South Korea growing up, flexing its muscles

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has grown up the past 25 years.

The Land of the Morning Calm is anything but, especially in the capital of Seoul, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. High-rise apartments dominate the skyline, as do construction cranes hovering above yet more unfinished apartment buildings.

Maybe it should be known as the Land of the Building Crane.

I lived in Korea as an LDS Church missionary nearly a quarter century ago, mostly in the southern half of the country, including its second-largest city, Busan.

Like Seoul, that city was almost unrecognizable as I visited there as part of a fellowship sponsored by the East-West Center in Honolulu. Traditional houses with slanted tile roofs have given way to row after row of apartment towers. Luxury hotels ring the Busan harbor.

The 2007 Korea-U.S. Journalism Exchange, now in its third year, was created to foster cultural, political and economic understanding between the two nations. Seven American reporters spent 10 days in Seoul, Busan and Gwangju interviewing government and industry officials, touring historic sites and mingling on the streets. It was the first year the program also took reporters into North Korea.

South Korea claims 48 million people in a country about the size of Oregon. Nearly half live in the Seoul metropolitan area. Though Korea is rarely on Americans' minds, South Koreans are ever conscious of the United States.

Last month's massacre at Virginia Tech hit them hard.

Not only were there feelings of shock and sadness, but shame that shooter Cho Seung Hui was native to their land.

The English-language Korea Times carried a front-page apology that said, in part, "We deeply regret that the tragedy was caused by a Korean student, and we hope the incident does not discourage foreign students, including Koreans, from studying in the United States or hurt the hitherto amicable relationship between our two peoples."

President Roh Moo Hyun issued a statement expressing condolences, as did the prime minister. A presidential aide said he hoped the incident would not have a negative impact on South Korea-U.S. relations. The minister of foreign affairs convened an emergency meeting and dispatched a task force to the United States to minimize any fallout.

The deadly shootings came at a time when the relationship between the United Stats and South Korea is entering a new phase.