Left Flank

That was a brief smile!

Meanwhile, the spokesman hinted the Transition Committee is minded to keep the Unification Ministry intact. «We can't live only on a diet even if it is good for health. We should take into consideration public sentiment and the symbolic meaning of the ministry.» There has been speculation that the incoming administration would downgrade the ministry as part of a government restructuring plan.

And then, there's another disappointment (stung me, Myung!):

The transition team's spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said that the new government will divide inter-Korean cooperation projects into three categories according to their importance and validity. In the first category, humanitarian aid -- rice, fertilizer, medical equipment, forestation and environmental support -- will be provided as in the past. In the second category are projects whose commercial validity has been proven and that will benefit South Korean companies. Those will be carried out within the scope of the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund. They include agreements on natural resource development, transport and communication with the Kaesong Industrial Complex and customs clearance. However, third-category projects, which will cost an enormous amount of money, will undergo a review. They include infrastructure projects, the shipyard complex and the «peace zone» including a joint fisheries area.

Why should Pyongyang complain? By Chosun's interpretation, there's no change at all! Pyongyang gets its rice, roh's recent agreement stands, and the rest is only under review. I could stomach the first two hts, if the transition committee at least chopped out the third one.

Was there a protest I missed, or is this a dodge? Talk fiercely, and quietly acquiesce?