AMITY
THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT NORTH KOREA
A MAGAZINE ABOUT THE WORLD NOVEMBER 2009
WHAT NEXT IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH N.KOREA?
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IC LIST 09 IDEA ’S IN 20 1950
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NORTH KOREA North Korea, officially the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) (Hangul: 조선민주주의인민공화국, Chosen Minjuj Inmin Konghwaguk), is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea. The Amnok River and the Tumen River form the border between North Korea and People’s Republic of China. A section of the Tumen River in the extreme north-east is the border with Russia.The peninsula was governed by the Korean Empire until it was annexed by Japan following the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. It was divided into Soviet and American occupied zones in 1945, following the end of World War II. North Korea refused to participate in a United Nations–supervised election held in the south in 1948, which led to the creation of separate Korean governments for the two occupation zones. Both North and South Korea claimed sovereignty over the peninsula as a whole, which led to the Korean War of 1950. A 1953 armistice ended the fighting; however, the two countries are officially still at war with each other, as a peace treaty was never signed. Both states were accepted into the United Nations in 1991. On May 26, 2009, North Korea unilaterally withdrew from the armistice. North Korea is a single-party state under a united front led by the Korean Workers’ Party. The country’s government styles itself as following the Juche ideology of selfreliance, developed by Kim Il-sung, the country’s former leader. Juche became the official state ideology when the country adopted a new constitution in 1972, though Kim Il-sung had been using it to form policy since at least as early as 1955.[19] Officially a socialist republic, North Korea is considered by many in the outside world to be a totalitarian Stalinist dictatorship.The current leader is Kim Jong-il, son of the late Eternal President Kim Il-sung.
NOR KOR
RTH REA
INCURSIONS A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF INCURSIONS FROM NORTH KOREA
Since demarcation, the DMZ has had numerous cases of incursions by the North Koreans, although the North Korean government never acknowledges direct responsibility for any of these incidents
17 January 1968: 31 North Korean commandos crossed the border disguised as South Korean soldiers in an attempt to assassinate President Park Chung Hee at the Blue House. The failed mission resulted in 29 commandos killed, one committed suicide, and the last captured. Two South Korean policemen and five civilians were killed by the commandos. Other reports indicated as many as 68 South Koreans killed and 66 wounded, including about 24 civilians. Three Americans were killed and another three wounded in an attempt to prevent the commandos from escaping back via the DMZ October 1968: 130 North Korean commandos entered the Ulchin and Samcheok areas in Gangwon-do. Eventually 110 of them were killed, 7 were captured and 13 escaped. March 1969: Six North Korean infiltrators crossed the border near Chumunjin, Gangwon-do and killed a South Korean policeman guard duty. October 1969: North Korean infiltrators killed four United States soldiers near the southern boundary of the DMZ. April 1970: Three North Korean infiltrators were killed and five South Korean soldiers wounded at an encounter in Kumchon, Gyeonggi-do. November 1974: The first of what would be a series of North Korean infiltration tunnels under the DMZ was discovered. June 1976: Three North Korean infiltrators and six South Korean soldiers were killed in the eastern sector south of the DMZ. Another six South Korean soldiers were injured.
18 August 1976: The Axe Murder Incident results in the death of two U.S. soldiers and injuries to another four U.S. soldiers and five South Korean soldiers. The incident may not be technically considered an “infiltration” however, as it took place in a neutral zone of the Joint Security Area. October 1979: Three North Korean agents attempting to infiltrate the eastern sector of the DMZ were intercepted, killing one of the agents. March 1980: Three North Korean infiltrators were killed attempting to enter the south across the estuary of the Han River. May 1992: Three North Korean infiltrators dressed in South Korean uniforms were killed at Cheorwon, Gangwon-do. Three South Koreans were also wounded. April 1997: Five North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line’s Cheorwon sector and fired at South Korean positions.
TOURISM
IN
NORTH
KOREAN
TOURISM TO THIS THE BLEAK PYONGYANG
Every group of travelers as well as individual tourists/visitors are permanently accompanied by one or two “guides” who normally speak the mother language of the tourist. While tourism has increased over the last few years, tourists from Western countries remain few. The majority of the tourists who visit come from China, Russia and Japan. Russian citizens from the Asian part of Russia prefer North Korea as a tourist destination due to the relatively low prices, lack of pollution and the warmer climate. For citizens of the US and South Korea it is practically impossible to obtain a visa for North Korea. Exceptions for US citizens are made for the yearly Arirang Festival. In the area of the Kŭmgangsan-mountains, the company Hyundai established and operates a special Tourist area. Traveling to this area is also possible for South Koreans and US citizens, but only in organized groups from South Korea. A special administrative region known as the Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region exists for this purpose. Trips to the region have been temporarily suspended since a South Korean woman who wandered into a controlled military zone was shot dead by border guards in late 2008.
