Another Year

It's rapidly approaching that time when everyone is reflecting on the year. There have surely been many newsworthy events that have transpired over the past twelve months. The inauguration of Barack Obama as the first African-American President of the United States, North Korea's failed satellite launch and subsequent second nuclear test, former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun's suicide, outbreak of H1N1 virus around the world, Iranian presidential election and its subsequent pro-reformist demonstrations that have continued, death of Michael Jackson, riots in Xinjiang between Han Chinese and Uyghurs, Roxana Saberi's detention and release by Iran, Laura Ling and Euna Lee's detention and release by North Korea, coup d'etat in Honduras, typhoons ravage Taiwan and Southeast Asia, the emergence of the G-20, the 2016 Summer Olympics to Brazil, President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize and its subsequent controversies, escalation of War on Terror in Afghanistan, healthcare reform in the United States, and so on.

On a personal note, the year has flown by. I can't believe another year has come and gone, and I don't even know where it went. Quantitative analysis, national security and WMD proliferation, insurgency and counterinsurgency, nuclear North Korea, intelligence and foreign policy, and political risk analysis. Internships at the Hudson Institute and the Korea Economic Institute in the summer and fall. Waiting for security clearance for internship next semester. Paul and Gina in February, Moses and Julie and Dyon and Shlim in May, Mike and Liz and Dave and Anita in June, and Yohan and Grace in October. Missed out on P.Jimmy and Grace in June and Dave and Jihye in October. My brother's graduation from UCLA in June. Two trips to Ann Arbor in May, and two trips to SoCal in June. New church plant in DC. Start of job searches and the preparation for the beginning of the end of my formal education forever. And the list goes on and on.

It has been a year of many ups and downs, but like all good things, it must come to an end. I can't wait for the ball to drop in Times Square and usher in a new year, a year that will bring new blessings and new challenges. But before then, I wish to reflect some more, especially on a spiritual level. I want Psalm 42:1 to be my prayer throughout next year, to long for God in a deeper and more meaningful way.

One Baby

It ain't about the presents, the Christmas trees, and the mistletoes.
It sure ain't about Santa Claus and his team of reindeers.
It most definitely isn't about the shopping madness online or in the malls.
It ain't about the carols, the jingle bells, or even the hymns of old.
It ain't even about attending midnight mass or any religious service.
It ain't all this and much more.

Everything boils down to just one thing.
It is the one thing that has given hope to a bleak and cold world.
That one thing was a he, and he came from humble origins, origins from ancient of days.
Love came down, and it has changed everything.

do not be afraid. I bring good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Thank You

A couple of friends and I decided to pay a visit to the final resting place of a fallen friend. We had the day off, to commemorate Veteran's Day, and we felt it was only appropriate to spend time at Arlington, paying our respects to the men and women of the armed forces who paid the ultimate sacrifice for country. It was a dreary day, with the rain coming down at a steady rate and the cold wind blowing in our face. But the experience of seeing families, friends, veterans, soldiers, and visitors walking the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery to pay tribute to fallen colleagues, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends, and strangers was unforgettable.

A lot can be said about the politics of war. The debate of what to do about Afghanistan continues to rage inside the Beltway, as President Obama wrestles with one of the hardest decisions a president surely has to make: whether to send more soldiers in harm's way. But I leave that discussion for another day. This day, I thank the men and women of the armed forces for their incredible sacrifice and valor. We, as a nation, are indebted to their service. I also thank military families for their sacrifices that go largely unnoticed. Last, but not least, I thank our fallen heroes whose lives have been cut short but never forgotten.

Here is a blog entry written by a stranger who, even after three years, also cannot forget the sacrifice of Andy Kim,our fallen friend who was KIA in Iraq. Andy Minhee Kim, you are remembered. Thanks, friend, for everything.

In light of Veteran's Day, here is one of the most moving advertisements I have ever seen. Thank you.

