[imText1]North Korea formally adopted the “Reinforcement of Three Revolutionary Elements’ Capacity” policy during a general meeting of the Central Committee of the Party in 1964. The aim of the policy was stated as; educating people in North Korea, South Korea and other foreign countries about the North Korean revolutionary road and engaging them in the systems of the Chosun Workers’ Party.
The principle still exists in North Korean politics; today these activities are pursued by the United Front Department under the Central Committee of the Chosun Workers’ Party.
Especially, effort is put into projects aimed at South Korean personnel and Koreans aboard, and this is mostly done by the North Korean Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, Overseas Korean Aid Commission, National Economic Cooperation Federation, Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation and Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee.
Among these organizations, the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation (KCRC) has distinguished itself in the 21st Century. It is in charge of foreign currency earning and unification projects targeting Koreans abroad. In particular, visits of separated families from abroad and their investments in North Korea are overseen by this organization.
The organization has a presence in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and China, and its key business targets are Korean communities in these countries.
The KCRC generally works by inviting personnel who are active in Korean overseas communities to North Korea to do some sightseeing but simultaneously get an education into North Korean ideas and the superiority of its system.
The location frequently used for this work is a special villa found in the athlete’s village in the Mankyungdae district of Pyongyang, on a hillside between the Seosan Hotel and the Yangkang Hotel. The villa has some fine facilities, including seven bedrooms, a restaurant, and a conference table for 20.
For overseas Koreans with pro-North Korea tendencies, an estimation of the North Korean evaluation of their importance can be based on how frequently they are invited to this facility.
A source in China explained, “When a person is found among overseas Koreans who seems to have potential to become a key figure in this project, the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation invites the person to this villa to measure their talent and loyalty. Those who are wealthy and who hold sway in the overseas Korean community are the first choice.”
The method is surprisingly simple. First, select a target who is visiting North Korea on Kim Il Sung’s birthday (April 15th), Kim Jong Il’s birthday (February 16th), or the Founding Day of the North Korean regime (September 9th). While the target is staying at a hotel in Pyongyang, a cadre quietly approaches and explains, “Since you are visiting the fatherland, I would like to invite you to my home.”
The average such visitor immediately feels his curiosity piqued, since this looks like it may mean a visit to a normal North Korean household.
A few days later, however, the organization sends a chauffeured vehicle to the hotel where the individual is staying and takes the target to the special villa, where they generally stay for about a week, with two female receptionists attending to their needs.
These women are attractive, of course, and have good voices. They are musically talented and well-mannered. They are in charge of entertainment for the visitor as well as cleaning, preparing meals and doing laundry.
During their stay, the visitor is given Juche education. According to the source in China, Jeong Ki Pung, a professor at Kim Hyong Jik College of Education usually conveys the lecture. Jeong is well known to the South Korean media as well, as a regular at events hosted by regional branches of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation in the U.S. and Europe.
After spending a week in this luxurious way, the individual tends to feel a debt to his/her host. During the stay, all costs are covered by the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation. Compared with a normal hotel in Pyongyang, this is a luxurious time.
Thus, when Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation cadres contact the individual later, they recall the memories of the time at the special villa and thereafter request information, suggest possible business cooperation and try to attract investment.
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