South Korea North Korea

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

South Korea North Korea COUNTRY REPORT South Korea North Korea The full publishing schedule for Country Reports is now available on our web site at http://www.eiu.com/schedule. 3rd quarter 1999 The Economist Intelligence Unit 15 Regent St, London SW1Y 4LR United Kingdom The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit is a specialist publisher serving companies establishing and managing operations across national borders. For over 50 years it has been a source of information on business developments, economic and political trends, government regulations and corporate practice worldwide. The EIU delivers its information in four ways: through subscription products ranging from newsletters to annual reference works; through specific research reports, whether for general release or for particular clients; through electronic publishing; and by organising conferences and roundtables. The firm is a member of The Economist Group. London New York Hong Kong The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit 15 Regent St The Economist Building 25/F, Dah Sing Financial Centre London 111 West 57th Street 108 Gloucester Road SW1Y 4LR New York Wanchai United Kingdom NY 10019, US Hong Kong Tel: (44.20) 7830 1000 Tel: (1.212) 554 0600 Tel: (852) 2802 7288 Fax: (44.20) 7499 9767 Fax: (1.212) 586 1181/2 Fax: (852) 2802 7638 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.eiu.com Electronic delivery EIU Electronic New York: Lou Celi or Lisa Hennessey Tel: (1.212) 554 0600 Fax: (1.212) 586 0248 London: Jeremy Eagle Tel: (44.20) 7830 1183 Fax: (44.20) 7830 1023 This publication is available on the following electronic and other media: Online databases NewsEdge Corporation (US) Microfilm FT Profile (UK) Tel: (1.718) 229 3000 World Microfilms Publications Tel: (44.20) 7825 8000 (UK) DIALOG (US) CD-ROM Tel: (44.20) 7266 2202 Tel: (1.415) 254 7000 The Dialog Corporation (US) LEXIS-NEXIS (US) SilverPlatter (US) Tel: (1.800) 227 4908 M.A.I.D/Profound (UK) Tel: (44.20) 7930 6900 Copyright © 1999 The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited. All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited. All information in this report is verified to the best of the author's and the publisher's ability. However, the EIU does not accept responsibility for any loss arising from reliance on it. ISSN 1350-6900 Symbols for tables “n/a” means not available; “–” means not applicable Printed and distributed by Redhouse Press Ltd, Unit 151, Dartford Trade Park, Dartford, Kent DA1 1QB, UK Contents 3 Summary 5 Inter-Korean relations South Korea 8 Political structure 9 Economic structure 10 Outlook for 1999-2000 15 The political scene 20 Economic policy 22 The domestic economy 22 Production and demand 25 Employment, wages and prices 27 Money and finance 31 Foreign trade and payments 34 Business news North Korea 37 Political structure 38 Economic structure 39 Outlook for 1999-2000 40 The political scene 44 The economy, trade and investment 47 Quarterly indicators and trade data List of figures 11 South Korea: forecast summary 12 South Korea: global assumptions 13 South Korea: current-account balance 14 South Korea: economic results and forecasts 20 South Korea: supplementary budget, Apr 1999 23 South Korea: gross domestic product by industry 24 South Korea: seasonally adjusted manufacturing production 24 South Korea: construction indicators 25 South Korea: employment 26 South Korea: wages in manufacturing industry 27 South Korea: price indicators, 1999 27 South Korea: money supply trends, 1999 EIU Country Report 3rd quarter 1999 © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 1999 2 28 South Korea: non-performing loans by type of financial institution as of end-Mar 1999 29 South Korea: financial market indicators, 1999 30 South Korea: external liabilities 32 South Korea: exports of selected commodities, Jan-Mar 32 South Korea: imports of selected commodities, Jan-Mar 33 South Korea: current- and capital-account balances, Jan-Apr 47 South Korea: quarterly indicators of economic activity 48 South Korea: foreign trade 50 South Korea: structure of trade 51 South Korea: direction of trade List of figures 15 South Korea: gross domestic product 15 South Korea: won real exchange rates 23 South Korea: machinery orders 25 South Korea: manufacturing operation ratio index EIU Country Report 3rd quarter 1999 © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 1999 3 July 23rd 1999 Summary 3rd quarter 1999 Inter-Korean relations The navies of the two Koreas clashed in early June. North Korean casualties were high. Hyundai’s cruises to North Korea were halted in late July after North Korea detained a