The Rise of Dictatorship inNorth Korea

Bhaskar BalajiMs. Wilson

Honors Cultural Studies pd. 105/7/10

Before Totalitarianism

1905 -- Korea was occupied by Japanese forces 1910 -- It became essentially a Japanese colony. Japan

seized total control of the whole of Korea, and any rebellions were brutally suppressed

1917 -- After the Russian Revolution, many Koreans were attracted to the achievements of the Bolsheviks

1945, August -- When Japan surrendered World War II to the Allied forces, Korea was divided into north and south at the 38th parallel. The north was occupied by Soviet forces, who wanted to enforce communism in the north, while the south was occupied by U.S. forces. Kim Il Sung was appointed premier

The Early Days

1950, June -- In an effort to reunite the while of Korea under a communist flag, North Korea suddenly invaded South Korea, starting the Korean War

1953 -- After a long, bloody war that ended in a stalemate, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, and a cease-fire was called

The Korean Workers’ Party held power from 1949 to 1994 under Kim Il Sung by holding a policy of strict surveillance of the people

Relations with Other Countries

In August 1974, a North Korean agent made an attack on the then-President Park Chung Hee. Park survived, but his wife was killed.

In October 1983, North Korean agents set off a bomb in Yangon, Myanmar where the President of South Korea, Chun Doo Hwan, was visiting. Chun survived, but 17 other South Koreans were killed.

In June 2000, the President of South Korea, Kim Dae Jung, held peace talks with Kim Jong Il in P’yongyang and made a commitment to the reunification of Korea.

Improving Foreign Relations

Despite the previous hostile relations with North Korea, the United States, initiated diplomacy with North Korea, with a goal of having it open up to the rest of the world.

In 1992, representatives of each nation met in New York, and, in 1994, an agreement was reached that suspended North Korea’s nuclear program in exchange for energy assistance from the United States.

Backward Steps

Even as ties with the U.S. seemed to be improving, President George W. Bush denounced North Korea as part of an “axis of evil,” alongside Iraq and Iran in his State of the Union address in 2002.

Suddenly, in December of 2002, North Korea announced the revival of its nuclear arms program and removed UN safety seals and monitoring equipment from a deactivated plant. It forced IAEA inspectors out of the country, again isolating itself, but this time in a more ominous way.

Stirring International Alarm In October of 2006, the North Korean government

conducted its first test of nuclear weapons. The Chinese government, who had previously warned Kim’s party not to conduct such a test, began to pressure North Korea to return it to negotiations.

In February of 2007, through talks between China, Japan, the U.S., Russia, South Korea and North Korea, a tentative agreement was made for North Korea to suspend activity at the previously mentioned plant and also to allow IAEA inspectors into the country, in return for a shipment of oil and lowering of economic sanctions.

The Situation Today

Despite the promising new agreements, many speculate that North Korea will simply break promises, just as it has been doing.

In April 2009, North Korea again backed out of the six-party agreements and launched a three-stage rocket and a second nuclear test in May.

Even so, others are optimistic that recent diplomatic softenings foretell of future breakthroughs and the integration of North Korea into the international community.

Bibliography

Carlin, Pat. “North Korean Relations: A History of Confrontation.” World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 26 Apr. 2010. <http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com/>.

“North Korea.” World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2010.