[Cankor] Report #241

[cankor at cankor.ca]

Dear subscriber,

Welcome to issue #241 of the CanKor Report.

Numerous answers have been sent this week to our QUIDNUNC section:
Randall Ireson, Lee Wheeler and Leonid Petrov expound on whether it is 
possible for the DPRK to be agriculturally self-sufficient.
Bryan Byong-Kuon Kim, Blair Mcbride and Leonid Petrov muse on linguistic 
preferences between the terms "unification" and "reunification".
Jong S. You returns to the question of how real are DPRK economic reforms.

Still unanswered is last week's question, which we have rephrased from the 
original sent to us by an anonymous CanKor reader:
North Korean publications consistently transliterate Korean names in the 
traditional way: three capitalized and unhyphenated parts, with the family 
name first (e.g. Kim Il Sung). South Korean and international media use a 
great variety of forms when transliterating North Korean names (e.g. Il-sung 
Kim, Kim Il-song, Kim Il-seong, Kim Il-sung, Il Song Kim), but rarely the 
traditional Korean way preferred in the DPRK. Why?

Are there any readers who would like to explain -- in 150 words or less --  
the joys and sorrows of the McCune-Reischauer system as opposed to other 
systems of transliteration for the Korean language?

Please do not hesitate to send to editor at CanKor.ca not only replies, but 
also QUESTIONS that may stump or amuse our many expert contributors.

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
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CANADA-KOREA ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE

CanKor # 241

Friday, 17 March 2006
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Senior officials from the UN World Food Programme unveil a new two-year 
US$100 million aid package in Pyongyang. Although labeled as development 
assistance, insiders admit that the contents are little changed from 
previous food aid. Negotiations continue on monitoring parameters.

After examination by the US State Department, Pentagon and other government 
agencies involved in national security, the USA rejects all DPRK proposals 
aimed at resolving their dispute over illicit financial activities. This 
includes the establishment of a joint US-DPRK consultative body to discuss 
technical cooperation against counterfeiting, a proposal purportedly 
supported by China as a face-saving way to bring the DPRK back to Six Party 
Talks.

ROK lawmakers demand answers as to why the number of DPR Koreans seeking 
asylum in the ROK has declined. This week's FOCUS section, 
"Refugee-defectors seek asylum elsewhere" shows that dissatisfied 
refugee-defectors are increasingly trying to settle in countries other than 
Korea, such as Europe and the USA, where asylum eligibility is extremely 
difficult to establish.

Last week's FOCUS section, "DPRK drug trafficking under review" (CanKor 
Report # 240), featured a story on the fate of crew members of the DPRK 
freighter "Pongsu." An Australian Supreme Court jury acquitted them of drug 
trafficking charges after three years in detention. Responding to our 
publication of this story, the DPRK Permanent Mission to the UN in New York 
sent CanKor the press release found in the FEEDBACK section of this issue. 
Among other things, it calls on the USA to make a formal apology and offer 
compensation for its alleged involvement in the case.
*************************************************

Contents:
1.   WFP IN PYONGYANG WITH NEW FOOD AID PACKAGE
     http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200603/200603150014.html

2.   USA REJECTS DPRK COMPROMISE PROPOSALS
     http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/03/15/1460774.htm

FOCUS: Refugee-defectors seek asylum elsewhere
3.   NUMBER OF DPRK REFUGEE-DEFECTORS TO ROK DECREASES
     http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200509/kt2005092118141311990.htm

4.   DPRK ASYLUM SEEKERS FAVOUR UK MOST
     http://times.hankooki.com/nation/nation.htm

5.   DPR KOREAN DANCER SEEKS ASYLUM IN AMERICA
     http://www.nysun.com/article/29143

FEEDBACK
6.   PONGSU CASE EXPOSES US "LIES AND DECEPTION"
     Direct to CanKor from DPRK Permanent Mission to the UN in New York

QUIDNUNC: Readers ask and respond to common and uncommon questions
THREE QUESTIONS ANSWERED THIS WEEK:
1. Is it possible for the DPRK to be agriculturally self-sufficient?
2. Why do South Koreans prefer the term "unification", while North Koreans 
prefer "reunification"?
3. How real are DPR Korean economic reforms?
*************************************************

1.   WFP IN PYONGYANG WITH NEW FOOD AID PACKAGE
     Chosun Ilbo, 15 March 2006

Senior officials from the UN World Food Program are in Pyongyang to discuss 
a new aid package for the country, a South Korean government source said 
Wednesday. The WFP is the conduit of international aid to the impoverished 
country.