Tear Down This Wall

Given the significance of today's date in history, I figured I'd break my drought of blogging and reflect on the momentous occasion of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Ich Bin ein Berliner. President John F. Kennedy's speech in June 26, 1963 was a rallying point for West Germans at a time when the lines of the Cold War were drawn with the erection of the Berlin Wall. "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" President Ronald Reagan's speech in June 12, 1987 was another momentous occasion. Finally, on November 9, 1989, the physical wall that separated a city and a country came crashing down. The wall that had physically divided a nation was no more, and families, separated for decades, reunited. Democracy had prevailed, and twenty years later, the world commemorates the anniversary.

But another Cold War relic continues to divide another people group half-way around the world. The Koreans, historical victims of great power politics, remain divided. President Bill Clinton once remarked that the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas "is the scariest place on earth." North Korea has more than a million-member army with hundreds of short-range missiles aimed at Seoul, ready to reunite the country by force at a moment's notice. South Korea, along with U.S. forces, is bunkered along the border ready to defend the South. North Korea has been developing nuclear weapons, while the United States has extended its nuclear deterrence to protect South Korea. The Korean War remains technically unresolved, with no formal peace treaty ever signed.

In this context, families have been separated for more than sixty years. Once in awhile, the two Koreas have agreed to allow pre-selected families to reunite in historic summits, which have generally been emotional affairs that have garnered international attention. The latest family reunion took place a couple of months ago at Mt. Keumkang in North Korea. Yet, unlike the dissolution of the artificial division in Germany, the two Koreas remain at odds with each other, well into the 21st century. And there is no end in sight.

Yet, I am hopeful that one day, the strength of the human will can break down the finally legacy of the Cold War. I hope that in my lifetime I will see a people group, long divided over ideology and politics, reunite at last. I hope to see a stronghold of tyranny and oppression be replaced by rule of law and justice. It is long overdue that the wall that divides a people be torn down. And I hope it eventually will. But until that day comes...

Hear Our Cry

there are times when words are not enough to capture the emotions of the heart.
despair. anger. shock. awe. ambivalence. helpless.
the list goes on. and on. and on.
until there is nothing left to say.
when the silence becomes so deafening.

Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy). in Vietnam. in the Phillipines. Indonesia.

---

what is the body?
if one part suffers, all suffers with it.
we are blessed to be a blessing.
our inconvenience is their lifeline.
this is the body.
do something about it.

world vision. others.

Whirlwind

I don't think I've ever been this busy in my life. I hope I don't burn out. And I hope I survive. But I'm excited. It's been a good start to the semester, and I'm hoping that that will continue.

Some have said that I've kind of fallen off the face of the earth. I apologize. It's like so hard to find time to just chat, talk on the phone, email, et. these days. Unbelievable, isn't it? So I decided that the least I could do to update people (the few that actually read this) is to update my blog.

My second (and hopefully, my final year) of graduate school is well underway. I'm taking a full course-load, and all the classes are very interesting. Nuclear North Korea needs no explanation. Political Risk Analysis is a class where I learn how to build political risk models. Intelligence and Foreign Policy is a class where I learn how intelligence is used to support foreign policy of a state. My classes are Tuesday through Thursdays from 8:10pm to 10:40pm. Needless to say, night classes are really tiring. I've also resumed taking Chinese class which is on Mondays from 6-9pm.

In addition, I'm interning full-time at a think tank called the Korea Economic Institute. It has been a worthwhile experience, learning new things (sometimes more than I actually learn from school) about international economy, North Korea, U.S.-Korean relations, Northeast Asian affairs, etc. I get to meet a lot of important people including former assistant Secretary of States and other officials in previous administrations. So that's been really cool, but very tiring since I work 9-5 everyday.

I've also been looking for jobs more intently, since many of the jobs I'm interested in require security clearance that can take up to a year. I've applied to or am in the process of applying to several fellowships including the PMF that would be awesome if I got. But I'm not putting all my eggs in that basket, and so I scour usajobs.gov for federal jobs and other sources. It's been discouraging at times when all these jobs require so much experience in the field. But I believe God will provide the right job at the right time. Just gotta hold onto faith.

