Archive for the 'Humanitarian Topic' Category

When Marcus Noland speaks, we should listen

Published
by
Jack
on October 23, 2007
in Communism, Economy, Humanitarian Topic, Kim Jong Il, North Korea, Nukes and ROK
. 0 Comments

When it comes to economics of North Korea and the region, the man to look to is Marcus Noland. An interesting story came down the pike today on the DailyNK.

“This week KREI released a report indicating that North Korea faces famine. The staff at KREI are serious researchers. They are not necessarily right, but they are serious…”

Taken from an on-line interview with Daily NK in October, the words of Marcus Noland, renown American economist and author of award winning book Avoiding the Apocalypse: the Future of the Two Koreas, remind us all that history may repeat itself if NGO, KREI, and WFP figures ring true. (I added the links)

If you have not read One Free Korea’s excellent report on Marcus Noland and Stephen Haggard’s book, Famine in North Korea, then it is a must read to get a general overview on it.

Continue reading ‘When Marcus Noland speaks, we should listen’

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Kim Jong Il’s bellyaches will not change (updated)

Published
by
Jack
on October 12, 2007
in Diplomacy, Economy, Humanitarian Topic, Kim Jong Il, Korean War, North Korea, Nukes, ROK and United States
. 0 Comments

Sorry for the lack of updates. First it was integrating forums, now it was the lack of funds to pay for the Internet connection. The fun never stops. I apologize for that, so I have to catch up with some of the developments. Looks like there is some despite the slow news days for North Korea because it is hot or cold. No in between.

Kim Jong Il is hurt. He is not happy Bush called his rule a “brutal regime”. The truth hurts, but sometimes, it has to be said. That was one of the things Roh refused to do at the summit, which is to tell it like it is. No, I am not a huge fan of Bush, but left wing or right wing, there should be unanimous agreement Kim Jong Il is a brutal dictator. Kim just needs to be told this more often.

North Korea charged U.S. George W. Bush with tarnishing its dignity and hurting talks aimed at ending it nuclear arms programme by describing the communist state as a brutal regime, its official media said on Friday.

Six party talks or not, nuclear disablement or not, peace treaty or not, Kim Jong Il as long as he remains at the helm will still be a brutal dictator. I do not see him releasing any prisoners from his gulags, giving back POW’s, kidnapped people, letting people worship the way they want, go from one place to another freely, listen to broadcasts, or have a say in how the government is run. Until those and many other things change, it is the truth.

According to a text posted on the White House Web site, Bush told the U.N. General Assembly in September: “In Belarus, North Korea, Syria, and Iran, brutal regimes deny their people the fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration”.

North Korea typically unleashes rhetorical attacks against those who criticise its human rights record, widely considered to be among the worst in the world.

Not a lot has changed in the last 60 or so years. The rhetoric keeps coming, so I do not know what news that is. I am sure he knows others have a basic idea of what is going on inside his walled la-la land. Jumping up and down screaming foul is not going to change the wide perception on his regime. I doubt this is going to keep the process from going forward at least for now, because there is gold at the end of this rainbow. As long as he appears to be a good boy, he can get his aid, energy assistance, economic cooperation and maybe even a delisting from the terror list. That should make his mouth water.

In the meantime, as long as the reactor making everybody nervous stops, he can continue his human rights abuses. That to me, is a tragedy.

Also, read this related article.

Update: I missed this KCNA link. Check it out.

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Joseph Dresnok syndrome?

Published
by
Jack
on October 10, 2007
in Defectors, Diplomacy, Humanitarian Topic, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Korean War, North Korea, Policy Elites, ROK and Speculation
. 0 Comments

Joseph DresnokThere is the lingering and little talked about issue regarding kidnapped South Koreans according to the DailyNK. Apparently, these poor souls got tired of living in South Korea and wanted to defect to the socialist paradise that is the DPRK according to Kim Jong Il:

At the Inter-Korea Summit which was held in Pyongyang on the 3rd, Kim Jong Il insisted regarding the abducted South Korean, “They came to the North voluntarily and we received them through welcoming ceremonies.”

