5/21/03

LC030521

VAL ZAVALA>> TONIGHT ON A SPECIAL EDITION OF LIFE AND TIMES --

JESS MARLOW>> THE KOREAN PENINSULA IS GRIPPED BY A NUCLEAR STANDOFF, BUT SOME SOUTH KOREANS AREN'T SURE WHO THE ENEMY IS.

JEFFREY KAYE>> ARE YOU AFRAID OF NORTH KOREA?

>> NO, NO.

JEFFREY KAYE>> YOU'RE NOT AFRAID OF NORTH KOREA?

>> NOT AT ALL, BECAUSE I THINK WE ARE JUST ALL FAMILY, RELATIVE, AND SOMEDAY WE WILL REUNITE.

VAL>> AND THEN, THE SURREAL SCENE OF KOREAN TOURISTS PREPARING TO VISIT A POSSIBLE INVASION ROUTE FROM THE NORTH.

JESS>> THE CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN TWO NATIONS DIVIDED BY IDEOLOGY BUT UNITED BY BLOOD.

VAL>> IT'S ALL STRAIGHT AHEAD ON TONIGHT'S LIFE AND TIMES.

LIFE AND TIMES IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

VAL>> TONIGHT WE CONTINUE OUR LOOK AT NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA.

JESS>> WHERE A PUSH IS ON TO REUNITE THE TWO COUNTRIES EVEN AS TENSIONS CONTINUE TO ESCALATE. THE U.S. MILITARY IS ONCE AGAIN POSITIONED TO DEFEND SOUTH KOREA AGAINST INVASION FROM THE NORTH, BUT IT ALSO FINDS ITSELF ON THE DEFENSIVE IN THE SOUTH. SOME KOREANS SEE THE U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE ON THE PENINSULA AS AN OBSTACLE TO REUNIFICATION. TONIGHT NEWSHOUR CORRESPONDENT, JEFFREY KAYE, REPORTS FROM A REGION THAT COULD BE ON THE BRINK OF WAR OR ON THE VERGE OF RECONCILIATION.

JEFFREY KAYE>> KOREA'S DEMILITARIZED ZONE IS A DESOLATE NO MAN'S LAND. THE TERRAIN IS LACED WITH RAZOR WIRE. FIELDS ARE PLANTED WITH LANDMINES AND A CHAIN OF GUARD TOWERS AND BUNKERS STRETCHES ACROSS THE COUNTRYSIDE. BUT THE DMZ, WHICH STRADDLES SOUTH AND NORTH KOREA, IS ALSO A 155-MILE-LONG SCAR ON KOREAN NATIONAL IDENTITY, A STRIP OF LAND THAT, FOR HALF A CENTURY, HAS SEPARATED THE KOREAN PEOPLE. THE FAMILY HISTORY OF YOO JAY KUN, LIKE MILLIONS OF HIS COUNTRYMEN, REFLECTS THE DAMAGE WROUGHT BY KOREA'S DIVISION. YOO IS A PROMINENT SOUTH KOREAN LEGISLATOR.

YOO JAY KUN>> I LOST MY FATHER DURING THE KOREAN WAR IN 1950. MY FATHER WAS THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS OLD, A BRILLIANT SOUTH KOREAN LEADER. THE NORTH CAME DOWN TO THE SOUTH AND THEY TOOK HIM TO THE NORTH AND I DON'T HAVE ANY NEWS WHETHER HE'S STILL ALIVE OR DIED. YOU KNOW, IT'S A TRAGEDY, BUT IT'S NOT ONLY MY FAMILY. MORE THAN TEN MILLION KOREAN FAMILIES WERE SEPARATED. IT'S REALLY A TERRIBLE THING.

