[Cankor] Report #234

[cankor at cankor.ca]

Dear subscriber,

Welcome to issue #234 of the CanKor Report.

May we draw your attention to our QUIDNUNC section at the end of the Report, 
in which readers contribute questions and answers on a wide variety of 
subjects. This week there is continued discussion on the question: "What is 
the meaning of 'democratic' in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea? 
and two answers to the question: "How accurate is it to call North Korea 
'Stalinist'?"

One reader wonders, "What is the meaning of 'Songun,' used repeatedly in the 
new years joint editorial (CanKor #232)?"

Please send your answer (maximum 150 words) to: editor at CanKor.ca

The CanKor team.

For articles not original to CanKor, direct links are available in the 
Contents section, should you wish to consult the originals on the internet.

If the links no longer function, you may refer to the full text articles 
appended to the issue.

For back issues, archives and other content, please visit our website:
http://www.cankor.ca
*************************************************
CANADA-KOREA ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE

CanKor # 234

Friday, 27 January 2006
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After a pause of more than three years, Japan and the DPRK are set to 
re-open normalization talks in Beijing on 4 February. In line with the 
format that was agreed by the two sides in December, the talks will consist 
of three separate but parallel discussions -- each with its own set of 
negotiators -- covering the abduction issue, security, and the establishment 
of diplomatic relations, including possible compensation for Japan's 
colonial history.

Seoul finds it hard to accept pressures by Washington to fall in line with 
financial sanctions imposed on the DPRK for counterfeiting and money 
laundering, fearing that this will not only collapse Six-Party Talks, but 
also disrupt inter-Korean exchanges. The ROK nonetheless agrees to join --  
at least partially -- the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), 
established to block the transfer of weapons of mass destruction and related 
illicit activities.

China asks the USA to relax financial sanctions in order to encourage the 
DPRK to return to Six-Party Talks. The proposal involves giving the DPRK 
access to currently frozen accounts that are not linked to any illegal 
activities, such as ones used for normal international remittances.

This week's CanKor FOCUS presents a retrospective summary of key events 
involving the DPRK during the second half of 2005, selected and authored by 
CanKor editor Erich Weingartner in bi-monthly instalments.
*************************************************

Contents:

1.   TOKYO AND PYONGYANG TO REOPEN TALKS
     http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200601270249.html

2.   NEW OBSTACLE TO NUKE TALKS AND INTER-KOREAN RELATIONS
     http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/opinion/200601/kt2006012520264454040.htm

3.   CHINA ASKS US TO SOFTEN SANCTIONS AGAINST DPRK
     http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstCategory/index.php?cmenuid=7&

FOCUS: Year-end Summary of Events

4.   REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO DPRK, JULY - AUG 2005
     Original article, copyright CanKor

5.   REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO DPRK, SEPT - OCT 2005
     Original article, copyright CanKor

6.   REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO DPRK, NOV - DEC 2005
     Original article, copyright CanKor

QUIDNUNC: Readers ask and respond to common and uncommon questions.
THIS WEEK: How accurate is it to call North Korea "Stalinist"? and 
additional comments on What is the meaning of "democratic" in the Democratic 
People's Republic of Korea?
*************************************************

1.   TOKYO AND PYONGYANG TO REOPEN TALKS
     The Asahi Shimbun, 27 January 2006

Japan and North Korea will hold their first bilateral talks in more than 
three years on normalizing diplomatic ties, using a new negotiating system 
that separates the abduction, history and security issues, Foreign Minister 
Taro Aso said Friday. The 13th normalization talks will be held over four or 
five days in Beijing starting on 4 February, Aso told a news conference.

Parallel discussions will be held on the three major obstacles to normalized 
relations: the abduction of Japanese nationals by Pyongyang; security issues 
such as North Korea's nuclear and missile development programs; and issues 
over Japan's past colonization of the Korean Peninsula, including possible 
compensation. The two sides agreed to the format in December.

