Not to make young Koreans sound shallow, but...

In a local cafe today, I was looking through a recent issue of Newsweek which featured a host of stories and photos from the Israeli incursion into Gaza. A Korean high school student from the neighborhood happened upon me and struck up a conversation -- he's always interested in practicing his English.

He noticed my magazine so I offered him a look through. He stopped on a picture of three Palestinian boys, probably just his age, in ski masks hurling stones at something outside the frame.

Before I had a chance to ask about his opinion on the conflict, he pointed to something in the photograph. I leaned over and he said, "Nike." He was pointing to the name brand on one of the boys' hat. He then pointed to the shoes of a different boy in the picture and said, "Nike." This was clearly a sign of approval.

Later, when I did ask him what he thought of the situation in the mid-east, he replied, "I'm too young to have an opinion."

Apparently not so when it comes to choice in name-brand apparel...