JEFFREY KAYE>> SOUTH KOREA'S HARD CLIMB OUT OF THE WRECKAGE OF WAR AND ITS DEVELOPMENT OF ONE OF THE MOST PROSPEROUS SOCIETIES IN THE WORLD MIGHT MAKE THE CARNAGE OF THE KOREAN WAR SEEM LIKE ANCIENT HISTORY. BUT THE MEMORY OF KOREA'S BLOODIEST EPISODE IS PRESERVED IN MUSEUMS AND MEMORIALS WHERE BATTLE SCENES ARE DEPICTED AND CAPTURED ARTILLERY PIECES PUT ON DISPLAY. THE WAR, WHICH CLAIMED MORE THAN TWO MILLION LIVES, STILL WEIGHS HEAVILY ON KOREANS' SENSE OF THEMSELVES. THE CONFLICT AND THE RESULTING FIFTY-YEAR NATIONAL SPLIT PLAYS OUT IN ALL WALKS OF KOREAN LIFE, POLITICS, THE ECONOMY AND CULTURE.

[FILM CLIP]

JEFFREY KAYE>> WE CAME TO THE SET OF A FILM WHICH USES THE WAR AS A BACKDROP TO EXAMINE THE INTERSECTION OF FAMILY HISTORY AND NATIONAL HISTORY. WHAT'S BEING PLAYED OUT HERE REPRESENTS A PERSISTENT THEME IN SOUTH KOREA, THE STRUGGLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT DIVIDES THE TWO KOREAS AND THE CHALLENGE TO UNITE A DIVIDED PENINSULA.

THE WRITER AND DIRECTOR OF THIS FILM, KANG JE KYU, IS ONE OF SOUTH KOREA'S MOST PROMINENT FILMMAKERS. HIS FILM IS ABOUT KOREAN BROTHER FIGHTING BROTHER AND THE NEED FOR RECONCILIATION. HE HAS LITTLE INTEREST IN EXPLORING POLITICS OR THE ORIGINS OF THE WAR.

KANG JE KYU>> IT'S NOT THAT IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW THE TWO KOREAS ARE DIVIDED, THE REASON THAT THE TWO KOREAS AND THE TWO BROTHERS CAN'T MEET ANYMORE. I'M TALKING ABOUT THE CONDITION THAT THE TWO BROTHERS CAN'T MEET ANYMORE.

JEFFREY KAYE>> ALTHOUGH THEY REMAIN DIVIDED, KOREANS PREFER TO THINK OF THEMSELVES AS A SINGLE PEOPLE WITH A COMMON LANGUAGE AND ETHNICITY. DURING THEIR SHARED FOUR THOUSAND YEAR HISTORY, THEIR NATIONAL IDENTITY HAS BEEN FORGED BY FIGHTING FOREIGN INVADERS FROM MONGOL HORSEMEN TO THE ARMIES OF IMPERIAL JAPAN. KOREANS SEE THEIR SPLIT PENINSULA AS A TEMPORARY ABERRATION. THIS SENSE OF COMMON NATIONHOOD MANIFESTS ITSELF FROM POLITICAL RHETORIC TO THE NIGHTLY WEATHER REPORT.

THE MAP USED BY TELEVISION WEATHER FORECASTERS WOULD SURPRISE MANY NON-KOREAN CARTOGRAPHERS. IT SHOWS NOT TWO NATIONS, BUT ONE WITH NO BOUNDARY DIVIDING NORTH AND SOUTH AT THE 38TH PARALLEL. REPORTER CHO HYUN JIN SAYS THE NOTION OF TWO KOREAS AS ONE GOES BEYOND THE WEATHER REPORT.

CHO HYUN JIN>> OBVIOUSLY, TECHNICALLY, THERE'S NO EXPERIENCE OUT THERE, BUT THE PEOPLE TEND TO AND LIKE TO THINK KOREA AS ONE WHOLE NATION INSTEAD OF TWO SEPARATE NATIONS.