It will be the first bilateral talks between Tokyo and Pyongyang on 
normalizing relations since the meeting held in Malaysia in October 2002. 
Koichi Haraguchi, a senior diplomat, and North Korean Ambassador Song Il Ho 
will be in charge of the overall negotiations for normalizing relations. 
Kunio Umeda, deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and 
Oceanian Bureau, and Kim Chol Ho, deputy chief of the North Korean Foreign 
Ministry's Asian Bureau, will focus on the abduction issue. Tadamichi 
Yamamoto, a senior official in charge of North Korean nuclear issues, and 
Chong Tae Yang, deputy chief of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's American 
Bureau, will discuss security.

Aso emphasized that Japan's priority is to resolve the abduction issue. He 
said Tokyo will ask Pyongyang to allow all abductees to return to Japan, 
conduct a thorough investigation to uncover all details of past abduction 
cases, and hand over the agents responsible.

Pyongyang, however, has argued that the abduction issues are already 
resolved. The North Korean side will likely focus on the compensation issue 
and Japan's economic cooperation during the talks.
*************************************************

2.   NEW OBSTACLE TO NUKE TALKS AND INTER-KOREAN RELATIONS
     The Korea Times, 25 January 2006

The stalemate in the six-party nuclear negotiations is confounded further by 
Seoul's consenting to Washington's call to join its global efforts to stop 
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). With an agreement 
reached late last month, the nation is to partially join the US-led 
multilateral campaign -- the Proliferation of Security Initiative (PSI) --  
aimed at blocking the transfer of WMD by "rogue" countries such as North 
Korea and Iran. In particular, the inclusion of drills for intercepting 
suspected WMD shipments in annual South Korea-US military exercises is 
certain to provoke the North and strengthen its resolve to boycott the 
negotiations, suspended since last November. What worries Seoul most is that 
this would seriously impair inter-Korean relations.

Despite the foreseeable setback to the talks and inter-Korean cooperation, 
and given that some 70 countries are full PSI members, the nation has no 
choice but to partially join the campaign. The United States identifies the 
North as the world's most active WMD proliferator, including the production 
of missiles. Even though the PSI is chiefly designed to crack down on the 
manufacture and trade of WMD, its scope is generally accepted to include 
driving out illegal activities like currency counterfeiting and drug 
smuggling. Thus, the North is squeezed more than other supposed rogue 
countries because of its alleged counterfeiting of American banknotes and 
money laundering, subjecting it to the financial sanctions imposed by 
Washington last October.

To make matters worse, the US Embassy in Seoul called upon the Korean 
government on Tuesday to join in Washington's financial strictures against 
Pyongyang. Fearing such a concession would lead to not just the collapse of 
the six-party negotiations but also the disruption of inter-Korean 
exchanges, the latest US demand is hard for Seoul to accept. Besides, Seoul 
doesn't fully agree with the US financial sanctions because there is no 
apparent evidence of the North's illicit activities.

Nobody denies US endeavors to end the spread of WMD, or to halt 
counterfeiting and other illegal activities. But, many here believe 
Washington's harsh stance will worsen the nuclear crisis on the peninsula, 
forcing Pyongyang to increase its nuclear brinkmanship. They hope the Bush 
administration will also show efforts to bring the North back to the nuclear 
talks.

Last but not least, the North ought to come to the negotiating table as 
quickly as possible, dropping its demand that the USA lift the punitive 
financial action in exchange for its return to the talks. This is the only 
thing which may induce Washington to loosen its grip on the North.
*************************************************

3.   CHINA ASKS US TO SOFTEN SANCTIONS AGAINST DPRK
     Kyodo News Service, New York, 26 January 2006

China asked the United States last week to relax some financial sanctions 
imposed against North Korea, and presented the US side with a compromise 
proposal to that end, according to diplomatic sources at the United Nations. 
The proposal was made Jan. 18 when Christopher Hill, US assistant secretary 
of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs and the chief US delegate to the 
six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, met in Beijing with 
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, the country's head delegate to the 
talks, according to the multiple sources from countries involved in the 
six-way talks.

