It would not just be unfair but risky and limiting to characterize a nation with only a few words. Yet many foreigners describe Koreans as rather emotional and impulsive people and not quite so rational and composed. The way the two Koreas fight with each other over the recent sinking of the warship Cheonan proves that this nation could hardly shake off this unwelcome but undeniable description soon.
After the 1,200-ton corvette broke in two and sank near the disputed border in late March, it took less than two months for the South Korean government to finish the investigation ― complete with a smoking gun, which was found just five days before the scheduled briefing. Actually, it took less than two weeks for Seoul to unofficially conclude North Korea was to blame. Officials take pride in the swift handling of the situation and try to put, even silence, reasonable suspicions and differences in opinions as rumor mongering by ``North Korean sympathizers."
Would it be too much, however, to call for perfection over this crucial issue, which might push the security of 75 million Koreans at risk, as the officials themselves say? At least, they will have to unequivocally explain about the controversial TOD (thermal observation device) videos and the gap in the correct timing of the initial report. Political opponents might as well suspect an election connection from the haste.
North Korea is hardly any better ― if not far worse. Since Seoul officially pinpointed Pyongyang as the culprit, all South Koreans have heard in response from the North were emotional denunciations that were almost like curses. The North instead should have put forward a counterargument ― if there were any ― backed by material evidence. Pyongyang, for instance, could explain about the exact locations of the submarines in question and how its torpedoes are different from the one Seoul presented as evidence.
North Korean officials could have made these points even without meeting their South Korean counterparts, one on one. Failure to do so amid loud vows for vengeance only confirm the southerners' belief.
That said, there are few good reasons Seoul should not accept Pyongyang's call for its own ``inspection" of the incident. Defense Minister Kim Tae-young compared the North Korean demand to a ``murderer's checkup of the police investigation," but from a strictly objective point of view, that was the wrong metaphor based on prejudice if all this can be used in a trial court.
President Lee Myung-bak categorized the alleged North Korean act as a violation of the South-North Basic Agreement, but the same accord calls for a joint investigation when one of the two parties violates it. If Seoul is confident of its own probe results, a visit from North Korea would only reaffirm it before the entire world leaving no suspicions at all.
Words about war are being heard from both sides of this divided peninsula. But a bad peace is always better than even a good war, not to mention of one triggered by blind emotion and/or political calculations.