North Korea After World War II
Since its formation in 1948, North Korea has been a key figure in East Asian politics, acting as a buffer between the Western-backed South Korea, the People’s Republic of China, and Russia. Since the end of World War II, the Korean peninsula has witnessed several regimes, each with its own unique approach to government and foreign policy. North Korea has particularly stood out due to its extreme isolation and authoritarianism, making it arguably the least understood nation on Earth.
Initially following the end of World War II, it was the United States who had the most control over the Korean peninsula. Following a harsh agreement with the Japanese, the United States divided Korea in two, creating the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). This agreement essentially put the Korean Peninsula in the hands of the United States, or more precisely the United Nations. However, it wasn’t long before a new power stepped onto the scene, the Soviet Union.
The Soviets quickly gained control of the Korean Workers Party and provided support for the formation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Kim Il Sung, the former leader of the Korean resistance against the Japanese occupation, was founded as North Korea’s leader and he quickly established a strong relationship with Moscow. In time, the Soviets provided military, economic and technological support to North Korea, which in turn allowed it to develop into the strong nation it is today. In addition to providing direct military aid, the Soviet Union also proved to be a vitally important backer in the struggle to secure the much needed UN membership. Since gaining membership in the United Nations, the North Koreans have regularly appealed to the international community for assistance.
Since its initial establishment in 1948, North Korea has been set firmly in the control of the Communist party. The Communist party was also quick to establish a centralized government, with absolute power and control over the populace. In order to retain this strong grip on the nation, the party adopted a culture of extreme centralization, which in turn allowed for complete control of the press and media, as well as the all-important education system. Despite the fact that North Korea experienced rapid economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s, this was largely done through high governmental subsidies and tight control of production, which has left North Korea in a fragile economic state today.
Under Kim Il Sung North Korea developed a unique form of socialism, becoming a self sufficient nation through the use of the so called Juche Ideology, which is essentially a mix between isolationism and self reliance. This has resulted in North Korea remaining largely isolated from the rest of the world, and the Juche ideology has in turn allowed North Korea to focus on the development of its own technology and industrial base. This isolation has been particularly noticeable in North Koreans foreign policy, as North Korea has outright refused to work with its neighbours such as South Korea, as well as dealing with the threat of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation from the global community.
Since the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994, and his son Kim Jong Il’s taking of power, North Korea has remained largely the same as before. Despite the fact that Kim Jong Il introduced several economic and diplomatic reforms to the nation, these have largely been unsuccessful. Under Kim Jong Un, North Korea continued on the same path as before, with an extremely authoritarian regime and an isolationist foreign policy. The attitude of the current ongoing Korean peninsula crisis has only served to reinforce North Korea’s stance of extreme control and isolation.
Kim Jong Il’s Social and Economic Reforms
Kim Jong Il, the son of Kim Il Sung, took power of North Korea in 1994 following his fathers death. Kim Jong Il made several attempts at reforming North Koreas economic and social policies. He introduced market based free enterprise reforms, attempted to reduce government bureaucracy and even attempted to reduce the militarization of North Korea. He attempted to introduce a more relaxed attitude towards civil liberties and the press.
Despite these attempts, the reforms were largely unsuccessful. The market based reforms created a large amount of inequality in North Korea and only served to widen the gap between the rich and the poor. The government also tightened its grip on the citizens, making it harder for them to criticize or even reveal their opinions on the government. The militarization of North Korea also increased, with Kim Jong Il making it increasingly difficult for North Koreans to travel abroad and regularly militarizing large parts of North Korea.
In addition to its economic and social reforms, Kim Jong Il also attempted to use its foreign policy to gain advantages. North Korea opened itself up to countries such as China and Japan, but it also resorted to the blackmailing of its allies for economic aid and concessions. North Korea also continued its strong relationship with Russia and the Soviet Union, making it one of the few Communist states left in the world.
Kim Jong Il’s Attempts to form economic alliances were largely unsuccessful and the regime continued under the same authoritarian rule it had been under for years. Despite this, Kim Jong Il was able to make some major improvements to the regimes relationship with the rest of the world. North Korea slightly opened up its borders to foreign aid, with some of its citizens even allowed to travel abroad. Kim Jong Il also introduced more liberal press freedoms, allowing rare glimpses into the regime.