The WFP has unveiled a new two-year US$100 million aid package for North 
Korea. An insider with the organization said the new plan will focus on 
bringing aid to the weak and needy in North Korea, so the contents are 
little changed from the aid the WFP provided until Pyongyang noisily 
expelled aid workers at the end of last year saying it no longer needs food 
donations. The North instead asked for development aid, which is what the 
new program officially provides. The negotiations are needed because 
Pyongyang bristles at the strict monitoring the WFP has implemented to 
ensure aid reaches those who need it most and is not diverted to the 
military.

WFP officials will resist North Korean demands to curtail their monitoring, 
according to government officials, who said donor countries place great 
importance on transparent distribution. WFP spokesman Gerald Bourke said he 
hoped the two sides can find a solution that satisfies both. If not, it will 
be difficult to persuade donors to send aid, he warned.
*************************************************

2.   USA REJECTS DPRK COMPROMISE PROPOSALS
     BBC Worldwide Monitoring, 15 March 2006

The United States rejected all proposals made by North Korea during last 
week's meeting on financial sanctions against North Korea, diplomatic 
sources told Kyodo News on Tuesday [14 March]. US and North Korean 
government officials had an unofficial meeting in New York on 7 March to 
discuss US financial sanctions imposed over the North's alleged illicit 
activities.

North Korea is likely to harden its attitude now that the United States has 
rejected all of its proposals apparently aimed at widening contacts between 
the two countries, including opening bank accounts with US banks and 
requesting technical cooperation against counterfeiting. The move could 
further delay the resumption of six-party talks on the North's nuclear 
development programme, which also involve China, Japan, South Korea and 
Russia. The talks have been stalled since November.

The sources said North Korea proposed to establish a joint US-North Korea 
consultative body to discuss matters related to what Washington calls law 
enforcement actions against the North and open bank accounts with US banks. 
It also asked the United States to lift sanctions against the Macao-based 
Banco Delta Asia and to offer technical help in distinguishing counterfeit 
currencies, the sources added.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice clearly expressed an intention Friday 
to refuse the proposal to set up a joint consultative body on the US law 
enforcement measures. The US administration later decided to reject the rest 
of the proposals after the State Department, the Pentagon and other 
government agencies involved in national security affairs examined them, the 
sources said. The US government agencies are fully united on their decision 
to reject North Korea's proposals, the sources said.

The sources said the United States told North Korea that there are no legal 
restrictions on opening US bank accounts but that US banks do not want to 
open bank accounts that could be used for money-laundering and other illicit 
activities. The United States also told North Korea that the sanctions 
against Banco Delta Asia are a matter that should be resolved by North Korea 
itself by putting an end to its involvement in illegal activities, according 
to the sources.

On technical cooperation against counterfeiting, the United States rejected 
the proposal because such a technology could leak outside North Korea, the 
sources said.
*************************************************

FOCUS: Refugee-defectors seek asylum elsewhere

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

3.   NUMBER OF DPRK REFUGEE-DEFECTORS TO ROK DECREASES
     by Seo Dong-shin, Korea Times, 21 September 2005

The number of North Koreans defecting to the South reached 567 in the first 
half of this year, falling by a quarter from 760 over the same period last 
year, according to the Unification Ministry Wednesday. Lawmakers demanded 
reasons for the reduction, but a ministry official told The Korea Times the 
ministry could not provide any specific factors for it as there are too many 
variables. Media reports have speculated on the improving food situation in 
the impoverished North and tightened border controls as possible reasons.

With no major turnaround expected, the number of North Korean defectors this 
year is likely to mark the first fall since 1998, when the figure stood at 
133. The number saw a steady increase until 2002, when it almost doubled 
from 583 in 2001 to 1,139. After 1,281 in 2003, the number reached 1,894 
last year mainly due to a mass defection via a third country in Southeast 
Asia. The Seoul government airlifted 468 North Koreans at that time. But it 
was in July and had no influence over the figure during the first half of 
the year.

