International Community, It is the Time to Push “North Korean Democratization”

[imText1]Banners saying “Congratulations on the Successful Nuclear Test” are hung all over Pyongyang in N. Korea. N. Korea had a rally congratulating its nuclear power all over the county, as well. So, it is doubtful that it participated in the “six-party talks with the purpose of abandoning its nuclear weapons.” It is certain that it is concerned with the lifting of the US financial sanctions.

It revealed that it would return to the talks on the condition of solving the financial sanctions itself. However, as long as it does not give up its nuclear weapons, the financial sanctions of the US and the UN would be difficult to solve.

Unless Kim Jong Il gives up its nuclear weapons, only stronger measures would be imposed on it. As long as Kim Jong Il has a firm will to keep its regime with the nuclear weapons, its attitude would not be changed.

If N. Korea refuses to give up its nuclear weapons with all kinds of excuses, the security environment of the Korean peninsula would remain unstable. The press and experts would put out all kinds of scenarios such as war caused by transference of nuke technology, and the US would consider taking military actions.

The only way to make N. Korea normalized is the change of the Kim Jong Il regime. In limiting the military actions, the sanctions and pressures would not solve the N. Korean problems. Kim Jong Il would keep trying to get out of the current crisis based on its confidence of its nuclear test.

Thus, we should prepare the peaceful change of the Kim Jong Il regime if just to make it give up its nuclear weapons and to change N. Korea. It implies that only improving the human rights of N. Korea and democratizing it would make it changed.

Practically, the key variable to make the Kim Jong Il regime collapse would be the North Korean people. As the international community creates an environment to change the power of N. Korea with financial sanctions and human rights pressures, the North Korean people would put an end to the Kim Jong Il regime.

Now Anti-Kim Jong Il is prevailing over International Community

The international sanctions caused by the N. Korean nuclear test have given a new opportunity to the North Korean people.

The financial sanctions and international isolation would cause the division of the power class of N. Korea. It would create an anti Kim Jong Il environment among the North Korean people. However, since an anti Kim Jong Il movement is hard to rise up, international aid is necessary.

Since the food crisis, N. Korea has not allowed the North Korea people to do any anti-regime activities, though there have been many changes in its society.

Mere anti Kim Jong Il activities would put a risk to their lives. As N. Korean defectors pointed out, the North Korean people have lived without any resistance for decades. It is urgent to let the North Korean people know about the corruption and the human rights problems of N. Korea and the international supports for its democratization.

As the North Korean people know about them more, the bottom up changing environment would spread. It is difficult to forecast when the Kim Jong Il’s regime would be collapsed, yet letting them know would make a positive impact on how the North Korean people think and someday would play a decisive role.

Kim Jong Il also would know that his nuclear weapons could not keep the North Korean people from having a desire for NK democratization. Absolutely, it is really hard to bring them human rights and democracy. However, where there is a will, there is a way.

Build up Shelters for Defectors in the Border Areas

If the international community and human rights organizations are highly interested in NK democratization and strive to make it come true, then the Kim Jong Il regime would be cowered and the North Korean people would do more active anti-Kim Jong Il movements. It requires the special efforts of the UN, international organizations, each country and non-government organizations.

Some experts expect that the next farm hardship period would make the food crisis of N. Korea worse. The worse food crisis would sharply produce defectors. Unless Kim Jong Il gives up his nuclear weapons, the food crisis would worsen and worsen and defectors would dramatically increase.

In such a situation, the supporting business for defectors should be reinforced. The International community would urge the Chinese government to cease the forced defector repatriation and non-government organizations would extend the businesses. It is necessary that the businesses are extended into human rights measures beyond relief activities.

Supporting defectors is significant in that it would encourage the North Korean people to try to seek their freedom and play a role to make world information infiltrate into the North Korean people staying in N. Korea.

It is urgent to revitalize the broadcastings for the North Korean people. Although it is only a few, the North Korean people such as young people and enlightened adults have enjoyed KBS social education broadcasting, RFA Korean broadcasting and VOA(Voice of America). Some defectors living in China say that short-wave radios have been spreading amongst the young North Korean people.

It is necessary to tell the truth about N. Korea, corruption of Kim Jong Il and the nuclear test through the broadcastings. In addition, we should send radios and batteries to let them keep listening to them beyond radio waves.

World News Movies are Effective in enlightening the North Korean people

[imText2]Most education such as Life Chonghwa and mass struggle (in a way of open execution) are related to anti-world ideologies. They emphasize not to see foreign movies (VCD). These days, movies such as Rambo and Winter Love Song are popular.

Not only general people, but also high-ranking officials have enjoyed such movies. So it is very difficult to crack down violators. The North Korean people could know about the world through the movies. On this occasion, we should steadily provide such movies to the North Korean people.

Many North Korean people think Kim Jong Il made N. Korea like this, yet few of them know how much corrupt Kim Jong Il is.

We saw some defectors surprised and change their attitude towards Kim Jong Il after reading the book “the Cook for Kim Jong Il” by Fujimoto. At first they did not believe the book, yet later they were upset about him asking, “Is he really that corrupt?” The North Korean people should know the truth that during the food crisis killing hundreds of his people, he sent his cook to South-East Asia and the Middle East to buy his favorite food ingredients.

Recently, some organizations have spread human rights leaflets against N. Korea. It has a significant meaning, yet its scale is too small. They need the help of international and domestic non-government organizations to diffuse a great amount of the leaflets, pictures and materials showing the truth of Kim Jong Il. N. Korea punishes people who only pick up the materials. Yet many curious people privately read them.

It is also necessary to have various direct exchanges with the North Korea people. It should not be the illusive policies of the government, but practical ways to directly communicate with the North Korean people.

A Chinese-Korean who recently returned from his relatives in N. Korea said that, “The North Korean people look like wild animals.” It is because his relatives lived only in a cloth in freezing winter. He also said that as he came back to China, he gave even his coat to them.

Pass through the process that the North Korean people change themselves spontaneously

He let the North Korean people know the current situations of South Korea and China here and there. He said that the people who heard from him nodded without saying anything. Whatever they are, we should make the most of such visits if they could be ways to tell the truth about N. Korea.

Absolutely more specific and secret political activities could be planned and in the businesses some criticism and damage could happen. However, if the North Korean people do not be enlightened, the peaceful power change in N. Korea is almost impossible.

International community and human rights organizations also play a more and more important role in the matter of the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and N. Korea reformation and liberalization. Now the North Korean people are not able to create such environments without any help from the international community. It is the time to get out of the illusive policy and step into the specific practical changes through the North Korean people.