They said the proposal involves North Korean access to multiple accounts at 
a bank in Macao that the Chinese government has placed under its de facto 
control after the bank was subjected to US sanctions over alleged illicit 
activities involving North Korean entities. The US Treasury Department last 
September forbade US financial institutions from doing business with Banco 
Delta Asia SARL, a unit of Delta Asia Financial Group, which it accused of 
laundering money for North Korea and helping circulate counterfeit $100 
bills.

In unofficial talks, Wu indicated China's willingness to unfreeze some of 
the affected accounts, the sources said, and Beijing appears to be ready to 
unfreeze North Korea-related accounts not linked to any illegal activities, 
such as ones used for normal international remittances. It is believed that 
Beijing's aim is to soften Pyongyang's opposition to the resumption of the 
six-party talks by facilitating its transactions with non-US financial 
institutions through the sanctions-hit bank. North Korea is refusing to 
return to the negotiating table unless the United States lifts the financial 
sanctions.

But Washington says the sanctions are law enforcement matters unrelated to 
the nuclear talks, and has urged North Korea to return to the talks 
unconditionally.
*************************************************

FOCUS: Year-end Summary of Events

*************************************************

4.   REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO DPRK, JULY - AUG 2005
     by Erich Weingartner, prepared for CIDA

Boasting improved economic output during the first half of 2005, the DPRK 
credits its decision to "embrace advanced technology from foreign countries" 
in order to raise the level of science and technology "on par with the 
world".

On 9 July the DPRK announces its decision to rejoin Six-Party Talks, 
explaining that during contacts made in New York, the USA offered to 
recognize the DPRK as a sovereign state, promised not to invade, and agreed 
to hold bilateral talks within the framework of the Six-Party Talks. The 
DPRK interprets this as a retraction of the US Administration's "outpost of 
tyranny" remark.

The DPRK and China on 11 July celebrate the 44th anniversary of their mutual 
cooperation agreement signed in 1961. Kim Jong Il declares his wish for 
positive progress in the forthcoming Six-Party Talks. Foreign Minister Paek 
Nam Sun meets US journalists led by New York Times publisher Arthur 
Sulzburger.

The 10th meeting of the North-South Committee for the Promotion of Economic 
Cooperation concludes 13 July with an agreement on provision by the ROK of 
raw materials for clothes, shoes and soap production, and delivery of 
500,000 tons of food in the form of a loan. In return, the DPRK grants the 
ROK investment rights in mining of zinc, magnesite and coal. The head of the 
Hyundai Group returns from Pyongyang on 16 July with an agreement to operate 
tours to Mount Paektu and Kaesong City. Optical fiber cables are connected 
across the demilitarized zone on 18 July to prepare for video meetings 
between separated families and relatives. The first such virtual reunions 
take place on 15 August.

Activists at a conference organized by the US government-funded Freedom 
House on 18 July reject suggestions by critics that pressure on the issue of 
human rights would upset delicate diplomacy at Six-Party Talks.

Canadian businessman Maurice Strong's contract as top UN envoy to the DPRK 
lapses on 19 July, amid suspicions about his role in the UN oil-for-food 
scandal.

On 20 July, ROK and DPRK military officers agree to establish liaison 
offices to avoid accidental armed clashes, and resume work on dismantling 
propaganda facilities along the DMZ. At a follow-up meeting for inter-Korean 
maritime cooperation from 25-27 July, the two sides designate a joint 
fishery zone in the West Sea to prevent recurring naval skirmishes.

US envoy Christopher Hill and DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, 
respective heads of their delegations to the Six-Party Talks, hold a rare, 
75-minute one-on-one meeting in Beijing on 25 July, the day before the 
formal beginning of the fourth round of Six-Party Talks. Both sides agree to 
stay beyond the three-day limit at previous talks, until they "get something 
done." On 31 July, Kim Kye Gwan affirms the willingness of the DPRK to 
return to the NPT and accept UN inspections if an agreement can be reached.

On 7 August, Six-Party Talks in Beijing adjourn for a three-week "recess," 
due to the inability of the USA and the DPRK to compromise on the wording of 
a draft statement on principles to guide future negotiations. At issue is 
the USA's requirement that the DPRK must also give up civilian use of 
nuclear power. An ROK official reveals on 8 August that the DPRK, ROK, USA 
and China have agreed to launch a separate four-party forum to discuss 
replacing the 1953 Armistice Agreement with a peace treaty.

