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Axis of Evil
Anti-U.S. Tone Marks South Korea Election
2002-12-18
Anti-U.S. sentiment emerged as a key issue ahead of South Korea's presidential election Thursday, with the front-runner losing the support of an important backer over a remarkably stupid remark about the possibility of war between the United States and North Korea. Candidate Roh Moo-hyun favors the South Korean government's "sunshine" policy of engaging the North and wants his country to be less dependent on Washington, which keeps 37,000 soldiers here.
So do lots of us. Matter of fact, we can leave any time now. Won't bother me a bit, and it'll make lots of South Koreans happy. For awhile.
But a bonehead comment he made on the campaign trail Wednesday triggered an angry reaction from Chung Mong-joon, his coalition partner and the popular architect of South Korea's successful co-hosting of the soccer World Cup this year. Kim Hang, Chung's spokeswoman, said the soccer chief and industrialist withdrew his support because Roh made an "inappropriate remark."
To whit:
"If the United States and North Korea start a war, we could get embroiled," Kim quoted Roh as saying.
If that ain't the dumbest damned...
Kim said Chung, a former presidential candidate who dropped out of the race to support Roh, believes there is no reason for the United States to start a war with North Korea.
... piece of drivel I've ever heard, I've never heard one. The only reason the U.S. would ever become involved in a war with NKor, short of NKor pointing its patented not-quite-yet-nuclear missiles directly at the U.S. of A., would be to keep it from overrunning South Korea. Like it did last time. You know, that time that the SKors have forgotten about by now?
North Korea has often accused the United States of plotting an invasion, but Secretary of State Colin Powell on Monday echoed earlier comments by Bush that Washington has no plans to invade the North.
Except for its attempts at developing a nuke arsenal and its proximity to SKor, NKor is beneath our notice. Think of it as Botswana, only with kimchi when the CARE packages are rolling in. Since our "friendship" with SKor seems to have unraveled, that makes NKor even less important.
Posted by:Fred Pruitt

#6  comments); ?>werwer
Posted by: someone   2002-12-19 04:34:56  

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Posted by: RW   2002-12-19 04:19:19  

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Posted by: Rick   2002-12-18 22:48:08  

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Posted by: paj   2002-12-18 20:48:13  

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Posted by: Frank Martin   2002-12-18 17:35:03  

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Posted by: Anonymous   2002-12-18 15:09:08  

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