Zeitgeist Zephyr

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Archive for the ‘North Korea’


U.S. Tests Minuteman III Missile

Published June 29th, 2009 in North Korea | No Comments »

Today it was reported that the Air Force tested an unarmed long range Minuteman III ICBM off the coast of California this morning.  It tracked 4,200 miles to its planned target in the Pacific Ocean.  It deployed three unarmed reentry vehicles and the data that was collected will be used to determine the functionality and reliability of the weapon.  

This stands in contrast to North Korea’s failed attempts to test their Taepodong-II missile, which if it operated properly could reach U.S. territory in Hawaii or Alaska.  I’m assuming that the test launch, which would have served a legitimate purpose of testing the missile and its performance characteristics as part of a regular maintenance program, it no doubt coincides with the tension on the Korean peninsula.  

A clear discouragement to North Korea that the United States can, and will, give them a firm whooping if they try to launch missiles our way. 

Flashback: China Tested Bush in Hainan Too

Published March 10th, 2009 in A Global Perspective, China, North Korea, President Obama | No Comments »

I may have been in 5th grade at the time that George W. Bush was starting his first term, but I do remember an event in his first year as president that got overshadowed after 9/11 and had many, including my 5th grade teacher, talking about he possibility of a conflict with the Chinese.  On 1 April 2001 near Hainan Island in China, a Chinese interceptor jet and a U.S. Navy surveillance plane collided and the Navy plane was forced to make an emergency landing in China.  The crew members on board destroyed all sensitive equipment and data for nearly 15 minutes after landing before being detained until 11 April by the Chinese military.  The nature of the event is still surrounded in speculation, but many view the Chinese response as a test towards George W. Bush and many feared during the event that it could have escalated into a military conflict between the U.S. and China. In their defense, China called the Navy flight a violation of their airspace in accordance with the UN Convention of the Laws of the Sea.  Sound familiar?

Over the past week, the U.S. Navy surveillance ship the USNS Impeccable has been repeatedly harassed by Chinese ships including Bureau of Maritime Fisheries Patrol vessel, a State Oceanographic Administration patrol vessel, a Chinese Navy intelligence collection vessel, and two small Chinese-flagged trawlers.  Mind you this is all occurred about 75 miles south of Hainan in the South China Sea.  The Chinese are claiming that the ship was in violation of the Chinese special economic zone in the South China Sea and is thus in direct violation of international and Chinese laws.  

Interesting coincidence?  Perhaps, but it is nearly a tradition of America’s rivals to test new presidents as they enter into their first term.  North Korea is prepping to test a missile, likely a Taepodong-2 akin to one tested a few years ago on the 4th of July, within the next week or so.  Whatever their intentions are, they have put their military on high alert and have warned they are prepared for an all out war should their missile or satellite be shot down.  

However President Obama responds to these crises, it is good to keep in mind these are largely tests on him to determine how he stands up under pressure on the international stage when faced with a crisis.  I don’t really expect much to happen as a result of these events (knock on wood) beyond figuring out how Obama does handle a crisis and how China and North Korea will respond, but anything is possible.  If Obama holds to his campaign promises of how to handle international diplomacy, everything should turn out just fine.  

New York Philharmonic in North Korea

Published February 26th, 2008 in North Korea | No Comments »

Today, in what is perhaps one of the more historic moments in diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea, the world renowned New York Philharmonic Orchestra paid a visit to the communist nation to put on a performance in the capital city of Pyongyang.  The significance of this visit is that it is the largest contingent of Americans to visit the country since the armistice on July 27, 1953.  Since no peace treaty has ever been signed, the U.S. and North Korea (DPRK) are still technically at war.

What is interesting about this is that it has provided a rare window into what is normally a secretive nation.  In preparation for their arrival, DPRK has made sure that it’s capital city is at its finest.  Electricity was turned on and maintained for the duration of the visit, and a cultural exchange occurred, one of the largest between the two nations in decades. 

Musicians from the NY Philharmonic gave professional lessons to Korean musicians to help them improve their abilities, and the Koreans in turn held a large banquet and diplomatic ceremony for their guests. The New York Philharmonic performs at the East Pyongyang Grand Theater

The concert was played to a live audience of 2,500 people in the renovated auditorium, and was broadcast live on television.  To start off the ceremony, and to the jubilation of the North Koreans in attendance, the orchestra played “Patriotic Song”, the North’s national anthem.  Perhaps much to their surprise, that was followed immediately by “The Star Spangled Banner.”  Despite having the American gorillas having the audacity to play their anthem on Korean soil, the audience still stood in applause at its conclusion.  The whole concert will be replayed on KCPT this Thursday.

 What was the most interesting aspect of this for me was not so much that Americans were welcomed to a ‘hostile’ country with open arms, but how the Korean propaganda machine handled it.  In a far flung link at the bottom of The Drudge Report, I found my answer.  The Korean Central News Agency.

While the website might not be as flash-y (ha ha, computer joke) and high tech as other news websites, it did provide an interesting perspective on what the average Korean might think of it.  The normally derogatory news articles written about the warmongering United States and its plans for world domination was met with nothing more than silence on the NY Philharmonics visit.  Here’s a word count for articles published in recent days compared to the articles published for the concert (as of writing this blog, no news articles had been published after the concert.)

Symphonies of New Themes (on Korean symphonies) - 278 words

KCNA on U.S. Dangerous Moves for Arms Race in Space - 525 words

Banquet Given for New York Philharmonic - 115 words

New York Philharmonic Arrives - 32 words

It looks like now there are rumors another concert might be in store for Pyongyang, this time, the concert hall might be rocking to a different beat: Eric Clapton.

Apparently the only thing good about Kim Jong Il is his taste in music!