I guess human rights activists were wrong about Roh and he asked about some human rights issues. So it seems to me they should all calm down, “take a chill pill” and understand Roh is doing all he can to make North Korea play nice. In my opinion, if you believe that, I have some ocean front property in Kansas to sell.

Continue reading ‘Joseph Dresnok syndrome?’

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Getting the gifts ready for Kim Jong Il

Published
by
Jack
on September 29, 2007
in Humanitarian Topic, Kim Jong Il, News, North Korea and ROK
. 2 Comments

It is an insult to read about the plans of a summit that include giving things to a man that rules with tyranny and holds absolutely no regard to lives of people living under his control. For the last three decades, people suffer untold human rights abuses including the squelching of free speech, movement, religion, and a lot more. All outside media is banned, and the DPRK authorities take extra measures to stop the influx of outside influences to help sustain the lies that is Juche and Kim’s cult of personality.

There are plans of Roh giving Kim Jong Il gifts people are not allowed to have. What are some of the things planned? Foreign movies and equipment. Normal North Koreans do not have the chance to buy this equipment or watch the DVDs openly, and face very harsh penalties if they do choose to watch it. So they have to watch it in secret. Am I saying they have a right to these items? No. But they should have the right to watch whatever they like and reach for the means necessary to achieve dreams and goals. If that includes buying the things they want including movies, then that should happen. Kim Jong Il does not allow that, yet he is allowed to do so. He is a hypocrite and Roh is going to symbolize that is OK. That is not OK, and it makes me very angry.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Il is a big fan of popular South Korean actress Lee Young-Ae and he will receive DVDs of her hit dramas and films as gifts at an upcoming summit, a report said Saturday.

“Chairman Kim likes to watch South Korean TV programmes. Among South Korean entertainers, he favours Lee Young-Ae the most,” an unidentified South Korean official was quoted as saying by the JoongAng daily.

“DVDs of South Korean movies and dramas, including those featuring Lee Young-Ae, will be included as summit gifts,” the official said.

Yes, he loves movies so much, he went as far as to kidnap two people:

His obsession with developing North Korea’s film industry was so great that in 1978 he reportedly ordered North Korean agents to abduct a famous South Korean movie director, Shin Sang-Ok, and his ex-wife, actress Che Eun Hui.

The couple stayed in the communist state for eight years while making propaganda films. They escaped in 1986 and wrote a memoir about their saga.

In July, North Korea reportedly ordered the shutdown of karaoke bars, online game rooms, video-screening rooms and Internet cafes as part of a battle to stem a flood of South Korean pop culture.

So while Kim and his propaganda department say people cannot watch these things because of evil outside influences, perhaps he should practice what he preaches and follow it himself if it is an ideology he cares so much about. He is supposed to set an example for everybody else right? I say forget giving Kim Jong Il anything like that because that is against his state sponsored religion. Very hypocritical indeed.

This issue is a very vocal split in South Korea, while one side says it will help boost peace, the other side says it is avoiding talking about the issues and is just a show. I have to say it is the latter. Not only that, Roh plans to visit the mass games, and that is also going to look very (for the lack of a better word) bad from where I am sitting. Human rights activists are not happy, as they should be. This is not going to make the people suffering in North Korea any better. While Kim and Roh play patty cake, people are eating tree bark. That is not fair.

The whole thing stinks to high heaven, is a farce and playing with the hopes and lives of millions. Nothing is going to get done other than some feel-good photo-op. It’s sad, sickening and a lot more. People deserve to have freedom, and this is not going to help it in any way, shape or form. I say get total sanctions across the board and see an end to the regime once and for all.