The report also showed that a large number of North Korean defectors in the 
South, who received settlement allowances, were given manufacturing jobs. Of 
321 people who got work from January to July this year, for example, 173, or 
53.8 percent entered the manufacturing industry. Those who are engaged in 
the health and hygiene industry followed with 23.7 percent, or 76.

During the recent five years, violence took up a majority of crimes 
committed by North Korean defectors in the South. Out of 426 cases of crimes 
committed by North Korean defectors over the period, 343 were linked to 
violence. There were 28 cases of injury, 24 of robbery, 19 of fraud, seven 
of rape and five of homicide. Among them, 27 were imprisoned, 67 were fined 
and 120 suspended of indictment. As for settlement terms, 295 were living in 
their own home as of June 2005. A majority of 5,656 were living in rented 
flats.
*************************************************

4.   DPRK ASYLUM SEEKERS FAVOUR UK MOST
     by Seo Dong-shin, Korea Times, 15 March 2006

Britain has emerged as the country that received the highest number of 
asylum seeking applications from North Koreans in 2004, beating Germany, 
which has topped the list since 1999. The Washington-based Radio Free Asia 
(RFA), quoting data it obtained from the United Nations High Commissioner 
for Refugees (UNHCR), reported that 27 North Koreans lodged applications for 
asylum in the United Kingdom in 2004, an increase from 15 in the previous 
year.

North Korean refugees seeking asylum in Germany dwindled to 24 in 2003 and 
25 in 2004, from more than 80 to 90 during the peak period between 2000 and 
2002, according to the list of new asylum applications submitted by North 
Korean refugees in selected industrialized countries between 1995 and 2004. 
The list is posted on the Web site of RFA.

Switzerland and the Netherlands were also favored, with the number of North 
Koreans seeking refugee status there, marking 10 and eight each in 2004. The 
RFA reported last month that a total of 700 asylum seekers with North Korean 
nationality have filed applications for refugee status in seven West 
European countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, the 
Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and Norway.

Investigations revealed that a total of 320 North Koreans were living in 
five West European countries, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, 
and the United Kingdom as of 2004, it said. Other than the West European 
countries listed above, countries such as Australia, Austria, Canada, France 
and Hungary have also been receiving applications, according to UNHCR data 
based on government sources. Last year alone, France received 16 
applications, Austria four, Canada four and Australia two, Jennifer Pagonis, 
an UNHCR spokesperson, was quoted as saying by RFA.

While UNHCR collects statistics from the governments of some 150 countries 
at year-end, some of the key countries do not turn in their records. That 
means there is a possibility of even more North Koreans seeking refugee 
status, the report said.
*************************************************

5.   DPR KOREAN DANCER SEEKS ASYLUM IN AMERICA
     by Daniela Gerson, New York Sun, 15 March 2006

When starvation hit North Korea, Young Ae Ma watched countrymen who stole 
corn from fields being shot to death in public executions. On dozens of 
other occasions she witnessed official killings, including of friends and 
colleagues, for what seemed to be no reason at all. A diminutive dancer with 
striking presence, Ms. Ma worked as a spy for Pyongyang, a job she had no 
choice but to take. In 1999, during an intelligence gathering expedition to 
China, she received word that she would be imprisoned or killed if she 
returned because she had had contact with a businessman who fell out of 
favor with the regime. Ms. Ma never went back to North Korea. Her son 
thought she was dead.

She sought refuge in South Korea, entering by plane with a fake Chinese 
passport. After six months of resettlement education, including lessons in 
capitalism and South Korean customs, she received a permanent residency 
card. In Seoul, she settled into a new life, performing with a dance troupe 
of defectors, remarrying a fellow North Korean and eventually hiring a 
smuggler to kidnap her son so he could join her in Seoul.

Despite her relative prosperity, Ms. Ma was not satisfied. Seoul, she 
complained, in its eagerness to improve its relations with its northern 
neighbor, stifled her desire to speak out against the regime of Kim Jong II.

"They told us not to talk about North Korean civil rights," Ms. Ma, now 39, 
said in Korean through a translator. She said she was desperate to let the 
world know "North Korean human rights is not secure. There is no freedom. 
The North Korean government contains them because they don't want them to 
not have exposure to the outside world."

