And another thing

And another thing.

Much has been made over RoK's Unification Minister's statement about block groups of defectors. I don't know a thing about this of course. But I am suspicious of groups that take money for transporting defectors. No government would want to have much truck with them. Some of the aiding groups seem to have a questionable religious agenda. And it may not be simply a matter of appeasing DPRK anyway as commentators seem to think. They are shocked at the human rights issue - these are Korean citizens (the RoK constitution extends its remit to North Korea). But hang on a minute. Isn't it the same old story of fear of "swamping"? That ugly selfishness that makes ordinary people fear for their jobs and wages, when desperate incomers are prepared to work for low wages, in appalling conditions? The same sort of fear and resentment that afflicts Brits vis a vis East Europeans, West Germans vis a vis Osties, Americans vis a vis Mexicans? Deeply unpleasant, but the sort of gut reaction from many voters that all but the bravest politicians find hard to resist.