Category Archive: North Korea

Dec 24

A Christmas Tree for North Korea

Categories:

Kim Jong-Un, North Korea, Offbeat, South Korea

December 24, 2010

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As much of the world celebrates Christmas Eve, a special tree has been lit south of the DMZ for North Koreans on the other side of the border to see. A nearly 30 metre metal structure draped with ornamental lights and bearing an illuminated Christian cross on the top has been switched on by South Korea for the first time in 7 years. Recently the two halves of the peninsula have been escalating tensions, this time with the South Koreans seemingly reveling in their own provocations in the form of massive military drills near the border. South Korean soldiers guard the tree as the North has denounced its lighting as provocation and there were concerns they might fire on it.

The Christmas tree, planted in the highly visible Aegibong Peak, was originally planned to shut down on December 26th, the day following Christmas. The shutoff date was later extended to January 8th, in respect for other religious organizations and not to coincide with the birthday of Kim Jong-Un as some may suspect. The tree lighting is a tradition founded by the South in 1954, the year following the Korean War as a sort of “message of peace”/propaganda for the North, depending on how you want to look at it.

Merry Christmas, Koreas!

Source: AFP

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/728

Dec 20

Did Governor Richardson save the day for Korea?

Categories:

Military, North Korea, Nuclear, South Korea, USA, War

December 20, 2010

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While most North Americans were asleep in their beds, the decision to back down on increased threats against South Korea was conceded by the North. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, travelling with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, arrived in Pyongyang on the 16th to help ease tensions on the peninsula. Richardson’s trip happened to coincide with planned artillery drills from South Korea, drills that were condemned by North Korea who threatened swift retaliation if they were to move forward.

South Korea proceeded with the drills early in the afternoon, which went on for 94 minutes, and the world waited for the North Korean response. Later it was announced that North Korea would agree to UN nuclear inspectors to tour their Yeongbyon nuclear complex, where it was recently determined that an effort to kick-start uranium enrichment had begun. The North also agreed to ship 12,000 fresh nuclear rods out of the country. A “hotline”, similar to the direct line of contact between Russian and US leaders during the cold war, was also recommended to be established between the two Koreas.  North Korea has since dismissed the claim via KCNA:

This was nothing but a childish play with fire of cowards without an equal as they made much fuss, firing shells left unused during the military provocation on November 23 after shifting by stealth the waters to be a scene of the projected shelling and its target for fear of the KPA′s second and third retaliatory blows for self-defence.
The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK did not feel any need to retaliate against every despicable military provocation like one taking revenge after facing a blow.

Richardson and Blitzer have postponed their flight home a day, apparently due to weather in the form of a thick fog. On CNN’s political blog, Blitzer described the weather: “Everyone who witnessed it, including our North Korean handlers, said it was the worst fog they’d ever been in.” They’ve since been occupying their time with Western karaoke and puffing cigars. KCNA also reports that Governor Richardson also came to Pyongyang with a gift for Kim Jong-Il, though what that gift was has yet to be disclosed.

Source: CNN (1) / Yonhap News / KCNA

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/725

Dec 18

North Korea vows harsh retaliation if Yeonpyeong drills begin

Categories:

China, Military, North Korea, Russia, South Korea, USA, War

December 18, 2010

sk_soldiers_yeonpyeong

South Korea this Saturday has delayed planned artillery drills from Yeonpyeong Island, the contested island near the Northern Limit Line battered by North Korean artillery on November 23rd. The cause of the delay is “bad weather”, however South Korea has been under a lot of foreign pressure from Russia and China to scrap the drills in order to ease tensions on the peninsula. The North has been very vocal over their protesting of the drills, but despite military threats, the drills are said to be proceeding regardless sometime before Tuesday.

The citizens who haven’t already evacuated Yeonpyeong are understandably nervous; if South Korea goes through with these drills, there can be no saying if North Korea won’t stick to its words and attack again. North Korea’s state news mouthpiece, KCNA, accused the US of using the remaining civilians on the island as a “human shield” against a North Korean attack. Such a provocation could ignite further disputes and potentially lead to all out war between the Koreas. Both sides have a lot to lose from a rekindled war.

