Guns and Glory: Two Koreas mark armistice
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was shown surrounded by pistol-toting generals while in the South masked veterans were socially distanced as the two sides on Monday separately marked the armistice that ended Korean War hostilities.
The contrasting events marked 67 years since the ceasefire that left the peninsula divided and millions of families split by the Demilitarised Zone.
In the North’s capital, Kim handed out commemorative pistols to dozens of generals and senior officers, who pledged their loyalty to him, state media reported.
The North reported its first suspected case of novel coronavirus infection at the weekend — after insisting for months it had kept itself free of the disease that has swept the world — but pictures showed the generals all gathered close together for a group photo, none of them wearing masks.
In Seoul, scores of veterans — in facial coverings and socially distanced seats — attended a ceremony paying tribute to their efforts, themed “Days of Glory”.
On screen, dramatic reconstructions of the war were interspersed with interviews with foreign veterans, and messages of support from current leaders of the countries that sent troops to support the South, among them US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
Millions of people were killed during the three-year conflict, which began when the Communist North invaded the Us-backed South as leader Kim Il Sung — grandfather of the incumbent — sought to reunify by force the peninsula Moscow and Washington had divided at the end of World War II. — AFP
Afew years ago I had gone to a neighbouring country to attend a conference on Internet of Things. The whole focus was on how Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence would cause disruptions and countries that do not catch up could be left behind.
Fast forward to 2020 – forget AI and IOT here is an invisible enemy, a virus that went unnoticed has caused havoc to countries worldwide and health experts continue to search for answers to define it and find an appropriate treatment.
From finance to business changes were seen with online banking and e commerce, GPS and so on. Looking back it seems like it was a preparation for us to handle the worldwide pandemic crisis. While many professionals were caught holidaying or travelling when the pandemic went to another level with airports closing down, the best part was most people were able to continue to work remotely once again thanks to the Internet.
If technology thought it would do the honour of taking us through the disruption it was mistaken, because nature with one wave managed to disrupt but it was technology that led us through the crisis control. If disruptive technology was considered innovative the current status of the world made entrepreneurs run towards 3D printing and other innovations to mass produce and the world continues to seek for new services not to forget vaccines.
So what could have taken a while and created a divide if IOT was to have taken its own pace, the pandemic has created an equality where everyone is going through the same challenge simultaneously and whatever that will be achieved will be shared.
When people say life will not be the same post pandemic, it could also mean the fact that the role of technology which we have adapted to will not be reversed.
If anything that will need to be reversed and unlearnt, it would be the stress level and the psychological impact of the pandemic as well as losing loved ones because of it. Our thought process would need to be refocused; we need to learn to be positive while we learn to practice measures to contain COVID-19. Fear has to be overcome.
Even the basic factors that would have created happiness such as holidays are countered with questions such as, ‘What will we do?’
It is time to accept the challenge and not look back at how life used to be? We are going through a disruption and let us also accept everything happens for the best. If so, let us take time to prepare for a new tomorrow with a positive mind set.