Volume 93
the Prairie
Issue XVI
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
North, South battle Chinese New Year Korean talks end on ugly terms Students celebrate holiday KRYSTINA MARTINEZ
MARIA MOLINA
Staff Writer
Editor
H
opes for reconciliation between North and South Korea were dashed on Feb. 9 when the North Korean delegation walked out on the �irst of�icial talks with South Korea since the Yeonpyeong island bombing in November. The two countries had met in Panmunjon to discuss the possibility of future highermilitary discussions. Many hoped that the outcome of the discussions would ease the tension between the two nations. However, neither side could come to a consensus on an agenda for future talks. “South Korea argued the highlevel talks should focus on two attacks against it last year, while the North Koreans demanded discussion of other military issues as well”, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said in a statement to Fox News. The North Korean military retaliated in a statement of their own, saying: “the army and people of [North Korea] do not feel any need to deal with the group of traitors any longer now that they
Courtesy of Dr. Butler Cain (2009). The blue buildings of the Joint Security Area straddle the border between North and South Korea inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The building in the background is in North Korea.
O
Courtesy of Dr. Butler Cain (2009). A South Korean soldier, foreground, stares at a North Korean soldier across the border at the Joint Security Area near Panmunjom, which is inside the Demilitarized Zone.
do not wish to see the North-South relations improve but totally reject the dialogue itself.” The South demanded that North Korea apologize for the sinking of the Cheonan warship in March, an incident that the North has denied involvement in. Nations such as the U.S. are scrambling to get the two sides back to the negotiating table, fearing the capabilities of the North’s weapons program. “The North has been accused of �inancing terrorism and producing yellow cake uranium,” Dr. Dwight Vick, assistant professor of political science and criminal justice, said. According to Vick, the �ive countries that are particularly worried about the weapons issue are Russia, China, South Korea, Japan and the U.S., due to their close trajectories to the communist nation.
Korea continued on pg. 2
n Feb. 18, the Chinese Student Organization will host a Chinese New Year’s Party at the Wesley Foundation. “In China, we have the separate Chinese year,” Gavin Xie, freshman engineering major, said. “Family and friends gather.” The celebration lasts for 15 days, beginning with the new moon on the first day of the New Year and ending on the full moon 15 days later. “We are celebrating the festival which is the first day of lunar year,” Ami Wang, senior accounting major said. “It is actually Feb. 2, but we delayed it to Feb. 18 because of class.” Wang explained that this year is the year of the rabbit. “In China, [there are] 12 animals symbolizing 12 years that go around,” she said. “We are born and have a symbol animal. If this is your year, you have to wear red against the bad luck.” Wang also said that the 12 animals come from a traditional Chinese story which narrates a race between many animals. The animals represented in the Chinese years are the ones that arrived first in this race. The lunar festival is the biggest in China. Wang, as well as other Chinese students at WTAMU, want to celebrate this occasion like they would in their country. “[The Chinese New Year’s Party] makes me feel at home,” Harry Pan, finance and economics
graduate student, said. Wang explained that one of the reasons they decided to host this party is because they do not want to forget their culture. “We want to keep traditions,” she said. “We [have] about 50 Chinese students in WT, with Taiwanese [students] we are like 80.” The party will include several Chinese folklore, gifts and traditions. “We are going to sing some songs, have folk dance and Tai Chi, which is like a Chinese Kung Fu,” Pan said. Students are invited to join the festivities on Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m.
The Chinese New Year’s Party will be hosted at the Wesley Foundation.