AD-A284 251 area handbook series Z North Korea 0-a country study C. ' 994 00 0r-" P ,' .I " : ,. .k = •:t .. ... ..... ..... .. -<0 C,, • L ~ IU. -- II i..1 -- "!S ' rr ,". .. 9,. SIC -1- Reproduced From Best Available Copy North Korea a country study Federal Research Division Library of Congress Edited by . • Andrea Matles Savada Research Completed June 1993 Accesion For NTIS CRAP,! DT;C * ~~~~~By...... .............................* * -' Reproduced From Best Available Copy M/IC QUALMY UJU;E•tD 0 On the cover: The Tower of Chuch'e Idea on the bank of the Taedong River, P'y6ngyang, and statuary of the worker, peasant, and working intellectual in front of its base. The tower symbolizes the immortality of chuch'e-the political ideology promulgated by President Kim I1 Sung-and was completed in 1982 in honor of Kim's seventieth birthday. Fourth Edition, First Printing, 1994. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-PuLlicatlon Data North Korea : a country study / Federal Research Divir;"ji, Library Uf Congress ; edited by Andrea Matles Savada. - 4th ed. p. cm. - (Area handbook series, ISSN 1057-529,') (DA pam ; 550-81) "Supersedes the 1981 edition of North Korea : a country study, edited by Frederica M. Bunge"-T.p. verso. "Research completed June 1993." Includes bibliographical references (pp. 291-321) and index. ISBN 0-8444-0794-1 1. Korea (North) I. Savada, Andrea Matles, 1950- II. Library of Congress. Federal Research Division. III. Series. IV. Series : DA Pam ; 550-81. DS932.N662 1994 93-48469 951.93-dc2O CIP Headquarters, Department of the Army DA Pam 550-81 For sale by the Superintendent of Docurnents, U.S. Goverinvirt Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Foreword This volume is one in a continuing series of books prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program sponsored by the Department of the Army. The last page of this book lists the other published studies. Most books in the series deal with a particular foreign country, describing and analyzing its political, economic, social, and national security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelation- ships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors. Each study is written by a multidisciplinary team of social scientists. The authors seek to provide a basic understanding of the observed society, striving for a dynamic rather than a static portrayal. Particular attention is devoted to the people who make up the society, their origins, dominant beliefs and values, their com- mon interests and the issues on which they are divided, the nature and extent of their involvement with national institutions, and their attitudes toward each other and toward their social system and political order. The books represent the analysis of the authors and should not be construed as an expression of an official United States govern- ment position, policy, or decision. The authors have sought to adhere to accepted standards of scholarly objectivity. Corrections, additions, and suggestions for changes from readers will be wel- comed for use in future editions. Louis R. Mortimer Chief Federal Research Division Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 20540 t5 DTIC QUALTki PGTD iii Acknowledgments This edition supersedes North Korea. A Country Study, published in 1981. The authors wish to acknowledge their use of portions of that edition in the preparation of the current book. Various members of the staff of the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress assisted in the preparation of the book. Sandra W. Meditz made helpful suggestions during her review of all parts of the book. Robert L. Worden also reviewed parts of the book and made numerous suggestions and points of clarification. Tim Merrill checked the contents of all the maps and reviewed the sections on geography and telecommunications. Rodney P. Katz assisted with the compilation of several of the maps and also helped to collect research materials. Thanks also go to David P. Cabitto, who provided graphics support; Marilyn L. Majeska, who managed editing and production and edited portions of the manuscript; An- drea T. Merrill, who provided invaluable assistance with regard to tables and figures; and Barbara Edgerton, Alberta Jones King, and Izella Watson, who performed word processing. Alberta Jones King also assisted with the Bibliography. The authors also are grateful to individuals in various United States government agencies who gave their time and special knowledge to provide information and perspective. These individu- als include Ralph K. Benesch, who oversees the Country Studies/ Area Handbook Program for the Department of the Army; Cho Sung Yoon, Far Eastern Law Division, Library of Congress, who reviewed parts of the text and answered queries pertaining to the judicial and the legal systems; and C. Kenneth Quinones of the Department of State