RULER, KIM JUNG IL
“NATIONAL
DEFENSE
IS THE
SACRED
DUTY OF THE
YOUNG AND
ALL OTHER
PEOPLE”
KIM JONG-IL THE MOST HATE PRESIDENT IN THE WORLD
Born February 16, 1941, though official accounts place birth a year later. Some mystery surrounds when and where Kim Jong Il was born. Official North Korean biographies state that his birth occurred on February 16, 1942, in a secret camp on Mount Paekdu along the Chinese border, in Samjiyon County, Ryanggang Province, in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). Other reports indicate he was born a year later in Vyatskoye in the former Soviet Union. During World War II, his father commanded the 1st Battalion of the Soviet 88th Brigade, composed of Chinese and Korean exiles battling the Japanese Army. Kim Jong Il’s mother was Kim Jong Suk, his father’s first wife. Official accounts indicate that Kim Jong Il comes from a family of nationalists who actively resisted imperialism early 20th century.
CITIZENS
/
/
RESIDENTS
RESIDENTS & CITIZENS HOW CITIZENS LIVE AND COPE
Born February 16, 1941, though official accounts place birth a year later. Some mystery surrounds when and where Kim Jong Il was born. Official North Korean biographies state that his birth occurred on February 16, 1942, in a secret camp on Mount Paekdu along the Chinese border, in Samjiyon County, Ryanggang Province, in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). Other reports indicate he was born a year later in Vyatskoye in the former Soviet Union. During World War II, his father commanded the 1st Battalion of the Soviet 88th Brigade, composed of Chinese and Korean exiles battling the Japanese Army. Kim Jong Il’s mother was Kim Jong Suk, his father’s first wife. Official ain the early 20th century.
PYONG
GYANG
PYONGYANG CAPITAL OF NORTH KOREA
North Koreans associate Pyongyang with “Asadal�, the first capital of Gojoseon according to Korean history books, notably Samguk Yusa. Many South Korean historians dispute this association because other Korean history books place Asadal around the Liao He located in western Manchuria. Nonetheless, Pyongyang became a major city under Gojoseon. No relic from the era of Former Han has been found around Pyongyang. It is likely that the area of Pyongyang ceded from disintegrating Gojoseon and belonged to another Korean kingdom by the time of fall of Wimanjoseon, the longest lasting part of Gojoseon, by Han dynasty of China in 108 BC. Relics from Later Han (25 AD to 220 AD) periods from the Pyongyang area seems to suggest China subsequently made successful military advances into the Korean peninsula including the area of Pyongyang. The area around Pyongyang was called Lelang-guk during the Later Han periods. As the capital of Lelang-guk ),[3] Pyongyang remained an important commercial and cultural outpost until Lelang-guk was destroyed by the expanding Goguryeo in 313.
NORTH KOREA
V
VS.
SOUTH KOREA
SOUTH VS. NORTH THE RISE BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH
Both North and South Korea continue to officially claim sovereignty over the entire peninsula and any outlying islands. With longstanding animosity following the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, North Korea and South Korea signed an agreement to pursue peace. On October 4, 2007, Roh Moo-Hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jongil signed an eight-point agreement on issues of permanent peace, high-level talks, economic cooperation, renewal of train services, highway and air travel, and a joint Olympic cheering squad. Despite the Sunshine Policy and efforts at reconciliation, the progress was complicated by North Korean missile tests in 1993, 1998, 2006 and 2009. The South Korean government’s pledge to “definitely join” the Proliferation Security Initiative.
FORCED
LABOR THE INTENSIVE LABOR CAMPS
Conditions in camps for political prisoners are even harsher and feature such pleasantries as “prolonged periods of exposure to the elements; humiliations such as public nakedness; confinement for up to several weeks in small ‘punishment cells’ in which prisoners were unable to stand upright or lie down; being forced to kneel or sit immobilized for long periods; being hung by the wrists; being forced to stand up and sit down to the point of collapse.” Reeducation through labor, primarily through sentences at forced labor camps, was a common punishment and consisted of tasks such as logging, mining, or tending crops under harsh conditions. Reeducation involved memorizing speeches by Kim Jong-il. …NGO, refugee, and press reports indicated that there were several types of prisons, detention centers, and camps, including forced labor camps and separate camps for political prisoners. Defectors claimed the camps covered areas as large as 200 square miles. The camps appeared to contain mass graves, barracks, worksites, and other prison facilities.
