Teachers heading to South Korea are often unaware that North and South Korea are technically at war.
In many cases it is friends or family that start quizzing them and asking about safety and security in Korea that this "scary situation" becomes apparent... But is it scary?... In a recent poll run on the Footprints Recruiting website, roughly 27% of people said the political situation in North Korea did negatively impact their decision to teach in South Korea.
In a recent article in the Korean Herald the national news agency reports that North Korea is demonstrating that they are looking to restart the stalled multilateral talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program and that they are aiming to create better relations with South Korea and the United States.
One of the key indications that the North Korean regime is moving toward better relations this year is the New Year's message from the North directly calling for the need to "open the path for improving relations between the two Koreas". This could be in part as a result of the smoother relations between the USA and North Korea which often leads to better relations between the North and South Koreas.
Whether this is a new year's resolution for the mighty Kim Jong-Il or whether this is a result of new sanctions by the UN after the last nuclear missile test that have crippled the North's economy and decreased the aid they continue to receive monthly or whether this is a regime realizing their closest ally is fully embracing capitalism and they are losing relevance, this year could be a significant year in warmed relations between the two Koreas. Whatever the reason, the North is stepping forward with a fresh face and a new approach to the New Year that could mean South Korea may yet win back a long lost friend.
Cooper Darby (teacher in South Korea)
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