Traveling over Korea

In traveling between Florida and Cambodia, I had a short layover at the Seoul airport in South Korea. I could have flown through Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam or Bangkok in Thailand. I chose Seoul essentially because I heard that Korean Airlines provide a more civilized traveling experience, and I must say that they deserve their outstanding reputation.

When I was at the gate in the Atlanta airport, I noticed an unusual number of US Army soldiers on the flight to South Korea. The United States has some of its largest overseas bases in Korea. Officially North and South Korea have not resolved their war from the 1950s, and tensions are especially high after the resent death of Kim Jung Il, the dictator of North Korea.

Our plane took a detour around North Korean airspace, but we did seem to fly over a set of islands just off of the coastal border of the Koreas. These islands witnessed military skirmishes just a few months ago because of the aggression of North Korea.

Seeing the soldiers reminded me of my own father, who saw combat in the Korea War of the 1950s, which started with a surprise attack led by Kim Jung Il's father when he was a young, new leader suddenly given dictatorial powers.

In the Atlanta airport I saw the CNN broadcasts of the bizarre funeral of Kim Jung Il with images of his young son looking on blankly. In the Seoul Airport I was only a few miles from where the funeral had taken place just a few hours before. I wonder how this new, young dictator will be different from his grandfather and father.

I took a picture out the airport window in Korea. At the time it was about 30 degrees F. In Cambodia, in contrast, the daytime highs have been in the mid 80s.

I thought that the design of Korea Air airplanes looks a great deal like a Diet Pepsi can.