The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    SHINee celebrates 15th anniversary of debut: 'It feels surreal'

  • 3

    Korea eyes launch of 4th Nuri space rocket in 2025

  • 5

    Korea's household debt-to-GDP ratio highest among 34 major economies

  • 7

    Japanese destroyer flies controversial flag as it arrives in Korea for joint drill

  • 9

    Vietnam emerges as major market for Korean chipmakers

  • 11

    ANALYSISChina's ban on Micron tests Washington-Seoul alliance

  • 13

    Top 20% of income earners fuel increase in Q1 consumption as pandemic ends

  • 15

    'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' raises bar with epic battle scenes

  • 17

    POSCO International enters battery materials business

  • 19

    Biden, McCarthy reach final deal to prevent default, now must sell to Congress

  • 2

    ENHYPEN reaches new career high with latest album 'Dark Blood'

  • 4

    Memorial Day 2023

  • 6

    Hybe's new boy group Boynextdoor aims to be 'one and only' presence in K-pop

  • 8

    Seoul on alert over Pyongyang's imminent spy satellite launch

  • 10

    Brave Girls to restart activities under new name

  • 12

    Korea's diplomacy put to test amid signs of thaw in US-China relations

  • 14

    Local governments appeal to young generations through YouTube

  • 16

    Police brace for massive union protest

  • 18

    SC Bank Korea promotes high-interest Jaeil EZ Account

  • 20

    Newly reopened Skunk Hell hosts punk wedding concert

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Opinion
  • Yun Byung-se
  • Kim Won-soo
  • Ahn Ho-young
  • Kim Sang-woo
  • Lee Kyung-hwa
  • Mitch Shin
  • Peter S. Kim
  • Daniel Shin
  • Jeon Su-mi
  • Jang Daul
  • Song Kyung-jin
  • Park Jung-won
  • Cho Hee-kyoung
  • Park Chong-hoon
  • Kim Sung-woo
  • Donald Kirk
  • John Burton
  • Robert D. Atkinson
  • Mark Peterson
  • Eugene Lee
  • Rushan Ziatdinov
  • Lee Jong-eun
  • Chyung Eun-ju and Joel Cho
  • Bernhard J. Seliger
  • Imran Khalid
  • Troy Stangarone
  • Jason Lim
  • Casey Lartigue, Jr.
  • Bernard Rowan
  • Steven L. Shields
  • Deauwand Myers
  • John J. Metzler
  • Andrew Hammond
  • Sandip Kumar Mishra
Wed, May 31, 2023 | 03:29
Kim Ji-myung
Wartime family 'meeting point'
Posted : 2017-10-20 17:20
Updated : 2017-10-23 10:25
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
By Kim Ji-myung

"There are 3,919 underground shelters in this city including the underground floors of public buildings, local administration offices, large buildings and metro stations. The shelters can accommodate more than twice Seoul's current population of about 10 million." So said a Seoul city spokesman, not recently, but back in 2010 after the North Korean bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island that killed two civilians and two soldiers.

I don't know exactly how anti-raid or anti-missile attack facilities across the nation have been improved by the central and local governments since then.

Kim Jong-un has succeeded in incessantly threatening southerners with his successful nuclear arms program. However, for no reason, many Koreans seem to have no serious concerns about a possible nuclear-weapons attack by the North.

It is clear that if there is an attack using nuclear weapons by the North, shelters may mean nothing because of radioactive fallout and other deadly substances.

I forgot to mention that the official also revealed that there are 23 nuclear-proof shelters nationwide with independent power-plants, automatic pollution detectors, alarm systems and survival kits including food for two weeks, but none exist in Seoul!

And they are only located at military facilities and within the "Blue House,' because nuclear-proof shelters require a lot of money to build, according to his explanation.

Compared to 2010, the risk of nuclear attack seems unprecedentedly high. And it is obvious no president and no government is ready or strong enough to protect the people from it if Kim Jong-un decides to show his muscle with fireworks on the South.