JEFFREY KAYE>> THE IMPULSE TO UNIFY THIS DIVIDED PENINSULA MORE THAN REFLECTS PUBLIC SENTIMENT. IT'S BECOME A CENTERPIECE OF SOUTH KOREAN NATIONAL POLICY. WHILE SOUTH KOREA'S MILITARY PREPARES TO REPEL AN ATTACK FROM THE NORTH, IN SEOUL ITS MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION BUILDS TIES TO NORTH KOREA. SOME 350 MINISTRY EMPLOYEES EXPECT TO ONE DAY TURN THE DMZ INTO AS MUCH AN HISTORICAL CURIOSITY AS THE BERLIN WALL. MINISTRY STAFF PROMOTE CULTURAL EXCHANGES, TRADE AND TOURIST EXCURSIONS TO NORTH KOREA, A COUNTRY THAT'S THE MOST ISOLATED ON EARTH.

WHAT THESE MEN ARE DOING IS INDISPENSABLE TO THAT AMBITION. THEY ARE NORTH KOREAN CONSTRUCTION WORKERS BUILDING A RAILROAD, THE LAST STRETCH IN A LINE BETWEEN SEOUL AND NORTH KOREA'S CAPITOL, PYONGYANG. FOR ITS PART, SOUTH KOREA HAS NOT ONLY BUILT TRACKS INTO THE DMZ, IT'S ALSO CONSTRUCTED JUST SOUTH OF THE DMZ PERHAPS ONE OF THE LONELIEST PASSENGER RAILWAY DEPOTS IN THE WORLD, THE DORSAN STATION.

ITS PLATFORMS AND MAIN HALL ARE USUALLY DESERTED EXCEPT FOR MILITARY GUARDS, BUT KOREANS HOPE THAT ONE DAY THIS WILL BE A BUSTLING HUB ON A LINE THAT STRETCHES ACROSS THE PENINSULA. NOW THE TRAIN BRINGS MOSTLY TOURISTS TO THIS, THE MOST NORTHERN STOP IN SOUTH KOREA. KIM SECHOUL, DORSAN'S STATION MASTER, FEELS THIS STATION WILL BECOME A TIE THAT BINDS THE TWO KOREAS AND, ONCE THE TRAINS START TO RUN, HE'LL BE MAKING A TRIP HIMSELF TO THE NORTH.

KIM SECHOUL>> THE PERSON I WANT TO MEET THE MOST IS THE STATION MASTER WHO'S IN CHARGE OF THE STATION WHICH IS CLOSEST TO SOUTH KOREA. IF HE'S OLDER THAN ME, I WANT TO HAVE HIM AS A BROTHER. IF HE'S YOUNGER, I WANT TO HAVE HIM AS A YOUNGER BROTHER AND SPEND SOME GOOD TIME WITH HIM.

JEFFREY KAYE>> WHILE NO TRAINS YET TRAVEL BETWEEN THE TWO KOREAS, THERE IS REGULAR FREIGHT SERVICE. ABOUT ONCE A WEEK, THE CARGO SHIP, TRADE FORTUNE, SAILS FROM THE SOUTH KOREAN PORT OF INJIN ON A JOURNEY THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN TABOO NOT SO LONG AGO TO NORTH KOREA. IT BRINGS TO THE SOUTH RAW MATERIALS AND PRODUCTS ASSEMBLED IN NORTH KOREAN FACTORIES, TEXTILES, AND ELECTRONICS GOODS, AND IT EXPORTS FOODSTUFFS FOR NORTH KOREA'S DESTITUTE AND HUNGRY POPULATION.

IT'S NOT ONLY THE SOUTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT THAT'S TRYING TO FORGE A NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NORTH. SO ARE THE TITANS OF KOREAN BUSINESS. LEADING THE CHARGE INTO THIS STRANGE NEW MARKET WHERE CAPITALISTS ARE CONSIDERED HERETICS IS THE HYUNDAI GROUP, A CONGLOMERATE WHICH MAKES EVERYTHING FROM CARS TO SHIPS TO STEREO EQUIPMENT. IT NOW WANTS TO CONSTRUCT TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN NORTH KOREA.

