The two Koreas - An Opinion by Anita Hamilton
Here at Osan Air Base, South Korea, three articles in a recent Stars and Stripes newspaper edition had something to do with North Korea - not too surprising, since the two Koreas share a peninsula and a history of clashing ideals and war.
The first article, on the front page, was titled, "Solemn welcome back: U.S. repatriates remains of 2 more troops recovered from North Korea."
This is the third such mission in North Korea this year, but this one was fraught with tension because the North Korean officials are accusing the American team of "putting graffiti on the frame and plywood backing of two photographs of the communist country's two and only leaders, Kim Il Sung and his ruling son, Kim Jung II."
That insult, of course, is a major no-no, tantamount to a Russian's having desecrated a picture or statue of Lenin or Stalin. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) spokeswoman in Hawaii naturally denied the accusation but added that the command "has had some difficulty with cultural sensitivities of the North Koreans" - an understatement, to say the least.
In spite of difficulties encountered in the latest of three missions into North Korea to retrieve the remains of dead Americans, it is good to know that finally, after 50 years, some progress is being made in this area. Of course, extensive forensic testing will take place in Hawaii to determine the identity of the remains.
This third of five joint recovery missions scheduled for this year makes a total of 21 recovered remains so far this year, and more than 200 in 30 joint operations since 1996. Although that is an impressive figure and I'm sure the families of those servicemen are pleased to be able to have some sort of closure after such a long time, the fact is that about 8,100 American servicemen are still missing from the Korean War.
At least a token number has been allowed out of North Korea. But it seems almost as though it is a sop tossed to us, possibly to distract us from the latest reports of saber-rattling by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This same issue of Stars and Stripes reported that the DPRK is "working on new ballistic missile systems designed to deliver nuclear warheads and testing the technology 'by proxy' in Iran."
It seems that while North Korea has "agreed to a self-imposed test ban" it is at the same time "sharing technology information with Iran, which carries out missile tests on North Korea's behalf," according to a Bush administration official.
What on earth does that mean? I may be dense, but is that double-talk or isn't it? Are they or are they not stopping tests? Apparently not. So the tests are not taking place in North Korea but in Iran. Aren't they tests just the same? And aren't they "on North Korea's behalf?" What's the difference?
I don't get it. But I never claimed to be a political pundit. All I know is what I read in the papers (along with Will Rogers), and I don't understand most of that. So I guess I'll leave commentary on such things to the professionals.
But I don't have to like it, do I?
The third article in this issue was about Charles Jenkins, the accused U. S. Army sergeant who deserted his Army platoon in South Korea in 1965, and defected to the communist North. I had read about his return a month or so ago, along with his wife and their two daughters. His Japanese wife had been kidnapped by communist agents in 1978 and returned alone to Japan in 2002.
Now Jenkins is being provided with legal counsel to discuss his options. He is in serious trouble, or course, having deserted (an offense which could mean life imprisonment) and possibly even collaborated with the enemy and encouraged others soldiers to desert.
I'm not sure how I feel about Sgt. Jenkins, not that it probably matters to anyone. On the one hand, I suppose he deserves a fair trial and to be considered innocent until proven guilty. (But doesn't his 50-year residence in North Korea pretty well speak for itself?)
On the other hand, as the widow of a former Air Force pilot who risked his life daily in the fight to keep South Korea from being swallowed up by the communists, I take umbrage at his having come back at all and his expecting to be treated fairly. The un-Christian thing to say would be, "He made his bed; so let him lie in it. So he's old now and in failing health. Well, why can't the North Koreans take care of him?"
But I hope I'm not un-Christian. So I suppose I'll have to search my heart to see whether I can forgive him, knowing that if I want forgiveness on the Judgment Day, I need to forgive my fellow man while still here on earth.
Hamilton is a long-time resident of Searcy who moved to Korea at the end of July to be with her son and his family.
© The Daily Citizen.