What North Korea Needs Right Now

Carl Moeller, President of Open Doors writes:

You've already heard the news and are probably asking yourself, "What can I do for the people locked inside North Korea?"

With the passing of North Korea's Kim Jong-Il, its inhabitants, family members around the world and neighboring countries are living in the fear of uncertainty. And because only God knows what will happen next, we can meet Him in prayer.

Please pray that:

• The new leader, Kim Jong-Un, will have a heart of mercy and end the cycle of inhumane dictatorial rule.
• Those in government who have been "secret Christians" will gain more power and influence.
• Christians who have been imprisoned because of their faith will have opportunities to lead others in prayers. And while they pray the Holy Spirit will be revealed to those who don't know Jesus.
• There will be an increase in opportunities to share about Jesus without fear of retaliation.
• The joy and hope of Jesus will be revealed to those who are sorrowful and feel uncertain of the future.
• North Korean Christians will gain a new boldness and wisdom and will seize opportunities to tell others about the Christmas story of Jesus' birth.
• On Christmas day especially, the light of Christ will penetrate every home and heart in North Korea.
• Refugees who have fled into China and become Christian will courageously return to North Korea and share the hope of Jesus to a hurting nation.
• The horrendous situation with starvation will not escalate even further because of the government's desire to demonstrate control.
• The thousands of starving children who are homeless will find shelter, comfort and love in a home with a believer.

For more information: Open Doors

World Reaction in Quotes

Spokesman for South Korean President Lee Myung-bak

President Lee urged the public to go about their usual economic activities without turbulence.The two leaders (President Lee Myung-bak and President Barack Obama) agreed to closely co-operate and monitor the situation together.

Liu Weimin, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman

We were distressed to learn of the unfortunate passing of the senior-most North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, and we express our grief about this and extend our condolences to the people of North Korea. Comrade Kim Jong-il was the great leader of the North Korean people and a close friend of the Chinese people. He made important contributions to the development of socialism in North Korea, and the development of friendly, neighbourly and co-operative relations between China and North Korea. We hope the two countries could carry on working together for peace in the Korean peninsula.

Yoshihiko Noda, Japanese Prime Minister

I have ordered officials to beef up intelligence-gathering on North Korea, to work closely with the United States, China and South Korea, and to prepare for further unexpected developments. We will gather information to assess how this incident will affect the situation. I have instructed (agencies) to prepare even for the unexpected to ensure this will not adversely influence peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.

Jay Carney, White House spokesman

We are closely monitoring reports that Kim Jong-il is dead. The President has been notified, and we are in close touch with our allies in South Korea and Japan.We remain committed to stability on the Korean peninsula, and to the freedom and security of our allies.

Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister

We have friendly relations with North Korea. We hope that this loss that the Korean people have suffered will not have a negative impact on the development of our relations.

William Hague, British Foreign Secretary

The people of North Korea are in official mourning after the death of Kim Jong-il. We understand this is a difficult time for them.

This could be a turning point for North Korea. We hope that their new leadership will recognise that engagement with the international community offers the best prospect of improving the lives of ordinary North Korean people.

We encourage North Korea to work for peace and security in the region and take the steps necessary to allow the resumption of the Six Party Talks on de-nuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

For more information: BBC News

Tears of the North Korean People

The people are grief stricken by the passing of the father.
He was the only one who loved them, who provided for them, who fed them...
He loved them into submission, he provided an abundance of suffering, and he fed them with a generous portion of propaganda.
Perhaps now they will finally know the truth.



For more information: Chosun Ilbo

A New Era for North Korea?

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK reported:

"Kim Jong Il Passes Away (Urgent)
Pyongyang, December 19 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, passed away from a great mental and physical strain at 08:30 December 17, 2011, on train during a field guidance tour."

Seoul Cables: Wikileaks information on North Korea

My friend, Mr. Lee, has thankfully summarized the information on South/North diplomatic information that was released in Wikileaks, so the rest of us can have an easy read.

Short Short Notes:

North Korea is already screwed unless the US remove sanctions so they attack and build missiles to try to intimidate the US into opening talks. They have no allies. Probably collapse shortly after KJI dies.

Short Notes:

North Korea seems to be using it's nuclear program/attacks as a prod for more economic and humanitarian aid which is usually the case for all acts of aggression from North Korea. Also, it may be a political move to improve the state of North Korea while Kim Jong Il's son is place in power to strengthen his position as leader. They engage in "limited armed conflict" to limit retaliation and DPRK is aware the surprise attacks are no longer viable due to US-South Korea increased surveillance. Therefore, there is a low chance of another imminent attack.

