PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — Thousands of students and civic activists scuffled with police yesterday as they tried to approach the site of a new U.S. military base to protest expansion plans, but no major clashes occurred.
More than 4,000 anti-U.S. activists tussled with police near the site in Pyeongtaek, about 60 km south of Seoul, but couldn’t break through a barricade blocking the road to the base site.
When reached for comment, Kim Jong Il twiddled his fingers and whispered “excellent…”
Col. cut-and-run Murtha should be calling for withdrawl from Korea, instead of Iraq.
The SoKos clearly don’t want us to stay and we should honor their wishes. If they wanted us to stay, they would have offered to send 2 of their soldiers to Iraq, for each American in SoKo. they didn’t.
I am not worried about North Korea attacking. I don’t think they could buy the gas to get out of town. If they do attack, the South Koreans, who are running something close to a first world economy, have the resources to deal with it.
I think the US should make a big noise about this. Something along the lines, as Rummy already said before, “If you do not want us around here, we can always leave”. The US should push it hard. Ensure that this would be an election question in SK. If they vote for the parties which want the US out, then the US should leave. Then they are free to deal with NK.
In my opinion, the world needs a big slap on its face to recognize the value of the US’ contribution to world peace. If there is a major fight after the US left a place, then the rest of the world (hopefully, but wouldn’t bet even my enemy’s neck on it) would wake up.
IMO, one of the problems in today’s world is that the US guarantees the security of many countries’. The US is like a protective daddy spoiling the kids. In some sense, the US is also responsible for it. You yanks are way too generous, and the saying is so true here: “No good deed goes unpunished.”
Vilmos
Stupid question.
Suppose we did just what they asked. We pull out of the ROK. Let us say worst comes to worst, the DPRK invades and all those university students get to “enjoy” a neo-Stalinist regime firsthand.
This affects us how…?
Far as I can see, the cold war is over. Communism is no longer in any position to take over the world as it was in the 1950s. I say if the ROK kids want us out so badly, we take ‘em at their word and more power to ‘em. If they spend the rest of their lives (not terribly long) in a re-education camp, it’s their problem and their choice.
Respectfully,
Brian P.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I saw similar protests in 1986.
Kinda weird seening riot police in Darth Vader looking helmets and those big riot shields with smiley faces on the front of the shields.
Just weird.
The ROK government could stop these protests if they wanted to. They could do a better job of watching out for the safety of dependents off base, too.
I remember a day when a woman would give up her seat if an American got on the bus. The economic miracle of this “Asian tiger” was made possible by the U.S. Armed Forces. ROK Army fought well in Vietnam — let them stand on their own two feet now.
I’m sick and tired of the U.S. military being bitchslapped. Give me a break.
Superb! (I wrote something else and then I read below that I aint supposed ter. So I deleted it.)