DPRK/ROK curriculum on reunification

June 16th, 2006

Joong Ang Daily
6/16/2006

Seven North Korean teachers attended a middle school class here yesterday to watch the presentation of lessons on Korean reunification prepared jointly by North and South Korean educators.

This is the second year that teachers on both sides of the DMZ have collaborated on lessons to mark the anniversary of the 2000 inter-Korean summit, but it was the first time North Korean teachers have watched the presentation of the material in the South.

At the Mujin Middle School library yesterday, 36 second-year students met Kim Song-chol, the head of the North Korean Educational and Cultural Workers’ Union, six other teachers and two North Korean reporters. Kwon Su-hee, 27, an ethics teacher at the school, presented the lesson.

Bolstered by a video clip of the meeting of the two Korean leaders, Kim Jong-il and Kim Dae-jung, in 2000, Ms. Kwon described the background and repercussions of the meeting. Another video clip showed North Korean students in their classrooms.

“Children in North Korea are not different from you,” the video’s narrator said. “They are your friends with innocent smiles and dreams.”

Some students, however, appeared puzzled by the material. “I couldn’t fully understand the class,” one said, “but I think that North and South Korean students would have more in common if we studied the same things.”

Kim Young-sik, the principal of Moranbong First Middle School in Pyongyang, said, “I felt like I was watching students at my school. We should make this joint class work, because Korean unification depends on our students.”

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“Good Friends” reports on DPRK real estate

June 16th, 2006

From the Daily NK:

‘Good Friends’, an organization for aiding North Korea, revealed on a newsletter of the 14th that, “The North Korean upper-class families usually live in the houses valued at from 27 million to 40 million won and have a bed valued at 300,000 won($100) and furniture at 800,000 won($267)”, and “some have housemaids in their houses”.

Furthermore, the upper-class families furnish with VCRs, vacuum cleaners and electronic heaters besides six home appliances (Refrigerators, sewing machines, TVs, washers, recording machines and electronic fans) that general North Koreans wish to have once in their lifetimes.

Plus, it added, “They spend 30,000 won in purchasing rice, pork, egg, Alaska pollack, various fruits and vegetables a month, and their total expenditure a month including other expenses amounts for more than one million won”.

It explained, “In the case of North Hamkyung province, their main sources of income are generally black market, drug traffics, curio dealing, wholesale carrying food and industrial products by car to Najin or Chonjin”, and “To get guaranteed, generally they closely connect with officials working at judicial authorities”.

According to the newsletter, however because most of the North Koreans maintain subsistence level, the gap between the rich and the poor are increasing.

It newsletter further explained that, “The gap between the rich and the poor varies according to areas, countries or cities”, and “This gap results from the distributional differences produced by productivities of each factory, operations, electronic situation, operational conditions of trains or cars, and demand difference of food, industrial products and necessities according to areas”.

Of the cities, Pyongyang is the most advanced city, Sariwon, Hamhung, Chongjin, Hoiryeong, Rajin, Shinuiju, Pyongsung are the second advanced cities, and the other cities are at the level of the subsistence.

In the case of North Hamkyung province, the upper middle class lives in houses valued at 1,500,000 won to 4 million won, and spend 100,000 won to 150,000 won in rice, pork, eggs, and some alcohol a month. Their main sources of income are some black markets, crossing a river, helps of relatives living in China, or business.

The low class can not even see rice, and generally lives on rice mixed with corns, corn noodles, vegetable soup. Their expenditure a month is around 30,000 won to 40,000 won.

Their main sources of income are trifling jobs such as vegetable sale, house repair or cleaning night soil. Although they want to do their own businesses, they have no money to do. Salaries are their only source to get some money, but they are not paid on time.

The lowest class of the elderly, the disable and Kotjebi(Street children) lives barely. They usually sleep in buildings, under bridges, garbage dumps, or riversides. Recently the people of the lowest class are increasing. 

