18 WEDNESDAY
JULY 16, 2008
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Birth of atomic age,
but no fireworks here
By Bobby McGill
BUSAN — It was 63 years
ago today that a team of
Manhattan Project scientists
detonated the world’s first nu-
clear device in the barren
sands outside of Alamogordo,
New Mexico. The Atomic Age
was born. And, for better or
worse, it stands as our species’
most monumental achieve-
ment since we started whack-
ing each other with sticks.
Yet, there will be no parades
to mark the occasion. No fan-
fare, no banners, no words
from the White House. Of the
numerous inventions America
has given the world, this was
never one she was especially
proud of.
During a 1960 lecture in
Japan, lead scientist J. Robert
Oppenheimer recalled the
mixed emotions shared by him-
self and his fellow scientists on
that day: “We knew the world
would not be the same. A few
people laughed; a few people
cried; most people were silent.”
As he watched the mush-
room cloud forming in the sky,
Oppenheimer reflected on a
verse from the Bhagavad-Gita
in which the god, Lord Vishnu
says, “Now I am become Death,
the destroyer of worlds.”
Three weeks after the Trinity
test, a bomb called “Little Boy”
was detonated 550 meters above
the city of Hiroshima, followed
soon thereafter by “Fat Man”
over Nagasaki. More than
200,000 people died, sacrificed at
the altar of the new era of war.
As news of the devastation
circled the globe, humanity
stood in worried wonder at the
prospect of a mechanism three
meters in length causing a cir-
cle of destruction three kilome-
ters around. Even Americans,
relieved by the end to the fight-
ing, felt an unsettling sense of
anxiety about what their coun-
trymen had created.
Reporting from London fol-
lowing Japan’s unconditional
surrender, famed American
journalist Edward R. Murrow
said: “Seldom if ever has a war
ended leaving the victors with
such a sense of uncertainty and
fear, with such a realization
that the future is obscure and
that survival is not assured.”
From a broader perspective,
Albert Einstein saw a need to
address century upon century
of human violence. “The release
of atomic energy has not creat-
ed a new problem. It has mere-
ly made more urgent the neces-
sity of solving an existing one.”
Were we living in the world of
Plato’s Republic, ruled by philoso-
pher kings, perhaps the utter-
ances of sages might have reigned
in what would soon follow.
Five years later, Russia deto-
nated its first device and the
arms race was on. The U.K.
joined the club in 1953 and
France did in 1960, followed by
China in 1964, India in 1974,
Israel in 1979, Pakistan in
1998 and North Korea in 2006.
At its peak in 1985, the
world was host to upwards of
65,000 active nuclear war-
heads. Although treaties were
signed and targets “reas-
signed,” the majority of the
warheads remain stockpiled
today, with about 20,000 ac-
tively armed. I will spare you
the cliche of how many times
the world could be destroyed.
Once is enough for both cliche
and world destruction.
A sobering disconnect be-
tween logic and practicality has
long riddled the debate regard-
ing the continued deployment of
nuclear weapons. During the
five-year period from 1945-50
when America held eminent
sway, hardliners advocated pre-
emptive strikes on Russia before
a counterbalance could be estab-
lished. Cooler heads prevailed,
and a “Cold War” was begun.
Once the Russians had the
nuke, there came the doctrine of
Mutually Assured Destruction,
where both sides conceded that a
full-scale use of nuclear weapons
would result in the complete de-
struction of both sides. But the
burden of the Cold War deadlock
was not felt so much by America
and Russia as by countries such
as Korea, Vietnam or
Afghanistan, all of which played
host to proxy wars between the
feuding superpowers.
It is arguable that nuclear
diplomacy has made the world
a safer place. Since the end of
World War II, humanity has
seen nothing approaching the
roughly 112,000,000 casualties
of the two World Wars. The
major powers are forced to vent
whatever frustrations they
might have on a smaller scale.
And historical border enemies
like Russia and China, China
and India, and India and
Pakistan have all been kept in
check by the MAD doctrine.
In recent years, two wild
cards have emerged from the
deck — North Korea and an ag-
gressive Iranian regime looking
for a seat at the nuclear table.
Though still too early to tell,
the North Koreans appear to
be folding their hand in ex-
change for an opening of eco-
nomic ties to the West. But
Iran’s recent saber-rattling is
an exceptional problem in the
era of containment, and it
might not be so easily solved.
Unlike North Korea, Iran is
flush with large oil reserves and
ready cash. As the Pew
Research Center wrote in a
2006 report, “Iran has a far
larger economy than either that
of Saudi Arabia or Egypt. One
might say it was inevitable that
Iran was going to assert itself.”
With America in up to its neck
(and its wallet) in Iraq, coupled
with the war’s gravely dimin-
ished political capital at home,
the Iranian leadership sees it-
self in a situation with little to
lose by challenging the United
States. But will this translate
into the birth of another nuclear
power? Probably not.