Source: Associated Press / Yonhap News / KCNA

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/722

Dec 16

Bill Richardson arrives in Pyongyang

Categories:

China, North Korea, USA

December 16, 2010

New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, who has made several diplomatic trips to North Korea in the past, has arrived in Pyongyang with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer tagging along. In an interview at Beijing airport, Richardson said the following:

“We are heading to North Korea in hopes of bringing peace. My message is that we need to persuade them to stop some of the aggressive actions that North Korea has taken… I hope I can help out. I hope I can make a difference… Whenever the North Koreans contact me, they always want to send a message of some kind. My hope is that they provide messages that can lessen tensions on the Korean peninsula.”

Blitzer, a seasoned reporter who has not been to North Korea in the past, will be providing press coverage of Richardson’s talks and travels. Richardson was invited to North Korea by Kim Kye-Gwan, DPRK’s top nuclear negotiator. The trip begins today and is scheduled to end on the 20th. 

Source: Associated Press / CNN

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/719

Dec 16

The largest South Korean civil drill in history

Categories:

Military, North Korea, South Korea, War

December 16, 2010

An unusually busy Wednesday for South Korea, people donned filter masks, and took shelter in underground bunkers while air raid sirens blared. An attack from Pyongyang? No, but this is preparation one. This is certainly not the first one—there have been several since the drills began in 1975, but this drill has been established as the largest. Fighter jets flew over cities, to mimic the feel and realism of a North Korean airstrike. Participation in the drills was not mandatory, but official reports state that 11 million of the 49 million people population of South Korea took shelter.

Source: Associated Press

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/718

Dec 15

North Korean restaurants abroad

Categories:

China, North Korea, Offbeat, South Korea, Tourism

December 15, 2010

nangmyonWith the defection of a North Korean restaurant manager from Nepal to India, The Chosun Ilbo has a nice article about the profitability of North Korea managing restaurants abroad. These restaurants are known as Okryugwan, originating in Pyongyang and spreading to nearby countries. North Korean specialty foods such as cold noodles and steamed crab are popular in South Korea and other Asian countries. As a result, North Korea sends some of its most educated people abroad to run and wait restaurants serving their native cuisine. Such restaurants are typically run following the ideological values of North Korea, sending most of their profits to their home country, often 100 000-300 000 won per year. However, since exposure to the outside capitalist world inevitably sets in, most North Koreans working abroad do so for a maximum of 3 years before they are returned home. In the case of the North Korean restaurant owner in Nepal, he is believed to have “taken the money and run” to India, on the run as a defector from the North Korean iron fist.

Source: The Chosun Ilbo / AFP

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/717

Dec 10

Lee Myung-bak: "Reunification is drawing near”

Categories:

China, North Korea, Reunification, War

December 10, 2010

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South Korean president Lee Myung-Bak, on a trip to Malaysia to discuss a possible free trade agreement between the two countries, denounced North Korea as “one of the most belligerent nations in the world”. He also made a cryptic comment twice on his trip: “Reunification is drawing near”. Certainly with escalating tensions between the warring states, rampant military exercises and shows of force on both sides, and a proposed Reunification Tax, Myung-Bak’s administration may be readying itself for an inevitable war.

However, if such a war were to be reignited, there would be many years of fallout (figuratively, we hope) on what to do with a 24 million strong population of malnutritioned and ideologically unsound North Koreans. Regime change seems a logical direction for the South, with the rogue state attempting to weaponize it’s nuclear capabilities, an inexperienced son being prepared to succeed his deteriorating father as leader, and a crippled economy still reeling from last year’s currency reform. Would China step in to defend the DPRK? Would Seoul, as has been predicted for decades, become flattened immediately by a barrage from the North? The implications are far reaching, and I’m sure most South Korean citizens would be perfectly content to maintain the “status quo”.

