韩国改变军事战略.docx

韩国改变军事战略.docx

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韩国改变军事战略

WithLimitedOptions,SouthKoreaShiftsMilitaryRules

ByMARTINFACKLERandMARKMcDONALD

SEOUL,SouthKorea—RespondingtogrowingpubliccriticismafteradeadlyNorthKoreanattack,PresidentLeeMyung-bakacceptedtheresignationofhisdefenseministeronThursdayandannouncedchangesinthemilitary’srulesofengagementtomakeiteasierforSouthKoreatostrikebackwithgreaterforce,especiallyifciviliansarethreatened.

ThegovernmentalsoannouncedplanstoincreasethenumberoftroopsandheavyweaponsonYeonpyeongIsland,wheretwomarinesandtwociviliansdiedTuesdayinanartilleryfusilladefromtheNorth.OnFriday,PresidentLeeappointedasecurityadviser,LeeHee-won,asthenewdefenseminister.

ButMr.Lee,whocametoofficetwoyearsagovowingtogettoughwiththeNorth,haslittlemaneuveringroominformulatingaresponse.Whiletheattackappearstohavepushedanti-NorthKoreansentimentheretoitshighestlevelinyears,thereislittlepublicsupportfortakingmilitaryactionagainsttheNorththatmightleadtoanescalationofhostilities.

“NorthKoreahasnothingtolose,whilewehaveeverythingtolose,”saidKangWon-taek,aprofessorofpoliticsatSeoulNationalUniversity.“LeeMyung-bakhasnochoicebuttosoftenhistonetokeepthiscountrypeaceful.Itisnotanappealingchoice,butitistheonlyrealisticchoice.”

TheSouth’spowerfulneighborisalsocounselingrestraint.TheChineseprimeminister,WenJiabao,saidThursdaythatBeijingopposedanyprovocativemilitarybehaviorbyeithersideontheKoreanPeninsula,Xinhua,thestatenewsagency,reported.

OnThursday,whileNorthKoreawarnedthroughitsofficialnewsagencyoffurthermilitaryretaliationifprovokedbySouthKorea,Mr.Leesaidonly,“WeshouldnotdropourguardinpreparationforthepossibilityofanotherprovocationbyNorthKorea,”accordingtohischiefspokesman,HongSang-pyo.“Aprovocationlikethiscanrecuranytime.”

Thechangesintherulesofengagementweresimilarlyrestrained.SouthKoreandefensesonfivecoastalislandsintheYellowSeahadbeensetupprimarilytoguardagainstpossibleamphibiouslandingsbyNorthKoreantroops.CriticssaidThursdaythatthemilitaryhadnotanticipatedthepossibilityofanattackbyNorthKoreanartillerybatteries,whicharereportedlyincavesalongtheNorth’scoastline.

“Now,anartillerybattlehasbecomethenewthreat,sowe’rereassessingtheneedtostrengthendefenses,”Mr.Leetoldlawmakers.Thenewmeasuresheoutlinedincludeddoublingthenumberofhowitzersandupgradingotherweaponry.

Thenewrulesofengagementwillbebasedonwhethermilitaryorciviliansitesarethetargets,saidMr.Hong,thepresidentialspokesman,addingthatthemovewasmadeto“changetheparadigmofrespondingtoNorthKorea’sprovocations.”

Previously,SouthKoreanforceswereallowedtorespondonlyinkind—iftheNorthfiredartillery,theSouthcouldansweronlywithartillery—tocontainanydispute.Now,officialssaid,themilitarywouldbeallowedtousegreaterforce.

Mr.Lee’sresponsetothisweek’sartilleryattackisnotthefirsttimehehasbeencriticizedforsittingonhishandsinthefaceofadeadlyprovocationbytheNorth.Twoyearsago,whenaSouthKoreantouristwasshotbyasentryataNorthKoreanmountainresort,hisgovernment’sresponseamountedtoaslaponthewrist:

suspendingtourstotheresortandbanningSouthKoreancivicgroupsfromvisitingtheNorth.

ButtheclearestcasewasMr.Lee’sresponseinMarchtothesinkingofaSouthKoreanwarship,theCheonan.

Mr.Leeatfirstseemedtostallbywaitingfortheresultsofaninternationalinvestigation,whichtooktwomonthstoconcludethattheshiphadbeensunkbyaNorthKoreantorpedo.Whenheresponded,itwaswithrelativelymildmeasureslikereducingtheSouth’salreadyminusculetradewiththeNorth,resumingtheSouth’scold-war-erapropagandaspeakersalongthedemilitarizedzoneanddemandinganapology.ButthespeakershaveyettobeturnedonafterNorthKoreathreatenedtoshootatthem,andMr.Leedroppedtheapologydemandasaconditionfortalks.

Mr.LeewaswidelyblamedinSouthKoreaforhavingprovokedtheCheonanepisodebyendingunconditionalaidtotheNorthatthestartofhispresidency.

“Before,thepublicsawhimastoohard,andnowtheyseehimastoosoft,”saidYooHo-yeol,aprofessorofNorthKoreanstudiesatKoreaUniversityinSeoul.

Despitepublicpressuretodomore,Mr.LeedoesnothavemanyoptionsforlesslethalformsofpressureontheNorth,diplomaticoreconomic.NorthKoreahasweatheredyearsofeconomicsanctionsanddiplomaticisolation.Infact,thetougheconomicconditionsappearonlytogivetheNorthmotivationtocontinueitsbrinkmanship,toextractaidasitfacesawinteroffoodandfuelshortages.

