Human Rights and Humanitarian Planning for Crisis in North Korea
Author: Roberta Cohen
Human rights and humanitarian communities are unprepared for the possibility of radical change on the Korean Peninsula that could lead to a humanitarian crisis. The first and most obvious challenge will be to provide security and assistance for the population, including the more than 100,000 political prisoners held in secret kwanliso camps as well as foreign abductees and their families. Transitional justice and accountability will be essential to deter retribution and create a foundation for the rule of law. Managing migration to minimize potentially overwhelming refugee and internally displaced population flows will be critical to stability. Rights Up Front and the Responsibility to Protect may need to be applied. Success requires effectively planning for and addressing human rights and humanitarian concerns.
(Pages 1 – 25)
Energy and the Environment: Challenges to a Post-Unification Economic Recovery
Author: Troy Stangarone
After unification, Korea will need to address the challenges of failing energy infrastructure and years of environmental degradation in order for the post-North Korean segment of the economy to quickly transition to a market based system and become a source of job creation. The unification of Germany and Eastern European transitions to the free market can provide a glimpse of the challenges Korea may face during this process and the options that exist to address them.
(Pages 26 – 46)
The Role of the Republic of Korea-U.S. Alliance in Peaceful Unification of Korea
Author: Byeonggu Lee
In the process of unification, the Republic of Korea (ROK)-United States (U.S.) alliance would face enormous challenges that would have a direct influence on the security of a unified Korea and the viability of the alliance as well. Given increasing unpredictability concerning the future of North Korea, the ROK-U.S. alliance should deepen the level of cooperation over how and what to prepare for in the event of abrupt changes in North Korea, e.g., regime collapse. In addition, considering the resilience of the U.S. and the prospect of the future security environment in the post-unification era, the ROK-U.S. alliance should be the main pillar of unified Korea’s national security strategy.
(Pages 47 – 68)
Party-Military Relations in North Korea and the Security Situation on the Korean Peninsula
Author: Robert Collins
Party-military relations in North Korea are complex with overlapping party control mechanisms over Korean People’s Army (KPA) unit commanders. The Korean Workers’ Party (KWP) chain of control parallels the KPA chain of command. The KWP employs five political organizations and a security agency dedicated to the KPA to execute its political control over the military: the KWP Central Military Committee, the KPA Party Committee, the General Political Bureau, the KWP Propaganda and Agitation Department, the KWP Organization and Guidance Department, and the KPA Military Security Command. Every KPA commander at every level down to battalion and frontline companies has a political officer, a propaganda officer and a security officer sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with him to monitor his activities and consistency in implementing party policy and adherence to supreme leader directives. In addition, every unit maintains a KWP party committee in each unit that oversees all activities of the unit.
(Pages 69 – 101)
Korean Unification and the Interests and Roles of Neighboring Countries
Author: Sue Mi Terry
Korean unification could come about suddenly. As it was impossible to predict the East German and Soviet collapse at the end of the Cold War and the German unification that followed, it is impossible to predict when unification will occur on the Korean Peninsula other than to say it could happen, perhaps even within a decade. There is a great danger of unification occurring when South Korea and other neighboring states are not ready. The consequences of a poorly planned regional response to Korean unification, particularly in a scenario where North Korean is instable, are potentially calamitous. Preemptive diplomacy—strong and forthright cooperation among the great powers, particularly between the United States, South Korea, China, and Japan—will be essential to mitigate the negative consequences of unification and ensure that it winds up benefitting the entire region. It is imperative that such efforts to smooth the path towards Korean unification begin today.
(Pages 102 – 124)
Human Security in North Korea
Author: Greg Scarlatoiu
North Korea allows its citizens no political participation, rule of law, freedom of expression, or non-discrimination. The economic insecurity of North Korea’s people largely depend on their loyalty-based songbun social classification. Their food security is grim, with ongoing acute malnutrition. Health security is lacking due to the widespread infectious diseases. Environmental security has eroded largely due to the North Korean regime‘s irrational industrial and deforestation policies. Personal security and community security are severely challenged by the state’s internal security agencies and the omnipresent surveillance. In order for a peaceful transition toward unification to occur, the North Korean government would need to introduce genuine checks and balances upon the powers of the Supreme Leader and the Workers’ Party of Korea.
(Pages 125 – 161)
