Too close to Uncle Sam? South Korea? What's with this? South Korea being too close to Uncle Sam is oxymoronic in the extreme: There would be no South Korea if the lower half of that perennially turbulent peninsula hadn't long ago placed all its kim chee in the good Uncle's basket. I think independent thought and national pride and going your own way in life and national politics are all laudable concepts--but sacking a foreign minister who counsels maintaining close ties to the dude that brought you to the dance!
It's bad enough that we have to live with the reality that a whole lot of people and countries really hope we go to hell in a suicide-bomber's hand basket, but this is too much, folks. Seriously. This is a whole lot like a public slap in the face from a spoiled brat you over-indulged. Read the piece below and see how it strikes you, particularly if you're old enough to remember Ike's golf swing, or hip enough to have watched MASH in reruns.
The division comes at a critical time as South Korea and the United States wrangle with North Korea over its nuclear weapons programs and discuss sending South Korean troops to help the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.
Roh accepted the resignation of Yoon Young-kwan, saying the Foreign Ministry was not fully backing his administration's policy of independence from Washington. The human rights lawyer-turned-politician took office a year ago promising not to "kowtow to the Americans'' and gain equal footing with the country's top ally.
"Some Foreign Ministry officials have failed to shake off the old foreign policy that tended to depend on foreign countries, failed to fully understand the spirit and course of the (Roh) government's new foreign policy of independence, and repeatedly made remarks that went against national interests in private and public occasions,'' said Roh senior aide Jeong Chan-yong.
Local media reported that several officials in the ministry's elite North American affairs division, which handles U.S. relations, criticized Roh's policy as unrealistic.
Jeong said the foreign minister resigned to take responsibility for failing to rein in those critics.
Roh said Wednesday he would transfer those officials who criticized his foreign policy.
"Several times, they have been asked to follow the president's policy,'' Roh said. "Some of them responded with objections to the president's foreign policy and expressed their discontent with insulting comments.''
The Yonhap news agency said some members of Roh's National Security Council accused the foreign minister of leaning too much toward the United States.
Yoon defended the importance of the U.S. alliance, saying relations with Washington were "very useful'' in resolving such issues the standoff with North Korea.
Yoon noted that the divided Koreas are still technically at war since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended in a cease-fire and not a treaty.
"So far we have maintained peace (on the peninsula) through alliance (with the United States) and I had said the alliance was important as we are in a situation where complete peace between the two Koreas has not yet been achieved,'' he said.
Yoon dismissed criticism that he has been "worshipping the United States,'' but he said it was important for diplomats to carry out the wishes of the government.
"Diplomats are people who implement the president's philosophy on state affairs by serving as his hands and feet,'' Yoon said. "In that sense, I feel deeply sorry.''
The presidential Blue House office has not said who will replace Yoon.
