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Not otherwise famous for the easygoing nature of its people, South Korea seems to be developing a carefree attitude to security. Wednesday¡¯s missile launch by North Korea put countries from Japan onwards on high alert, but just across the armistice line, people not only carried on about their business but seemed determined to kick back and enjoy themselves.
The number of tourists going overseas or heading for domestic beaches in fact went up on Wednesday. A large domestic travel agency saw the number of customers booking overseas trips rise by almost 500 from the previous day to 8,572 even as missiles capable of hitting anywhere in the South dropped into the East Sea. ¡°Bookings are rising steadily after going down due to the World Cup,¡± a staffer said. ¡°It seems the trend was unaffected by the missile issue.¡± The same was true for holiday destinations here. Sokcho Beach on the East Coast, which opened Friday, saw some 3,000 visitors on the day, up from last year¡¯s 2,700 on opening day.
The stock market also quickly rallied. The benchmark KOSPI lost some points on Wednesday and Thursday but gained 9.97 points or 0.79 percent Friday. TV networks broadcast a few specials on the day of the launches but soon returned to their normal schedules. While the North was busy firing rockets between 4 and 6 a.m., the networks were broadcasting the World Cup quarterfinal match between France and Portugal.
Word on the street confirmed the trend. ¡°War doesn¡¯t break out that easily,¡± said Kim (20), a college student, who was at the COEX mall in Samseong-dong, Seoul on Friday afternoon. ¡°There are people who say we¡¯re being insensitive about the missile launches, but I think they view the situation from a perspective that is too tilted toward the U.S.¡¯¡± Cho (19), another college student, was only mildly more concerned. ¡°Of course we can¡¯t be sure that we¡¯re absolutely safe from North Korea¡¯s missile threat, but I don¡¯t think the situation requires the attention and concern of the entire public.¡± Asked how many missiles the North test-launched, a college junior near Gangnam Station in Seoul answered, ¡°Three.¡±
The country¡¯s usually vociferous online community was also unable to work up an interest. The web boards of universities made no mention of the missile launch, and on big portals like Naver, most agreed that any war is unlikely. ¡°It¡¯s strange,¡± wrote a Naver user. ¡°In Canada, where I live now, everybody is talking about the missile launches whenever I turn on the TV or radio, but Korea is really quiet.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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