August 2, 2007: The July 17th kidnapping of 23 South Korean
Christian missionaries in Afghanistan has enraged South Koreans. The Taliban
kidnappers are demanding the release of Taliban from jail, and the Afghan
government refuses to play that game. So far, the Taliban have murdered two of
the hostages, while the Afghan government pressures the Taliban to give up
their prisoners, and halt a situation which is making the Taliban look bad. The
Afghans are also threatening to take the hostages by force, while the Taliban
insist they will kill the South Koreans if there is a rescue attempt. South
Korea says it will not send commandos to help with a rescue attempt. But if
commandos were sent, it would not be announced. The South Korean government has
said that its patience was not endless.
August 1, 2007: In
Afghanistan, government aircraft dropped leaflets, in the area where 21 South
Koreans are believed to be held, warning civilians to leave the area, to avoid
"military operations."
July 31, 2007: In North Korea,
theft by off-duty soldiers and gangsters is so rampant that hiring recently
discharged soldiers for security is becoming a big business. North Korean
soldiers, who are drafted to serve six years or more, are trained in the
martial arts. The security guards are officially unarmed, and their mere
presence is intended to discourage thieves. Unarmed soldiers are increasingly
turning to theft to supplement their meager rations, and non-existent pay.
July 30, 2007: In North Korea, units of teenage communists
are being used to search for illegal cell phones, and other forbidden items,
along the Chinese border. The young fanatics are also being used to prevent
corrupt border guards from taking bribes to allow people to get out of the
country. As a result, the average such bribe has gone from a hundred dollars or
so to over a thousand dollars.
July 26, 2007: North Korea is
demanding removal of all trade sanctions, in return for dismantling their
ballistic missile and nuclear weapons program. The major area of dispute is
verification. The North Koreans want none, everyone else wants a lot.
July 24, 2007: Anger at the
government by communist party members increased as news got out of the collapse
of a fifteen year old apartment building. At least twenty residents of the
building died. The structure, built for communist party members working for the
government, was apparently of shoddy construction, but was considered a prime
residential property.
