American Perspectives: Response to "Making Sense of North Korea" Part II

Artwork by The Bluedevil

"...Korean communists, in particular, were viewed as the Soviet Union's puppets.  The puppet view...was reinforced during the Korean War, not so much because of Kremlin's actual influence as because of American Military's own propaganda war.  American psychological warfare units widely circulated pamphlets and fliers that portrayed the North's leadership as Stalin's puppets in an effort to demoralize North Korean soldiers and sympathizers.  But the psychological warfare had an impact on the perception that Americans and South Koreans held of the North also, for they needed to be convinced of their moral superiority as much as the North Koreans needed to be reminded of their inferiority." --서재정 "Origin's of North Korea's 주체" Chapter 1: "Making Sense of North Korea."

 

The last sentence in the quote above is an example of the double standards I was referring to in my previous post. While it is not ok for whomever the US is fighting to consider another culture inferior (and acting on it), it is perfectly ok for the US to do it because there's always some sort of justification.  The reason for fighting World War II, or at least what we're taught in school, is all about putting certain countries in their place for considering themselves superior to others.  Looking at North Korean people as "inferior," regardless of the context doesn't benefit anyone.  What does it do?  It invites blanket statements, and an unwillingness to study further.  It invites broad racism against Asian people.  And it's not good for Non-Asians who feel that sense of superiority, as I'm reminded of the Emperor's New Clothes, where you have the arrogant emperor receiving all kinds of praise when he actually isn't wearing anything at all. But this is also deviating from the original point I had in mind for this response.

 

The preconceived notion, that was then (and sometimes now) authoritatively stated as true, was that North Korea was a puppet state of the USSR.  Reality was, that wasn't quite the case.  They had an interdependent relationship, and the USSR definitely wanted to take over.  They were even rather presumptious during the whole transitional process from unified nation, to two separate Koreas.  They felt they could control the North Koreans without consent, and a complete disregard for the 5000 years worth of self governing they had done prior.  They felt they could use North Korean resources without their consent, and, for free.  They also had the audacity to refuse to provide assistance after the Korean War when the Northerners were trying to put back together a destroyed state.  Because as much as we harp on North Korea about human rights abuses, I find it to be another double standard that their country is left destroyed with their people struggling and dealing with the trauma.  This tension with the USSR was one of many factors that lead to the creation of the 주체.  At that point, 김일성 and his supporters were ready to do things their own way, and for the country to be in charge of its own destiny.  Now, I will note that I am not a supporter of the human rights abuses, and I certainly don't support the issue that North Korea's citizens are not allowed to legally leave.  However, I understand why the 주체 started, and I can see how it went into a downward spiral of abuse.  Let me emphasize that just because I understand, does not mean that I agree.

 

Yet, the US was oblivious to all of this, and allowed McCarthy era/Cold War bias to color their perceptions. They continued to see the DPRK as a puppet of the USSR long after the countries became estranged. Even with the capture of the USS Pueblo, and the DPRK's publicized refusal to listen to the USSR's opinion on the matter, there were many in the US who could not be convinced that the DPRK and the USSR did not have that kind of relationship.  I wonder how much time, money, lives, and trouble would have been saved if the US Powers that be had been willing to suspend their biases for even a very short moment.  Many people say, "nothing." Because of the North Korean government being so difficult to understand.  However, as I read in Chapter 6, it's because we don't acknowledge the decision making input that the Military, Workers' Party, and the Cabinet currently have, which means some of the official stances are going to conflict.  During the Korean War, the political set up was a bit different, but when 김종일 came into power, the set up changed.  I'm not up to date on if the set up remains like this, but even that small nugget of information explains a lot.  That's why I think it's so important to ask further questions, especially if it really bothers you emotionally.  Otherwise, we have situations that have needlessly been dragged on for decades due to cultural differences, assumptions, fear, lack of communication.