Last Battleground of the Cold War

In these heady days when we're all united under the banner of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and multinational corporations, there are just a few remnants of the time when communism vied with capitalism for global dominance -- and the two Koreas play these parts to the hilt. The bitter Korean conflict technically never ended, and the possibility of the 46-year-old truce heating up still looms over the peninsula.

Joint U.S.-Korean military exercises...	...just in case the North gets any big ideas

Despite this threat, President Clinton has approved $9.5 billion worth of arms sales to South Korea since 1993, including McDonnell Douglas Harpoon antiship missiles, 200 Raytheon (formerly Hughes) Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, and Multiple Launch Rocket System rocket pods.

What do the North Koreans think of these arms sales? Obviously, they would prefer that the U.S. not arm their southern neighbors; in fact, the (state-controlled) North Korean news agency KCNA has strongly condemned U.S. arms sales in the region, stating, "Since the Cold War was terminated, the U.S. warmongers have sought a way out of the depressed industry in creating new hotspots and fostering [an] arms race. They have chosen the Northeast Asian region around the Korean Peninsula as one of the hotspots. The bellicose elements of the U.S. military have been playing first fiddle in arms sales, which may lead to an outbreak of war."

U.S. arms sales in the Clinton years Direct government sales Government-approved sales (scale in millions of dollars)

Instability is a very real issue on the Korean Peninsula. From 1994 to 1997 violence resulting in casualties erupted along the border every year. In 1996 South Korea went to its highest state of alert in 15 years, following an announcement by the North that it no longer recognized the demilitarized zone (DMZ). The North's statement was in effect only temporary; its impact was exacerbated by uncertainty over the North's shadowy nuclear program.

The U.S., meanwhile, maintains a force of roughly 37,000 troops in South Korea and is committed to sending an additional 360,000 (under the U.S.-Korean Joint Operational Plan 5027-92) in the event of war. Nevertheless, the U.S. does not seem overly concerned about regional instability -- as long as it is South Korea's sole supplier. This point was driven home in 1996, when U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry demanded that the South cancel plans to purchase a Russian air-defense system.

--Mat Honan

Flags courtesy of World Flag Database
Photos by Lee Young-ho/Sipa