southern tourist. Inter-Korean talks took place in Beijing but little was achieved. South Korea Outlook for 1999-2000 Constitutional reform will be deferred until after the April 2000 parliamentary election, but the ULD will not leave the government over the issue. Faster economic growth may persuade Kim Dae-jung to slacken the pace of economic reform. Real GDP will grow by 6.1% in 1999 and by 5.3% in 2000. Growth in 1999 will be driven largely by changes in stockbuilding. The foreign balance will exert a slight drag on growth in both 1999 and 2000. Growth in fiscal spending will slow. Interest rates may rise, but increases will be modest. Inflationary pressures will be muted as a result of excess capacity in the economy and a slack labour market. The current-account surplus will fall to 1.4% of GDP in 2000. The political scene The NCNP-ULD ruling coalition lost two by-elections in June, owing partly to a succession of scandals involving members of the government. In May Kim Dae-jung reshuffled his cabinet for the first time since taking office. Mr Kim visited Moscow in May, but few substantial issues were resolved. Economic policy A supplementary budget worth W2.8trn ($2.4bn) was passed by the National Assembly in April, the main purpose of which was to reduce unemployment. A second supplementary budget, centred on tax cuts and subsidies for low- and middle-income earners, was planned but its passage through parliament was blocked by the GNP. The Bank of Korea has continued to maintain downward pressure on short-term interest rates. The near-collapse of Daewoo in mid-July revealed the shortcomings of the government’s corporate reform programme. The domestic economy • Real GDP grew by 4.6% year on year in the first quarter of 1999. Private consumption rebounded and the contraction in gross fixed investment moderated. Exports of goods and services held up well. Manufacturing production grew by 12.6% year on year in the first quarter, confirming the recovery apparent in the fourth quarter of 1998. • Unemployment eased to 6.5% in May but remained high by pre-1997 levels. Employment in manufacturing rose by 3.7% between February and May. Wages in manufacturing rose by 12.6% year on year in April, largely as a result of increased overtime. Consumer prices rose by just 0.6% in June, but producer prices fell by 3.2% in the same month, both year on year. EIU Country Report 3rd quarter 1999 © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 1999 4 • M3 growth remained near the government’s target of 13% for 1999 in January-April. Most domestic commercial banks returned to profit in January- June. Non-performing loans at domestic financial institutions rose by 8.5%, compared with the end-1998 level. The local stockmarket performed strongly, thanks partly to a revival of interest from domestic investors looking for higher returns than were available on bank deposits. Foreign direct investment commitments in January-April rose by 147.4% year on year. Foreign trade and The merchandise trade surplus (fob-cif) fell by 44.4% year on year in the first payments quarter of 1999, as imports rose by 8.1% and exports fell by 5.9%. The current- account surplus shrank by 39% year on year in January-April, owing to a reduced merchandise trade surplus and a widening services and income deficit. Business news The Hyundai-LG Big Deal business swap was concluded in mid-May, but the Samsung-Daewoo asset swap failed after Samsung Motors was declared bank- rupt. South Korea’s two largest life insurance companies, Samsung Life and Kyobo Life, will be listed. Sales of Korea First Bank and Seoul Bank have run into difficulties, owing to differences over asset valuations. North Korea Outlook for 1999-2000 Another Taepo-dong missile launch would undermine South Korea’s sunshine policy and could mean the end of KEDO. The Kosovo crisis will add to North Korea’s suspicions about the US’s intentions towards it. The political scene Some former vice-presidents may have been purged. William Perry visited Pyongyang in May but did not meet Kim Jong-il. India detained a North Korean freighter in July, claiming that it was carrying missile components bound for Pakistan. A senior North Korean delegation visited China in early June, becoming the first high-ranking delegation to do so since 1991. The economy, trade and Total merchandise trade fell in 1998 by 30% year on year, according to South investment Korea’s national unification ministry. North Korea’s stock of foreign debt rose to $12bn at the end of 1997. The 1999 harvest could be poor. Lack of main- tenance may have led to a deterioration in the national system of piped potable water. The first North Korean-built railcars for Hyundai arrived in Inchon in late May.