who reviewed the text and also offered many valuable suggestions and points of clarification. Inkyong Ahn, Yeon- mi Ahn, Paul Dukyong Park, and Key P. Yang of the Library of Congress Korean Section all provided invaluable assistance in researching queries. The editor also wishes to thank the staff of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Mission to the United Nations for their assistance. Others who contributed were Ly Burnham, who reviewed the portions of the text on demography; Harriett R. Blood and the firm of Greenhorne and O'Mara, who assisted in the preparation of maps and charts; Teresa E. Kemp, who designed the illustra- tion for the cover of the book and the illustration for the title page of Chapter 4; Deborah A. Clement, who designed the illustrations v for the other chapter title pages; Debra Soled, who edited portions of the manuscripts; Cissie Coy, who performed the final prepubli- cation editorial review; and Joan C. Cook, who prepared the In- dex. Linda Peterson of the Library of Congress Composing Unit prepared camera-ready copy, under the direction of Peggy Pix- ley. Most of the photographs were provided by Tracy Woodward. The editor is extremely grateful for his help, especially given the difficulty of locating current photographs of North Korea. vi Contents Page Forew ord ................................. iii Acknowledgments ........................... , Preface ................................... xiii Country Profile ............................. xv Introduction ............................... xxiii Chapter 1. Historical Setting ................ Bruce G. Cumings THE ORIGINS OF THE KOREAN NATION ........... 4 The Period of the Three Kingdoms ............... 6 Korea under Silla ............................ 10 Unification by Kory6 ......................... 11 The Chos6n Dynasty: Florescence ................ 13 Dynastic Decline ............................. 19 KOREA IN THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY WORLD O R D ER ......................................... 22 THE LEGACY OF JAPANESE COLONIALISM .......... 26 THE RISE OF KOREAN NATIONALISM AND COM M UNISM ................................... 28 THE NATIONAL DIVISION AND THE ORIGINS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF K O R EA ......................................... 32 THE KOREAN WAR ............................... 39 THE POSTWAR ECONOMY AND PATTERNS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION ............................ 40 CORPORATISM AND THE CHUCH'E IDEA ........... 41 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ...................... 44 Chapter 2. The Society and Its Environment .... 47 Donald M. Seekins THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT .................... 50 Topography and Drainage ...................... 51 C lim ate .................................... 52 Environmental Protection ...................... 55 POPULATION ..................................... 55 Size and Growth Rate ......................... 56 vii Population Structure and Projections ............. 57 Settlement Patterns and Urbanization ............. 59 Koreans Living Overseas ....................... 59 SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND VALUES ................. 61 Confucian and Neo-Confucian Values ............. 61 Chos6n Dynasty Social Structure ................ 62 The Traditional Family and Kinship .............. 64 The Colonial Transformation of Korean Society ..... 66 Tradition and Modernity in North Korea .......... 67 Chuch'e and Contemporary Social Values .......... 69 Classes and Social Strata ....................... 70 U rban Life ................................. 72 V illage Life ................................. 73 Fam ily Life ................................. 76 The Role of W omen .......................... 79 The Role of Religion ........................... 80 ETHNICITY, CULTURE, AND LANGUAGE IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY ...................... 83 Contemporary Cultural Expression ............... 84 Literature, Music, and Film .................... 86 Architecture and City Planning .................. 86 The Korean Language ........................ 88 EDUCATION ...................................... 90 Educational Themes and Methods ............... 92 Primary and Secondary Education ............... 93 Social Education ............................. 95 Higher Education ............................ 96 Adult Education ............................. 98 PUBLIC HEALTH .................................. 98 Chapter 3. The Economy ........................ 103 Joseph S. Chung ECONOMIC SETTING .............................. 106 Korea under the Japanese Occupation ............ 106 Developmental Strategy ........................ 107 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND STRUCTURAL CHANGE ....................................... 109 Record