JEFFREY KAYE>> NOW THIS IS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF NORTH KOREA, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE PLANS TO DEVELOP PROJECTS IN THE NORTH?

JANG WHAN-BIN>> YES, TWO, FOUR, THREE.

JEFFREY KAYE>> AND HERE'S THE HAPPY FAMILY DRIVING INTO NORTH KOREA FROM THE SOUTH TO ENJOY THE TOURIST SPOTS?

JANG WHAN-BIN>> (LAUGHTER) YES.

JEFFREY KAYE>> JANG WHAN-BIN IS A VICE PRESIDENT OF A HYUNDAI SUBSIDIARY, THE HYUNDAI ASAN CORPORATION. HIS COMPANY IS BULLISH ON INVESTING IN NORTH KOREA, PUTTING ITS FORTUNES AND KNOW-HOW BEHIND THE RAILROAD, A MAMMOTH INDUSTRIAL PARK, EVEN A MOUNTAIN TOURIST RESORT AND A ROAD CONNECTING IT TO SOUTH KOREA. HYUNDAI ADMITS IT'S LOSING MONEY ON ITS NORTH KOREAN ENTERPRISES, BUT JANG EXPECTS THEM TO PAY OFF.

JANG WHAN-BIN>> OUR HYUNDAI ASAN CORPORATION'S NORTH KOREA BUSINESS SITUATION IS NOT SO GOOD. BUT FOR A MONUMENTAL PROJECT, IF THE OVERLAND ROUTE OPENED UP AGAIN AND WE EXPECT THAT ONE MILLION SOUTH KOREAN TOURISTS CAN VISIT MOUNTAIN KUN JAN, THEN NO PROBLEM MAKING A PROFIT FOR HYUNDAI ASAN.

JEFFREY KAYE>> DOES THAT STRIKE YOU AS STRANGE? THERE ARE A MILLION NORTH KOREAN TROOPS POISED TO ATTACK THE SOUTH, NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN THE NORTH, LONG-RANGE MISSILES DIRECTED AT THE SOUTH, AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A TOURISM BUSINESS IN THE NORTH.

JANG WHAN-BIN>> I THINK THAT EVERYONE IN SOUTH KOREA DOES NOT WANT TO SEE A MISSILE ATTACK FROM THE U.S. OR OTHERS IN NORTH KOREA, SO THE SOUTH KOREANS WANT TO CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE AND TALKS WITH THE NORTH. IF THE DIALOGUE AND TALKS ARE PAUSED, THEN WE THINK THAT THE TENSIONS WILL INCREASE, SO WE WANT TO DECREASE THE TENSIONS WITH CONTINUED DIALOGUE AND TALKS WITH THE NORTH.

JEFFREY KAYE>> BEYOND HYUNDAI, SOUTH KOREANS HAVE EVEN USED THEIR CAPITALIST SAVVY TO TURN OBJECTS OF NORTH KOREAN HOSTILITY INTO TOURIST TRAPS. FIFTY DOLLARS BUYS A BUS TRIP FROM SEOUL TO THE DMZ, LUNCH INCLUDED, WHERE VISITORS CAN GET A TASTE OF COLD WAR TENSIONS AND TAKE SNAPSHOTS DEEP WITHIN THIS GEOPOLITICAL TWILIGHT ZONE. THE TOUR INCLUDES A TRAIN RIDE BENEATH THE EARTH TO VISIT A TUNNEL SECRETLY DUG ACROSS THE DMZ BY THE NORTH KOREAN MILITARY. DISCOVERED IN 1978, IT WAS PRESUMABLY TO BE USED AS A CLANDESTINE INVASION ROUTE IN THE EVENT OF WAR. NOW THE ONLY ONES MARCHING THROUGH IT ARE TOURISTS. DESPITE HIS OWN PERSONAL FAMILY HISTORY, ASSEMBLYMAN YOO, A CLOSE ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT, SUPPORTS BUILDING BRIDGES TO NORTH KOREA.

