Sound and Fury

AP: South Koreans watch smoke rising from Yeonpyeong, in the Yellow sea following a shelling from North Korea on Nov. 23, 2010

I had just sat down to google "English games for kids" when I heard the news. North Korea had fired upon Yeonpyeong, an island in the Yellow Sea about 75 miles west of my location in Seoul.

Once the news spread through the faculty room, the mood became kind of somber. The rather easygoing attitude turned to one of concern. Most of us started searching for news reports, looking at videos of what had occurred.

It came as some relief to learn that the skirmish was, according to some analyses, likely done for North Korea to continue to obtain food and fuel for their army through "nuclear disarmament negotiations", according to a few reports. I'm not sure of the mechanics of that, but it's the most comforting option so it's the one most of us are willing to believe. And who knows? It could even be true.

According to an op-ed in the National Post (thanks to a friend who brought it to my attention), a nuclear proliferation and national security expert said this: “While the potential for an outbreak of war exists, it is not likely as both sides have no interest in a further escalation,” said Anthony Seaboyer, head of the Proliferation & Security Research Unit at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.

Oddly, though, the editorial ended with this unsettling quote from Seaboyer: “Unfortunately, we have no experience with future North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that could help anticipate how he may react.”

I'd say that about sums it up.

As for the students, they were rather depressed late in the day, and, not surprisingly, wanted to talk about the event. So I chatted with them about it for a few minutes to let them get it off their chest before we began the lesson.

People read extra edition of a newpaper reporting that North Korea fired artillery onto a South Korean island, in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010.   North Korea bombarded South Korea's Yeonpyeong island near their disputed western border Tuesday, setting buildings ablaze and killing at least one marine after warning the South to halt military drills in the area, South Korean officials said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

As for the teachers, none of us is packing our bags yet, and those who have signed contracts for a second year are still planning on coming back. I love it so much here, I may even consider a second year, shelling be damned.

By the way, my old employer WTEN (Channel 10 in Albany) did a brief interview with me this morning to localize the conflict. For those of you in Albany, it should air Tuesday at 11 p.m. and perhaps again in a shorter or abbreviated version in the morning shows (5 to 7 a.m.) on Wednesday (I'm not sure about this, but that's usually the protocol).

Here's an Associated Press package on what happened: