From Laam Hae, a PhD student in Geography at Syracuse University. Laam moved to the US from Seoul, South Korea, in August, 2001.

I am sending the information about the heated debates in Korea over the last weekís tragedy in America. Due to the time limitation, I couldnít gather enough information, nor visit as many websites as are related with it. The information that Iím sending to you is what I collected from my Korean colleagues and one website in which the most heated discussions are going on.

I feel obliged to tell you, in the first place, why I suggested the necessity of those things as a teaching material. It is also an epitome of the debates among Koreans. What I would like to emphasize is related with what you call ìthe Geographical Knowledgeî which needs immediate renewal in an American society. The American media only promote the hatred towards the Palestine or Afghanistan only by saying that the terrorists can possibly be from them, even when the decisive evidence is not shown yet. It doesnít tell the Americans why they do such a Kamikaze bombing to ordinary American people. In this sense, the American media is the main cause of formulating ìa False Geographical Knowledgeî among Americans, and I dare to say that this is another kind of terrorism.

It seems that Koreans, for now, have very complicated feelings about the terrorism which happened last week. Koreans had been dependent upon America as a guardian to protect us from the threat of North Korea. However, series of misbehaviors of America during last couple of decades made Koreans have a dubious look at America as a real ally. Straightforwardly saying, the antagonism towards America is more and more growing, and we witnessed that some youths burn themselves as an expression of resistance to the American imperial power and its absurdity in Korea.

Why?? Because America has been doing really wrong things there in Korea. For example, they killed the ordinary farmers during the Korean War, but donít even think of apologizing for it.

And, this antagonism is evidently reflected in the opinions shown in the website.

The address is http://cafe30.daum.net/_c21_/home?grpid=69TP and if you click '토론해요' among the upper rectangles, then you can enter the discussion section.

What I want to say is that the new geographical knowledge about whatís going on in the other countries related with American international policy and why people from other countries hate America and commit such a tremendous terrorism should be formulated. The formulation of this new geographical knowledge will eventually form a peopleís power to stop Bushís absurd attempt to begin a war. Peeping into debates by ordinary people in another countries will be a hint for rethinking the American role in the World.

Arresting terrorists and bombing a village somewhere in the Middle East will only lead to continuous retaliation. Looking from the bottom - this should be the basis of new geographical knowledge of the American society.

[Editorís Note: Laam will be providing summaries of the on-going debates in Korea in the near future].