In 2013, Kim Jong Un took power officially, completing the regime’s dynastic transition. North Korea maintains its strong isolationism and authoritarianism, with Kim Jong Un continuing his forefathers oppressive rule. Since his taking of power, North Korea has become even more closed off to the rest of the world, regularly conducting nuclear tests and making international headlines due to its refusal to cooperate with the rest of the world.
Current North Korean Politics
Since the death of Kim Il Sung and the taking of power by his son and grandson, North Korean politics have continued to remain largely authoritarian and isolationist despite the nations apparent claims to the contrary. The populace is still largely denied the right to freedom of speech and little press freedom exists. In addition to this, the country is still under the grip of the military and military rule is seen as a legitimizing force in the public eyes.
Despite the nations grip on militarism and control, North Korea’s current political status is still heavily divided. There exist powerful opposing factions within the ruling party, with the moderate reformists and the hard line conservatives, who favour a nuclear North Korea. Both factions are backed by powerful backers within the ruling party, who are interested in the future of North Korea and in the potential power it will gain in the future.
Over the years North Korea has slowly opened itself up to the rest of the world, however this is largely seen as a way of generating wealth through foreign investments and aid. International investment has slowly made North Korea more economically viable, with the nation recently investing in its infrastructure and attempting to diversify its economy. These economic improvements may be helping North Korea to slowly reduce its dependence on military rule however this still seems to be a long way off.
The current international climate is also putting a strain on North Korea’s relationship with the rest of the world. As the United States and other countries introduce sanctions and place pressure on the regime, North Korea is forced to respond by increasing its militarism. This has only served to further cement the opinion of North Korea being a hardened and oppressive regime, and one that seems unlikely to change anytime soon.
International Intervention in North Korea
Since North Korea’s establishment, international intervention has regularly been called, with countries such as the United States and Russia regularly attempting to reign in the regime. Both the United States and Russia have historically provided North Korea with military aid in the form of weapons and defence systems, while also providing diplomatic support in the United Nations. Other countries have attempted to join this trend, providing North Korea with economic and diplomatic aid.
North Korea has also been subject to numerous diplomatic sanctions in the past, with the United Nations regularly sanctioning the country for its nuclear weapons tests and human rights violations. These sanctions have been largely unsuccessful in changing the course of the regime, however their continue use nevertheless forces North Korea to reconsider its foreign policy and isolationist attitude.
The international community has also attempted to intervene in North Korea in other ways. International organisations such as the UN and the EU have regularly provided North Korea with humanitarian aid and assistance in areas such as health and education. These organisations have also attempted to improve the nations infrastructure and technological capabilities, introducing modern technologies and developments. This however has failed to change the current situation.
Most recently, the United States, South Korea and China have attempted to negotiate a peaceful solution to the current crisis. Countries have regularly donned emissaries to North Korea in an attempt to negotiate an overall solution to the brewing conflict. Unfortunately, these efforts have largely been unsuccessful, with North Korea still unwilling to work with their own neighbours and still publicly declaring its independence and desire for a nuclear arsenal.
Public Opinion on North Korea
Public opinion of North Korea is generally negative, however this differs depending on the views of the countries in question. Generally the US and South Korea have a highly critical opinion of North Korea, while Russia and China still hold a more sympathetic view. Opinion in the West remains more divided with some supporting North Korea while others oppose it. The European Union also generally remains neutral, supporting North Korea to an extent while also working to decrease tensions on the Korean peninsula.
This negative opinion stems from North Korea’s oppression of its own citizens, their human rights violations and the country’s attitude towards international relations. North Korea continues to flaunt its opposition to the international community and continues to resist any attempts at collaboration. This attitude has caused much resentment in the international community, which has become a major concern for many countries.
In addition to this, North Korea’s nuclear testing also adds to the negative image it holds in the public opinion. North Korea’s nuclear weapons program has become a major source of conflict in the region and the international community fears that North Korea may become an even greater threat in the future. This ongoing tension has caused much concern in many countries, leading to increased sanctions and pressure on the regime.
Finally, public opinion is divided on North Korea’s future. Some view North Korea as a viable country while others fear its future. Supporters of North Korea point to its unique culture and strong ties to the East Asian region, while opponents criticize its authoritarian rule, human rights violations and nuclear weapons program. Though it remains unclear what the future of North Korea holds, few believe that it will remain the same and it is slowly beginning to heat up among international circles regarding what will happen in the future.
