Two Score and Ten Flashbacks on Korea
By David Shaffer
November it was
1971
A jet plane going East but flying west
To the Land of Morning Calm
To the Hermit Kingdom, the Korean War battlefield, the DMZ
To a land divided, a land of tears and despair, of military coup
Arrival at Kimpo International
Brings a wide-eyed idealist with much to view:
Park Chung-hee re-elected narrowly, martial law declared forcibly
Power consolidated rapidly, Yushin Constitution enacted forcefully
Kim Dae-jung kidnapped in Tokyo, imprisoned in Seoul
First Lady assassinated, President Park’s the goal
Panmunjom axe murderers kill U.S. soldiers gruesomely
Dynamite train at Iri Station explodes powerfully
KCIA bullet kills President Park stunningly
Shockingly, jarringly, sensationally
General Chun leads 12/12 coup stealthily
Martial law extended needlessly
Gwangju protests vehemently
Ten days of blood, of death, of darkness.
KAL passenger plane downed by Soviets
Chun targeted by Northern assassins
Seoul ’86 Asian Games boycotted by socialists
KAL airliner bombed by Northern agents
General Roh morphs into President Roh
’88 Olympics seal “highly developing nation” status
Nationwide labor strikes erupt violently
North Korean war tunnels found repeatedly
North and South reach accord
The two Koreas the UN join
Agreements reached, treaties signed
’Fore a 400-strong spy ring find
Kim Young-sam as president elected
First civilian in 32 years selected
Expo ’93 shines hope so bright
From Daejeon’s “Tower of Great Light”
But short-lived this light shall be
As Seongsu Bridge collapses
As Daegu gas line explodes
As Sampoong building crumbles
Guilty as charged! Both Chun and Roh
But one year later, scott-free they go
More widespread labor strikes, largest ever
As “IMF” crisis saps Korea’s treasure
Activist, death-row prisoner, and president finally
Kim Dae-jung frees political prisoners, grants amnesty
Travels North with Sunshine Policy
Wins Nobel Peace Prize as his legacy
World Cup hosts are Korea and Japan
As UN boss, Ban Ki-moon’s the man
Korea in OECD, “advanced nation” implied
The new millennium brings national pride
Lee Myung-bak takes the throne
Pushing Seoul–Busan canal zone
Namdae-mun burns, money crisis returns
Roh Mu-hyun jumps off the cliff
North sinks Cheonan warship
Before Kim Jong-il departed
The Yeosu Expo opens
Before first female president elected
North attacks on land, at sea, in cyberspace
The Sewol sinks, youthful souls it takes
Park Geun-hye protested, arrested
Immeshed, impeached, imprisoned
Moon Jae-in steps into Chungwa-dae
Number 12 for Korea, number 10 for me
Wintry Pyongchang puts on Olympic display
Parasite wins Oscar big, but Covid starts global spree
Through 50 years of Korean memories
That young idealist has melted away
But through it all and come what may
A wiser man resides today