Short answer: No.
Slightly longer answer: Well, who the hell knows?
One thing is certain here on the peninsula as of this hour. If the South Koreans are worried in the slightest about this latest kerfuffle, which apparently has the outside world’s media in a frenzy (note to Kim Jong Un: use the phrase ‘Nuclear War’ more often… CNN is loving this shit), they’re not showing it.
Just the other day, conversation in the neighbourhood turned yet again to these latest current tensions here on the peninsula, and whether we should be worried about this pesky nuclear war Kim Jong Un keeps threatening to ignite. Like most around these parts, I can only assume this is simply more of the usual sabre-rattling by those wacky North Koreans, if perhaps a touch more bellicose than normal (come to think of it, threatening the United States with nuclear annihilation is about as wacky as it gets… I’m not sure Kim Jong Un has left himself much latitude with which to boost the crazy later down the road).
The usual conversation ended in the usual way, with consensus intact, being that these are the usual idle threats coming from North Korea, and that our own safety was validated by simple factualities such as that the joint ROK/DPRK Kaesong Industrial Complex on North side of the border, just North of Seoul, remain operational.
Yesterday, the North Koreans shut down the Kaesong Complex. This meant the expulsion of all South Korean managerial staff, and also the loss of millions of dollars in daily revenue for the North Korean government. This is no small thing. They could really use that money… News of this interesting development raised a few eyebrows but little else in Seoul. There has been minimal ire… sporadic angst. Arms are not being raised in surrender. ATMs are not being emptied. Panic has failed to ensue. To family, friends and interested observers, it is life as usual here inSeoul. There’s a nice little article about present life and opinions on the lucky side of the 38th Parallel… here.
Oh… there have been a fair few military helicopters buzzing about today, to and from the US military base we live a few hundred feet from. Just checking about, no doubt.
Let’s see what happens tomorrow! Cheers!!