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North Seeking inter-Korean port route in East Sea

June 14th, 2006

From the Joong Ang Daily:

A senior maritime official in North Korea told visiting journalists from the JoongAng Ilbo that his government wants to modernize and open Hungnam Port on the nation’s east coast to expand inter-Korean economic exchanges. Since 2000, a sea route connecting Incheon with the North Korean port of Nampo has been open for direct shipping along the west coast; Pyongyang evidently wants to replicate that success on the east coast, perhaps in a bid to increase investment or to reduce logistics problems in distributing aid shipments from South Korea.

Hungnam is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Hamhung, North Korea’s second-largest city.

“We put priority on one port on the west coast and another on the east coast,” said Cha Son-mo, the maritime operations director of the North Korean Ministry of Land and Sea Transportation. He spoke to the journalists on May 12, during a tour of North Korean economic sites arranged by the newspaper with North Korean authorities.

The comments were the first public indication of Pyongyang’s interest in such a project. Mr. Cha is the equivalent of an assistant minister in South Korea.

“Chongjin and Rajin are essential for freight to and from China and Russia,” he said. “For inter-Korean maritime cooperation, Hungnam should be modernized first. We also plan to upgrade facilities at other places.”

He also confirmed reports that North Korea has been negotiating with China to attract investment to modernize the Rajin and Chongjin ports, both in North Korea’s extreme northeast.

“Through Rajin, China wants to ship goods produced from its three northeastern provinces to South Korea, Japan and Europe,” Mr. Cha said. “And Rajin alone may not be enough, so it wants to modernize and expand operations at Chongjin.” He added that China had proposed to build roads connecting China with the two ports; negotiations are in progress, he said.

Mr. Cha also greeted the visiting journalists during their tour of a ship repair facility in Nampo two days later, giving a detailed briefing on the Yongnam Ship Repair Factory. “While we are focusing on repair operations, our next goal is ship cannibalization and shipbuilding,” he said. “We strongly hope that the two Koreas can cooperate in this field.”

He said North Korea had invested $100 million in the factory, a huge amount in this cash-strapped country. The plant had been modernized to allow it to repair one 50,000-ton ship and two 20,000-ton ships simultaneously.

The shipworks also recently found a partner in the South. Responding to a bid by North Korea last July, Hanaro Shipyard was set up in South Korea in December by Jeong Chan-bae, specifically to work with the Yongnam repair yard.

“South Korean ships all use repair bases in China and Vietnam because there is no place to repair vessels,” said Jeong Chan-bae, the president of Hanaro Shipyard. “But repair prices in China went up sharply recently, so we decided to use the North Korean facility.”

Citing North-South maritime cooperation accords, Mr. Cha also said there was no legal problem to concern South Korean ship owners about using repair services in the North. He is also the chief negotiator for the maritime talks between the two Koreas. “Our repair service prices will be an average of 30 percent less than those in China,” he said.

He also appeared on the scene to guide a separate group of South Korean economists and businessmen who visited the factory on May 17. After that tour, Jeong Nam-su, an executive of South Korea’s STX Shipbuilding, was cautiously positive about the facility. “It is hard to find a place to repair ships in South Korea,” Mr. Jeong said. “The quality and technology of the Yongnam factory has not yet been evaluated, but it has some positive prospects.”

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Only ‘Kim Il Sung-ism’ in North Korea…What About North- South Religious Talks?

June 13th, 2006

Daily NK
Park Hyun Min
6/13/2006

Chairman Kang Young Sup at Chosun Christian Alliance (North Korea) met with Association For Interaction Of Our People (Representative Song Ki Hak) and Pyongyang Team from Korean Churches (Manager Pastor Baek Kwang Jin) who visited Pyongyang on the 5th. He said he will hold a public Christian assembly in North Korea next March.

They are planning a International Assembly where Christians from foreign countries including the North and South will attend for the centenary of Pyongyang Revival which is the root of the Christian revival in Korea. It is noticeable that the North said 12,000 North Korean Christians will participate.

