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As a nice way to spend the U.S. holiday of Columbus Day last Monday, a 37-year-old employee with the U.S. Forces Korea made plans to take his family to Deoksugung Palace. Instead, he found himself at home glued to the TV while calling everyone he knows. CNN¡¯s breaking news bulletin of North Korea¡¯s nuclear test flashed across the screen. ¡°I asked colleagues who have been in Seoul for a long time about it, and they said that there is always something going on, and it¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± he says. ¡°But if they really conducted a nuclear test, doesn¡¯t that mean everything has changed?¡±
News of the test dealt a blow to other foreigners in Korea as well. As yet there are no indications of large-scale cancellations of hotel and airplane reservations, but even those who have spent long enough in Korea to develop some measure of tolerance to North Korea issues are finding it difficult to hide their unease. A 42-year-old Bangladeshi who runs an Indian restaurant says, ¡°When I heard the sudden news of North Korea¡¯s nuclear test, I became concerned about safety for the first time since I came here.¡±
The nuclear test was also the main topic of conversation among foreign students at Seoul National University¡¯s Language Education Institute. ¡°Yesterday I watched a 30-minute newscast on CCTV, and the first 10 minutes was about the nuclear test, I was so surprised,¡± one said. ¡°Even on the German websites that¡¯s all they¡¯re talking about,¡± says another. ¡°I have another year to study in Seoul, but my parents are saying it¡¯s about time for me to come back.¡± A third said, ¡°I want to finish college here and then work for a company, but what¡¯s going to happen if the situation drags on and the Korean economy suffers?¡±
But what surprises foreigners even more is the apathy of Koreans toward security and North Korea¡¯s nuclear gamble, which decisively cut it off from the rest of the world. A 29-year-old English instructor at an institute in Jongno was doubly shocked after the nuclear test: first when he heard the news, and then when he saw the reaction -- or lack thereof -- from the students. The Canadian asked the 15 university students in his afternoon class, ¡°How many of you feel uneasy because of the nuclear test?¡± Two raised their hands.
¡°I was so confused I thought maybe I am making too much of a fuss because I¡¯m a foreigner.¡± A 31-year-old Egyptian diplomat in East Asia for several years, says¡°Koreans say that they¡¯ve grown accustomed to living with the North Korean threat, but the situation is now completely different. Everyone wants to look at things in a positive light, but if North Korea¡¯s nuclear test really was successful, it means that the Korean Peninsula is now a dangerous place.¡±
A 33-year-old American working with a stock firm says, ¡°It¡¯s not just stock traders and fund managers, every foreigner in Korea is worried about the North Korea issue. If North Korea repeats the nuclear test, or tensions continue to run high, Korea will become known as a high-risk country among foreigners living here.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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