Axis to Grind: Jitters in Korea over Bush's bold stance.

Seoul

Three days before the arrival of President Bush, detachments of South Korean security police, complete with black uniforms, riot shields, and visors, are stationed outside public buildings throughout the South Korean capital. At some locations, they stare back impassively at small clumps of student demonstrators holding placards that depict the U.S. president and (presumably) denounce him in elegant calligraphy.

In the past, student demonstrations in Seoul have become full-scale riots and toppled governments. It would be reckless to assume that they might not seriously disrupt public order this time. But the guesstimate of most people is that the ...