DOCSLIB.ORG

North Korea in the Socialist World, 1948-1991

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
North Korea in the Socialist World, 1948-1991 NORTH KOREA IN THE SOCIALIST WORLD: INTEGRATION AND DIVERGENCE, 1945-1970 THE CROSSROADS OF POLITICS AND ECONOMICS by Avram Asenov Agov A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in The Faculty of Graduate Studies (History) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April, 2010 ©Avram Asenov Agov, 2010 ii ABSTRACT This thesis investigates the background behind the resilience of North Korean system, one which has endured numerous shocks and upheavals in its history. The era from 1945 to 1970 was decisive in the formation of North Korea’s domestic system; it also provides sufficient perspective to examine the major trends in the evolution of North Korea’s political and economic structure. The thesis analyzes DPRK history from the perspective of the regime’s internal and external integration into the socialist system, as well as efforts to diverge from that system. The dynamics of integration and divergence relate to the commonalities and distinctiveness of North Korea’s political and economic structure compared to other socialist countries, mainly the Soviet Union and China. This thesis studies the formation and evolution of North Korea’s political economy and defines its uniqueness within the socialist system. Socialist aid and trade are one focus of the study. We analyze four realms of relationships – ideology, politics, economy, and security. The northern regime’s ideological positioning was closely linked to North Korea’s nationalist course and to the regime’s divergence from the socialist system; economic considerations and security imperatives, by contrast, tended to push the regime toward the socialist world. The thesis defines North Korea’s place in the socialist world from the view point of the interaction between politics and economics. It argues that despite North Korea’s ideological and political divergences from the socialist system based on the Chuch’e (self-reliance) paradigm, the regime remained more integrated economically than is usually perceived. This factor is one of the main reasons for the DPRK’s ability to withstand the blow of the Soviet collapse, for it retained considerable economic ties to China. During the 1945-1970 era, North Korea occasionally deviated from one or another of its two major allies, but it never distanced itself from both the Soviet Union and iii the People’s Republic of China simultaneously. The DPRK also tried to compensate reductions in its interactions with one major ally or camp, including the Eastern bloc, by nurturing more active relations with capitalist states. This trend represents an important consistency in North Korea’s history. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract……………………………………………....…………………..………...…..…...ii Table of contents…………………………………………………………….……....…..…iv List of tables……………………………………………………………….…..…..…....vii Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………….…..…..….viii Dedication……………………………………………………………………………...…...x Chapter One: Introduction………...…………………………...….….……...…...1 Theoretical framework…………………………………...….…...........3 Interpretations of North Korean history……….………...….………..16 Scope of study…………………………………………..…....…..…..24 Thesis structure………………………………………...…....….....….29 Part One: Formation of the DPRK and Integration into the Socialist System, 1945-1953…………..…………………..……………..………………...………..….…33 Chapter Two: The Formation of the DPRK and the Korean War……...….....…..34 The Soviet occupation and the creation of the DPRK………...........….....….35 The Cold War in East Asia………..……………………….......….......38 Divided Korea………………………………………….……………..41 Creation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea….............................45 Occupation………………..……………………………..…..............45 “People’s democracy”…………………………………………..…....50 The rise of Kim Il Sung and the guerrilla group…………..…..…..…57 The Korean War……………………………………………….…...…..….....68 The failed military solution………………………………...…...…....68 Wartime North Korea……………………………………..……….....73 Summary………………………………………………………....…..............75 Chapter Three: North Korea’s Economic Policy and Integration……..............84 The North Korean economy…………………....……………….….………….85 Colonial legacy and reconstruction……………………….……..…....85 Land reform…………………………………………………………..89 Nationalization of industries………………………………………….93 Soviet-Korean economic relations……………………………………99 Trade integration………………………………………………...…..103 Wartime economy…………………………………………...….…...107 Fraternal aid to the DPRK……………….…………………...……….…….109 Wartime allies……………………………………………….………109 Humanitarian aid to North Korea………………………….