In early 2004, Ms. Ma and her husband traveled to America with a performing 
arts group of North Korean defectors and never used their return tickets. 
Now, from her tiny home in northern New Jersey's Korea Town, Ms. Ma has 
launched a public campaign to pressure the American government into granting 
political asylum to her and her family. In doing so, she is providing a rare 
glimpse into the immigration challenges facing many North Korean defectors 
who are in the New York area illegally and avoiding the attention of 
authorities.

It's an uphill battle. While Washington is eager to provide refuge to North 
Koreans, particularly outspoken women like Ms. Ma who can shed light on one 
of the world's most secretive and feared countries, the likelihood of legal 
admittance is slim. No North Korean was granted refugee status last year, 
and just two Koreans of the 31 in removal proceedings who petitioned last 
year were granted political asylum.

A prime barrier keeping North Korean defectors out of America is that many, 
like Ms. Ma, first have found refuge in South Korea. According to 
international law, if a refugee has been firmly resettled, they are no 
longer eligible to receive refugee status unless they can prove they are 
being persecuted. No North Korean refugees were admitted to America last 
year, according to the Department of State, because none applied. Nor did 
any political asylum applicants who, as is Ms. Ma's case, were legally in 
the country.

A small, clandestine community of North Korean defectors appears to be 
growing in the New York area. Numbering roughly two dozen, most are illegal 
immigrants. Some entered America on tourist visas; most paid smugglers to 
bring them to New York via Canada or Mexico. A reporter for the Korea Times' 
Queens bureau who has covered Ms. Ma's case closely, Yongil Shin, said he 
started discovering North Korean defectors settling in New York about two 
years ago. Since then, he's interviewed about 20 in the New York area.

The Reverend Young Son, who said he is working with about a dozen North 
Koreans in the New York area and knows of at least a dozen more, said 
problems with the government is a main reason for coming to America. "Mostly 
they believe the South Korean government activity and government policy is 
anti-America, pro-North Korea," he said, adding, "Also, they heard the USA 
has more freedom and is richer than South Korea."

A spokesman for the South Korean consulate in New York, Suk Woo Kang, denied 
any mistreatment of North Korean refugees, saying they are treated "like any 
South Korean" and are granted complete freedom. Indeed, the vast majority of 
North Koreans, when looking for refuge, choose South Korea. Not only is it 
conveniently located, there are more opportunities afforded to them than in 
America, such as financial and employment assistance, and they are already 
fluent in the language.

Regardless, Ms. Ma's teenage son attempted to enter America illegally from 
South Korea. He was apprehended while trying to join her after sneaking 
across the border with Mexico. He now faces the threat of deportation to 
South Korea. It was the latest in a series of harrowing trials for her son, 
now a New Jersey public school freshman with spiky hair dyed a light orange 
that never would have been allowed in Pyongyang.

Four years ago, a smuggler snatched him off the street. The trip to China 
took 15 days, traveling by train, car, and foot to reach a flooded river 
marking the border. Then the smuggler rented a fishing boat to get them 
across. In China, Ms. Ma's son joined the estimated 10,000 to 500,000 North 
Koreans living in hiding in a country where the government violates 
international law by not providing protection and often repatriates them to 
potential death or torture. He was lucky: His mother provided him a plane 
ticket out.

Just as he was becoming accustomed to life as a North Korean refugee in 
Seoul, he suffered another readjustment. His mother left for America and did 
not come back. He tried to follow, but was denied a tourist visa. A few 
months later, Ms. Ma arranged for a Christian missionary to take him to 
Canada. When he arrived, he was told he was too young to immigrate without 
family and was sent back.

Next, he bought a ticket to Mexico City. When he arrived at the airport, not 
speaking Spanish, he just told a cab driver, "hotel." By good fortune, he 
said, there were some Koreans there who charged him $2,300 to fly to the 
border and then smuggled him across with two Mexican men. Luck was not with 
him when he crossed: He was detained at Southwest Key, a center for 
unaccompanied minors caught illegally entering the country and ordered 
removed in August 2005. His lawyer is appealing that decision with the 
federal Board of Immigration Appeals.