So, my day-to-day schedule is packed. Sleep and even eating regularly have become a luxury. I try to squeeze in a Michigan game and a pro-football game in the weekends, but doesn't always happen. To make things "worse," this schedule will continue next semester because I was informed that I got another internship next semester at the Dept. of State. And next semester, I have to write my thesis. I'm really excited about what God has graciously given me, but I'm also terrified that I'll burn out by the end of the year.

I've also begun checking out a new church plant in the city. I had been going to Open Door Presbyterian Church (which is in suburban Virginia) for the past year, but one of the pastors left to plant a church in downtown DC. I really liked the pastor when he was at ODPC, and I began wanting to go to a church closer to the city so that I could reach out to friends who live in DC and bring them out to church. They do church planting differently than HMCC (the only frame of reference I have when it comes to church planting). If you want to know specifically how they do it here, email me and I can share with you. I'm still undecided if I'm going to stick with the church plant, and I signed up for a small group at my previous church (it's definitely awesome and encouraging to be a part of it). So we'll see what happens.

This was a long long update, and for those of you who've lasted this far, I applaud you. If you haven't reached this point, then you are not my friend. Just kidding.

Shoot me an email, a phone call, or gchat. I'd love to keep in touch with all of you, my dear friends. =)

Laura Ling and Euna Lee

In today's Los Angeles Times, Laura Ling and Euna Lee give their personal account of their abduction, imprisonment, and release by the North Korean regime. What they attempted to do by going to China-North Korea border was brave. Along with the two reporters, I also share the importance of shedding the truth about the plight of North Korean refugees. But while I do share in their passion, I also question the implications of the outcome of their plight. I'm not saying that they deserved the ten years of hard labor. But something about their story doesn't sit well with me.

Journalism, like in many professions, is a competitive world where everyone is trying to get an exclusive story to get a comparative advantage. That's the nature of the business. Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee were caught up in this business, knowing the risks of traveling to the border. But in their cost-benefit analysis, they figured doing this story was worth the risk. That's what journalists do to produce quality works of journalism.

But in the process of their reporting, they got caught. Caught for what? To westerners, they were merely doing their journalistic duties of exposing the truth. But to the North Korean regime, they were engaging in "hostile acts." One must understand that for the North Korean regime, its political legitimacy stems from its ultra-nationalistic sentiment against "imperialists" who threaten its very existence. The term "human rights" is nonexistent in the North Korean vocabulary, and the regime views those who illegally cross into China as traitors and subversive elements. So in this context, a reporting of North Korean refugees could be interpreted by North Korea as a hostile act, an act to undermine Kim Jong Il's government (which for us is ridiculous and laughable). In their drive to report on a story they were passionate about, they badly miscalculated the political realities of the region and put themselves in danger. They also admitted entering North Korea illegally. It was their wisdom to ignore the laws and endanger themselves. Whether North Korean guards captured them in China is a secondary issue.

What is more, their arrest and subsequent release has endangered human rights activists in Northeast China, forcing many church leaders involved in the North Korean refugee issue to temporarily cease activities along the border. And I think this is the part about this entire crisis that bothers me. For the past two decades, Christian missionaries, human rights activists, and others have been tirelessly working on behalf of these North Korean refugees. Many have paid dearly with their lives. Many more continue to work unafraid. Then come along two American reporters whose adventure puts all their work in peril. It's unfortunate.

At the end of the day, not many remember what the original intent of these two reporters were. All that people remember is the fact that they got caught and sentenced to ten years of hard labor until former President Bill Clinton negotiated for their release. So what exactly did their trip accomplish except making US-North Korean tensions worse and life harder for aid workers along the China-North Korea border? And I'm supposed to be so sympathetic to these reporters? I'm not so sure I can do that.

I'm thrilled they've returned safely to their families. But something about the LA Times piece appears to be an attempt to exonerate themselves amidst criticisms from many South Korean church leaders and human rights activists whose lives are heavily invested in this kind of work, unlike Ms. Lee or Ms. Ling. Sometimes, passion and idealism can have unintended consequences that could be detrimental.