Korea Herald: http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20110321000783
While we won't be visiting North Korea on our study abroad, technically we will when we visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the 38th parallel that separates the peninsula in half and serves as a buffer zone.
Just last week, North Korea raised tensions in the area again when it accused American troops of trespassing into the DMZ (one headline even read "N.Korea accuses US troops of 'partying' inside DMZ"). The North claims that U.S. troops made 50 trespasses in March, including an incident where a group of soldiers allegedly came within 20 meters of the DMZ and threw bottles of alcohol at North Korean troops.
North Korea's Central News Agency promised "human damage" in retaliation if the trespassing continues.
While the financial implications of the U.S. having troops in Korea is clear (it's been more than 50 years since the war and taxpayers are still fronting 28,500 U.S. troops to keep the region stabilized), I can't really tell how this news has or would affect business on the peninsula. I tried making a really unscientific look at the KOPSI Composite Index (a Korean index) to see if the market went down around March 20, but really couldn't see if military provocations really impact the market there. --Phil Volmar
