UOG hosts forum discussion North Korean situation

by Krystal Paco

Guam - As a result of current events, the University of Guam's College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences hosted "We're Still Here. What's Next?", a special panel discussion on North Korea. UOG East Asian history instructor Mark Ombrella says the event is not intended to talk policy or strategic military action, but to give attendees context to the north and south's history, which was unified until the 20th century.

Among the panelists is UOG assistant professor of linguistics Dr. Hyun-Jong Hahm. Ombrella says residents may find assurance hearing from the former South Korean resident, as South Korea has lived with threats from the north for over 50 years. "This is something that's going to now have to be a part of our lives from here on, just because we're not going to have an attack, it doesn't mean the threat is ever going to go away because of that its concerning for a lot of people in our community and it's important that we provide the kind of context that we can to let people move on with their lives," he said.

In the midst of uncertainty, Ombrella says parents may also have a difficult time talking with their kids. "Particularly when it comes to raising kids I think that a lot of people here are worried "how do I tell my kid about this?" They must be really worried that their kids might be stressing out over these threats and wondering if they're safe and those other things so hearing it from people from Korea, who've been dealing with it for the last 50-60 years they will be able to give us some kind of sense of safety and feeling okay about what's going on," he said.

If you missed Thursday's panel discussion, Ombrella opens his doors to those needing answers. He said, "This is something we're going to have to learn to live with and the better we can deal with it the better for everybody. I'm available and so are my colleagues - they want to be there."