It sounds they want to make others believe that there are quite a number of Christians. It also reflects that North Korean government cares about the criticism from the international community that there is no religious freedom in North Korea. At the same time, it could he their strategy to gain more aid through the interaction with South Korean religious groups.

However, there is no religious freedom in North Korea. People who come in contact with Christians go to the prison camps or are subject to public execution.

North Koreans have been taught that religion is a superstitious and unscientific way of understanding the world. Religion has originated from recognizing the nature as a supernatural being in a primitive time when there wasn’t enough understanding of the world.

The revised North Korean constitution in 1998 eliminated ‘the freedom to release anti-religious propaganda’ and stated the freedom to build religious buildings and hold religious ceremonies. However, it is for outsiders to see in order to avoid criticisms from international community. It is not true that religious freedom is granted for the North Koreans.

The educational material for the people of North Korea in July 2005 published by Chosun Worker’s Party says, “Let us destroy the conspiracies and plans who spread religion in us”, regarding the issue of religious freedom mentioned by the US and the proselytization of South Korean missionaries. The policy regarding religion in North Korea hasn’t changed from the past.

Religious activities are considered crimes against the country according to the testimonies of North Korean defectors in South Korea. Last month, it was reported that 30 Christians were sentenced to public execution when they were caught by National Security Agency while having a Christian service with people from Euijoo, Shin Eui Joo, Yong Chun and Yum Joo.

Even though religious freedom is suppressed so strictly, some religious groups in South Korea is going along as if there is religious freedom in North Korea. What would North Korean belivers in underground churches think about South Korean christians? They would feel betrayed and insulted.

Pastor Suh Kyung Suk (CCK, Human Rights Commission) who led the way for humanitarian assistance and religious interaction for years have declared that Bongsu church is for deception, and the South Korean Christians should stop lining up to meet fake North Korean believers; it implies grains of truth.

When the believers turn away from the suppression of religion in North Korea and only care for meeting with fake Christians, it would be hard for religious freedom to be realized in North Korea

Before it is too late, more attention and care should be paid to the true believers who are executed and imprisoned in prison camps and leading a life of misery.

It is ‘even worse when you don’t act out, even though you are aware’. Christians should ask themselves what they need to do for the human rights and religious freedom in North Korea.

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Price data

June 12th, 2006

From the Daily NK:

North Korean prices are continuing to rise.

At Sunam Jangmadang of Chongjin City, the price of rice is 1,200W/1kg, corn 300W, bottle of oil 2,000W, pork 2,500W and pants made from China 20,000W.

As it is spring, not only is it a time where the overall price of Jangmadang rice rises, but because the country is not distributing rations, the majority of people depend on the rice at Jangmadang. Also, rice sellers are watching this opening and are raising prices.

Lee who entered South Korea in 2003 says she has already sent money to her family by various means. The money sent through earnings from part-time jobs and resettlement money from the South Korean government, is becoming a lifeline for her family. Her families in North Korea depend on her to send money to live and get great relief from their daughters who live in South Korea.

Chinese 100yuan is 34,000won at Jangmadangi

Lee’s family who support their living by selling goods made from China, ceased trade because of soaring prices and control of Jangmadang by authorities.

Lee added, as it became harvest season and authorities restrained Jangmadang operations, there was even an incident last May at Chongjin where a lot of children were hospitalized after eating sweets and medicines made from China, and instruction was made in regards to strengthening the regulation of Chinese goods.

However, Chinese goods are in the majority and controlling Chinese commodities in North Korea is ‘shading the sun with the palm of your hand.’ Lee conveyed that to regulate the problem, police officers confiscate Chinese goods such as alcohol and cigarettes, and that oppression is worsening.

According to Lee, at present in Chongjin, Chinese 100yuan is 34,000 won for North Korean money. If this is converted to dollars, $1 calculates approximately 2,750won.

In March, the exchange rate at Musan Jangmadang was 100yuan to 37,125 won North Korean currency, in dollars $1 for 2,970won. The exchange rate for Yuan has decreased since March from roughly 100yuan to about 3,000won.

