An open wound

I went to a birthday celebration for a Korean women, June, at the most up-scale Italian dining offered in Korean. The food was excellent, the ambiance mirrored what you would expect at an Italian restaurant in America; Wine bottles displayed in every direction, Italian posters on the walls, servers bringing around seasoned peppers, and bread alongside a dish of olive oil and vinaigrette. My dinner, Fettucini Chicken Alfredo, cost a startling 14,000 Won (14$) and, as I hesitated to pay this price, I realized my mind is beginning to operate like a Korean's. Fourteen dollars for a dinner at a posh Italian restaurant back home is a steal. Remember, we don't tip here. The party consisted of June, the guest of honor, 8 Canadians, myself and one other American. As I looked around the table, I began to feel guilty for my youth. I think a 23 year old foreigner in Korea is unprecedented. The gentleman across the table were all around 40 or above, there were two 26 year olds and me. Sometimes, (and one foreigner told me this upon meeting me), I feel extremely lucky; like I stumbled upon this paradise so early while the rest are kicking themselves for not leaving earlier. Tonight I just felt out of place. Things got worse when we began to discuss politics. Those who know me are aware that my patriotism is running thin, but here in Korea, where I am a constant example of America, I try and hide my disastisfactions and be the proud, young American these Koreans see on TV. In actuality, as we discussed tonight, any American living in Korea is unique and hardly a just representative of the USA. Coming from a country that promotes such inward thinking, it's difficult to see life outside, let alone go and explore it. Someone brought up the current situation with N. Korea's nuclear capabilities and Bush's track record and propensity to start war with any possible threat. I noticed the birthday girl's composure change and she went from smiles to a look of sadness and fear. These things happen all the time, and in America, I would feel sorry for those innocents in our political positioning, but it's all different now. I stared at her worried face and saw how REAL this is. In actuality, I don't see Bush ever attacking or invading N. Korea because the result would be nothing like the limited resistance we're meeting in Iraq. This would be bloody, violent and thousands, if not millions, would die. Not even GW is that stupid, right?? Someone brought up the 38th parallel (the boundary between N and S Korea) and the many tunnels built underground that connect the two countries. These tunnels (most, if not all, have been closed up) are proof of the animosity that still exists between the two sides. Still, the feeling I've got here is one of hope, hope for an eventual union. S. Korea is bound by American ties and will remain our ally, but, unlike many of their allies, they care deeply about N Korea and, weather they will admit it or not, will not be whole until the two sides unite. Yeah, I came here to see tension and it's right in front of my face, sometimes strangling my identity until I question where I truly stand in this mess. I've included an article; incase anybody is not up-to-date on the US' next conquest. Now that democracy has been spoon-fed to the Middle East, the war-hungry might just be looking for their next juicy, bloody steak.


SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said an international coalition remains committed to negotiating an end to North Korea's nuclear weapons program, but warned Saturday that North Korea cannot stall forever.
Rice also appealed to China, communist North Korea's closest ally, to use its leverage to bring North Korea back to disarmament talks.
"We are committed to diplomacy, but I think it goes without saying that no one is going to be prepared to allow the North Koreans to just go down a road that threatens everyone," Rice said.
"We have been very careful to have people choose their own diplomatic paths and their own mix of incentives and leverage to deal with the North Korean problem," she said.

Rice spoke from Tokyo before flying to South Korea, which is still technically at war with the North five decades after active fighting ended in the Korean War.
In South Korea, Rice became the most senior American official to tour a semisecret command center for U.S. and South Korean troops that would be the battle headquarters for a fight with Pyongyang.
"I know that you face a close-in threat every day," Rice told the troops at Command Post Tango, an acronym that stands for Theater Air Naval Ground Operations.
Rice's visit, which coincided with a twice-yearly war exercise with thousands of American and South Korean troops, also marked the first time reporters and cameras were allowed into the bunker, built into a mountain south of Seoul.
North Korea denounced the exercises as a rehearsal for a U.S.-led pre-emptive attack on the isolated state.

The Republic of Korea, a great democracy now, faces a threat across the divide of a state that is not democratic, that is not free, and that does not have the best interests of its people at heart," Rice said.
The North Koreans have not responded to a U.S.-backed peacemaking proposal. Pyongyang has complained that Rice unfairly labeled the country an "outpost of tyranny" earlier this year, and demanded an apology.
North Korea has said it wants nuclear weapons as a defense against a potential attack from U.S. and South Korean forces. President Bush has said the United States has no intention of attacking North Korea, a message Rice has repeated often during a weeklong tour of Asia.
The United States, Russia, Japan, South Korea and China began a joint diplomatic effort with North Korea aimed at persuading the country to give up its nuclear program.
But those six-nation talks, hosted by China, have been stalled since September, when the North Koreans pulled out and refused to return to discussions. North Korea announced last month it has already built a nuclear weapon.
Rice and other U.S. officials are working to keep the coalition intact.
Answering questions from the audience after a speech Saturday, Rice said she knows there is some international frustration with the slow pace of North Korean talks. But she said the six-party discussions remain the best option. She rejected a suggestion that the United States might make more progress if it dealt with North Korea one-on-one.
"We bring different incentives, different leverage to North Korea, each of us. ... I would be first to admit it is not easy to deal with North Korea," Rice said.