YOO JAY KUN>> OF COURSE, IT WOULD TAKE SOME TIME, BUT WE, JUST AS A LONG-RANGE GOAL, WOULD LIKE TO HELP THEM OUT, SO WE'D LIKE TO UNIFY NORTH AND SOUTH PEACEFULLY, NOT FORCEFULLY.

JEFFREY KAYE>> SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT THE MORE ECONOMIC SUPPORT THAT YOU GIVE TO THE NORTH, THE STRONGER THAT MAKES THEM.

YOO JAY KUN>> THAT IS ONE-SIDED THINKING. YOU KNOW, THEY ARE NARROW-MINDED THOUGHTS. WE'RE INTERESTED TO HELP THEM OUT WITH SOME ASSISTANCE. IT MAY GO TO -- WE WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT AND HELP THOSE ORDINARY TWENTY-TWO MILLION NORTH KOREANS. THEY ARE OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

JEFFREY KAYE>> MANY KOREANS HAVE BEEN STARTLED BY THE PACE OF CHANGE. REPORTER CHO SAYS HE IS AMAZED THAT JOURNALISTS FROM THE TWO KOREAS HAVE VISITED EACH OTHER'S COUNTRIES.

CHO HYUN JIN>> I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT HAPPENING WHEN I JOINED THIS COMPANY AND THAT'S LESS THAN TEN YEARS AGO. SEE HOW DRAMATIC THINGS ARE CHANGING? SEE HOW POSITIVE THE ATMOSPHERE IN CHANGING TOWARDS UNIFICATION? OF COURSE, THERE IS TENSION. OF COURSE, THERE ARE NEGATIVE SIDES TO THIS, BUT YOU HAVE TO ALSO LOOK AT THE POSITIVE SIDE AS WELL.

JEFFREY KAYE>> EVEN THE MORE CONSERVATIVE VOICES IN SOUTH KOREA EMBRACE THE MESSAGE OF INTER-KOREAN UNDERSTANDING, ARGUING THAT BLOOD IS THICKER THAN IDEOLOGY. CHRISTIAN CHURCHES HAVE BEEN BASTIONS OF SOUTH KOREAN ANTI-COMMUNISM.

[FILM CLIP]

JEFFREY KAYE>> BUT IN THE YOIDO FULL GOSPEL CHURCH, THE LARGEST IN THE NATION, PASTOR JUNG HO YUN'S SERMON WAS ABOUT RECONCILIATION. HE DESCRIBED THE OLD TESTAMENT STORY OF JOSEPH, ESTRANGED FROM HIS BROTHERS, THEN REUNITED.

[FILM CLIP]

JEFFREY KAYE>> "I HAVE A VISION WITH THE LEADERS OF NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA WILL ALSO MEET AND WEEP", SAID THE REVEREND JUNG. "A PERSON WHO RECONCILES IS GLORIFIED", HE EXCLAIMED. BUT SOME MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH ARE WARY ABOUT PROCEEDING TOO QUICKLY WITH PLANS FOR UNIFICATION. OLDER CONGREGANTS REMEMBER THE WAR AND FEAR NORTH KOREA.

JEFFREY KAYE>> ARE YOU AFRAID OF NORTH KOREA?

>> NORTH KOREANS ARE ALWAYS GOING TO ATTEMPT TO HURT US. THEY ARE READY TO ATTEMPT TO HURT US WITHOUT THE U.S. ARMY. ONE TIME THEY COME TO SOUTH KOREA. YES, IT IS TRUE.

JEFFREY KAYE>> BUT THE YOUNG PEOPLE I SPOKE TO SAY THEY'RE NOT AFRAID OF NORTH KOREA.

>> YES, BUT YOUNG PEOPLE, THEY DON'T KNOW. THEY DON'T HAVE ANY EXPERIMENT OF THE WAR.

JEFFREY KAYE>> THEY DON'T HAVE EXPERIENCE?