For now, dressed in slouching military pants, he could pass for any American 
teenager. While his mother makes ginger tea and shares her fears that the 
South Korean government would persecute her if she returned, he holes 
himself up in his room, surfing the Internet, one of many portals to the 
outside world he never knew existed while he was in North Korea.
*************************************************

FEEDBACK

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

6.   PONGSU CASE EXPOSES US "LIES AND DECEPTION"
     DPRK Permanent Mission to the UN Press Release, KCNA, 14 March 2006

The United States, a past master at lies and deception, is now suffering 
bitter shame before the international community for a series of 
conspiratorial plots hatched by it recently. This is proved by the recently 
announced results of the final investigation into the case of the ship 
"Pongsu", a trading cargo ship of the DPRK.

As already known, the US hard-line conservatives who launched an invasion of 
Iraq under the pretext of "eliminating weapons of mass destruction (WMD)" in 
March 2003 kicked off an anti-DPRK smear campaign over the "issue of drug 
trafficking" in April of the same year. As part of the campaign they 
instigated some dishonest forces of Australia to commit such a piratical act 
as impounding the ship "Pongsu" and its crew engaged in normal trade on the 
groundless charge that they were directly involved in the "drug 
trafficking".

Even before an investigation into the case began, the USA instigated reptile 
media to build public opinion critical of the DPRK, charging that the north 
Korean authorities were involved in the case, pursuant to its policy. 
Meanwhile, the US Department of State in an annual "international narcotics 
control and strategy report" described the case of the ship "Pongsu" as a 
"state-sponsored drug trafficking case" which drew world attention.

It published such a "report" on March 1, too, in a bid to restart the 
campaign of criticism and pressure against the DPRK, asserting that there 
was possible state involvement in the drug trafficking and a trial of the 
master and other senior crewmen would be held soon. But on March 5, a few 
days later, the High Court of Australia declared the crewmen of the ship not 
guilty and set all of them free. This brought to light the deceptive nature 
of the USA and the true picture of its burlesque against the DPRK. As the 
results of the case of the ship "Pongsu" showed, truth is bound to be 
discerned from a lie.

No sooner had this case occurred than the DPRK strongly protested against 
the fabrication of the case, stating that it is not a simple drug matter but 
a political plot hatched by the USA and its allies in a premeditated and 
deliberate manner to do harm to the DPRK and stifle it over its nuclear 
issue. The USA, however, has escalated its smear campaign to label the DPRK 
a "criminal state". This is evidenced by the US loudmouthed story about the 
DPRK's "issue of counterfeit notes", "fake cigarette smuggling" and the 
like. No matter how desperately the USA may try to label the DPRK an 
"illegal state" under this or that charge, it can never deceive the world.

The socialist system in the DPRK, which aspires after justice and truth and 
holds man dearest strictly bans misuse of narcotics and their trafficking 
and such things as "the issue of counterfeit notes", prompted by its 
intrinsic nature.

The fiction of "the development of weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq and 
the case of the ship "Pongsu" convinced the international community that all 
the "criminal cases" much touted by the USA were nothing but charades aimed 
to hoodwink the world. Misuse of narcotics and their trafficking, the issue 
of counterfeit notes and other crimes are chronic evils that have long 
plagued the American society. The DPRK remains unfazed at the US base smear 
campaign as the DPRK's line and policies are very just and it is upright in 
everything.

The DPRK is sure to triumph just as truth is bound to prevail over a lie. 
The above-said case inflicted not small damage upon the DPRK's ship and its 
crewmen. The USA should make a formal apology and compensation for its 
piratical act and political swindle. And it should stop at once all its 
farces intended to mislead the international community. This is the only 
right way of getting rid of the deplorable situation where it is censured by 
the international community.
*************************************************

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.