Schooled in the success of
North Korean leader Kim Jong-
Il, Iran likely imagines that hav-
ing nuclear arms will increase
the number of its bargaining
chips. While, on the surface, it
seems a reasonable gambit, it
will more than likely backfire.
Iran can ill afford to become
more marginalized, as even its
traditional trading partners,
Russia and the French, have
distanced themselves from the
extremist rhetoric of the
Iranian president, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad. China, which
will befriend anyone with oil,
has stood by the Iranian gov-
ernment and actively blocks
U.N attempts to isolate its ally.
For now, the world must
watch and wait for the next
chapter in the story that began
on July 16, 1945. Clearing the
hurdle of keeping Iran a non-
nuclear power could prove cru-
cial as the nuclear club tries to
reconcile its own mistakes,
while preventing them from
happening to others.
Bobby McGill is a freelance
journalist based in Busan. He
can be reached through his web-
site at www.idlewordship.com.
The opinions expressed here do
not necessarily represent those
of The Korea Herald. — Ed.
COMMUNITY
Andrew Gordon, American model in Seoul
Trailblazer for foreign models
Andrew Gordon is an
American model from New York
who is quite successful in the
fashion industry here in Seoul.
He speaks near-fluent Korean
— not an oddity in itself — but
many models here tend to have
short stays.
A few foreign models are flown
in for a few weeks at a time. For
example, Elyse Sewell of
America’s Next Top Model was
here for a few weeks, but left in
May to work in China. You just
don’t see many foreign models
that make Korea their home —
let alone take a deep interest in
the culture or language like
Gordon has.
Two years ago, Gordon moved
to Gimhae, near the city of
Busan, and stayed there for
around a year. He moved to
Busan, then eventually found
his way to Seoul.
He explained that it was
friendships made in high school
that gave him an interest in
Korean culture and language. “I
went to a private high school
and there were a lot of Korean
people there. And so I just be-
came friends with them and,
DAVID SMEATON’S PHOTO CHALLENGE — Familiar land-
marks can take on new life when taken out of context.This mo-
saic is of a fish but becomes something else when the pho-
tographer gets closer. Ryan Chappell (lotuseaterphotography.com)
Regina Walton’s
Expat Interviews
through that ... I developed an
interest in Korea.”
Because of his interest, he
came here to study the language.
“I graduated very early and
came to Korea. I was planning on
only staying here for vacation,
and it ended up being a life
choice, so I live in Korea now.”
He began his modeling career
in the United States. “I did a lit-
tle bit of modeling in the United
States for American Apparel.
And then came to Korea right
after that. I didn’t really do any-
thing right off the bat ... I was
going back and forth to Japan
(to model). I actually debuted in
Tokyo Collection ... and that was
my (runway) debut.”
A typical day for a model in
Korea is that there pretty much
isn’t one. “There is really no typ-
ical day here, because everyone
is busy and does their own
thing. But I would say a normal
day with a good amount of work
would be starting with a meet-
ing with someone, like an editor
In focus:
Full-frame
or cropped
sensor?
By David Smeaton
These days, a lot of cameras
are coming out with full-frame
sensors. My camera has a
cropped sensor, so it’s not full-
frame. Is full-frame better? —
Matthew, Seoul.
The concept of full-frame is
something of a misnomer. Every
frame is a full-frame. However,
the standard for full-frame is
based on 35mm SLR cameras,
which were the most popular cam-
eras before digital came along.
A full-frame camera, then, is a
camera with an equivalent of a
35mm sensor. Most DSLR cam-
eras, however, have smaller sen-
sors or cropped sensors. The rea-
son for this is that DSLR technol-
ogy is still being developed and
full-frame sensors were very diffi-
cult to make, had numerous tech-
nical issues, and were quite ex-
pensive; manufacturers decided
to offer cropped sensors instead.
Full-frame sensors have two
distinct advantages. The first
advantage is that old lenses —
that have very high build quali-
ty — are designed for SLR cam-
eras. SLR cameras use 35 mm
film, upon which the standard
full-frame is based. So full-frame
SLR lenses are perfectly suited
to full-frame DSLR sensors.
The second advantage is that a
full-frame sensor is bigger.
Simply, the bigger sensor the lens
has, more photosites there are
(the small buckets that collect
light). The bigger sensor collects
more light than a cropped sensor.