Difficult to predict whether Kim Jong-il’s youngest son Kim Jong-un would be able to succeed his father without sparking instability in the North. Of the five experts, one thought the younger Kim might succeed and one argued his lack of leadership experience made it unlikely he would win the support of the ruling elites.

They agreed that Kim Jong-il’s brother-in-law Jang Song-taek would prove a strong rival for the younger Kim and would probably be tempted to challenge him.

Kim Jong-il had used draconian controls and international aid to discourage coups after having foiled three such attempts in the late 90s.

The U.S/Korean sanctions are hitting North Korea so hard that it's on the verge of collapse. There is already massive starvation occurring and their economy is pretty much non-existent. They have survived on aid so far from China and South Korea. South Korea has cut-off all talks and tourism to North Korea, holds a stronger and harsher view on DPRK and are probably not going to improve relations anytime soon (due to presidential change). China wants no part in bailing out North Korea as well and it seems DPRK knows this which is why they probably want direct talks with the US. Previously, DPRK was useful to China as a "buffer state" but now China does not need DPRK.

DPRK are also trying to open direct talks with the US using acts of aggression possibly to release sanctions placed on North Korea since this is the only hope they have in terms of stability. Ironically, at the same time, they are beefing up their military to hold internal stability when succession occurs.

There are many predictions of the collapse of North Korea after the death of KJI which is predicted of ranges 2 to 10 years depending on his pancreatic cancer.

Source links:

A/S CAMPBELL’S MEETING WITH ROK UNIFICATION

Talks about the current and future of DPRK and the possible plans set out by Kim Jong Il and the future unification of Korea. Detailed history included here.

ROK REACTIONS TO DPRK MISSILE LAUNCHES-DAY TWO

Main points are in the beginning. Talks about continuing to ship fertilizer with DPRK to fulfill agreement but has suspended all other aid afterward. Also, certain talks with DPRK were suspended. The rest is about the South Korea's response in politics, media, watchdogs, and tourism.

VFM CHUN YOUNG-WOO ON SINO-NORTH KOREAN RELATIONS

Opinion on the current views of China on DPRK and how China and Japan might react to the collapse of North Korea.

CAMPBELL DISCUSSES DPRK FUTURE WITH EXPERTS

Talks about Kim Jong Il's son, Kim Jong Un. Analysis by some experts.

DPRK MILITARY RHETORIC AND NATIONAL DEFENSE

Talks about the military stategy of DPRK and military statements.

ROK’S FOREIGN POLICY TOWARD THE NEIGHBORS:

Interaction between DPRK, China, Japan, and Russia.

Pyongyang University of Science and Technology

The unlikely marriage of hard-line communists and Christian capitalists has finally wed after delays of about 10 years and many objections. Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) started its first classes last October when 16 professors from the United States and Europe arrived to teach the first group of 160 students. With any marriage, there will be those who celebrate and those who disapprove. The last I heard, the PUST teachers will be getting a break from its beloved spouse during Christmas.

Watch this video for a forum about PUST.


For more information: PUST
The NY Times
Wikipedia
Korea Focus

The North Korean Website List

Take a look at the list of fascinating websites North Koreans have created. I doubt the average North Korean has access to the internet, so what is the purpose of promoting their propaganda to the world? Click here.

Compiled by Martyn Williams from North Korea Tech.

Tit for Tat: War Games

South Korea: “We will make sure it pays a dear price without fail.”

North Korea: "Escalated confrontation would lead to a war and he who is fond of playing with fire is bound to perish therein. Gone are the days when verbal warnings are served only."

United States: "The United States stands shoulder to shoulder with our close friend and ally, the Republic of Korea" Let's send a gunboat - in this case, a nuclear aircraft carrier.

China: "Emergency meeting!"

For more information: KBS, The NY Times, CBC

The Aftermath

Interestingly enough, the North Koreans who are currently visiting my parents in China have heard about the attacks on Yeonpyeong Island. Although they are in a land that has far more freedom to information than theirs, they still came to the conclusion that South Korea is to blame for the conflict. As they are currently in China, they probably have not seen North Korea's state operated media reports, but the mind that has been controlled for many years by propaganda automatically assumes without question "the other" as the evil perpetrator.

For more information: Ariel View at BBC
Slideshow at Reuters

Some Opinions about the Attack