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www.groovekorea.com / October 2014 44 Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com) COvER STORy i n the history of Groove Korea, Oc- tober 2006 may have been an auspicious month, but the same cannot be said for North Korea. Or can it? From the per- spective of the Kim family dynasty, the coun- try’s debut nuclear test on Oct. 9 that year was a triumph. Admittedly, the explosion itself was smaller than those of past nuclear wannabes. The yields of India’s first test in 1974, “Smiling Buddha,” and the first of a test series by Pakistan in 1998, “Chagai-1,” were consid- erably greater. It is said that the North Korean test might even have been a “fizzle,” where the device fails to operate as intended, or a conventional explosion dressed up as a nu- clear bomb. Regardless, with a low premium placed on truth in the North Korean state media, the test was transformed into a complete suc- cess. The Korean Central News Agency, the North’s official news source, used a one-min- ute bulletin posted about an hour afterward to declare, “There is no danger of any radioac- tive release … (from) our test, which will con- tribute to peace and security on the Korean peninsula and surrounding countries.” Predictably, U.S. President George W. Bush disagreed with the positive North Korean spin on events, choosing instead to call the blast a “provocative act,” which just goes to show that the sort of external criticism lobbed at North Korea hasn’t changed much over the years. That being said, by managing to make any sort of formal comment, Bush was doing better than advocates of the Sunshine Poli- cy, South Korea’s then-strategy of engaging bEyond tHE bordEr After 4 kilometers of lush, untouched DMZ, the gates of North Korea open to expressionless soldiers, but their roaming eyes seem to tell the rest. The traveling rules are simple: Stay on the tour, and do not take pictures without permission. Traveling to North Korea is anything but lonely, as travelers can only enter during planned hours. Itineraries are predetermined to ensure minimal contact. It is important not to stare and not to say the name of the Great Leader in front of a North Korean. tHE road to rEunification Reunifcation was a dream most South Koreans shared, but the issue is becoming more pragmatic for the younger generation. They’re less concerned with seeing family members and visiting former hometowns. They’re more concerned with whether reunifcation could collapse South Korea’s already stressed economy, and whether South Koreans could peacefully absorb North Korean culture. Older South Koreans still see reunifcation as the only way to long-term peace, but younger ones are starting to disagree. tEEn dEfEctor dEtErminEd to succEEd Jo In-hee liked watching dramas and hoped to someday be a nurse. She was also a North Korean defector living in the South, and for two years she didn’t have any friends. She was also years behind in school. With inadequate support, for most North Korean defectors that gap only widens. With the help of teachers and mentors, Jo was able to adjust to her new life, but many North Korean defectors don’t get the support they need. tHE morE it cHangEs, tHE morE it rEmains tHE samE Story by Christopher Green, North Korea columnist / Photos by Matthew Lamers and Nash Ang / Sidebar by Bry oney Hayes and Elaine Ramirez 08.2007 02.2011 12.2011