SomeanalystssaytheNorthisalsousingtheprovocationstoburnishthemilitarycredentialsofKimJong-un,theyoungestsonoftheNorth’sleader,KimJong-il,andhisheirapparent.

AnalystssaymakingsanctionseffectivewouldrequiregreatersupportfromChina,NorthKorea’straditionalprotector,whichhassofarbeenreluctanttotightenthescrewsontheNorth.Inrecentdays,Mr.LeeandPresidentObamahaveagreedtomakenewappealstoChineseleaderstoputmorepressureontheNorth,butanalystssaytheyarenotoptimisticthattheChinesewillcomply.

Still,SouthKoreanofficialssaidtheywouldurgeChinatoactmoreresponsiblybypressingtheNorthtorefrainfromfurtherattacks.TheyalsosaidtheywouldaskBeijingtomorecloselymonitortradewithNorthKoreabyChinesemerchants,whichtheysaidhasbeenawayfortheNorthtobypassinternationaleconomicsanctions.

Mr.LeeandhisadvisersappeartohaveconcludedthatalessconfrontationalstanceistheonlywaytopersuadeNorthKoreatoenditsprovocations.AfewanalystsspeculatedthatMr.LeemighteventuallyendupnotfarfromhisliberalpredecessorslikeformerPresidentRohMoo-hyun,whousedeconomicaidtoappeasetheNorthandreducetensionsonthepeninsula.

“Anyonewouldconcludethatthepeacefulapproachisbesttoreversethesituation,”saidMoonJung-in,aformeradviserintheRohadministration.“Ahard-lineapproachisnotarealoption.”

Su-HyunLeecontributedreporting.

InaLandoftheAging,ChildrenCounterAlzheimer’s

ByPAMBELLUCK

SEONGNAM,SouthKorea—Theywerestooped,hobbled,disoriented,fumblingaroundthehouse.Theygotconfusedinthebathtubandstruggledupstairsthatseemedtoswimbeforethem.

“Oh,ithurts,”saidNohHyun-ho,sinkingtotheground.

“IthoughtIwasgoingtodie,”saidYookSeo-hyun.

Therewassurprisinglylittlegiggling,consideringthatHyun-ho,Seo-hyunandtheotherswereactuallyperfectlyhealthy11-to13-year-oldchildren.Buttheyhadstrappedonsplints,weightedharnessesandfogged-upglasses,andweregiventaskslike“DoorknobExperience”and“BathroomExperience,”alltohelpthemfeelwhatitwasliketobeold,frailordemented.

“Eventhoughtheyaresmilingforus,everyday,24hours,isdifficultforthem,”JeongJae-hee,12,saidshelearned.“Theylosetheirmemoryandgobacktochildhood.”

ItispartofaremarkableSouthKoreancampaigntocopewithanexplodingproblem:

Alzheimer’sdiseaseandotherdementias.Asoneoftheworld’sfastest-agingcountries,withnearly9percentofitspopulationover65alreadyafflicted,SouthKoreahasopeneda“WaronDementia,”spendingmoneyandshiningfloodlightsonadiseasethatis,hereasinmanyplaces,riddledwithshameandfear.

SouthKoreaistrainingthousandsofpeople,includingchildren,as“dementiasupporters,”torecognizesymptomsandcareforpatients.The11-to13-year-olds,forinstance,wereinthegovernment’s“Aging-FriendlyComprehensiveExperienceHall”outsideSeoul.Besidestheagingsimulationexercise,theyviewedaPowerPointpresentationdefiningdementiaandweretrained,inthehall’sDementiaExperienceCenter,toperformhandmassageinnursinghomes.

“‘WhatdidIdowithmyphone?

It’sintherefrigerator,’”saidoneinstructor,explainingmemoryloss.“Haveyouseensomeonelikethat?

Theymaygomissinganddieonthestreet.”

Inanotherstrikingmove,SouthKoreaisalsopushingtomakediagnosesearly,despitetherebeingscanttreatment.

“Thisusedtobehidden”and“thereisstillstigmaandbias,”saidKimHye-jin,directorofseniorpolicyfortheHealthandWelfareMinistry.But“wewanttogetthemoutoftheirshells,outoftheirhomesanddiagnosed”tohelpfamiliesadjustandgivepatients“ahigherchanceofbeingtakencareofathome.”

Hundredsofneighborhooddementiadiagnosticcentershavebeencreated.Nursinghomeshavenearlytripledsince2008.Otherdementiaprograms,providingdaycareandhomecare,haveincreasedfivefoldsince2008,tonearly20,000.Careisheavilysubsidized.

Andagovernmentdementiadatabaseallowsfamiliestoregisterrelativesandreceiveiron-onidentificationnumbers.Citizensencounteringwandererswithdementiareporttheirnumberstoofficials,whocontactfamilies.

Tofinancethis,SouthKoreacreatedalong-term-careinsurancesystem,paidforwithpercentincreasesinpeople’snationalhealthinsurancepremiums.In2009,about$1billionofgovernmentandpublicinsurancemoneywasspentondementiapatients.Still,withtheover-65populationjumpingfrom7percentin2000to14percentin2018to20percentin2026,dementiaisstrainingthecountry,sociallyandeconomically.

“Atleastonefamilymemberhastogiveupwork”toprovidecaregiving,saidKwakYoung-soon,socialwelfaredirectorforMapoDistrict,oneofSeoul’s25geographicdistricts.BecauseSouthKoreaen