Local factory workers, majority mobilized to the village

The local industrial factory Lee’s brother works for in Chongjin, has recently closed factory doors and sends workers to the village. Compared to reports of North Korean publicity and media of central businesses in production at Pyongyang, standards of local industries are extremely inferior.

The reason, local industries could not extricate the aftereffects of acute shortages in equipment and materials following the economic breakdown in the mid-90’s.

According to defector of Chongjin, person ‘A’ laments “Recovery in factories is difficult as electric machines and electric lines are stolen and sold. Factories themselves want restoration but money is required, and isn’t it that there is no where money can appear.”

The most urgent is the problem of electricity. Most recently, as it is the farming season, all the electricity is mobilized for the water meter operations, with electricity servicing the villages approximately 10hours daily. However, as electricity is supplied to the villages, meanwhile the city is locked in darkness.

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Posted in China, Emigration, Fiscal & monetary policy, General markets (FMR: Farmers Market), International trade, Price liberalization, South Korea | Comments Closed

‘North Korean Foreign Worker’s Human Rights’ Signs of Dispute in International Society

June 9th, 2006

Daily NK
Yang Jung A
6/9/2006

On the 5th of last, U.S Department of State announced the ‘2006 Slave Trade Report’ including the issue of North Korean foreign worker’s human rights. On this, international human rights organization asserted that if basic human rights of them is not secured in Czech Republic, then their foreign employment should be blocked.

North Korea is sending low wage workers for foreign currency earning to various parts of the world such as Russia, China, Eastern Europe, Africa and it has become known that currently there are more than 300 laborer’s dispatched in the Czech Republic.

Voice of America(VOA) of the U.S pleaded with human rights organizations on the 7th and reported that “The major fundamental difference for North Korean laborer’s is not only that they have no freedom, but the excessive working hours, and that wages are not received by workers but go to the North Korean government.”

On this day, Igor Blazevic of a Czech Republic human rights organization People in Need Foundation said in an interview with VOA “These people under watch and control work for very low wages” and that “only times have changed yet these people are no different to a modern day slave.”

The Czech Republic’s human rights NGOs asserted that if it does not ultimately improve working conditions, then permission to employ North Korean laborers should not be granted. In addition, they asserted that this issue should come up for the subject with other issues related to North Korea in the conference of the Human Rights Council of the U.N on the 19th.

Czech Republic Human Rights Organization Said, “North Korean Workers Are Modern Day Slave”

In an interview under evading the eyes of North Korean watch, which was taken by Czech Republic writer Maria Jelinkova and a L.A. Times reporter, a North Korean worker said, “I do not enjoy working in Czech Republican factories and want to return home.”

Kim Tae San (entered Korea 2002), president for the past 2 years for ‘Czech-North Korean Footwear Co-operation’, attested that “For 3 years North Korean women work indiscriminately with Czech Republican workers, and equally receive wages, however of the $50, 70~80% is possessed by the North Korean government, leaving $10~$13 per month to live with.”

However, Kim Tae San said “even though they (from the view of Western European Associations) are violating human rights, the conditions are far better than within North Korea” and “the reason they live is so that they can earn even one extra penny to feed and revive their families in North Korea.”

Kim indicated that without drastic changes to the North Korean system, simply approaching the issue of human rights will not help solve the problem.

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Posted in Economic reform, EU, Labor conditions/wages | Comments Closed

North Korea joins in World Cup fever

June 9th, 2006

Yonhap
Kim Hyun
6/9/2006

North Korea, which has shunned Western entertainment, has given in to World Cup fever and started efforts to satiate people in the country who yearn to watch the imminent tournament.

Pyongyang is seeking to broadcast World Cup matches live across the country with Seoul’s support. North Korea’s state-run broadcaster, Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS), sent a letter to the Korean Broadcasting Commission of South Korea last month asking it to share its World Cup footage with the North that could not pay for the broadcast rights. The request came as the Koreas were politically at odds over testing of newly connected inter-Korean railways.

