Fearful, yet people dismiss chance of war
Citizens in Seoul Station watch news showing a North Korean newsreader announcing that Pyongyang successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test, Sunday. / Yonhap
By You Soo-sun
Public anxiety in South Korea was growing Sunday in response to North Korea announcing it had conducted a sixth nuclear test.
The word spread quickly as television and online portal sites became inundated with news of strong seismic tremors, indicating what Pyongyang soon said was a “successful” hydrogen bomb test.
“I am deeply worried,” Kim Gi-suk, 54, said. A restaurant owner in Seodaemun in northwestern Seoul, Kim was working and unaware of the news when first asked the question. And although she maintained her calm after being informed, her eyes widened as she said, “I’m scared about war. We’re doing nothing as they continue developing their nuclear arms.”
But Kim’s daughter, Lim Sun-young, 27, thought the North’s provocation was only to instigate fear. “There is no need to be nervous. Kim Jong-un will not use the bomb since that means he will die.” Other employees at the restaurant merely tended to their customers, shrugging off the idea of war.
And like them, most people downplayed the likelihood of war while expressing some form of anxiety.
“My firm belief is that war will not happen. The general consensus among my friends is that war won’t break out since the U.S. and China are involved,” Choi Yong-kwan, a 20-year-old college student, said as he read an article on his mobile phone.“But I definitely do feel a sense of growing tension and fear ― it’s their sixth nuclear test and they are on their way to refining their nukes.”
“I’ll leave Korea and head for Canada or something” was the initial response from Park, an elementary school teacher. But as she went on, she dismissed the idea of war. “To be honest I don’t put too much thought into this because it’s always been this way. War does not come easily,” she said. “And we shouldn’t be worried. Fear is what leads to war.”
For the public in the South, North Korea’s provocations are not treated as something new. Although most stuck to this instinct, some added U.S. President Donald Trump as a new, unpredictable and perhaps even more frightening variable.
“This is nothing new. Just another provocation by the North as I see it and it’s been worse before but still did not lead to war. I don’t think any South Korean male who has been in the military is scared,” 29-year-old Yoon Tae-jun from Busan said, adding “But then again I’m not sure this time because of Trump.
“I’m not keeping an eye on this ― maybe this is the problem. But this time, maybe Trump will take some sort of action,” Kwon Suk-in, 27, said. “There must be no war.”