>> YEAH, ONLY THINK OF THE IDEA OF WAR.

JEFFREY KAYE>> THOSE SENTIMENTS ARE ECHOED BY PEOPLE WHO BEST KNOW THE TYRANNY OF THE NORTH KOREAN REGIME, THE TRICKLE OF NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES WHO MANAGED TO ESCAPE TO THE SOUTH. WE MET THEM AT A CHURCH CENTER WHICH PROVIDES FOOD, EDUCATION AND WORSHIP SERVICES.

[FILM CLIP]

JEFFREY KAYE>> "I'LL BE FREE, I'LL BE FREE", SANG THESE REFUGEES. THEY ASKED US NOT TO SHOW THEIR FACES FOR FEAR THE FAMILIES BACK HOME MIGHT BE TARGETED. "GOD GIVES US FREEDOM", THEY SANG, "THERE'LL BE NO MORE TEARS ANYMORE." THREE REFUGEES AGREED TO INTERVIEWS. THEY SPOKE ABOUT BLEAK CONDITIONS OF STARVATION AND DEPRIVATION IN THE NORTH, DESCRIBING A LAND THAT'S MORE PRISON CAMP THAN COUNTRY.

>> 1994 TO 1998 WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT TIME. MANY OF THE NORTH KOREANS, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN AND THE ELDERLY, DIED OF HUNGER.

>> IN 1995, WE BOUGHT FOOD FROM THE MILITARY SERVICE, BUT LATER WE DIDN'T HAVE FOOD, SO WE WERE EATING SOME FOOD THAT HORSES EAT AND CORN FLOUR. AFTER, WHEN I CAME TO MY FAMILY, THERE WERE PEOPLE GATHERING ACORNS AND MAKING FLOUR FROM ACORNS. I SAW MY FAMILY EATING THE ACORN FOOD.

JEFFREY KAYE>> OBEDIENCE WORTHY OF A STALIN OR HITLER IS DEMANDED BY NORTH KOREA'S RULER, KIM JONG-IL. THEY SAY ALL FAMILIES HAVE TO KEEP UNBLEMISHED PORTRAITS OF THE COUNTRY'S LEADER AND HIS FATHER IN THEIR HOME.

>> YOU'RE TREATED AS A POLITICAL CRIMINAL. IF THERE IS DUST, YOU'LL BE PUNISHED. IF IT IS WRINKLED OR TORN, YOU WILL BE SENT TO POLITICAL PRISON.

JEFFREY KAYE>> NORTH KOREA'S SEVERE IDEOLOGY AND ITS CELEBRATION OF MILITARISM INVADES EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY OF ORDINARY LIFE.

>> IN NORTH KOREA, WHATEVER WE LEARNED, MATHEMATICS, KOREAN, SCIENCE, IT'S ALL COMBINED WITH POLITICAL IDEAS. FOR EXAMPLE, IN MATH, YOU HEAR THERE ARE TEN AMERICAN TANKS AND FIVE NORTH KOREAN TANKS. THE NORTH KOREAN TANKS DEFEATED THE UNITED STATES. HOW MANY ARE LEFT? THINGS LIKE THAT. SO IT'S NOT REALLY SEPARATED WHEN WE LEARN. IDEOLOGY AND MATH EDUCATION, THEY'RE NOT SEPARATED.

JEFFREY KAYE>> ALL VETERANS OF THE NORTH KOREAN MILITARY, THEY WERE SURPRISED TO HEAR SO MUCH TALK IN THE SOUTH ABOUT UNIFICATION.

>> ALL OF THE MILITARY SOLDIERS ARE READY FOR WAR, MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY. WE CALL SOUTH KOREA THE IMPERIALIST U.S. ALLY AND WE LEARN THAT THERE SHOULD BE WAR ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA. BUT ONCE I CAME TO SOUTH KOREA, I THINK IT CANNOT HAPPEN. YET NORTH KOREA INSISTS ON U.S. TROOPS PULLING OUT OF SOUTH KOREA. IF THERE ARE NO U.S. TROOPS IN SOUTH KOREA, NORTH KOREA MIGHT START A WAR.