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WHY DO DPR KOREANS PUT SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON AGRICULTURAL SELF-RELIANCE, WHEN 
EVERY SPECIALIST KNOWS THEY WILL NEVER BE SELF-SUFFICIENT?
*************************************************

Under the Juche policy of self-reliance, the DPRK has emphasized 
self-sufficiency in all areas of society. Food production is a central 
component of this self-sufficiency, and by means of intense fertilization, 
agriculture production was quite high in the late 1980s. That system of 
subsidized imports was not sustainable, and food production collapsed 
following 1990.
For DPRK policy makers, food self-sufficiency enhances national security. 
With appropriate technology and orientation, agriculture production could 
increase more rapidly than production in any other economic sector. Stable, 
adequate food production would reduce many stresses in DPRK society. It is 
actually possible for the DPRK to produce enough food to feed its people, by 
environmentally sustainable methods. The cost of this transition to 
sustainable production would be similar to the cost of 5 years of foreign 
food aid. Readers interested in one approach to this transition can consult: 
http://aparc.stanford.edu/publications/21046

Randall Ireson, Ph.D., DPRK Development Assistance Coordinator, American 
Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
*************************************************

The DPR Koreans are right to put a lot of emphasis on a sustainable food 
supply because in view of my experiences in working on food production since 
1999, it is possible to produce enough food on the land being farmed, 
provided agricultural policy is established to follow and apply a 
sustainable farming systems approach or conservation agriculture (CA), as 
the UNDP-FAO and international agricultural development community has been 
promoting.
There are adequate precipitation, groundwater and surface water supplies, 
solar radiation, growing degree-days (heat units) to attain 4-4.5 T/Ha (tons 
per hectare) rice milled and 6.5-7 T/Ha corn, 5 T/Ha potatoes (grain 
equivalent), and 2.5 T/Ha soybeans. With similar basic inputs and methods of 
sustainable farming -- including crop rotations, and green manures -- corn 
yields in the central plains of North America (similar or higher latitudes) 
exceed 8.4 T/Ha.
US ag statistics for 2004 and 2005 averaged 10.4 T/Ha on 4.4 million Ha, 
with more than 50% rain-fed only. North Korea, in a 1936 USDA ag census had 
310,000 Ha of rice, 225,000 Ha of barley, 230,000 Ha of wheat and 630,000 of 
millet-maize (grain sorghum similar to corn but more drought resistant). The 
North is best suited to mostly non-rice grain crops. Only the division of 
Korea in 1950's forced them to alter a centuries-old sustainable farming 
system. Using the 1930's cropped acreage and the above potential CA yields 
would provide 6.7 T/Ha (not including potatoes and soybeans area) on 1930's 
1.4 million Ha. A national production of 6.7 million Tons significantly 
exceeds the 5.0 million Tons WFP has been using as a minimum survival food 
supply.

Lee Wheeler, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) agricultural engineering 
advisor
*************************************************

Only 16% of all land in North Korea can be classified as arable (2 million 
hectares or 4.9 million acres). The seasonal climatic changes are extreme 
and vary from the average winter temperature of -17°C (1°F) to +24°C (75°F) 
in summer. Given these natural conditions any government would find the task 
of feeding the population of 22.5 million people challenging. Nevertheless, 
in 1974 the DPRK managed to produce 13.6 million tons of rice and other 
grains that created an illusion that the country could be self-sufficient in 
grain. But with the depletion of soil and deterioration of climate the 
agricultural production continued to fall throughout the 1980s-1990s. The 
current policy of DPRK puts much emphasis on agriculture because its 
resurrection can be achieved at a lesser expense than the resuscitation of 
industries. Mass mobilization campaigns in the cities continue to provide 
the free seasonal labor, while the donations of South Korean fertilizer and 
Chinese fuel help grow and collect the crops.

Leonid A. Petrov, L&J Development and Consultancy, www.LJinfo.boom.ru

*************************************************
FOR WHAT REASON DO SOUTH KOREANS PREFER THE TERM "UNIFICATION", WHEREAS 
NORTH KOREANS ALWAYS USE THE TERM "REUNIFICATION"?
*************************************************

It's quite interesting that you came up with this question. "Tong-il" in 
Korean language means "Unification" or "Unity" according to Korean-English 
dictionary published in ROK. I do not know how it is translated in 
dictionaries published in DPRK. And Koreans in overseas also use the term 
"Tong-il" in reference to Unification.
Since the Korean Peninsula was one country until it was divided into North 
and South Koreas in 1945, it would certainly mean the country to be 
re-unified when Koreans use the term "Tong-il" or even when the unification 
is being achieved in the future. But I understand Koreans both in ROK and 
DPRK rarely use the term "Jae-Tong-il", which means and can be translated to 
"Re-unification".

