The comments were made in relation to a case where a young US private is in jail
awaiting trial for raping a 67-year-old woman. The paper also said that the
south would not obtain social or human rights progress while the "occupation"
continued.
Approximately two years ago the South Korean government implemented new laws
curbing prostitution. Laws that were pushed for by the conservative Bush
administration in exchange for the US military's continued commitment to Korea.
The laws themselves were met with considerable protest from Korean prostitutes
and business owners alike. Prostitution remains a mainstay both for domestic
and international clients - largely the miliary.
Prostitution has since gone underground causing a number of international
organizations to decry the new laws as harmful to women's rights.
Kim Jong Il, son of Kim Il Sung, stands as the nutty leader of North Korea. The
nation recently conducted nuclear tests that are largely regarded as a failure
in the international community.
Kim - completely disconnected with reality - does not seem to recognise that
prostitution is as rampant in the north as it is in the south. 'Women selling
flowers' are commen in Pyongyang and beyond.
The United States has had troops stationed in South Korea since the end of the Korean war. Currently 29,500 troops are stationed there. Sporadic crimes and accidents over the years have raised anti-American sentiment in the region.