…...........111 Economic aid………………………………………………...............117 Summary…………………………………………………………..................125 Part Two: Postwar Reconstruction and Further Integration, 1954-1961…………131 Chapter Four: The Consolidation of the North Korean System……………...132 Politics in North Korea…………………………………………….…………133 v Failure of de-Stalinization…………………………………………...136 Repressions……………………………………………………….....146 Sino-Soviet dispute and North Korea……………………………….154 Economic reconstruction……………………………………………………..157 Heavy industry line………………………………………………….157 Micro-management……………………………………….................172 Collectivization and socialist revolution…………………………….176 Collectivized and nationalized farming……………………………..189 Summary……………………………………………………………………..193 Chapter Five: North Korea’s Integration into the Socialist World.…………..200 International brotherhood: aid for the reconstruction of North Korea…….....200 Humanitarian aid…………………………………………….………201 Economic aid………………………………………......…………....205 Industrial projects………………………………………………………….…223 The Soviet Union and China...............................................................223 Eastern Europe………………………………………………...….…232 Technical assistance……………………………………........………245 Socialist familiy: perception of socialist help……………………….252 Summary………………………………………………………………….….255 Chapter Six: North Korea’s Foreign Trade and “Socialist Market”…..................259 From aid to trade..............................................................................................259 The Soviet Union and China…………………………………….......261 Eastern Europe…………………………………………………...….267 Reaching out to developing and capitalist countries…………….......282 Trends of North Korea’s trade……………………………………..................285 Summary…………………………………………………………...…...........290 Part Three: Divergence from the Socialist System, 1962-1970………….……........294 Chapter Seven: Chuch’e Socialism in North Korea and the Crumbling of Socialist System…………..…….….....………………...…………………..………...295 The socialist system under strain………………………………….................297 The Sino-Soviet Split and North Korea’s policy…………................298 North Korea’s self-reliance versus integration……………...............309 North Korean politics…………………………………………………….......321 Tightening the screws……………………………………....…….... 322 Militarization…………………………………….……………....…..328 Summary………………………………………………………….………….341 Chapter Eight: Economic Policy, Isolationism, and Integration………..….....345 Economic policy…………………………………………………………...…345 Seven Year Plan……………………………………………………..345 Living standards……….………………………………………….....358 Reform attempts…………………………….…………………….…365 Economic (non)cooperation – the difficult road of self-reliance……….…....373 vi Chuch’e at the helm………………………………………………....374 The drying well of fraternal aid………………………………….….382 Technical assistance from the socialist countries……….…………...394 North Korea’s perception of Soviet camp and assistance…………...401 Summary…………………………………………………………………..…403 Chapter Nine: Trade – Trademark of Relative Consistency in DPRK’s Economic Relations………………………..……..………………….………..……406 Chuch’e and trade……………………………………………………..……...406 Socialist integration – a web of bilateral trade relations……….….….…..….417 The Soviet Union and China…………………………….......……....417 Eastern Europe…………………………………………...…....….…425 Capitalist countries………………………………………...………...444 Summary……………………………………………………...……………...448 Chapter Ten: Conclusion: Waves of Integration and Divergence...........................451 North Korea’s internal integration and divergence………...………….….….454 External integration into the socialist system………………………….….….462 Fraternal aid………………………………...………………...….….462 Trade with the socialist world………….………….......…………….465 The North Korean pattern of integration…….……...………………470 References……..……………………………......………………………………………...478 Appendices………………………………………………………………………………..492 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Soviet-North Korean trade, 1946-1953…………..………….…..……..…..……103 Table 2: Wartime aid to North Korea………………………………….…..………....…...123 Table 3: Fraternal aid, 1954-1961………………………………………..….….………...219 Table 4: Fraternal aid as share of North Korea’s income, 1954-1960……...………….... 221 Table 5: Soviet-North Korean trade, 1954-1961………………………………………….262 Table 6: Sino-North Korean trade, 1954-1961……………………….….……………….266 Table 7: East German-North Korean trade, 1955-1961……………….….………………269 Table 8: Bulgarian-North Korean trade, 1954-1961……….……………..………………273 Table 9: Socialist loans, 1962-1970……………………………….…………..………….392 Table 10: Soviet-North Korean trade, 1962-1970…………………..……….…………….419 Table 11: Sino-North Korean trade, 1962-1970…………………………….……………...423 Table 12: East German-North Korean trade, 1962-1970…………………….…………….426 Table 13: Bulgarian-North Korean trade, 1962-1970……………………….……………..432 Table 14: Aggregate socialist aid to North Korea, 1945-1970…..………….…………......463 viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I offer my deepest gratitude to Dr. Steven Lee, my advisor, for his guidance through
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Georgetown University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics
    INSTANT MESSAGING IN KOREAN FAMILIES: CREATING FAMILY THROUGH THE INTERPLAY OF PHOTOS, VIDEOS, AND TEXT A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics By Hanwool Choe, M.A. Washington, D.C. February 27, 2020 Copyright 2020 by Hanwool Choe All Rights Reserved ii INSTANT MESSAGING IN KOREAN FAMILIES: CREATING FAMILY THROUGH THE INTERPLAY OF PHOTOS, VIDEOS, AND TEXT Hanwool Choe, M.A. Thesis Advisor: Cynthia Gordon, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Extending previous research on family interaction (e.g., Tannen, Kendall, and Gordon 2007; Gordon 2009) and online multimodal discourse (e.g., Gordon forthcoming), I use interactional sociolinguistics to analyze instant messages exchanged among members of Korean families(-in-law). I explore how family talk is formulated and fostered online through technological affordances and multimodalities. Data are drawn from 5 chatrooms of 5 Korean families(-in-law), or 17 adult participants, on KakaoTalk, an instant messaging application popular in South Korea. In their instant messaging, family members accomplish meaning-making through actions and interactions, between online and offline, and with visuals and texts. This analysis employs the notion of "entextualization" (Bauman and Briggs 1990; Jones 2009), or the process of extracting and relocating (a part of) discourse, actions, materials, and media into a new context. I suggest that this meaning-making process
    [Show full text]
  • Yun Mi Hwang Phd Thesis
    SOUTH KOREAN HISTORICAL DRAMA: GENDER, NATION AND THE HERITAGE INDUSTRY Yun Mi Hwang A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2011 Full metadata for this item is available in St Andrews Research Repository at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1924 This item is protected by original copyright This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence SOUTH KOREAN HISTORICAL DRAMA: GENDER, NATION AND THE HERITAGE INDUSTRY YUN MI HWANG Thesis Submitted to the University of St Andrews for the Degree of PhD in Film Studies 2011 DECLARATIONS I, Yun Mi Hwang, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 80,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student and as a candidate for the degree of PhD in September 2006; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2006 and 2010. I, Yun Mi Hwang, received assistance in the writing of this thesis in respect of language and grammar, which was provided by R.A.M Wright. Date …17 May 2011.… signature of candidate ……………… I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree.
    [Show full text]
  • THE ESSETERRE CO-IMPACT STORY Melissa Planting
    Rebuilding Bulgaria THE ESSETERRE CO-IMPACT STORY Melissa planting A New and Different Chapter for Bulgaria Bulgaria is a country rich with opportunity, but it has faced challenges in reaching its full potential. Bulgaria is part of the European Union (EU), but has one of the lowest GDP in the EU—with nearly a quarter of its population living at or below the global poverty line—and is experiencing at present the most extreme population decline in the world. Sadly, each year emigration erases dozens of towns from Bulgaria’s map. High death and low birth rates are also significant factors in depopulation, but lack of opportunity is the primary driver for this migration away from the country. As the nation’s men and women search for jobs abroad, severe structural and industrial decay become increasingly common. Experts on distribution of EU funds cite the high concentration of investments and resources in certain regions at the expense of others as a contributing factor to lagging infrastructure and a diminishing population. Before the fall of Communism, Bulgaria was not only produces some of the world’s best Lavender and an active industrial nation, it also had some of the Melissa. Its sunny and dry climate during harvest world’s preeminent essential oil research, development, coupled with dry, well-drained, sandy soils are ideal for and production. Organizations like the Rose Institute in these aromatic plants. For these reasons, dōTERRA Kazanlak were renowned for their sophistication and chose Eastern Bulgaria as the place to create a world- cutting-edge research. In the Post-Communist Era, not class production center for some of its most valued oils.