The ROK agrees on 10 August to allow DPRK commercial vessels to pass through 
its waters between the South Korean mainland and Jeju Island. On the same 
day the militaries of the two Koreas test the new North-South hotline.

North and South Korea independently announce amnesties to mark the 60th 
anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule on 15 August 
1945. More than 4 million people are pardoned for various crimes and 
misdemeanours in the ROK, including those convicted under the anti-communist 
National Security Law that prohibits unauthorized contact with the North. 
The DPRK amnesty decree takes effect 1 September, but numbers or crimes are 
not specified. The last amnesties in both countries took place in 2002.

A high-level DPRK delegation visits Seoul for the 15 August Grand National 
Festival for Independence, Peace and Reunification. Delegation members bow 
in respect at the National Cemetery, burial place of soldiers killed in the 
Korean War. This "taboo-busting" gesture elicits strong emotions, prompting 
some to call it a "watershed moment" of inter-Korean relations, others a 
"propaganda coup" for the DPRK. The delegation also visits the National 
Assembly, the hospitalized former president Kim Dae-jung and President Roh 
Moo-hyun.

CNN founder Ted Turner visits the DPRK and the ROK in mid-August to promote 
a proposal to turn the DMZ into an ecological peace park. The White House on 
19 August names conservative hard-liner Jay Lefkowitz as the new State 
Department envoy on human rights in North Korea. This move is criticized by 
the DPRK on 27 August as "not a good omen" for Six-Party Talks.

The first meeting of the North-South Committee for Agricultural Cooperation 
agrees on 19 August to build a tree nursery and establish an integrated pest 
management system. On 24 August ROK and DPRK agree on the need for 
additional video reunions, although the North does not consent to the 
South's proposal for a monthly schedule. They also remain divided over 
confirmation of the fate of South Korean POWs and civilians abducted during 
the Korean War.

On 29 August the DPRK proposes to postpone the reopening of Six-Party Talks 
until the third week of September. A US congressional delegation headed by 
James Leach, chairman of the Subcommittee on Asian and the Pacific Affairs 
of the International Relations Committee of the House of Representatives, 
arrives in DPRK on 30 August.
*************************************************

5.   REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO DPRK, SEPT - OCT 2005
     by Erich Weingartner, prepared for CIDA

At the beginning of September, the DPRK Red Cross Society sends condolences 
to its US counterpart for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. A meeting of 
senior commanders of the ROK and US military agree that by October, the ROK 
will take over anti-artillery command from US Forces Korea.

DPRK chief negotiator and Vice-Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan receives US 
Congressmen Tom Lantos and Jim Leach during their visit to Pyongyang, and 
tells them that Six-Party Talks would resume on 12 September. Prominent US 
experts John Lewis and Siegfried Hecker, returning from a visit to the DPRK 
on 9 September tell US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the DPRK 
would insist on its right to peaceful use of nuclear power for the purpose 
of "economic construction and the improvement of the standard of people's 
living."

The heads of the DPRK and ROK Olympic committees on 8 September agree to 
create an inter-Korean unified team for international sports competitions.

The fourth round of Six-Party Talks concludes in Beijing on 19 September 
with a Six-Point Joint Statement of Principles on which future negotiations 
will be based. The USA accepts the principle of "commitment for commitment, 
action for action," pursued by the DPRK. The statement also "takes note" 
that the DPRK asserts its right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The next 
day, the DPRK insists that it will return to the international 
nonproliferation regime and allow IAEA inspections only after receiving a 
light-water reactor. The USA says that discussion on the provision of 
civilian nuclear power will take place only after credible verification that 
the DPRK has eliminated all its nuclear programmes.

Japan's Foreign Ministry announces that it will resume bilateral talks with 
the DPRK to broach "outstanding issues," such as abductions and DPRK 
missiles. The UK-based agency Fitch Ratings considers raising the ROK credit 
rating following the Six-Party Joint Statement. With inter-Korean trade 
expected to reach a record one billion dollars this year, ROK President Roh 
Moo-hyun orders the creation of a comprehensive plan for the DPRK's economic 
recovery.

Meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York on 23 September, 
DPRK Deputy Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon requests the UN to cease food aid 
shipments by the end of the year. The DPRK also wants resident NGOs to leave 
the country. Aid groups wishing to continue operations must shift from 
humanitarian to long-term development assistance. UN relief coordinator Jan 
Egeland urges the DPRK to reverse this decision, saying that the abruptness 
of the cut-off will harm the country's children.

More than 170 South Koreans are invited to an unprecedented investor 
relations event as the two Koreas prepare to open their first joint business 
office in the Kaesong Industrial Complex to promote inter-Korean trade.

The IAEA General Assembly passes a resolution on 30 September welcoming the 
DPRK's pledge to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme. China declines to 
co-sponsor, objecting to its focus on US priorities rather than on 
incentives.

On 3 October, the DPRK bans the sale of rice and other staple grains at 
private markets. The public distribution system is to control the price and 
sale of food grains, a move interpreted by some as backtracking on recent 
economic reforms. For the first time in 10 years, the DPRK denies approval 
for the annual United Nations crop assessment by the FAO and WFP. The DPRK's 
own assessment concludes that a "bumper crop" this year makes food aid no 
longer necessary.

The DPRK Workers' Party celebrates its 60th founding anniversary with a 
military parade on 10 October, attended by leader Kim Jong Il. Military 
leaders promise to "mercilessly crush aggressors" in televised addresses, 
but no mention is made during the festivities of the statement issued at 
Six-Party Talks.

The WFP on 14 October announces it will close 19 food enrichment factories 
in the DPRK beginning in November, the first major step toward winding down 
operations meant to feed 6.5 million of the country's most-at-risk people. 
On 21 October, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson returns from a White 
House-sanctioned four-day visit to the DPRK, saying he secured permission 
for the WFP and 30 of its international employees to stay.

Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun of Hyundai Asan, operator of the first ROK tourism 
venture in the DPRK, dismisses Vice-chairman Kim Yoon-kyu amid accusations 
that he misappropriated South-North cooperation funds. In protest, Pyongyang 
slashes the tourist quota to the Kumgang Resort and suspends projected 
additional projects in Kaesong and Mt. Paektu.

DPRK leader Kim Jong Il assures visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao of his 
commitment to a nuclear-free Korean peninsula and that the DPRK will take 
part in the fifth round of Six-Party Talks in November. Hu recommends the 
so-called "Chinese Way" of openness and reforms, but receives only polite 
praise for Chinese successes from Kim Jong Il. Highlight of the 28-31 
October visit is the signing of the DPRK-PRC Agreement on Economic and 
Technological Cooperation. Japan's Kyodo news agency reports that Hu plans 
to offer as much as US$2 billion in long-term aid, an assertion Chinese 
officials deny.

The DPRK warns that US pressure over human rights and drug trafficking 
threatens the basic spirit of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence 
embodied in the Six-Party joint statement. A nationwide campaign for the 
prevention of bird flu epidemic is launched in the DPRK under the direction 
of the State Emergency Anti-epidemic Committee. The end of October sees the 
finishing touches applied to the richly symbolic restoration of the Holy 
Valley Temple in Kaesong, DPRK. Bombed during the Korean War, this Buddhist 
historic site promises to become a favoured destination for South Korean 
tourism.
*************************************************

6.   REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO DPRK, NOV - DEC 2005
     by Erich Weingartner, prepared for CIDA

A delegation of the Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis visits Pyongyang 
from 31 October to 2 November with donations of antibiotics and baby food 
worth US$1 million and plans to help rebuild its medical production 
facilities. As a first step, Novartis will invite and educate DPR Korean 
medical experts and officials.