JEFFREY KAYE>> BUT AMONG MANY SOUTH KOREANS, THERE IS LITTLE FEAR OF THE NORTH.

YOO JAY KUN>> I DON'T SEE NORTH AS AXIS OF EVIL. THEY ARE NOT DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY. KIM JUNG IS NOT DEMOCRATIC LEADER. BUT I WONDER WHY THEY ARE ONE OF THE AXIS OF EVIL. I DON'T SEE THE JUSTIFICATION TO BE LABELED AS THIS. OF COURSE, I UNDERSTAND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF AMERICAN PEOPLE IN GENERAL PUBLIC AFTER 9/11, BUT I DON'T SEE MUCH HIGH COALITION BETWEEN TERROR COUNTRIES AND NORTH KOREA.

KANG JE KYU>> IN MY OPINION, NORTH KOREA IS AGGRESSIVE BECAUSE THEY NEED TO DEFEND THEMSELVES. NORTH KOREA MAY SEEM THREATENING TO US, BUT I BELIEVE IT'S A GESTURE TO PROTECT THEIR NATION FROM U.S. THREAT.

JEFFREY KAYE>> THE BENIGN VIEW OF NORTH KOREA IS MOST PREVALENT AMONG YOUNG ACTIVISTS, MANY OF WHOM HAVE TURNED OUT IN LARGE NUMBERS TO OPPOSE THE U.S.-LED WAR IN IRAQ.

JEFFREY KAYE>> ARE YOU AFRAID OF NORTH KOREA?

>> NO, NO.

JEFFREY KAYE>> YOU'RE NOT AFRAID OF NORTH KOREA?

>> I'M NOT AT ALL BECAUSE I THINK WE ARE JUST ALL FAMILY, RELATIVE, AND SOMEDAY WE WILL REUNITE.

JEFFREY KAYE>> YOUNGER VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTED THE NEW PRESIDENT AND HIS PRO-UNIFICATION MESSAGE IN HIS ELECTION VICTORY LAST YEAR. AT ANTI-WAR DEMONSTRATIONS TINGED WITH ANTI-U.S. SENTIMENTS, PROTESTERS TOLD US THEY FAVORED DEMANDS THAT U.S. TROOP LEVELS BE SCALED BACK IN SOUTH KOREA.

>> U.S. TROOPS SHOULD LEAVE KOREA IS MY OPINION.

>> IT'S NOT NORTH KOREA THAT'S GOING TO ATTACK SOUTH KOREA IF THE UNITED STATES CONTINUES THEIR THREAT AND CONTINUES THE MILITARY EXERCISES AGAINST NORTH KOREA. NORTH KOREA WILL FEEL A THREAT AND THEN MAYBE THEY WILL THINK OF ATTACKING THE U.S., BUT NOT SOUTH KOREA.

JEFFREY KAYE>> THE YOUNGER GENERATION'S ANTI-U.S. ATTITUDES AND DESIRE TO EMBRACE NORTH KOREA CAN TOUCH A RAW NERVE IN OLDER PEOPLE. TO HAN PARK, HOPES FOR A PEACEFUL UNIFICATION OF THE TWO KOREAS IS A ROMANTIC DREAM, NOT A PRACTICAL REALITY. PARK, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF GLOBAL ISSUES IN GEORGIA, IS A FREQUENT VISITOR TO BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA. WE SPOKE TO HIM IN SEOUL.

HAN PARK>> IT IS A NOT VERY POPULAR THING TO SAY THIS IN KOREA HERE, BUT UNIFICATION IS MORE IDEAL AS OPPOSED TO REALISTIC OBJECTIVES. SO IF THERE IS ANY POLITICIAN WHO WILL SAY THAT UNIFICATION IS UNREALISTIC, ALTHOUGH IT IS, THAT WILL BE POLITICAL SUICIDE BECAUSE IT'S AN EMOTIONALLY HYPED-UP ISSUE, SO NO ONE CAN DARE SAY THAT.

