Korea in Our Lives

For John, BLUF:  Even today you can be a Korean War Vet.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

Two items regarding Korea have come to our attention.  First off, as we know, there has been a Korean War Armistice in place since 27 July 1953.  However, the Government of North Korea has said it no longer accepts the Armistice as being in force.  Here is the key paragraph from the agreement:

62. The Articles and Paragraphs of this Armistice Agreement shall remain in effect until expressly superseded either by mutually acceptable amendments and additions or by provision in an appropriate agreement for a peaceful settlement at a political level between both sides.

Here is a scenario that shows one path to war—nuclear war—between the US and nKorea (North Korea).  The [London] Sunday Times titles this article "Countdown to catastrophe:  Experts say armageddon, triggered by a Korean conflict sucking China and America into war, could be only four days away."

But, we aren't worried about that.

So, moving on, I checked Monday, because someone asked, and found that about ten years ago the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) agreed that any military member who has been to Korea, even after the Armistice went into effect 2200 hours on 27 July 1953, for a day is qualified for VFW membership—the war has never ended.  And once in a while nKorea reminds us of that, shooting at an SR-71, sinking a South Korean naval vessel, or shelling a South Korean island, killing civilians.

It is a tough world out there.

Regards  —  Cliff