US ambassador's moustache gets up South Korea's nose

submitted by Nemacolin from theguardian.com

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[–]Nemacolin[S] 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

People are silly.

Tensions may be running high on the Korean peninsula, but Harry Harris’s facial hair is vying with denuclearisation as the defining theme of his tenure as US ambassador to South Korea.

Harris, a former navy admiral who was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and an American navy officer, has been accused of insulting his hosts by growing a moustache that reminds many South Koreans of the days of Japanese colonial rule.

Japan’s 1910-45 rule over the Korean peninsula is a continuing source of resentment in South Korea, whose relations with its neighbour plummeted last year amid disputes connected to their bitter wartime history.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

That mustache is minor irritation compared to the $5 billion hosting 28,500 troops. A very large amount!

No shaving could remedy that much friction burn! Wonder if this is in preparation for a conflict soon...

[–]Nemacolin[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I am very sorry. I do not understand what you are trying to say.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Not that important, just something in the article!

[–]Chipit 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Last October, 19 students were arrested after they attempted to scale the walls around Harris’s official residence to protest his support for Seoul to shoulder a heavier financial burden.

Un-fucking-believable.

These are like spoiled adult children. We fought a war to keep them free. Tolerated their dictatorship for 40 years. Now they're a modern first world nation, and all we want is for them to pay their fair share of us defending them. And they can't even do that.

Ever seen a parent cut off a spoiled adult child? The response is rage. The child has, his entire life, coasted along for free. And the idea that he should pay his own way is unfair and unprecedented.

Why is the US paying for all these other nations' security for free? Why can they not pay fairly for services rendered? The US is not World Police. In fact the entire world hates us for bullying them when we used to do that World Police bullshit.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

These are like spoiled adult children. We fought a war to keep them free. Tolerated their dictatorship for 40 years. Now they're a modern first world nation, and all we want is for them to pay their fair share of us defending them. And they can't even do that.

Its 5 billions dollars though! You knew some drama and theatrics would come to play out over that lump sum. Plus 28,500 conscription that are going to cost more to maintain, I'm expecting them to jump through hoops of fire or wrestle bears as protest!

It wouldn't work to avert the issue but you knew it was going to get circus-y.

[–]Chipit 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Why are they not paying US? We should be running a profit on this operation.