Recommended publications
  • North Korea and the Latin American Revolution, 1959-1970
    NORTH KOREA AND THE LATIN AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1959-1970 by MOE (WILLIAM DAVID) TAYLOR B.Sc., The University of Toronto, 2011 M.Sc., Columbia University, 2014 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (History) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) February 2020 © Moe (William David) Taylor, 2020 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: North Korea and the Latin American Revolution, 1959-1970 Submitted by Moe (William David) Taylor in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. Examining Committee: Steve H. Lee, History Supervisor Donald L. Baker, Asian Studies Supervisory Committee Member William French, History Supervisory Committee Member Max Cameron, Political Science University Examiner Glen Peterson, History University Examiner Andre Schmid, East Asian Studies, University of Toronto External Examiner iii Abstract In the 1960s the North Korean leadership embraced the variety of radical Third Worldism associated with Cuba’s Tricontinental Conference of 1966, which advocated a militant, united front strategy to defeat US imperialism via armed struggle across the Global South. This political realignment led to exceptionally intimate political, economic, and cultural cooperation with Cuba and a programme to support armed revolutionary movements throughout Latin America. In the process, North Korea acquired a new degree of prestige with the international left, influencing Cuban and Latin American left-wing discourse on matters of economic development, revolutionary organization and strategy, democracy and leadership.
    [Show full text]
  • Toward a "Socialist Man"
    CHAPTER V TOWARD A "SOCIALIST MAN" 1. Formal Education and Indoctrination THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM Education has been given much attention by North Korean leaders in their efforts to carry out the "socialist revolution." Reorganization of the educational system established by the Japanese colonial administration was necessary to meet an urgent need for trained leaders to carry out Communist programs and to educate the young in Communist ideology. After a series of changes in 1946, 1953, 1959, 1966, and 1972, North Korea in 1972 had a comprehensive general educational system called "universal compulsory ten- year senior middle school education." At the end of the Japanese occupation, primary education consisted of six years of school, called kugmin haggyo, or nationaI school. Under Communism, the name "national school" was soon changed to inmin haggyo, or people's school. In 1946 elementary education was reduced by one year, and in 1953, after the Korean War, further reduced by one year to a period of four years. The old five-year middle school system of Japanese colonial times was divided in 1946 into two levels, three years of middle school (chung haggyo) and three years of high school (kodung hag- gyo). This system continued through the 1950s. Meanwhile, the four years of people's school education became compulsory in 1956. The reform in 1959, which was actually put into effect in September 1960, changed the three-year high schools into two-year technical schools (kisul haggyo) and two-year senior technical schools (kodung kisul haggyo). No change was made at that time in the middle schools.
    [Show full text]
  • Gendered Rhetoric in North Korea's International
    University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016 University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2015 Gendered rhetoric in North Korea’s international relations (1946–2011) Amanda Kelly Anderson University of Wollongong Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses University of Wollongong Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised, without the permission of the author. Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. A court may impose penalties and award damages in relation to offences and infringements relating to copyright material. Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong. Recommended Citation Anderson, Amanda Kelly, Gendered rhetoric in North Korea’s international relations (1946–2011), Doctor of Philosophy thesis, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong, 2015.