    [Show full text]
  • North Korea Country Report BTI 2008
    BTI 2008 | North Korea Country Report Status Index 1-10 2.46 # 122 of 125 Democracy 1-10 2.70 # 120 of 125 Ä Market Economy 1-10 2.21 # 122 of 125 Ä Management Index 1-10 1.90 # 122 of 125 scale: 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) score rank trend This report is part of the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) 2008. The BTI is a global ranking of transition processes in which the state of democracy and market economic systems as well as the quality of political management in 125 transformation and developing countries are evaluated. The BTI is a joint project of the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Center for Applied Policy Research (C•A•P) at Munich University. More on the BTI at http://www.bertelsmann-transformation-index.de/ Please cite as follows: Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2008 — North Korea Country Report. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2007. © 2007 Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh BTI 2008 | North Korea 2 Key Indicators Population mn. 22.5 HDI - GDP p.c. $ - Pop. growth1 % p.a. 0.5 HDI rank of 177 - Gini Index - Life expectancy years 64 UN Education Index - Poverty3 % - Urban population % 61.6 Gender equality2 - Aid per capita $ 3.9 Sources: UNDP, Human Development Report 2006 | The World Bank, World Development Indicators 2007 | OECD Development Assistance Committee 2006. Footnotes: (1) Average annual growth rate 1990-2005. (2) Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM). (3) Percentage of population living on less than $2 a day. Executive Summary On 9 October 2006, in defiance of international warnings, North Korea performed an underground nuclear test. This was seen as a major blow to global efforts aimed at curbing North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, and as an emphatic statement of its determination to use every available means in order to survive.
    [Show full text]
  • Digital Trenches
    Martyn Williams H R N K Attack Mirae Wi-Fi Family Medicine Healthy Food Korean Basics Handbook Medicinal Recipes Picture Memory I Can Be My Travel Weather 2.0 Matching Competition Gifted Too Companion ! Agricultural Stone Magnolia Escpe from Mount Baekdu Weather Remover ERRORTelevision the Labyrinth Series 1.25 Foreign apps not permitted. Report to your nearest inminban leader. Business Number Practical App Store E-Bookstore Apps Tower Beauty Skills 2.0 Chosun Great Chosun Global News KCNA Battle of Cuisine Dictionary of Wisdom Terms DIGITAL TRENCHES North Korea’s Information Counter-Offensive DIGITAL TRENCHES North Korea’s Information Counter-Offensive Copyright © 2019 Committee for Human Rights in North Korea Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior permission of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 435 Washington, DC 20036 P: (202) 499-7970 www.hrnk.org Print ISBN: 978-0-9995358-7-5 Digital ISBN: 978-0-9995358-8-2 Library of Congress Control Number: 2019919723 Cover translations by Julie Kim, HRNK Research Intern. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Gordon Flake, Co-Chair Katrina Lantos Swett, Co-Chair John Despres,
    [Show full text]
  • Goldsmiths College University of London Locating Contemporary
    Goldsmiths College University of London Locating Contemporary South Korean Cinema: Between the Universal and the Particular Seung Woo Ha A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the department of Media and Communications January 2013 1 DECLARATION I, Seung Woo Ha confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. Signed……………………….. Date…..…10-Jan-2013……… 2 ABSTRACT The thesis analyses contemporary South Korean films from the late 1980s up to the present day. It asks whether Korean films have produced a new cinema, by critically examining the criteria by which Korean films are said to be new. Have Korean films really changed aesthetically? What are the limitations, and even pitfalls in contemporary Korean film aesthetics? If there appears to be a true radicalism in Korean films, under which conditions does it emerge? Which films convey its core features? To answer these questions, the study attempts to posit a universalising theory rather than making particular claims about Korean films. Where many other scholars have focused on the historical context of the film texts’ production and their reception, this thesis privileges the film texts themselves, by suggesting that whether those films are new or not will depend on a film text’s individual mode of address. To explore this problem further, this study draws on the concept of ‘concrete universality’ from a Lacanian/Žižekian standpoint. For my purpose, it refers to examining how a kind of disruptive element in a film text’s formal structure obtrudes into the diegetic reality, thus revealing a cinematic ‘distortion’ in the smooth running of reality.
