Both Sides Must Keep Cool in Korea

It would not just be unfair but risky and limiting to characterize a nation with only a few words. Yet many foreigners describe Koreans as rather emotional and impulsive people and not quite so rational and composed. The way the two Koreas fight with each other over the recent sinking of the warship Cheonan proves that this nation could hardly shake off this unwelcome but undeniable description soon.

After the 1,200-ton corvette broke in two and sank near the disputed border in late March, it took less than two months for the South Korean government to finish the investigation ― complete with a smoking gun, which was found just five days before the scheduled briefing. Actually, it took less than two weeks for Seoul to unofficially conclude North Korea was to blame. Officials take pride in the swift handling of the situation and try to put, even silence, reasonable suspicions and differences in opinions as rumor mongering by ``North Korean sympathizers."