Over the past two weeks I’ve been pretty busy taking care of my basic soldiering skills. Today, I went to the range and qualified with my rifle. Last week, I took a physical fitness test. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be working harder to get my office work finished as we are swinging into a very busy season of people coming and going. This year, more than in the past, my unit will see a pretty big turnover.
As for regular life in Korea, it’s been interesting lately. I’m not sure how many people are actually paying attention to the news, but there have been a couple large developments here. First, North Korea is supposed to declare its nuclear program this Thursday and is inviting international media into the country to witness the destruction of its Yongbyon reactor. These are two big steps toward denuclearizing the country.
The other large development is in South Korea. Recently there was approval to ship American beef to South Korea. The South Korean citizens have been demonstrating against this decision. The main argument is there is no age limit on the cows being slaughtered for exported beef and there is a large fear of mad cow disease. Because the disease is more pronounced in cattle 30 months or older, Koreans are stating this should be the age limit for beef received from the United States.
However, according to my KATUSA (Korean Augmentee to the United States Army), the demonstrations run deeper than that. Korean citizens view the legislature as an unfair gift to the U.S. and are concerned about President Lee Myung Bak’s administration. His current approval rating is around 20 percent, thanks in large part to this controversy.
So, that’s the excitement we are seeing here in Korea. Here’s hoping things are going well with you. I should run, as I still have a few errands to run. Until next time, take care and God bless.

SGT. JAMES SHAPPELL can be contacted at 19th SC(E) Unit 15015, Box 696, APO, AP 96218 or  james.shappell@us.army.mil