The South Korean broadcasting commission is in talks with FIFA as part of efforts to assist with Pyongyang’s request, said a public affairs official in the broadcasting commission requesting anonymity because a contract had not yet been signed.

When the deal is reached early next week with FIFA and its Switzerland-based business representative Infront Sports & Media, the North will be able to provide its people with a live broadcasts of the games via satellite from Seoul, the commission official said.

North Korea has candidly expressed on its television programs its people’s desire to watch the football tournament. A KCBS announcer said, “This year’s World Cup competition will really be worth seeing.”
Pyongyang has published four kinds of stamps in commemoration of the tournament, according to the (North) Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday. The stamps depict football players from different countries who distinguished themselves in previous tournaments, it said.

North Koreans in and around Pyongyang who watched the 2002 World Cup games, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, via free satellite distribution with the South’s help, were thrilled by the South’s unexpected progress, said Kim Jong-chol, a reporter with the Minju Chosun, the North’s Cabinet newspaper.

“The South’s advance to the semifinals in 2002 boosted the morale of the Korean people,” Kim told a Yonhap News Agency reporter.

North Korea failed to advance to the World Cup in the regional qualifier after winning one game and losing five.

After their team lost 2-0 to Iran, angry North Korean players offended the referee and fans threw bottles onto the pitch. As punishment, they had to play Japan in Bangkok without spectators.

The communist country is revving up efforts to gain global status in the next World Cup finals in South Africa in 2010. It has strengthened international exchanges to sharpen the team and established football training grounds with artificial grass supplied by FIFA earlier this year.

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S. Korea to give anti-malarial aid to N. Korea

June 9th, 2006

Joong Ang Daily
6/9/2006

South Korea plans to donate US$1.14 million worth of medicine, insecticides, mosquito nets and goods to combat malaria in North Korea, South Korea’s state-run disease prevention center said Friday.

The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention plans to ship the goods Saturday from Incheon port, west of Seoul, to the North Korean port in Nampo. The goods will be delivered to the Pyongyang office of the World Health Organization.

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Markets close for rice planting

June 8th, 2006

From the Daily NK:

In June, the highest peak of rice-planting season, North Korean authorities station security guards to be at the crossroads of Jangmadang(a type of black market) and get undercover police officers to wander the streets and regulate people with focused control who are trading. During the rice-planting ‘period of full mobilization’ goods that are sold secretly are all collected.

Also, it has become known that rice in the Onsung region is trading for 1,200won ($0.4).

North Korean citizen, Lee Hyun Sook (32 years, born in Onsung) who to obtain food passed Tumen River revealed while meeting a reporter on the 5th near Yanji City, China that “The people are driving the whole rice-planting battle.”

Lee who came to China bringing a 5 year old child after losing her husband barely ran a business in Jangmadang, and continues her living as a common homemaker. After authorities shutdown Jangmadang in spring, Lee says she was driven to the village, thus crossed the Tumen River as otherwise her child would die of hunger.

Following Is Questions and Answers with Ms. Lee

– It’s said Jangmadang was shutdown?

The security office controlled and did not permit morning Jangmadang. Security guards stationed the road that intersects with Jangmadang, whilst common police officers roamed the street controlling people trading. Goods that are secretly in trade during ‘the period of full mobilization’ are all collected.

– How will you live if Jangmadang is shutdown?

From 6 o’clock in the evening Jangmadang doors are open. People like me who earn a daily income and live off their daily income are about to die.

– When is the period of full mobilization until?

Every year when it is farming season, full mobilization is set up. There is no designated date, but is terminated when rice-planting and weeding is complete.

– What type of people are targeted for full mobilization?

After morning, it is quiet and there are no people in the city. Factories, companies, people on the street, students, no differently anyone who holds a spoon all leave. Even the people from far distances (long distance trading) are supervised on the street.

– It’s said that even traveling permission have been reinforced…

The security office does not even issue traveling permissions. People that must go take a citizen warrant, but security guards and police officers come stop their cars on the street regulating people and even collect goods. In particular, people from other provinces are especially made to do a lot of work.

