As I stood at the border between North and South Korea for the first time, I realized I was hearing Britney Spears’ “Oops!... I Did It Again” blaring from the speakers. It’s propaganda music. South Korea blasts it at the border because it represents freedom. South Korea is the home of K-pop. It felt like the ultimate irony. We have done it again. Gotten ourselves into a world tangled by conflicts and are wondering how they can ever be resolved.
Perhaps by the kiss of a teenager, Ju-ae? Maybe there are greater truths here than we realize. Perhaps the “Heartware“ of a family kiss from the new face of North Korea and the “hardware” of a new bridge are the only things capable of overriding the unproductive past.
See my piece, North Korea: Silence is a Signal. North Korea and Eastern Russia are being plugged back into the world. The lights in the Hermit Kingdom are turning on. Could a peace deal be unfolding? It already is…..