Koreas hold reunions for separated families at Mt. Kumgang on 5 and 10 
November. 100 North Koreans are reunited with 441 family members from South 
Korea. 143 South Koreans are reunited with 219 separated family members from 
North Korea. The second and third video reunions of separated families are 
held 24-25 November and 8-9 December. 151 South Koreans from 40 families 
meet 104 North Korean separated family members, while 133 North Korean are 
virtually reunited with their 173 South Korean family members.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in 
conjunction with the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences hosts a 
ten-day workshop in Beijing 5-15 November, provided training in sustainable 
development strategies and environmental assessment and reporting to five 
officials of the DPRK Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

On 10 November, the DPRK National Veterinary Emergency Epidemic Control 
Committee issues a televised emergency alert concerning avian influenza. An 
emergency action plan is devised to deal with an outbreak of bird flu. Key 
entry points near China are designated as special epidemic control zones. 
Quarantine procedures on poultry are strengthened and preventive measures 
are instituted.

The first stage of the fifth round of Six-Party Talks ends inconclusively in 
Beijing on 11 November after only three days. US negotiator Christopher Hill 
refuses to discuss DPRK negotiator Kim Gye Gwan's demand for a civilian 
nuclear reactor, saying the DPRK must first disarm and welcome nuclear 
inspectors. Both Hill and Kim appear willing to meet bilaterally to discuss 
US sanctions related to accusations of DPRK involvement in counterfeiting 
and money laundering activities. Hopes for such a meet evaporate on Hill's 
return to Washington.

>From 16 to 18 November, a United Nations legal delegation conducts a seminar 
in Pyongyang on treaty law and practice, statelessness and refugee issues. 
The New York-based UN Treaty Section's Office of Legal Affairs and a Senior 
Liaison Officer of the UNHCR in Geneva respond to questions on obligations 
under treaties, termination of treaties and breaches of treaty obligations. 
Nicolas Michel, Under-Secretary-General and United Nations Legal Counsel 
says that "capacity-building is essential for a better understanding and 
implementation of international law", adding, "My Office was pleased to be 
able to favourably respond to the request for assistance made by the 
Government of the DPRK."

The DPRK asks non-governmental aid groups to leave the country by the end of 
the year. On 18 November, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) announces it 
will wrap up its DPRK food aid programme. The CFGB is a member of FALU (Food 
Aid Liaison Unit), an NGO consortium whose offices within the UN World Food 
Programme (WFP) in Pyongyang also close mid-December.

The board of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) 
agrees in principle on 24 November to terminate construction of two nuclear 
power reactors in the DPRK. The DPRK demands compensation and refuses to 
return construction equipment, including heavy machinery and vehicles. The 
ROK struggles with Japan and the USA over how to share termination expenses. 
Seoul stands to lose at least US$1.4 billion, including US$200-500 million 
in cleanup costs.

DPRK trade volumes with China and Japan increase in 2005, according to 
figures released on 1 December. Trade with China from January to September 
stands at US$1.19 billion, up 25.3 percent from the same period in 2004.

US AID cancels a pledged shipment of 25,000 tons of food aid to the DPRK on 
3 December, citing monitoring concerns if the WFP is forced to close 
operations. By year's end, the future of WFP presence remains in doubt, with 
even optimistic officials predicting a reduction of half of the current 
staff of 35 internationals.

On 7 December, the DPRK President of the SPA Presidium, Kim Yong Nam, 
receives credentials from Canadian Ambassador Marius Grinius, the first 
envoy to represent Canada in both Seoul and Pyongyang. Among the small list 
of countries whose ambassadors are simultaneously accredited to both Koreas, 
Canada is the first to switch its DPRK representation from Beijing to Seoul.

On the same day, at his first meeting with the press since taking office in 
October, US Ambassador to South Korea, Alexander Vershbow, makes 
international headlines by calling the DPR Korean government a "criminal 
regime," the first involved in government-sponsored currency counterfeiting 
"since Adolf Hitler." An outraged DPRK spokesman on 10 December says 
Vershbow should be recalled as "the worst ambassador in history."

>From 8 to 10 December, some 1,000 human rights experts, activists and North 
Korean defectors gather in Seoul for a high-profile three-day human rights 
conference organized by the US-based organization Freedom House. The event 
is funded by the US government under the North Korea Human Rights Act.