– How much, how long are you made to work?

Supervised people are only sent away when a rice seedbed, 9m long and 1.6m wide is pulled by hand. Those assigned rice-planting pair-up together and only send people away at night, when all the seeds have been planted

According to Lee, when the “Rice-planting full mobilization group” is organized, executive officers go to each farm to manage the people’s Jangmadang and direct the people’s village mobilization. On one hand, she says “When it is morning the broadcasting car roams the streets announcing ‘You have to farm well, to win the fight with Americans’ ‘You have to farm well, to realize the general’s worrying thoughts of the people’s hunger problem.’

Price Increase in the Period of Full Mobilization

It appears that during the period of village mobilization, the price of good rises due to operation restrictions. People wanting to buy rice wander trying to find rice sellers and people that secretly sell and buy in the alleyways are disciplined and carried off to the security office.

The price in Onsung Jangmadang is 1,200won ($0.4) per 1kg of rice and 250won ($0.083) for corn. Fresh pork is 1,800 won ($0.6) per 1kg, as it can spoil easily in the warming weather, but can be bought for 1,600won ($0.53) towards the end of day. It is of course unreasonably expensive compared to a laborer’s monthly income of 5,000won ($1.67).

In a way, on commencement of trade, the people cannot even spread open their goods at Jangmadang but sell to people secretly. Lee said “Food is given, a lunch meal per day for people mobilized to the village.”

After the Resumption of Rationing, There is No News for a Long Time in Onsung

Lee says that it has been a long time since distribution in the Onsung has stopped.

After being questioned “How much rationing have you seen?” Lee said that “No rationing was received since 1994.” Lee comments that last year October, she knew of the truth that rationing had been resumed, but as a non-laborer with no husband, there wasn’t a time she received the classified rations.

Last year October, North Korean authorities instructed the distribution of rations according to districts, but smaller districts were given rice only for a few months before being exhausted. The distributions to the people from factories are 15day rations to last a few days, but Lee and other similar housewives respond to the distributions as completely unfamiliar terms.

People like Lee who earn a daily income and live off their daily income, become suffocated in the reality of their lives when mobilized to the villages. For this reason, there is an actual increase of North Korean people crossing the Tumen River to do suitcase business and earn money.

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Posted in Agriculture, General markets (FMR: Farmers Market), Price liberalization | Comments Closed

Seoul says no DPRK aid without railways test

June 8th, 2006

From the Korea Times:

South Korea’s chief delegate for the inter-Korean economic talks yesterday reaffirmed the North will not be getting any new economic support unless it pushes ahead with the railways test-run.

In a radio interview, Vice Finance Minister Bahk Byong-won said, “We created a structure in which the additional economic cooperation is only possible after the railways test-run.”

The two Koreas closed their 12th Economic Cooperation and Promotion Committee meeting in Jeju on Tuesday with a nine-article agreement on support for light industries, natural resources development and others.

The two sides concurred such agreements will only be implemented when “conditions are met,” which they verbally confirmed referred to the cancelled cross-border test-runs.

North Korea abruptly cancelled the scheduled testing last month, prompting an angry response from the South.

The South, remaining steadfast to its policy of engaging more economically with its communist neighbor, believes staunch military authorities to be behind the cancellation.

“(The North’s) military authorities are closely connected with the procedures of implementing many of the inter-Korean agreements. And the (preconditioning) clause refers to just that,” Bahk said, emphasizing that the North Korean military must take visible measures such as preparing a military guarantee for the railways operation.

The two railways, on the east and west of the Korean Peninsula, run through heavily fortified borders. It would be the first time in over five decades that the trains run.

“Although we said ‘conditions’ in the agreement, both sides made clear when we read out the agreement that the conditions referred to the railways test to avoid any conflicting interpretations in the future,” Bahk said.

([email protected])

By Lee Joo-hee

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Posted in International trade, Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC), Railways, South Korea | Comments Closed

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