    [Show full text]
  • Joint U.S. Korea Academic Studies
    2012 2012 Joint ASIA AT A TIPPING POINT: KOREA, THE RISE OF CHINA, AND THE IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: GILBERT ROZMAN, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY Polical Change in 2010-2012 and Regional Sociological Processes and Regional Community JOINT Cooperaon Centered on the Korean Peninsula Formaon Incorporang South Korea U. S. Leadership Changes and South Korea’s China Policy South Korean Naonal Identy Gaps with -K U.S.KOREA Jae Ho Chung China and Japan Gilbert Rozman or North Korean Polics and China ea Academic Studie Jack Pritchard and L. Gordon Flake Diverging Trajectories of Trust in Northeast Asia: ACADEMIC South Korea’s Security Relaons with Japan and China Japanese Polics, the Korean Peninsula, and China Leif-Eric Easley Kazuhiko Togo STUDIES A Cognive Approach to Ethnic Identy Chinese Polics and the Korean Peninsula Construcon in the Korean Enclave in Beijing ASIA AT A TIPPING POINT: Gilbert Rozman Sharon Yoon KOREA, THE RISE OF CHINA, AND THE IMPACT OF Security Challenges and the Changing TPP or ASEAN+3: Alternave Plans for Asian Balance on the Korean Peninsula Regionalism and Free Trade Pacts LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS s The View from China The U.S. Approach to Regional Trade Agreements EDITORSINSCHIEF: Andrew Scobell Involving East Asia GILBERT ROZMAN Edward J. Lincoln The View from Russia Stephen Blank South Korea: Which Way Will It Go on Asian Integraon? Hyung-Gon Jeong V Japan’s Response to Nuclear North Korea ol. 23 Narushige Michishita Compeng Templates in Asia Pacific Economic Integraon Peter A. Petri The View from
    [Show full text]
  • NORTH KOREAN PERSPECTIVES JULY 23–OCTOBER 4 Mocp.Org
    NORTH KOREAN PERSPECTIVES JULY 23–OCTOBER 4 mocp.org Viewer’s Guide This guide serves as a viewer’s supplement to the exhibitionNorth Korean Perspectives and contains information about the works on view, the history of North Korea, questions for looking and discussion, and suggested readings. You may download this guide from the museum’s website at mocp.org/education/resources-for-educators.php. A PDF with images that can be projected for classroom use can also be found there. To schedule a free docent-led tour, please complete the form here. mocp.org/education/tours-and-print-viewings.php. Generous support for North Korean Perspectives is provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Cultural Services at the Consulate General of France in Chicago, and Hahnemühle. The 2014-2015 season is sponsored by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, BMO Harris Bank and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. It is also partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Marc Prüst, Guest Curator Introduction How should we approach the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as North Korea is formally called? The country seems practically sealed off from external influence and impenetrable by anyone from beyond its borders. Travelers to North Korea can visit the country only on planned tours with state-appointed chaperones, or “minders,” who follow virtu- ally every step they take. Independent, uncensored media do not exist in North Korea; the state press agency, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), is the only source of photographs by North Korean nationals.
    [Show full text]
  • Path to Peace: the Case for a Peace Agreement to End the Korean
    Path Theto Case Peace for a Peace Agreement to End the Korean War Korea Peace Now! Women Mobilizing to End the War | February 2021 Path to Peace: The Case for a Peace Agreement to End the Korean War February 2021 Korea Peace Now! Women Mobilizing to End the War, a global campaign to end the Korean War, produced the present report to assess how a peace-first approach can resolve the security crisis on the Korean Peninsula. This report is a collective work that benefited from Korea Peace Now! would also like to thank Kevin Gray, months of consensus-building and input. Ph.D., Professor of International Relations at the University Korea Peace Now! would like to acknowledge of Sussex; Suzy Kim, Ph.D., Professor of Korean History in particular Henri Féron, Senior Fellow at the at Rutgers University; and Paul Liem, Korea Policy Center for International Policy, as project lead. Institute, who contributed their feedback and review. This report is the collective work of the following people: External contributions were made by Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, Senior Fellow and Military Expert at Defense Ray Acheson, Director of Reaching Critical Will, Women’s Priorities; Jessica Lee, Senior Research Fellow on East International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Asia at Quincy Institute; Adam Mount, Senior Fellow and Christine Ahn, Executive Director, Women Director of the Defense Posture Project at the Federation Cross DMZ (Chapter V, “Why Women Should of American Scientists; and Hazel Smith, Professorial Be Involved in the Peace Process”) Research Associate at SOAS, University of London. Kozue Akibayashi, Professor at Doshisha University, These external contributions are strictly independent former International President of Women’s International from the Korea Peace Now! campaign and represent League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) (Chapter V, the personal views of the contributors.
