A Near Miss . . .

Here's Looking at You, Kid!

Google Images

My cyber-friend Malcolm Pollack, who blogs at Waka Waka Waka, landed in Seoul last Friday morning at 4:00 a.m. and was delayed at the airport until 4:00 p.m. for his flight on to China:

We are here now. Our flight from JFK touched down at Incheon at about 4 a.m. (as I write, it's about 6 a.m. local time).

Our 9:40 flight to Guangzhou has now been delayed until 4 p.m. due to bad weather in Guangzhou. We will be weary travelers indeed by the time we get there . . .

Friday being a very busy day for me, I had no freedom to drop by the airport, so I wish his time in the airport had been on a Saturday:

Sorry to hear of the delay . . . though if today were Saturday, I'd come meet you at the airport for a drink.

Have a good trip!

In response to that, I received an email:

Thanks Jeff!

This flight on Korean Air, and visit to the airport, has made me more curious than ever about Korea, and I'm sure we'll be back. (As long as Kim Young 'Un) doesn't do anything too insane.

Speaking of which, what's the mood like in the South about all this saber-rattling? Are people seriously concerned about the possibility of an attack?

I replied to the full extent of my ignorance:

Noticeable about the rhetoric emanating from the North this time are its specificity and its dire character, so people have certainly taken note. But we are reassured -- and I agree -- that the North has no desire for a war that would bring down its system. Moreover, the North has continued to welcome Chinese tourists and has emphasized [to them] that there will be no war. The North is probably aiming much of its rhetoric at its domestic audience, trying to make the 'Young'un' look like a tough leader. The only danger is the possibility of a miscalculation.

Malcolm had flown on to China by then, so I heard no more. A near miss. Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un's war rhetoric waxes ever more weird, but I'm hoping for nothing worse than a "near miss" there, too . . .