    [Show full text]
  • Leisure Port Development in the Incheon Area: Concepts and Benchmarks
    JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS AND TRADE 5 Volume 2, Number I, 2004, pp. 5-45 Leisure Port Development in the Incheon Area: Concepts and Benchmarks Marc L. Miller' and Sung-Gwi Kim" ABSTRACT In concert with an ambitious national agenda that emphasizes free trade and globalization, lncheon Metropolitan City is taking the first steps toward reinventing itself to become a twenty-first century "Pentaport" with integrated Seaport, Airport, Technoport, Business Port, and Leisure Port components. The lncheon Pentaport transformation-projected to be complete by 2020-will entail significant industrial, sociological, and institutional modification. Leisure Port objectives can be achieved through responsible planning attuned to the ideal of sustainable development and by empirical studies of lncheon tourism and leisure dynamics. International benchmarks of leisure port success are found in Sydney, Australia; Vancouver, Canada; and San Diego, USA, among seven other cosmopolitan cities. Growth estimations for coastal ferry passengers; beach use; recreational vessels and yachts in the lncheon region are encouraging. lncheon Leisure Port development of ten amenity destinations will require equal and multidisciplinary attention to questions of tourism design and tourism impacts. Important issues will concern environmental quality, clean shipping practices, the proper balance of modem and traditional amenities and attractions, trade-offs of cultural homogeneity and cultural diversity, and creative destination branding and marketing, among others. Keywords: lncheon, Leisure, Leisure Port, Pentaport, Tourism, Sustainable Development. "A world-economy always has an urban center of gravity, a city, as the logistic heart of its activity." -- Fernand Braudel (1984: 27) Butterflies come to pretty flowers. -- Korean proverb • Professor, School of Marine Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
    [Show full text]
  • Everyday Life
    Everyday Life The North Korean people live under a strict communist regime. They have no say in how their country is managed. The central government controls nearly every aspect of life in the country. Most jobs don’t have salaries. Food and clothing are mostly provided by the government. People who do have a job with a paycheck earn around $1,500 per year. The majority of North Korean people are very poor. They don’t have things like washing machines, fridges, or even bicycles. Practicing a religion is not allowed as the state sees it as a threat. Instead, children are raised to worship Kim Il Sung, “the President for life”. There are over 34,000 statues of Kim Il Sung in North Korea, and all wedding ceremonies must take place in front of one. Portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can be found pretty much everywhere. All citizens must hang these portraits, which are provided by the government. Once a month, the police come over and check whether the portraits are still hanging and properly taken care of. Electricity is very unreliable in the country; most homes only have electricity a few hours per day. When buildings on one side of the street are blacked out, the other side gets electricity. When this situation occurs, there is a mad rush of children who run to their friends’ apartments on the other side. Internet is only available to the elite in North Korea. Even cellphones are extremely rare. Only people who are trusted by the government can buy a cell phone, but they must pay a registration fee of $825.
    [Show full text]
  • Feasibility Study on Bobovdol Thermal Power Plant Upgrading Project
    FeasibiIity Study on BobovdoI Thermal Power Plant Upgrading Project March 2001 New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization(NEDO) usted To :Tokyo Electric Power Company Feasibility Study on Bobovdol Thermal Power Plant Upgrading Project Entrusted to: Tokyo Electric Power Company March 2001 Purpose of the study : The purpose of the study is to recover remarkably aged Bobovdol Thermal Power Plant located in the suburb of Sofia, Bulgaria, to meet the level of output that was available when it was newly built. This will be accomplished by introducing cutting edge technology available in Japan and implementing a combined cycle power generation system using a highly efficient gas turbine as a substitute. It is also aimed to implement F/S for the project to reduce carbon dioxide emission, so that it can be applied for the future joint implementation project* (JI) with Japan. NEDO-IC-00ER11 FeasibiIity Study on Bobovdol Thermal Power Plant Upgrading Project March 2001 New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Entrusted To :Tokyo Electric Power Company March 31, 2001 Tokyo Electric Power Company Introduction The report includes results of the basic study on the development including joint implementation project for the “Improvement Project for Bobovdol Thermal Power Plant” entrusted to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization of Japan (NEDO) as the project of the year 2000. Repair work plan for Bobovdol Thermal Power Plant located in the suburb of Sofia, Bulgaria (approximately 60km southwest of Sofia) has been drawn up aiming at energy saving and reduction of greenhouse effect gas.
