A lot of the expat bloggers in Korea have been bitching about the lack of South Korean uproar over the shooting of a South Korean tourist at the special tourist zone.

It's a really unfortunate that it happened, and snark is definitely not appropriate. It is productive to reconsider the uniqueness of the North Korean state, and there is some more weird rhetoric coming from North Korea. But I am sure it was an accident, and I am willing to bet some of The People Responsible Have Been Sacked.

It is inevitable that this sort of thing should occur eventually, given the conditions of the North Korean state and the continuing antagonisms between the countries. It's like institutional racism in New York makes it inevitable that a cop eventually shoots a black guy for holding a remote control. There is personal responsibility, but there is also a larger environment creating conditions that an unbiased observer would see as looming disaster.

Frankly, every story I've heard about people visiting North Korea has included an attempt to sneak a forbidden picture or catch a glimpse of a forbidden area. This, despite the fact that we claim there is the death penalty for everything over there. I'm frankly surprised this doesn't happen bimonthly.

The soldier was probably a kid who made a really poor decision. He should take responsibility, but at the same time we shouldn't forget, this is a place where they will shoot you for leaving the established boundaries. I'm pretty sure they make you sign an agreement of understanding on this mark. The North Korea tour is a novelty vacation, along the lines of "swimming with the sharks".

There is some truth to the assertion that any state where they shoot tourists is pretty fucked up. But that's nothing new, and is pretty far down the list of reasons to re-evaluate the relationship with North Korea. What we need to remember is that North Korea is a perfect example of the dilemmas of a postcolonial state for decades after decolonization. Decolonization won't end until they can re-establish themselves on the global stage.