    [Show full text]
  • North Korean Migrants in China
    NORTH KOREAN MIGRANTS IN CHINA: A CASE STUDY OF HUMAN SMUGGLING AND TRAFFICKING BY HYOUNGAH PARK A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School-Newark Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in the School of Criminal Justice Written under the direction of Ko-Lin Chin And approved by ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Newark, New Jersey October 2018 Copyright page: 2018 Hyoungah Park ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION North Korean Migrants in China: A Case Study of Human Smuggling and Trafficking By Hyoungah Park Dissertation Director: Ko-lin Chin This study investigates the smuggling and trafficking (e.g. forced marriage, sex trafficking, and labor exploitation) of North Korean Migrants in China (NKMCs). It seeks to answer the following questions: First, how should we define the status of NKMCs (e.g. illegal economic migrant, refugee, or trafficking victim)? Second, are the NKMCs victimized? If any, what are the contexts and factors that contribute to such victimization, and how? Further, what are the characteristics of the victims, smugglers, and traffickers? Finally, what are the contributing factors and possible policy implications to prevent the victimization of NKMCs? For this, one-on-one, face-to-face in-depth interviews with 58 NKMCs (47 women and 11 men) currently living in South Korea were conducted. Study participants were recruited through the purposive snowball sampling method. Interviews were conducted using a standardized questionnaire. This study suggests that 37 NKMCs (64%) should be classified as trafficking victims of forced marriage, commercial sex, or labor exploitation.
    [Show full text]
  • Market Activities & the Building Blocks of Civil Society in North Korea
    Market Activities & the Building Blocks of Civil Society in North Korea Justin V. Hastings, Daniel Wertz, & Andrew Yeo February 2021 1 NCNK The National Committee on North Korea (NCNK) supports and facilitates principled engagement between the U.S. and North Korea in order to promote peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and to improve the lives of the North Korean people. NCNK is a non-governmental, non-partisan organization whose membership reflects a broad range of perspectives and subject-matter expertise related to North Korea. NCNK serves to share information among its members, advance their work, and provide the broader public with substantive and balanced information about North Korea. NCNK was founded in 2004 by Mercy Corps, a global aid and development organization. CONTACT Honorary Co-Chairs: Amb. Tony P. The National Committee on North Korea Hall and Amb. Thomas C. Hubbard 1111 19th St. NW, Suite 650 Steering Committee: Bradley Babson, Washington, DC 20036 Robert Carlin, Kelsey Davenport, www.ncnk.org Katharine Moon, Susan Shirk, Scott [email protected] Snyder, Randall Spadoni and Philip Yun @NCNKorea Executive Director: Keith Luse Copyright © 2021 by the National Committee on North Korea. All rights reserved. Cover Image: Market on a street in Hamhung, North Korea, September 11, 2012. Photo by Eric Lafforgue / Art in All of Us via Getty Images i ABOUT THE AUTHORS Justin V. Hastings is Professor of International Relations and Comparative Politics in the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney, where he is also affiliated with the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, the China Studies Centre, the Sydney Cyber Security Network, and the Centre of International Security Studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Master's Degree Programme – Second Cycle (D.M. 270/2004) in Comparative International Relations at Ca' Foscari Universi
    1 Master’s Degree programme – Second Cycle (D.M. 270/2004) In Comparative International Relations At Ca’ Foscari University of Venice Final Thesis THE TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM IN NORTH KOREA Supervisor Ch. Prof. Rosa Caroli Asst. Prof. Vincenza D’urso Graduand Paolo Pedrini Matriculation Number 827084 Academic Year 2015/2016 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduzione in lingua italiana INTRODUCTION 1. CHAPTER ONE 1.1. Introduction 1.2. North Korea’s mobile communication history in a nutshell 1.3. Why Orascom? 1.3.1. A silent divorce? 1.4. Domestic cellphone: Get involved! 1.5. Rate plans and top-up cards 1.6. Handsets and gizmos 1.7. What about foreigners? 1.8. Conclusions 2. CHAPTER TWO 2.1. Introduction 2.2. Black market breakdown 2.3. Deal with it! 2.4. Salaries in North Korea? 2.5. Smuggling into North Korea 2.6. The Jangmadang and grasshopper merchants 2.7. Making connection 2.7.1. Brokers 2.7.2. Calling the South 2.7.3. The surveillance 2.7.4. What happen if you get caught? 2.8. Conclusions 3 INTRODUZIONE IN LINGUA ITALIANA: Quando sfogliamo le notizie di cronaca, ci capita ciclicamente di leggere articoli sulla Corea del Nord: le follie legate al giovane dittatore Kim, i campi di prigionia, le minacce dei missili atomici e via dicendo. Ciò che invece non giunge attraverso i media è una chiara figura in grado di descrivere come realmente vivono i Nord Coreani, i vari strati che compongono la loro società, il loro stile di vita e le diverse attività che caratterizzano la loro quotidianità.
