From: jfe@alchemy.tn.cornell.edu (Brian Chung)
Subject: Re: Service in Korea
Organization: Alchemy International
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 00:15:22 GMT

In article <8746@dirac.physics.purdue.edu> bark@bohr.physics.purdue.edu (Bark Kwangyl) writes:
>
>Greetings, Brian! It's me, Kwangyl!
>It's nice to talk to you again.

	Cool, let's get all the old gang back in here!  :)

>When I read your profound and terse post, I start to  be confused as usual.
>Let me tell you why.
>
>According to my memory of you, you were a strong supporter of America's
>threat to North Korea.  You said, I wish my memory is correct, Kim Il Sung 
>should be stopped from getting A-bomb by all means available.
>I don't know what exactly you meant by the words "all means avialable ",
>but I assumed that include militaristic options.
>Because you looked like supporting a militaristic options, I thought you
>are a person ready to be called by draft office at any time.
>I thought you are a M16-wielding, war loving, don't caring what happen to Korea,
>Rambo-worshiping  red-blooded Korean. 

	Your memory is not correct.  Last year, when this thread was going
I argued that North Korea should let it the UN inspectors without demanding
that the United States pull the nuclear weapons out of South Korea.  But since
the US did pull them out and that the North Korea did let in the UN inspectors
this point is moot.  My other point was that someone was arguing that the
United States, more specifically the Bush Administration, was considering
the military options so that it can boost its ratings and win the election.
And I argued that this is the stupidest thing I've ever heard, and that this
will not happen.  And looking back now, I won.  I have never, repeat never,
argued for any kind of military strike to take out the nuclear facilities.
Hope this clears up your confusion.
> 
>You are saying you don't believe in mandatory service. ( There is no single 
>Korean who believe in mandatory service. But that's the best we can get.)

	That is not the best we can get.  Mandatory service should be
discontinued.  We do not need to put so much money and manpower into
defense any more.  Seriously, what is the chance of North Korea invading
South Korea without the backings of Russia and China, especially there
are still American troops there?  Our military and defense budget is too
big for the country our size.  Frankly, I believe that it's the defense
establishment who want to keep our military big so that they can still be
a powerful lobbying force, very much like what was happening in the US
during the height of the Cold War.  
>
>What happenned to you, Brian?
>Which one is real Brian, the strong supportter of militaristic option who is
>ready to smash commies in North or the military hating individualist?
>Could you support a possible war which you don't want to fight yourself?
>Answer my questions and enlighten me as usual.

	As I said, I never supported any kind of military option against
North Korea.  Yeah, I want to smash commies in North, but by economic means,
not by military means.  By the way, you may want to read last Sunday's
New York Times Magazine, it has a long article on North Korean economy and
how it's affecting the lives there.  Apparently, the North Korean government
is now having a "Two Meals A Day" program because of the food shortage.
	I will support a war and I'll be there to fight it if it is
necessary, for example, if the North invades the South, believe me, I'll 
enlist.  But I do not believe in forcing anyone to be in the army when
there is no need to.
>
-- 
T. H. Brian Chung                      | Happiness is...              
Internet: jfe@alchemy.tn.cornell.edu   | "Tea, Earl Grey, hot."
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Newsgroups: soc.culture.korean