Are Israel and Korea Facing Similar Threats?

Shlomi Eldar

Apr 25, 2013

A group of South Korean tourists have their photo taken at a promenade on the Mount of Olives, that overlooks the Dome of the Rock and Jerusalem's Old City January 12, 2011. According to local businessmen Palestinians have long been hesitant about investing in Arab East Jerusalem, governed by Israel since it occupied the West Bank in 1967 but a small growing number are rising to the challenge, seeing the chance to make a decent return while helping to revive the city's decaying Palestinian economy. To match — A group of South Korean tourists have their photo taken at a promenade on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Dome of the Rock and Jerusalem's Old City, January 12, 2011. — REUTERS/Baz Ratner

I met him in the ancient town of Shiloh.

It really isn’t that common to run across a group of Hebrew-speaking South Koreans touring a archeological site in southern Samaria, on the mountainous axis running through the territory, smack in the middle of the West Bank settlements.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

“This is a historic site that is very important to the Jews,” he answered, “so I brought my friends from Korea here to explain to them how important it is.”

Are Israel and Korea Facing Similar Threats?

Shlomi Eldar, visiting an archeological biblical site in Samaria, discusses with a Korean scholar the similarities between Israel and South Korea.

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