A divided UN Sixtieth General Assembly Plenary in New York on 16 December 
passes resolution IV on the situation of human rights in the DPRK, by a 
recorded vote of 88 in favour to 21 against, with 60 abstentions, including 
the ROK. A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry underlines his 
government's determination to strengthen its national self-defense 
capability if the USA escalates its policy of isolating and crushing the 
DPRK on the pretext of the human rights and nuclear issues.
*************************************************

QUIDNUNC

In this section of CanKor, we invite readers to send questions, answers, or 
responses. Answers should be under 150 words and may be edited for space.

*************************************************
HOW ACCURATE IS IT TO CALL NORTH KOREA "STALINIST"?
*************************************************

By Stalinism, one refers to the Soviet Union state during the reign of Josef 
Stalin, including the following characteristics, which are shared by North 
Korea:
-->A single-party state, in which any opposition is regarded as treason.
-->A cult of personality, with the supreme leader regarded as omnipotent.
-->An absence and criminalization of private property.
-->Exclusive control of the economy by the party-state.
-->Total domination of education and media by the party-state and its ruling 
clique, under a single ideology.
-->Military priorities in defence and foreign affairs, accompanied by 
paranoia towards outside countries, with alliances of convenience.
-->An extensive Gulag of concentration camps, with hundreds of thousands of 
political prisoners, held under the most abject conditions.
-->Subordination and repression of religion and all forms of voluntary 
association.
-->A closed society, with Potemkin villages for gullible foreign visitors.
-->Consolidation of power accomplished by bloody purges.

Robert Bedeski, Professor Emeritus, University of Victoria, BC, Canada.
*************************************************

Stalin's "People's Democracy" sanctioned no more than a temporary union 
between the proletariat and other social groups. Soviet architects of the 
DPRK were inherently prejudiced against any social groups other than workers 
and peasants. Stalin's model of development aimed at the total 
nationalization of industry, total political control, and total mobilization 
of the population. All these policies have achieved their perfection under 
Kim Il Sung and, until 2002, continued to be pursued under his successor, 
Kim Jong Il. Thus, the period 1948-2002 in DPRK history can be called 
"Stalinist". Only after 2002 with the introduction of July First Economic 
Measures did North Korea step on the path of "reforms" which can be loosely 
compared to the post-Stalin liberalization of the Soviet economy.

Leonid A. Petrov, PhD, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The 
Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

*************************************************
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF "DEMOCRATIC" IN THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF 
KOREA?
*************************************************

The DPRK was established in 1948, soon after the end of WWII when two 
theories of state construction -- the Maoist "New Democracy" and Stalinist 
"People's Democracy" -- were at the peak of popularity in East Asia. Both 
theories of non-capitalist development had common features and attracted the 
active support of the nationalist Left and Centre. The theories, however, 
were different in some ways, primarily as they related to the role of the 
non-proletarian classes in the process of state-construction. Stalin 
realized that the populations of Allied-occupied countries in Europe and 
Asia would not support communism immediately, and that a special 
transitional period was therefore required to aid local communists to take 
over powerful leftist forces. Thus, the official name: Democratic People's 
Republic of Korea.

Leonid A. Petrov, PhD, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The 
Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
*************************************************

The only aspect of the DPRK that can be considered "democratic" is voting --  
if enforced voting (nearly 100% turnouts) for a single "candidate" can have 
any genuine democratic meaning. The quotation from Kenneth Quinones (CanKor 
Report #233) has no relevance to democracy -- unless we accept Lenin's use 
of the word. If we do, then, as Lewis Carroll writes, a word means whatever 
I choose it to mean. Oprah Winfrey might define "democratic" as "feeling 
good", to suggest an absurd stretch of this doctrine. Shall we accept that 
definition?

Robert Bedeski, Professor Emeritus, University of Victoria, BC, Canada.
*************************************************

What Now?

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF "SONGUN," USED REPEATEDLY IN THE NEW YEARS JOINT 
EDITORIAL (CanKor #232)?

[Answers should be e-mailed to: editor at CanKor.ca]
*************************************************

End CanKor # 234

*************************************************
CanKor is an electronic information service for readers interested in the 
issues of peace and security on the Korean peninsula, published by 
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