    [Show full text]
  • Violence in South Korean Schools and the Relevance of Peace Education
    VIOLENCE IN SOUTH KOREAN SCHOOLS AND THE RELEVANCE OF PEACE EDUCATION by SOONJUNG KWON A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Education University of Birmingham March 2015 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT This thesis aims to explore and analyse the culture of violence which is, arguably, deeply embedded in South Korean schooling and to suggest how this can be re- directed towards a culture of peace through peace education. In order to achieve this goal, fieldwork was conducted for a year, employing critical ethnography and case studies. Data gained from this fieldwork were analysed and discussed within the conceptual frameworks of Bourdieu’s symbolic violence and peace education theories – Hick’s defining peace in particular. This finding of this thesis fall into four parts: some selected cultural elements of everyday school life; symbolized and institutionalized violence; authoritative school management and increasingly atypical employment; and how to change this culture of violence to peace: possibilities of peace education? These findings are discussed in relation to theories to show the ways in which socio-historical backgrounds and ideologies (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • Scenarios for a Transition to a Prosperous Market Economy in North Korea
    Scenarios for a transition to a prosperous market economy in North Korea. Byung-Yeon Kim* and Gerard Roland** ABSTRACT: We examine in detail two possible scenarios for a transition to the market economy in North Korea. In a first scenario, we explore a path of transition of North Korea to the market economy following a regime collapse. In a second scenario, we explore a path of transition that would be chosen by the North Korean leaders, following the experience of China and Vietnam. While these scenarios have common features, they also involve important differences. Keywords: North Korea, South Korea, transition, reforms, unification, integration. JEL classification codes: P3, P31, P36, P37. * Professor of Economics at Seoul National University ** Professor of Economics and Political Science, University of California Berkeley and CEPR. 1 1. Introduction The North Korean economy has been in disastrous shape for many years causing starvation and extreme poverty. The North Korean leaders are unable to feed their people and have been shamelessly using the threat of nuclear weapons to ransom the outside world to extract food imports to keep their despotic regime alive. The death of Kim Jong-Il and accession of inexperienced son Kim Jong-Un to power raises new possibilities of big changes in North Korea. Given the inexperience of the new leader, a collapse scenario becomes more likely. Fights within the leadership might lead to chaos and a power vacuum. This is a dangerous scenario but one that is needed to be prepared for. International cooperation will be required to organize emergency aid (food, medicine, basic order) fast and efficiently and avoid mass migration.
    [Show full text]
  • Diplomatic News in Focus
    MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA MDB No. 111 MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN AUSTRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SEBASTIAN KURZ VISITS MACEDONIA IN FOCUS diPLomaTic neWS Vienna MIGRATion ConFERence PACE DELEGATion VISITS Macedonia PAGE 5 INTERVIEW: H.E. MS. SRI ASTARI RaSJid, AMBASSadoR OF The RePUBLic OF IndoneSia TO The RePUBLic OF Macedonia ER 2016 PAGE 10/11 mb mounTain BeLASica WaTERFALLS – OVE N UniQue NATURAL BeauTY PAGE 4 PAGE 14/15 DIPLOMATIC NEWS MDB PRESIDENT GJORGE IVanOV PaYS Macedonian Diplomatic Bulletin was WORKING VISIT TO REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA founded in October 2006 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia. he President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, paid a working visit to the TRepublic of Bulgaria on 21–22 November. During the visit, he met with his Bulgarian counterpart, Rosen Plevneliev, and the President-elect of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev. Overall bilateral relations and possibilities to further bilateral and regional cooperation Filip II Makedonski 7, 1000 Skopje were discussed at the meetings. At a ceremony at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAN), Republic of Macedonia President Ivanov was awarded an honorary doctorate degree. On this occasion, he delivered a lecture titled “Migrations and Migrants: Challenges for the Third Millennium”. www.mfa.gov.mk [email protected] Editor: Vladimir Efremovski Editorial Board: Zuko Rizvanski, Shaban Jashari, Katerina Stavreska, and Sejfullah Shaqiri Adviser: Goce Georgievski Photo: Ljupco Blagoevski Published monthly by: Macedonian Information Centre Director: Dragan Antonov Chief Translator: Aleksandra Ilievska PRESIDENT GJORGE IVanOV ATTEndS MARRAKECH CLImaTE CHanGE CONFERENCE he President of the Republic of TMacedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, paid a working visit to the Kingdom of Naum Naumovski Borce 73, Morocco on 15–17 November to attend 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia the UN Climate Change Conference in www.micnews.com.mk Marrakech.
    [Show full text]