Korea
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
For Bill Shaw, a 29-year-old husband, father of two, and first-year doctoral student at Harvard, the answer was clear. He told his wife, two young boys, parents, and professors he’d be back soon. His studies could wait, he explained. Three months later, on September 22, 1950, US Navy Lt. William Hamilton Shaw, on patrol with…
Read MoreJune 6 – A Day to Remember
D-Day. The Invasion of Normandy. Operation Overlord. It has many names, but regardless of what you call it, the June 6, 1944, Allied invasion of Normandy was the largest amphibious military operation in history. It was also the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. Within 3 months of the attack, Paris would be liberated.…
Read MoreSometimes You Just Want One – Even in South Korea
Having lived for a decade in High Point, North Carolina, a short drive from the corporate headquarters of one of the state’s most internationally recognized companies, I became an admirer of an all-American creation that’s loved by people around the world: the doughnut. But not just any doughnut. In North Carolina it’s all about Krispy…
Read MoreBring Them Home
Over 100,000 South Korean soldiers disappeared – or in military terminology went MIA (Missing In Action) – during the Korean War. They said good-bye to family and friends, went off to fight, and never returned. No one ever saw or heard from them again. To this day, no one knows when, how, or where they died.…
Read MoreMemorial Day Around the World
This weekend as Americans relax and usher in another summer vacation season with cookouts, beach reading, shopping sprees, blockbuster movie openings, and good times with families and friends, we also remember America’s military men and women who died for our country. It is, after all, Memorial Day Weekend. As we reflect on those who were killed and…
Read MoreA Beautiful Day, a Bus Full of Friends, and a Tragedy
It was Friday. The sky was blue, the sun was bright, and the air was clean. And I was headed for Geoje Island . . . with a busload of men and women who 67 years ago were North Korean refugees. I had been asked to give a speech at the Hungnam Evacuation Memorial Committee’s annual…
Read MoreA Barn on Jeju Island….and the Universal Power of Music
A few days ago I attended a piano recital. In a barn. Twelve pianists, all members of a professional company of musicians based in Seoul, played pieces ranging from Chopin and Gershwin to Rachmaninov and Grieg. Sitting a few feet from the performers, I was mesmerized. It was the best piano concert I’ve been to…
Read MoreCelebrating 55 Years of Diplomatic Relations
The Republic of Korea and the State of Israel, although worlds apart geographically, have a lot in common. Both countries were founded in 1948; both have a rich, ancient heritage; and both have at least one neighbor that’s eager to destroy it. After attending an Israeli Independence Day ceremony last week at Seoul’s Grand Hyatt…
Read MoreCover of Time Magazine
The cover of Time Magazine may say it all. Showing a close-up of Moon Jae-in, the new president of South Korea, in a serious, weathered stare, with “The Negotiator” in bold letters below him, the editors at Time seem to be implying that a thaw in North and South Korean relations could be around the corner. Having lived in…
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