JEFFREY KAYE>> PARK SAYS SOUTH KOREANS WOULD BE MUCH INTERESTED IN REUNIFICATION IF THEY SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED THE BILL.

HAN PARK>> IT IS NOT GOING TO BE ACCEPTABLE EVEN TO SOUTH KOREANS BECAUSE IT'S TOO BURDENSOME, ECONOMICALLY, SOCIALLY, POLITICALLY. SO, YES, IF YOU ARE GOING TO PROVIDE THEM WITH UNIFICATION FREE OF CHARGE, THEY WILL CONSIDER VERY SERIOUSLY. BUT ONCE IT INVOLVES ALL THESE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL COSTS, I DON'T THINK THEIR DESIRE IS VERY REAL AND SINCERE.

JEFFREY KAYE>> EVEN THOUGH A TIDE OF REUNIFICATION SENTIMENT HAS SWEPT ACROSS SOUTH KOREA, THIS IS STILL A COUNTRY THAT'S FULLY PREPARED TO FIGHT A SAVAGE WAR AGAINST ITS NEIGHBOR. SOUTH KOREA NOT ONLY FIELDS A FORMIDABLE 600,000-MAN MILITARY FORCE, IT MAINTAINS A SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER MILITARY ALLIANCE WITH THE U.S. DRIVE SOUTH TOWARDS SEOUL FROM THE DMZ AND YOU'LL FIND A NATION READY FOR WAR. THE ROAD ALONG THE INJIN RIVER, A SITE OF HEAVY FIGHTING DURING THE LAST KOREAN WAR, IS FORTIFIED WITH WATCH TOWERS, FENCES AND MACHINE GUN EMPLACEMENTS.

AND WHILE MANY SOUTH KOREANS DOWNPLAY ANY THREAT FROM THE NORTH, ON SEOUL'S SUBWAY ALONGSIDE ADS FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS ARE POSTERS WHICH CAUTION RIDERS TO BE ON GUARD AGAINST NORTH KOREAN SPIES AND INFILTRATORS. "PEACETIME IS WHEN YOU MUST BE MOST VIGILANT", SAYS ONE SIGN WHICH POSTS A NUMBER TO CALL IF YOU SPOT A SPY. EVEN THE MOST ARDENT BOOSTERS OF UNIFICATION ADMIT THAT DISMANTLING FIFTY YEARS OF ANIMOSITY AND SUSPICION WILL BE A LONG AND TORTUROUS PROCESS. TENSIONS CAN BE AS JAGGED AS THE RAZOR WIRE AT THE DMZ.

JESS>> THE UNITED STATES MAY BE ABLE TO REDUCE ITS PRESENCE ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA WITHOUT SACRIFICING MILITARY STRENGTH. A DEFENSE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID NEW TECHNOLOGY MEANS A SMALLER FIGHTING FORCE CAN PERFORM WITH GREATER PRECISION AND EFFECTIVENESS. THAT'S WHY THE AMERICAN MILITARY FOUGHT WITH FEWER TROOPS IN IRAQ THAN HAD BEEN USED IN THE PERSIAN GULF WAR IN 1991, AND THE PENTAGON SUSPECTS THAT STRATEGY HAS NOT BEEN LOST ON NORTH KOREA'S MILITARY.

VAL>> IF YOU'D LIKE TO READ TRANSCRIPTS OF RECENT LIFE AND TIMES PROGRAMS OR LISTEN TO AUDIO, YOU CAN FIND THEM THROUGH OUR WEBSITE AT KCET.ORG.

JESS>> AND THAT'S OUR PROGRAM FOR TONIGHT. THANKS FOR WATCHING. NOW FOR ALL OF US HERE AT LIFE AND TIMES, GOOD NIGHT.

LIFE AND TIMES WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

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