Also, it also looks like Roh is going to cross the DMZ too. That will be a historical moment, and will be on news wires all over the place. Again, it is just a photo-op show.

fixed typos and other errors

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And the Syrian/Israel plot thickens and other news (Updated)

Published
by
Jack
on September 19, 2007
in Humanitarian Topic, News, North Korea, Nukes and Other Regimes
. 0 Comments

Again, there’s something going on, and cannot put my finger on it. We all know Iran is not a fan of Israel, but the meetings with North Korea and North Korea milling around Syria is starting to make me wonder. Then fast forward to today, and we got Iran stepping in to give the two cents:

The announcement comes amid rising tensions in the region with the United States calling for a new round of U.N. sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program and Israeli planes having recently overflown, and perhaps even attacked, Iranian ally Syria’s territory.

“We have drawn up a plan to strike back at Israel with our bombers if this regime (Israel) makes a silly mistake,” deputy air force chief, Gen. Mohammad Alavi was quoted as telling Fars in an interview.

Is this just the excuse it needs to start a war with Israel? Also, what kind of strike? The thought is not very fun to think of. As rising tensions mount, what role (if any) does North Korea play into this debacle? That much is not known right now, but rumors mount Israel hit targets of nuclear facilities:

Continue reading ‘And the Syrian/Israel plot thickens and other news (Updated)’

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The DailyNK got me thinking: When will times get better?

Published
by
Jack
on September 17, 2007
in Defectors, Diplomacy, Economy, Humanitarian Topic, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Korean War, North Korea, Policy Elites, Politics, Speculation and The region
. 3 Comments

Chemical Factory(Fixed some grammar and typos) There are some powerful images coming from North Korea that go beyond the propaganda and the partisan rhetoric that goes with it. One in particular are photos from this article from the DailyNK. There are two pictures that caught my attention namely the women behind the barbed wire and the abandoned factory (Picured left).

The article asks an interesting question: “What Does that Girl Beyond The Barbed Wire Think?” I would like to go a little beyond that and ask the question, what does the average person living inside one of the most brutal regimes in the world think? That is a very big question, but that does lend the most important part of the process of brining eventual re-unification and freedom from dictatorship. However, I have noticed the political process has hindered the main focus and instead political points are at expense of the people behind that barbed wire. Something must of been lost along the way because of North Korea’s involvement in nuclear tests, missiles and possibly helping other regimes (such as Syria) carry out the most terrifying prospects of terrorists having access to weapons that can kill tens of thousands of people on impact. That is a very legitimate concern and North Korea should disarm and join the ranks of the international community. Unfortunately, that may be a pipe dream because the DPRK has not done it so far with all the disengagement.

Continue reading ‘The DailyNK got me thinking: When will times get better?’

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Human rights are not part of the summit agenda

Published
by
Jack
on September 11, 2007
in Diplomacy, Humanitarian Topic, News, North Korea and ROK
. 3 Comments

Now there is the surprise of the century. Not to provoke Kim Jong Il and keep the ducks in the diplomacy in line, human rights will not be discussed at the summit:

“The panel is always concerned about the North Korean human rights situation, but it is not appropriate as an agenda item of the inter-Korean summit,” the group said in a statement.

…

North Korea is known to have restricted its citizens’ human rights, though it is difficult to assess its human rights record due to that government’s highly secretive nature. The reclusive regime has been disturbed by other countries’ criticism of its human rights record. Pyongyang accuses outsiders of interfering in the North’s internal affairs.

The South Korean government has been cautious on the issue, fearing that criticism may provoke North Korea, and harm Seoul-Pyongyang relations. Former President Kim Dae-jung intentionally avoided the issue during the first inter-Korean summit in 2000. South Korean human rights groups have criticized the current government’s attitude.

nor will bombs. Instead, talks to go forward with formally ending the Korean War via peace treaty will dominate the summit:

Roh says a formal declaration ending the 1950s Korean War and establishing a peace treaty are the main agenda items of the planned talks.

…

Relations thawed considerably when the two Koreas held their first and only summit in 2000. But North Korea has since declared itself a nuclear-weapons state and conducted a nuclear test.

…

The Roh administration pursues a policy of engagement with North Korea that has transferred billions of dollars of aid and investment to the Pyongyang government.

