last few years I was in went like this Korea a single mans dream and a married mans paradise. With sediment like that being said and probably by a minority it is no wonder that they think we are there to rape their country. I believe the US presence there is needed, but I see a time much sooner than later where there will be a token presence or none at all.

Those that want us out will say to those that say you will hurt our economy look at the Phillipeans they kicked the US out and it did not economically crush them! It is a smaller global economy today and perhaps our days as the watchdog of the world need to be revised. If we have Democrates for the next 8 years after Bush I would say we will be back on the path to no overseas troops. This is just a SWAG or better yet a misinformed feeling but there it is.

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Just my humble opinion!