Cropped sensors, therefore, have
more difficulty collecting light to
make the image. So the camera
or a designer. If those people notable successes. In May 2008, amplifies the signal from the sen-
like you, then you continue on he was featured in a solo 12- sor. As a result, cropped sensors
and talk about money. Then, page spread in Korean GQ. That create a lot more noise.
usually, you’ll go into a fitting was a first for a foreign model. These days, manufacturers
and schedule the day — if it’s a “To be alone for a 12-page spread are very good at making
show or a shoot. “ is a big, big accomplishment, es- cropped sensors, so the noise
When asked to describe both pecially for a foreign model.” factor is less of an issue. It’s very
the good and bad about working He is the model for this sum- easily solved with software.
as a model in Korea, Gordon is mer’s Hugo Boss campaign that Also, due to the popularity and
honest but tactful. “(Korea) is a will be seen in Korea, Japan, affordability of cropped sensor
small country and I understand Europe and the United States. DSLRs, camera makers are pro-
that, but things like money and Having worked with a big ducing a lot of cropped format
pay are very low and sometimes fashion house like Hugo Boss lenses. These lenses are specifi-
none. I think that designers sep- opens many doors. “The Boss cally designed to get maximum
arate themselves from the mod- campaign has gotten me a lot of benefits from a smaller sensor.
els. There are so many models calls from other countries and ... Cropped sensor DSLRs actu-
in Korea, so everyone wants to having something like Hugo ally have one cool advantage
be a model. It’s kind of hard for Boss in my profile allows me to over full-frame: They receive a
people who really have the po- be viewed on a high-fashion lev- magnification bonus on full-
tential to do well to be success- el because Boss is such a fashion frame lenses. Because the sen-
ful.” When it comes to the posi- icon.” sor is smaller, the range of a
tives, “Being foreign (helps); Being a model who has been full-frame lens is altered.
there aren’t a lot of foreign mod- able to adapt and live in a for- Happy shooting.
els in Korea. Also, being young eign culture outside of tradition-
is an advantage because I’m al fashion hubs like Paris, Hong
younger than a lot of foreign Kong or Milan works in his fa- Send David a message at
models here. The language is vor when it comes to expanding davidsmeaton@gmail.com or visit
definitely a plus. If I didn’t his profile in other markets. his website at davidsmeaton.com.
speak Korean, I would not be a If you want to be a part of the
freelancing model. It helps with weekly Photo Challenge, join the
issues like pay.” Regina can be reached “Seoul Photo Club” group at flickr
With his recent assignments, through her blog at expatjane.- (flickr.com/groups/seoulphoto-
Gordon has had a couple of blogspot.com — Ed. club). — Ed.
Is Korea safe for women?
SUWON — I had an interesting experience the
other night. The fact that I am classifying it as “in- Stephanie Morris
teresting” as opposed to other, perhaps more ap- on Women’s Issues
propriate adjectives is significant in and of itself.
Walking back to my apartment from work further adieu, I continued walking, looking back
every night takes me through a park, complete only once, and seeing that he had made his way
with open green space, trees, benches and a large back down towards the brightly lit streets.
fountain. The walkway to the park from the busy I’ve always resented the idea that the extra X
main drag is densely covered with overhanging chromosome I carry around in me somehow lim-
trees, and it is narrow, with nary a light to be its me and my movements in any way, shape or
found. This particular Friday evening found me form. The reality is, because I am a woman, there
making my way through throngs of people, food are times when I am forced to be aware of places,
stalls and neon light spilling over everything as I people and situations in a way that would be mi-
headed home. It was around 1 a.m. nor or non-existent if I had happened to have
As I spun sideways in order to avoid being hit been born a man. Back home, I would slip keys
by a passing scooter, I happened to notice a man between each finger, forming a fist when I walked
only a few steps behind me. I thought nothing of to my car after dark, and I checked the back seat
it as I continued on my way; there were too many before slipping into the driver’s seat. If I was to be
people out and about, and surely he was only one found walking somewhere at 1 a.m., I was head-
of the crowd. I was about halfway to the park phones-free, fully aware of my surroundings and
when I switched my bag to my other shoulder, the people occupying them.
knocking off my earphones, and jarring me back I was careful, but not overly fearful. But there
to reality for a split second. The reality being that were times when I did feel uneasy, or more then a
the man was still behind me, even closer now, and little apprehensive about where I happened to be.
I was alone on a darkened, tree-covered path. But, oddly enough, I have yet to feel that way
What is interesting to me about this situation was here in Korea. Though I have been approached, I
my complete lack of fear. Common sense told me to have never felt threatened, and the violence I
walk faster, run, scream, whip out my can of mace, have been witness to or heard of has largely been
finally deliver that roundhouse kick that I once upon associated with other expats, as opposed to
a time perfected in kick-boxing class. But I did none Koreans. This incident, however, has inspired me
of those things. I don’t even carry a can of mace, to explore this situation further. Perhaps my
though my roundhouse is still a force to be reckoned views and feelings regarding the safety of females
with. Instead, I turned around, and calmly but firm- here are skewed, or perhaps they are accurate.
ly asked him what he wanted. He was so drunk he I encourage anyone to send me stories, anec-
was swaying where he stood and seemed incapable dotes, opinions or otherwise to stephaniemor-
of doing anything but staring at me while muttering ris7@yahoo.ca. This issue is one that I believe
a few broken words in English. bears a little more looking into.
“I follow you?” he managed to mumble.
“Don’t. Follow. Me.” I said, loudly and resolute.
For a moment, he seemed to sober up. He took Stephanie can be reached through her blog at
a step back, hung his head and nodded. Without stephanieinsuwon.blogspot.com. — Ed.