Critics say it is the policy’s leniency that has not only failed to prevent Pyongyang’s nuclear test, but also makes it easier for North Korea to refuse giving up nuclear weapons in the future.

Experts say too many legal ambiguities exist for North and South Korea to formally end the Korean War by acting alone.

That’s right, ignoring the elephant in the living room and continuing the status quo is the way to handle things. Looks like it is going to be a feel-good meeting, lots of smiles and eventually a lot of controversy will ensue. I am one of those people critical of the summit and the disregard for the human rights issue, but what can I do? I am only an outside party looking in. It does not mean I have to be happy about it though. Lastly, I doubt a peace treaty will be hammered out in time before the next South Korean elections, but stranger things have happened, like the last summit where things basically fell apart and North Korea tested a nuclear bomb.

We shall see how it goes.

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Floods understated by the KCNA?

Published
by
Jack
on September 7, 2007
in Economy, Humanitarian Topic, News, North Korea and The region
. 0 Comments

Here is something you do not see everyday. There are reports North Korea understated the flood damage:

The floods that struck North Korea last month have had a much more devastating effect than Pyongyang’s state media have reported, with livestock deaths and a disrupted ration system adding to widespread food shortages, according to the United Nations’ World Food Programme.

North Korea has a history of exaggerating damage from natural disasters in order to win more aid from the outside world – which many analysts suspect is then diverted to the military – but this does not appear to be the case this time.

I am sure the WFP has no reason to lie because they are the boots on the ground within the reclusive nation. I was one of those people who suspected those very things. If I am wrong and North Korea is really scrambling to try to fix this damage, that could mean the situation is a lot worse than I expected. I also thought because it hit Pyongyang was the reason the KCNA reported it in the first place.

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North Korean abductions are named at the White House (Update)

Published
by
Jack
on September 3, 2007
in Humanitarian Topic, News and North Korea
. 0 Comments

Pics

Izumi Asano is the man behind an event to call out the names of all victims, including 83,000 South Koreans abducted during the Korean War alone.

That’s a lot of people. This looks like an interesting event most likely not to see the front page of a lot of papers. North Korea does not seem to be on the forefront of many peoples’ lists of things to learn or to be concerned about. Sure, most of my friends have heard about the nuke issue or seen Kim Jong Il on Team America. I just wish the humanitarian crisis was on the news more often. The same goes with the abductions conducted by the Dear and Great Leaders:

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The Path to Succession: The Path to Collapse Part 2

Published
by
Jack
on August 31, 2007
in Cult Of Personality, Defectors, Diplomacy, Economy, History, Humanitarian Topic, News, North Korea, Nukes, Other Regimes, Policy Elites, Politics, Speculation, The region and United States
. 0 Comments

Coat of arms

Sorry for the delay in the posting. I’ll remember not to make fixed dates on postings.

In the last part of the series, I looked at the “When North Korea Falls” article. I read some reactions to the article I did not read before (See comments in the last article of the series), and gave some extra insight into this complex and highly speculative series. In this part of the series, we look further into what else could happen in a former North Korea and the challenges it could face in the country and in the region. Only this time, I would like to make this more on a further tangent into the speculative. I find this stuff very interesting, and will probably go elsewhere too as I research this thing.

But first, I will look into the argument made in the comments:

That’s the money shot. The problem is that a lot of people would die in a short time (months, a couple of years) and governments would feel responsible. As it stands, probably even more have been dying over a much longer period of time. Six in one, half dozen in the other.

That presents a very good argument, and as said in the last part of the series, reunification is going to be a painful process no matter how it is done, and the way things are handled now are too Utopian. As always with this, I present the following disclaimer:

Please be aware this is an ongoing research project, and information contained in this post may have glaring factual or missing information that I may not be aware of. If anybody has any insight that will make me better understand it, please say so in the comments and I will love to take your views into consideration and learn something. That is the whole goal of this blog.

Continue reading ‘The Path to Succession: The Path to Collapse Part 2′

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