It would be interesting if the police pretended that they were unaware of this and then at a crucial moment on the big night of Aug. 6th, sent fake command orders out through the normal radio frequencies but then sent the real orders through alternate communication channels. Another possibility would be to simply speak in code (although this might be tough in the heat of battle). Or perhaps some of the commanders speak Japanese or other foreign languages?

In any case, using disinformation at a crucial moment might lead a large group of protesters into a skillfully set trap, no? It would certainly be funny to see their faces when that happened!

This is one of many example where I have to agree with Kalani that by and large the 386ers have been a disappointment.

Your thoughts make sense to me.

I will probably have to get my own kid out of the Korean school system before the brainwashing of the left sets in; or shall I say, before the lack of critical reasoning skills is applied.

I look at the 386 generation as one that had promise and hope in doing great things. However, when given the chance, they have dropped the ball…

“…to respect the fact that they held clean elections,”

The creation of the National Election Commission is proof enough that “clean elections” never came about. It developed to the point that Roh finally had to say that if he took more money than the GNP he would resign. He did…and he didn’t. The 386 generation in both the conservatives and progressives continue their tradition of underhanded politics till today.

“…abided by the rulings of independent courts,”

The creation of the Constitutional Court in direct confrontation of rulings with the Supreme Court is a major game the 386 generation loves to play. As to the term “independent” — one also has to use the words “beholden to.” Politics play a great role in the Korean courts — and that makes them questionable as “independent.” I don’t want to get into a fire fight on this, but it is just one man’s view.

“…reduced the power of the offices they themselves occupied,”

During the Roh administration, they burrowed deep into the administration until it was called — ruling by committee. The excesses of power during the Roh administration made it seem like there were rotating doors on Cheong Wa Dae. I believe the average time in office was one and half months. Scandal after scandal was heaped on them for abuse of power while in office.

“…and generally presided over a time of flourishing freedom of expression and religion,”

Will not argue with this except that Roh started his fight with the “gangster press” from when he was Minister of Fisheries and carried it into his presidency. He filled all the offices of media with his appointees and provided funds to progressive media (ie OhMy News, Hankyoreh) while denying it to conservative outlets. He tried to restrict the conservative press from Cheong Wa Dae…etc. etc. etc. As to freedom of religion, it blossomed. How many cult religion centers can you see from your window? I apologize. How many churches can you see from your window?

“…lifting of censorship laws, etc.”

Well, yes…but look at my comments prior to this and you will see that is censorship as blatant as anyone can see. It was blatant enough for the condemnation by the world press associations.

Again let me say that I watched the riots of the 1970s up close and personal. I was on the receiving end of the molotov cocktails in the 1980s. I hid in the back alleys with the blacklisted teachers of the then outlawed teachers union in the 1990s. I inspected the molotov cocktails that my students built up on the campus for the next protests. These people all had great promise but they could not fulfill their potential because of repressive laws. I supported their causes.

As the years passed, the laws were changed, but none of the promises of greatness happened. I saw the teachers’ union recognized, but I also saw it shaped into a communist-inspired mouthpiece that poisoned the minds of the young — my daughter included. I saw the progressives become mouthpieces of the rich and they grubbed for money at the feet of the chaebols.

Under the 386 generation, I saw the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. I saw the middle class that was built up during the Roh Tae-woo and Kim Young-sam years destroyed, little-by-little until now there are actually people saying that they are not middle class.

Middle class is not a financial state as people claim. It is a state of mind. If you think you are middle class, you reflect the goals of achievement of that class — and hopes for the future. I believe the 386 generation in power destroyed that hope. Both conservatives and progressives contributed, but because the 386 generation were in power, they need to accept the responsibility for the failures.

Emigrations increased, the brain drain hit the country…do not believe me. Look at the damning statistics. Korea does not hold out shining hope for its young. The masses are disillusioned with the failures in the glowing promises made by the 386 generation when they took power.

However, this is just MY opinion. If anyone feels I am stupid or an idiot, it is their right and I do not object to being called such.

Now in 2008, I am one who looks at the 386 generation as one that was full of hope and promise twenty years ago — and I believed in them. However, after the Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun years, I now see them as those who did not fulfill the expections held out for them. All of the grandiose words were just that — grandiose words.

Does this mean that the conservatives in power are that much better? I’m a Park Geun-hee supporter if that gives you an idea of my “trust” in the present ilk. However, I do believe that the direction they are moving is correct for the future of Korea.

I think the groups have come to accept that their violence has tended to turn the society off from their cause a little since the mid to late 1990s.

So, the groups will try to keep the violence down and paint a peaceful face on the protest – as long as they believe they can gain mainstream support for the cause of the day.

But once they see that public support for that cause is not coming or has cooled off, they go to the usual violence. This keeps the issue in the public eye through the media but it also keeps the morale of the troops high.

The progressive groups count on support from each new generation of university students. The violence of protests, the idea of doing battle against the government, excites the kids and gives them some sense of connection to history.

The labor unions don’t need violence to keep the troops in tact.

The other progressive groups do.

Without the youth shock troops, it would just be the same dozen or so faces at each protest – reprsenting their couple 100 different civic groups.

The no mans land with a big obvious yellow line is also quite good. It would clearly show who the aggressors are. Likewise the police would have to be very careful to not appear to be crossing it as well.

I would pay to see the Hanchongnyun goons trying to climb greased up buses. That would be hilarious.

Personally I think the riot police used as human punching bags for these thugs should not be conscripts. If the government used professionally trained riot policemen they would have better continuity and professionalism. I just don’t feel that someone making as little as conscripts do should be subjected to such abuse.

I tend to think that since the government has to spend so little on the riot policemen that they just throw them out there as cannon fodder for these goons instead of implementing a more comprehensive approach as you have described. By having to recruit and retain a professional riot police force the government would have to use a more comprehensive approach to deal with these goons instead of the current human cannon fodder approach.

I like the idea of the webcasts and reporters. The “progressive” groups have been so far out in front in this area – in using the internet along with multimedia – they have dominated the message.

And I think Korean society might be ready for an alternative message – if developments on campus over the last few years can be believed by tid bits we get from the press.

One thing I’d like to see happen – if possible – is large scale fining of protesters involved in violent confrontations – and this would include the women who come to use themselves as human shields.

In the past, the protests would be in two parts – one the peaceful rally – then the scrum session. When the one finished and before the other began, the more elderly and very young and the women would move off of center stage and let the ruffins come in to do battle.

Over the last few years, however, that has changed. Now women and children are often used in the front line to prevent the police from taking action while the shock troops of the protesters maneuvre to clash from a better angle.

I’d like to see the police detain large batches of these protests when things start to go violent – and hold them until they pay a fine.

It would not have to be a large fine.

If the fines were dealt consistently and on a large scale during these protests, it would stand a chance of forcing the groups and members to modify their tactics.