Source: Associated Press

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/714

Dec 10

Kim Jong-Un portrait most likely Kim Il-Sung

Categories:

Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-Un, North Korea, Propaganda

December 10, 2010

korea-portrait04nw_1048361a_zoomGlobe and Mail’s revelation that a Canadian tourist may have stumbled upon a propaganda painting of Kim Jong-Un’s youth in Switzerland has been met with increasing skepticism since the announcement. DailyNK has spoken with a North Korean defector with a degree in fine arts, who counters the evidence that the portrait is of grandson Kim Jong-Un:

…the angle of the man’s face and line of vision reflect a formula used in innumerable official portraits of Kim Il Sung, who of course did not pose for every picture in which he appeared, and that the background is a homage to the North Korean founder’s time as a revolutionary in cities in places like Jilin and Harbin in Northeast China.
On all levels this portrait resembles the Kim Il Sung seen in cultural films about his revolutionary tradition, for example “The Star of Chosun” and “Sun of the People”.
Not only that, but as one North Korean defector who worked in the arts said, “If this was really a portrait of Kim Jong Eun for his glorification, it would have been distributed systematically by the Department of Agitation and Propaganda,” adding that, “It doesn’t make any sense that a glorification portrait of Kim Jong Eun which hasn’t even been published in Pyongyang yet would have been on display in the Rajin Art Gallery in October.”
“When I look at this picture, it looks like something a student from Pyongyang Art University might have submitted for their graduation piece,” he added.

Myth busted, I suppose! However, it’s likely only a matter of time before idolization portraits of the Youth Captain start circulating among the North Korean people to hang next to Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il.

Source: DailyNK

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/711

Dec 10

China’s foreign policymaker meets KJI in Pyongyang

Categories:

China, Kim Jong-Il, North Korea, South Korea

December 10, 2010

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Dai Bingguo, a senior foreign policymaker for China, met with Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang on Thursday. Both Chinese and North Korean media has had little to report on the meeting, only to state that the discussions were to boost friendly relations between the allies, and address mutual concerns over tensions on the Korean peninsula.

China is playing its old hand of supporting the North by not openly denouncing their military actions against the South. Perhaps the lack of condemnation, and recent meetings between the countries is to diffuse the excitement over the recently released Wikileaks cable, suggesting that China has little clout with North Korea, and would accept a Seoul-led unified Korea.

Source: AFP / KCNA

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/707

Dec 04

Portrait of Kim Jong-Un discovered by Canadian tourist?

Categories:

Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Un, North Korea, Propaganda, Succession

December 4, 2010

A contemplative Kim Jong-Un, walking through Central Europe, daydreams about his motherland of North Korea. The portrait above, discovered in an art gallery in the Rason region of North Korea by a Canadian tourist, is believed to be the first outsider look at Kim Jong-Un propaganda and helps us speculate on the mythology being prepared to deify the future leader. Likely representing Kim Jr,’s studies abroad in Switzerland, the portrait shows him looking very much like his grandfather, the immortalized Kim Il-Sung.

The Globe and Mail article quotes B.R. Myers, author of The Cleanest Race and a PhD in North Korean literature:

“It goes to the heart of what will be the regime’s main problem in glorifying the boy, namely the fact that he was overseas during at least part of the famine or [so-called] Arduous March. The regime is for some reason loath to let foreigners see this nascent personality cult,” Prof. Myers said. “We have seen footage of [Kim Jong-un], and of course we can see him on the TV news every few days … but we know next to nothing about how the regime is articulating his biography. This painting offers important insight into what kind of mythobiography the regime is either planning or is already teaching the masses in party meetings, study meetings etc. outside the view of foreign visitors.”

He noted that the young man in the painting was gazing at the sun rising in the east, another suggestion that North Korea consumed his thoughts, even while he was far from home.

However, another North Korea expert, Andrei Lankov believes this artwork to be an older portrait of Kim Il-Sung, set in the 1920s (Thanks @LiberateLaura). The evidence is substantial for either claim, but we will have to wait and see as North Korea’s propaganda machine begins work to glorify the youthful leader-to-be.

Source: The Globe and Mail

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/702

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