Very good article from John Pomfret:

Reading all the stuff about North Korea’s nukes, one thing strikes me: the United States seems to want to outsource not just its jobs to China, but also its diplomacy. “It’s up to China!” and “China can do more!” are the operative phrases emerging from DC-think-tanks and the US government. As if….

Here’s where those easy exhortations break down and why I think it’s naïve of us to expect that China can “do more,” or in the words of John Bolton, “end this thing tomorrow.”

First, there’s a silly assumption in Washington that our interests (no nukes in North Korea) are the same as China’s. But they’re not. China’s first interest in North Korea is making sure the Kim regime doesn’t collapse. China’s second interest? Making sure the Kim regime doesn’t collapse. From Beijing’s perspective, nukes in North Korea rank somewhere around 10th.

Why is China so intent on “regime maintenance”? If North Korea collapses a few things happen.

First, about 2 million people will rush into China’s northeast as refugees. Not fun – and a huge tax on China’s already poor infrastructure. (An estimated 250,000 North Korean refugees already move back and forth between the two countries.)

Second, China will be faced with a tough decision: dispatch the PLA into North Korea? What happens if the PLA meets up with the South Korean or U.S. armies heading north?

Third, remember all that South Korean investment in China? We’re talking billions. It would all go home, into building a united country. (China is South Korea’s biggest trading partner, by the way.)

Fourth, a North Korean collapse means that China can forget about turning North Korea into an economic vassal state. (Talk to any South Korean interested in investing in North Korea. Any mine or industrial facility with any prospects of a profit is already a target of Chinese investment.) If Kim collapses, China’s firms are going to lose out to the Korean brothers from the south.

Fifth, how would a united Korean peninsula change China’s geopolitical position? It definitely wouldn’t help it. Right now, Beijing has an (admittedly wacky) Commie buffer state on their border. But at least it’s Commie. With a democratic, capitalist, united Korean peninsula, China loses out. (One of the under-reported stories in China is the depth of South Korea’s cultural influence in China. In the West, we like to think that China’s youth are “Westernized” or even “Americanized.” The reality is that they’re “South Koreanized.” That formulation is definitely unwieldy, but it’s closer to the truth.)

Six, China’s ethnic Korean population along North Korea’s border is not known for being restive. But what happens to those folks once the Korean peninsula is united? Greater Korea, anyone?

Another broader factor also plays into the problems on the Korean peninsula. And that’s this: For decades the United States has assumed that it could mold China into an ally. We had limited success in yanking China into our battle with the Soviet Union. But an exception doesn’t prove the rule. There’s a lot of hyperventilating in Washington these days about the “G2″ and about how the United States and China together will solve the world’s problems. On the Korean peninsula – the very peninsula where China and the United States fought a nasty war 59 years ago – those assumptions have run aground. We can’t outsource the solution to North Korea’s nukes to China because China views its interests a lot differently than we do. Sure, China would rather not see Pyongyang have the bomb. But if given the choice between a nuclear-armed North Korea and no North Korea at all, Beijing will go with the former.

So, this is the maw that China is staring into as Washington demands more action from Beijing. So what will Beijing do? My guess is encourage more talks.

A: I’d like to discuss the matter with you now, if possible.
A: 가능하다면 그 문제를 지금 당신과 논의하고 싶은데요.

B: OK. Let’s talk about it over coffee.
B: 좋습니다. 커피 한 잔 하면서 얘기하시죠.

A: Oh, it’s almost noon. How about talking about this issue over lunch?
A: 거의 정오가 다 됐네요. 점심 하시면서 이 문제에 대해서 얘기하시는 건 어떠세요?

B: Uh, actually, I have a lunch appointment. Let’s talk again at 1:00.
B: 어, 실은 점심 약속이 있거든요. 1시에 다시 얘기합시다.

over 는 주로 음료나 식사 등을 ‘마시면서/먹으면서’라는 동시적인 동작을 나타낸다. 주로 over (a cup of) coffee, over lunch/dinner 등의 표현이 자주 쓰인다. 한국 사람이라면 ‘술이나 한 잔 하면서’라는 over a few/some drinks도 꼭 알아두자.

Source:Segye

Wow, I’m surprised that I remember how to login to my blog, of late. Thought that I’d pop in to give an update on the busy offline side of my life, as written by some chaps at Korea Herald:

Expats in Daegu have something new to slip into their pocket, thanks to the publishers of Daegu Pockets. The recently launched bilingual magazine aims to provide the long-underserved expat community in Korea’s fourth-largest city.

“The expat community in Daegu is so splintered here, we wanted to bring people together and we hope to do that with the magazine,” Daegu Pockets’ managing editor Craig White told Expat Living.

White, a seven-year veteran of Korea, said the full-color magazine’s unusual name came from its size.

“It’s a pocket magazine, we wanted it to fit into people’s pocket.”

The magazine, first published in February, came about largely because of White’s involvement with www.galbijim.com. The Galbijim website uses technology similar to Wikipedia, but is devoted to information regarding Korea. White noticed Daegu was among the places disproportionately represented on the site.

“I always wanted to have an offline presence to compliment the online presence of Galbijim,” White said.

White said he was inspired by the Fukuoka Now publication in Japan regarding what kind of content Daegu Pockets would have.

Eventually, White decided to join forces with Korean-American Scott McLaughlin who started the company BCE last year to organize events such as art shows, basketball tournaments, and concerts for Daegu’s Korean and expat communities.

“It sounded fun,” McLaughlin said, regarding why he got involved. “But more importantly, Daegu has been without a bilingual magazine for the four years I have lived here, so I wanted to be part of the first Daegu magazine that I’ve seen that filled this void.”

Currently, the only connection between Galbijim and Daegu Pockets is cross-promotion. Daegu Pockets also uses maps from Galbijim.

Daegu Pockets usually has a circulation of about 1,000, but because of additional funding by the local government, the circulation has been bumped up to 4,000 and should remain so for the rest of the summer, White said. Pages in the publication usually range between 44 and 64. White said four people are on staff, while an extensive support cast volunteers, translates, proof reads and does event co-ordination.

The publication’s continued growth has been helped by the support of the local government, White said.

He said the content of the magazine continues to evolve, with Daegu Pockets including more newspaper-like content in this month’s issue.

White says the magazine is bilingual in order to bridge the gap between the Korean and expat communities in Daegu. Daegu Pockets wants to be helpful to everyone living in the city. “We always look for the story within the story, so a Korean will say, ‘Hey, I didn’t know that!’” White said.

The future for the magazine looks bright, with White and McLaughlin hoping one day to up the circulation to 10,000 and expand into other under-served markets around Korea.

“The long-term plan is to figure out how to make the publication successful in Daegu and use that as a template for other cities around Korea,” White said.

White expects Daegu Pockets to be a long-term publication that will continue to serve both the expat and Korean community in the city for years to come.

“I can see us doing this indefinitely, as long as we’re having fun. We want to see how big we can get, we want to see how many lives we can change.”

Mike Conery, an American expat from Seattle who’s been in Korea for about two years, said he likes Daegu Pockets because it is a good resource for both Koreans and expats alike.

“My favorite part of the magazine is that it is really easy to carry around. It’s not too big. It is also designed in a way that is appealing to both foreigners and Koreans,” Conery said. “It has information, and easy to find locations about many businesses and restaurants that I have not been able to find in the past. I also think that the magazine is really colorful and fun to look at.”

Conery added that he expects great things from the publication in the future.

“I think that as Daegu grows and as the magazine continues to grow, it will become an excellent resource for expats and Koreans alike,” he said.

By Shelton Bumgarner