South Korea is in a bind. Its main strategic ally, the United States, is locked in a confrontation with North Korea that could lead to a military conflict. Meanwhile, the country is preparing for the Olympic and Paralympic games in February and March under the prospect of poor attendance or disruption due to North Korean weapons tests. On top of that, China announced Dec. 18 that it would reinstate a ban on tour groups traveling to South Korea that it first rolled out in retaliation for South Korea installing U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense radar systems. Despite South Korea's best attempts to ease tensions ahead of the games and find a path through the North Korea crisis that avoids a U.S. military strike, it has had little success in the pursuit thus far....