A TIGHT TENSION ALL OF NORTH KOREA IS A JAIL
North Koreans associate Pyongyang with “Asadal�, the first capital of Gojoseon according to Korean history books, notably Samguk Yusa. Many South Korean historians dispute this association because other Korean history books place Asadal around the Liao He located in western Manchuria. Nonetheless, Pyongyang became a major city under Gojoseon. No relic from the era of Former Han has been found around Pyongyang. It is likely that the area of Pyongyang ceded from disintegrating Gojoseon and belonged to another Korean kingdom by the time of fall of Wimanjoseon, the longest lasting part of Gojoseon, by Han dynasty of China in 108 BC. Relics from Later Han (25 AD to 220
THE NEVER ENDING
WAR
FOREVER A BAD REGIME WHEN WILL THE WAR END?
In 2002, United States president George W. Bush labeled North Korea part of an “axis of evil” and an “outpost of tyranny”. The highest-level contact the government has had with the United States was with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who made a visit to Pyongyang in 2000 but the two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations.By 2006, approximately 37,000 American soldiers remained in South Korea, although by June 2009 this number had fallen to around 30,000. Kim Jong-il has privately stated his acceptance of U.S. troops on the peninsula, even after a possible reunification.Publicly, North Korea strongly demands the removal of American troops from Korea. On June 13, 2009, the Associated Press reported that in response to new U.N. sanctions, North Korea declared it would progress with its uranium enrichment program. This marked the first time the DPRK has publicly acknowledged that it is conducting a uranium enrichment program. In August 2009, former US president Bill Clinton met with Kim Jong-il to secure the release of 2 US journalists.
THE REAL NORTH
KOREA
COMMU
UNISM
RULED BY THE DEVIL THE KOREAN’S PEOPLE’S ARMY
Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army and Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea. The Korean People’s Army (KPA) is the name for the collective armed personnel of the North Korean military. The army has four branches: Ground Force, Naval Force, Air Force, and the State Security Department. According to the U.S. Department of State, North Korea has the fifth-largest army in the world, at an estimated 1.21 million armed personnel, with about 20% of men aged 17–54 in the regular armed forces. North Korea has the highest percentage of military personnel per capita of any nation in the world, with approximately 1 enlisted soldier for every 25 citizens.[62] Military strategy is designed for insertion of agents and sabotage behind enemy lines in wartime,[61] with much of the KPA’s forces deployed along the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone. ly proliferated Cold War technology, and more modern Soviet weapons. According to official North Korean media, planned military expenditures for 2009 are 15.8% of GDP.
THE UNIFORM
THE
AUTHORITY
UNIFORM
WHY PEOPLE RESPECT IT SO MUCH
North Koreans associate Pyongyang with “Asadal�, the first capital of Gojoseon according to Korean history books, notably Samguk Yusa. Many South Korean historians dispute this association because other Korean history books place Asadal around the Liao He located in western Manchuria. Nonetheless, Pyongyang became a major city under Gojoseon. No relic from the era of Former Han has been found around Pyongyang. It is likely that the area of Pyongyang ceded from disintegrating Gojoseon and belonged to another Korean kingdom by the time of fall of Wimanjoseon, the longest lasting part vof Gojoseon, by Han dynasty of China in 108 BC. Relics from Later Han (25 AD to 220 AD) periods from the Pyongyang area seems to suggest China subsequently made successful military advances into the Korean peninsula including the area of Pyongyang. The area around Pyongyang was called Lelang-guk during the Later Han periods.
KORE DEMILIT
ZON
EAN TARIZED
NE
WALL
MONITOR THE VIEW FROM THE OTHER SIDE
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and the east end lying north of it. It is 155 miles (248 km) long and approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) wide, and is the most heavily militarized border in the world. The 38th parallel north—which cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half—was the original boundary between the US-occupied and Soviet-occupied areas of Korea at the end of World War II. Upon the creation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, informally North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (ROK, informally South Korea) in 1948, it became a de facto international border and one of the most tense fronts in the Cold War.
FOREVER
IN
NA
DECADE
FOREVER IN A DECADE LIVING IN A REGIME THAT NEVER ENDS
North Koreans associate Pyongyang with “Asadal�, the first capital of Gojoseon according to Korean history books, notably Samguk Yusa. Many South Korean historians dispute this association because other Korean history books place Asadal around the Liao He located in western Manchuria. Nonetheless, Pyongyang became a major city under Gojoseon. No relic from the era of Former Han has been found around Pyongyang. It is likely that the area of Pyongyang ceded from disintegrating Gojoseon and belonged to another Korean kingdom by the time of fall of Wimanjoseon, the longest lasting part of Gojoseon, by Han dynasty of China in 108 BC. Relics fro\Later Han.
“
ALL NOR KOR IS A J
”
L OF RTH REA JAIL.