I would take it as a destiny already written in the history books, rather than something caused by anyone's fault. Because, young Kim and his father and his grandfather have all avowed the same ― North Korea is the center of the world, and they don't care if the rest of mankind perishes or not.

Then what? Everyone must take care of themselves. We, the Koreans, lack two things according to my observations.

As a nation, Korea still needs to learn to maneuver its diplomacy and national security. There are historical reasons: There was always China, which allowed some degree of internal self-governance in Korea while representing and controlling Korea on diplomatic matters. Now, it's more complicated. The Korean people need to learn about "individual responsibility" for their own safety and survival. There are also other reasons: For Koreans, the family and the clan took priority, effacing the individual identity and responsibility. There was always someone above ― an ancestor or father or a family member. But now almost half of the population lives alone with no one to depend on.

In a war situation, what is most horrible?

It is loss of contact with loved ones, not to mention the instinctive and philosophical fear of death. What would you do if there is no one who knows where your family members are, and how to contact them?

This brings back memories of the designated "gathering spot" signs I found many years ago in Tokyo and in Dublin, Ireland. As they already know where to gather in an emergency, maybe a rescue helicopter would pick them there or they could find their family members.

Korea has had a relatively low rate of natural disasters such as earthquakes or typhoons. During the Korean Ear, refugees who settled in Busan used to roam the "Forty Steps" area, as if they had a prior appointment with their families. Many could reunite with their separated families there.

If we are unfortunate enough to see a Second Korean War break out on the peninsula, it would be totally different from the 1950 war. Maybe there would be no evacuation, no refugees and no survivors in the attacked area. Having communication cut-off may be the most difficult pain people may suffer, as well as a most effective war-making tool.

I will inform my family tomorrow of my plan: let's meet, when the situation allows us, in the lobby of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo or at the main gate of the United Nations Headquarters on 42nd Street New York at 11 a.m. on every first Monday of the month. This is a sad plan, but a needed one.



Kim Ji-myung (heritagekorea21@gmail. com) is the chairwoman of the Korea Heritage Education Institute (K*Heritage).

 
wooribank
Top 10 Stories
1Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists
2Big businesses face growing union pressure to extend retirement age Big businesses face growing union pressure to extend retirement age
3Anti-corruption watchdog set to investigate crypto assets of lawmakersAnti-corruption watchdog set to investigate crypto assets of lawmakers
4HanmiGlobal to monitor building of 80,000 houses for Neom construction workers HanmiGlobal to monitor building of 80,000 houses for Neom construction workers
5Naver suffers shrinking online search market share Naver suffers shrinking online search market share
6Sluggish exports behind weak Korean wonSluggish exports behind weak Korean won
7Seoul resident clashes with authorities for raising dogs to nab 'North Korean spies'Seoul resident clashes with authorities for raising dogs to nab 'North Korean spies'
8Running convenience stores becomes popular among people in 20s, 30s Running convenience stores becomes popular among people in 20s, 30s
9Doctors, pharmacists to receive 30% bonus for offering telemedicine service Doctors, pharmacists to receive 30% bonus for offering telemedicine service
10SK hynix enters validation process for 10 nm DDR5 server DRAM SK hynix enters validation process for 10 nm DDR5 server DRAM
Top 5 Entertainment News
1'Elemental' director on bringing his personal story of immigration to cinema 'Elemental' director on bringing his personal story of immigration to cinema
2SHINee celebrates 15th anniversary of debut: 'It feels surreal' SHINee celebrates 15th anniversary of debut: 'It feels surreal'
3ENHYPEN reaches new career high with latest album 'Dark Blood' ENHYPEN reaches new career high with latest album 'Dark Blood'
4'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' raises bar with epic battle scenes 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' raises bar with epic battle scenes
5[INTERVIEW] Long-awaited extension of Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale to be pushed forward INTERVIEWLong-awaited extension of Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale to be pushed forward
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group