Missiles? What Missiles?

I read about North Korea firing the test missles, but I didn't hear a word about it from any of the Koreans we know. I just figured I was missing the discussion because I don't speak Korean, but it turns out I'm not the only one.

I read this today in the New York Times:

Consider the two young South Koreans who were sitting outside on a bench here. Asked about their reaction four days after the launchings, Chun Kwon Mi, 27, and Kim Chung Nam, 30, responded with blank stares. “They fired?” said Ms. Chun, who works in online shopping and does not follow the news.

Mr. Kim, a construction worker, had not heard about the missiles either. “We never talked about it at work,” he said.

So I guess I was actually more informed than some Koreans!

The thing is, relations between the north and south have started to thaw out quite a bit. One of our friends once knew a foreigner who carried around a backpack of emergency supplies so she would be prepared at all times in case the north decided to attack, but it seems to be mostly a concern of foreigners, not Koreans.

The article is very informative about north-south relations, so if you're interested, you might want to check it out.