Bryan Byong-Kuon Kim, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*************************************************

North Korea elevates Korean nationalism to a sacred level and insists in its 
propaganda that "Korea is one." It sees Korean division as a brief 
interruption in a long, unitary and glorious national history. It plays the 
nationalist card to appeal to all Koreans and to gloss over the fundamental 
and complicated differences between the two Koreas that aren't likely going 
to favour North Korea on the path to reunification.
South Korea as a democracy and as the world's 11th largest economy has a 
more sober conception of history and nationalism. South Koreans are just as 
nationalistic as the North, but South Korea is more open about the serious 
social, political and economic differences it has with North Korea. Implicit 
in the term "unification" is the concept of two different entities -- and 
South Korea knows that re/unification entails the union of two very 
different countries.

Blair Mcbride, Sakura City, Japan
*************************************************

This disparity exists only when the Korean word "t'ongil" is translated into 
English, and is simply a matter of style. However, the problem of 
(re)unification of the Korean peninsula is deeply rooted in its history. 
South Korean historians claim that the southern kingdom of Silla (57B.C. - 
935 A.D.) unified the peninsula in 668 by conquering the northern kingdom of 
Koguryo (37 B.C.-668 A.D.). The official North Korean historiography (as 
instructed by Kim Jong-il in 1960) denies this point of view, arguing that 
Silla failed to subdue some breakaway territories in the far North and 
therefore was never successful in unifying Korea. The North Koreans insist 
that it was the Koguryo's cultural successor, the kingdom of Koryo 
(935-1392) that first unified the country. Thus, the DPRK, which is 
officially claimed to be the successor of Koguryo and Koryo, has a 
self-assumed mission to (re)unify the divided country.

Leonid A. Petrov, L&J Development and Consultancy, www.LJinfo.boom.ru

*************************************************
ARE DPR KOREAN ECONOMIC REFORMS REAL?
*************************************************

Economic reforms currently under way in the DPRK appear to be real. At least 
the days of pre-1990s-style rigid central planning are over. The reasons are 
both economic and political.
On the economic front, current market-style reforms are to a large extent a 
result of the virtual collapse of the North Korean central planning system 
after the demise of the Soviet Empire in 1991, and the string of natural 
disasters that followed. With the DPRK regime unable to provide even the 
basic necessities of life, people abandoned farms and factories in a 
desperate search for food. Farmer's markets and unofficial black markets 
mushroomed in response. The government took the wise step of condoning and 
even encouraging these private markets by promulgating a comprehensive 
package of market-style economic reforms in 2002.
On the political front, DPRK leader Kim Jong Il became increasingly 
convinced that Chinese-style economic reforms are the only way out of the 
economic impasse. His most recent visit to China is an excellent example of 
the mastery of his diplomacy. He managed to secure massive economic aid by 
agreeing to speed up reforms at home, at the same time silencing dissenting 
hardliners in his military opposed to market reforms. The rapidly thawing 
relationship with South Korea is beginning to pay a huge dividend, for 
example through the Kaesong Industrial Complex. Officials predict the number 
of South Korean companies there will reach one thousand within three years, 
and could be a model for future joint economic development projects 
throughout the DPRK.
With skilful diplomacy, the DPRK plays one neighbour against another (e.g., 
China, South Korea and Japan) to secure the best deal for herself on the 
road to economic development. Despite occasional setbacks and challenges, 
there is no doubt that the DPRK has crossed the bridge of no return on the 
road to Chinese-style economic reforms.

Jong S. You, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, Algoma University College, 
Laurentian University, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
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WHAT NOW?

North Korean publications consistently transliterate Korean names in the 
traditional way: three capitalized and unhyphenated parts, with the family 
name first (e.g. Kim Il Sung). South Korean and international media use a 
great variety of forms when transliterating North Korean names (e.g. Il-sung 
Kim, Kim Il-song, Kim Il-seong, Kim Il-sung, Il Song Kim), but rarely the 
traditional Korean way preferred in the DPRK. Why?

[Answers should be e-mailed to: editor at CanKor.ca]
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End CanKor # 241

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