    [Show full text]
  • White Paper Human Rights North Korea
    White Paper on WHITE PAPER ON Human HUMAN RIGHTS IN Rights NORTH KOREA in 2 0 2 0 North Korea White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea 2020 Published : September 2020 Authors : Kyu-chang Lee, Sookyung Kim, Ji Sun Yee, Eun Mee Jeong, Yejoon Rim Publisher : Koh Yu-hwan Editor : Humanitarianism and Cooperation Research Division Registration : No. 2-02361 (97.4.23.) Address : Korea Institute for National Unification 217, Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul (06578), Republic of Korea Telephone : (Representative No.) +82-2-2023-8000 (Fax) +82-2-2023-8295 Website : http://www.kinu.or.kr Planning/ : Amigodesign (+82-2-517-5043) Design Print : Hancompany Co., Ltd. (+82-2-2269-9917) ISBN 979-11-6589-006-3 93340 Price ₩27,000 Copyright Korea Institute for National Unification, 2020 All KINU publications are available for purchase at all major bookstores in the Republic of Korea. (Purchase Inquiry) Government Printing Office Sales Center: ․ Store: +82-2-734-6818 ․ Office: +82-2-394-0337 The content of this White Paper is based on the opinions of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Korea Institute for National Unification. Kyu-chang Lee Director/Senior Research Fellow, Humanitarianism and Cooperation Research Division, KINU Sookyung Kim Research Fellow, Humanitarianism and Cooperation Research Division, KINU Ji Sun Yee Research Fellow, Humanitarianism and Cooperation Research Division, KINU Eun Mee Jeong Research Fellow, North Korean Research Division, KINU Yejoon Rim Assistant Professor, College of Public Policy, Korea
    [Show full text]
  • The Real North Korea This Page Intentionally Left Blank the Real North Korea
    The Real North Korea This page intentionally left blank The Real North Korea Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia ANDREI LANKOV 1 1 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offi ces in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Th ailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 © 2013 Andrei Lankov All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lankov, A. N. (Andrei Nikolaevich) Th e real North Korea : life and politics in the failed Stalinist utopia / Andrei Lankov.
    [Show full text]
  • Fashion and the Social Construction of Femininity in North Korea
    Fashion and the Social Construction of Femininity in North Korea Bronwen Dalton Kyungja Jung Jacqueline Willis University of Technology Sydney ABSTRACT In this paper we argue that North Korea’s socioeconomic transformation has had a profound and yet under-appreciated impact on the social construction of femininity. Drawing on 45 in- depth interviews with North Korean refugees, interviews with regular visitors to North Korea and NGO workers, and our own field notes from trips to North Korea, we analyse changes over three discernible (yet overlapping) economic periods: the 1960s–90s pre-famine period; the mid-1990s to late 2000s grassroots capitalism era; and the current Kim Jong Un period of quasi-capitalism. As dress is a discursive daily practice of gender, we focus on the practice of femininity as shown through North Korean women’s fashion choices. We argue that images of women in state propaganda have been shaped primarily by male leaders, but norms of femininity have shaped, and also been shaped by, women themselves. That is, the recent trend for North Korean women to dress in hyper-feminine styles can be explained in terms of women remaking themselves and planning their future lives. KEYWORDS North Korea; North Korean Women; transitional economy; women’s status; marketisation; femininity; fashion Introduction Important changes are taking place inside North Korea. The ongoing collapse of the command economy, the emergence of capitalism, increasing exposure to foreign pop culture and the growth of a new moneyed elite are influencing the construction of femininity in ways that depart from earlier state prescribed and policed ideals.
    [Show full text]