Former consul shares wisdom on Korea

By Jenna Nielsen
The Collegian

While some in the United States see war with North Korea as a strong possibility, U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer Scott Walker said the event is unlikely.

“If there was a war, North Korea could do tremendous damage to South Korea but I am not sure if they could win,” he said.

Students interested in the U.S. Foreign Service got a chance to meet with Walker, a Fresno native who was a consulate to The Republic of Korea, Friday. Walker spoke to faculty, students and guests in the South Gym about South Korean politics and how to get into the foreign service.

Walker, originally from Fresno, graduated from Roosevelt High School and attended Fresno State for a year before transfering and graduating from U.C. Santa Cruz and receiving his master’s from San Francisco State University.

He returned two weeks ago from his first tour of duty as a consul in Seoul, South Korea where he worked in the U.S. embassy for two years. Walker will start his second tour in a few days in Washington, D.C. at the Korea desk at the State Department.

Before working in Korea, Walker taught English in China and Vietnam.

As a consul, Walker helped provide services to American citizens abroad. Some of the responsibilities as consul included issuing visas to foreign nationals, representing the U.S. government to foreign governments, talking to foreign publics and providing support and security for presidential and cabinet secretary visits.

Consuls also aid in the event of a crisis when it’s the embassy’s job to evacuate American citizens.
Walker spoke about Korea’s growing importance to Asia and the rest of the world.

“Whether we pay attention to it or not, [Korea’s] importance will increase,” Walker said.

He said South Korea has changed tremendously and now there is a deep generational divide between younger and older Koreans.

“Younger citizens have a different perception of Korea and its place in the world and its place in the region than their parents,” Walker said. “After the Korean War, South Korea was the poorest area in the world,” he said. “There was nothing left in Korea, the whole country had to be rebuilt and parents in the country remember this.”

He said children now have cell phones and the Internet, and it is an entirely different history to them.
Walker said younger South Koreans perceive the country as technical, rich and respected, and see North Korea as poor, harmless and bullied by its neighbors.

Older South Koreans remember being poor, tend to save more and aren’t as technical, Walker said. He also said that older Koreans take the threat from North Korea very seriously.

“Older Koreans who remember decades of hostility with North Korea,” Walker said.

Walker also discussed the perception of people in the United States toward North Korea.

“The view of most people is that North Korea is a very threatening country, especially to South Korea,” he said.

Walker doesn’t think there will be war in the region anytime soon, but does see North Korea as hostile.

Walker said war has an emotional aspect as well as political and that South Koreans would be willing to help the North if the government were to crumble.

“If the government were to fall in North Korea, my feeling is the emotional response in South Korea would be they’d have to get involved and help.”

To become a foreign service officer, a written and oral exam is required. There is a waiting period for openings where a background check is issued and medical and security clearances are performed.