To: Tom Byron who wrote (44971 ) 1/3/2000 8:14:00 AM From: long-gone Respond to of 116753
Koreans see dark scenario in a U.S. precaution Calvin Sims / New York Times SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA -- Ever since war divided the Korean peninsula in 1953, residents of the bustling capital of Seoul, 30 miles from the demilitarized zone, have lived with the threat that Communist troops from North Korea could storm the border at any time. Despite doomsday scenarios that North Korea would attack the city of 11.6 million people with every imaginable weapon, including chemical and biological agents, few residents have taken such dire predictions seriously, and for seemingly good reason. About half a million South Korean soldiers are guarding the border, backed by 37,000 U.S. servicemen and some of the most sophisticated military technology available. Recently, North Korea has seemed more interested in diplomacy than making war. But a decision by the U.S. military in November to distribute 14,000 gas masks to dependents of U.S. soldiers and embassy staff members living in Seoul has raised concerns among South Koreans that despite its new diplomatic tone, North Korea is planning a major assault that will include chemical warfare. "When I first heard that the United States was issuing gas masks to its citizens in Seoul, I was deeply troubled because our government has no plans to do the same," said Lee Shin Bom, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the opposition Grand National Party. "I asked myself what does the United States know that our government isn't telling us." Although the United States says that the decision is not tied to any increased threat or impending attack by North Korea, rumors have spread across Seoul that an assault is imminent (cont)www2.startribune.com