On Jonathan Lee

I admit, North Korea has had me scared to death for nearly two years now. With all of the attention being paid to the Middle East, I sometimes wonder why nothing is being done about the certifiably insane Kim Jong-Il. But then, I'm not privy to what is going on behind the closed doors of the truly powerful in this country. Maybe something is being done.

One thing is certain though, there is a teenage boy who made up his mind to at least try talking some sense into Kim Jong-Il all by himself. Jonathan Lee, a thirteen-year-old Mississippi boy, returned home from a very rare trip to North Korea on August 19th. During his trip, Lee outlined his desire for a 'Children's Peace Forest' to be planted and maintained across the Demilitarized Zone that currently separates South Korea from North Korea. It is Lee's vision that the forest will become a new kind of zone, one where children from both sides can mingle and play despite the political differences that have separated them for so long.

His trip, he said, opened his eyes to the fact that both sides would like to reunify and see an undivided Korea in the future. Of course, Lee did not get to have a face to face meeting with Kim Jong-Il, but North Korean representatives said that the Peace Forest, while a great idea, would be dependent on a peace treaty being signed by the United States and North Korea. There's the catch.

I personally believe that Lee's trip was a worthy one, and whether he is passionate, naive, or both, I think that sometimes it takes a child to point out the obvious to adults. How great would it be if this 13-year-old's vision was taken seriously by those who have the power to make it happen? Of course, I know better. I know that things will inevitably get worse before they get better.

As I write this, there are reports that North Korea is deploying a massive number of soldiers and other military assets to Pyongyang, the capitol city of North Korea. Experts believe that the deployment is related to a meeting of key communist party delegates that will take place there sometime in September. At this meeting, Kim Jong-Il is expected to name his son, Kim Jong Un, as his eventual successor.

Perhaps junior will not be quite as crazy as daddy... But, again, I know better.