Report –
British Parliamentary visit
to North Korea
The
British-North Korean All-Party Parliamentary Group (APG) sent a delegation led
by General the Lord Guthrie to visit North Korea from 24th September
to 1st October 2005.
The delegation was hosted by the North Korean Supreme PeopleÕs Assembly
and sponsored principally by Jubilee Action.[1]
The purpose
of the visit was to build on previous APG visits[2]
with the aim of improving understanding between the two countries, particularly
with regard to issues of denuclearisation, humanitarian assistance and human
rights.
In
addition, the delegation hoped to meet with senior military figures in North
Korea and to engage them in discussions about the role soldiers play in
democratic societies, to develop relationships, and possibly to pave the way
for visits to the UK.
Delegation members[3]
General the
Lord Guthrie of Cragiebank GCB LVO OBE [head
of delegation]
Colonel
Thomas Ogilvie-Graham MBE
James
Mawdsley [assistant
to delegation]
The
visit proved a worthwhile opportunity for an exchange of views. It was very helpful to see North Korea
firsthand. The delegation was
disappointed not to have had more contact with the military and disappointed by
the absurd level of secrecy.
In
discussions all of the senior North Korean officials the delegation met seemed
to be mired in an inaccurate account of history and appeared unwilling to look
to the future. Such an attitude made
substantive discussions impossible.
Despite the
frustrations of the visit (which were not unexpected) a possible next step did
emerge. Both General Guthrie and
General Kim Sang Ik were positive about the value of low-level military exchanges,
and in this specific case, it was suggested that the most appropriate basis
could be sport.
The idea later developed of the British Army and the Korean PeopleÕs Army fielding a soccer team each to play a match in London and a match in Pyongyang. This idea will be examined further.
a)
Denuclearisation / Six Party Talks
The 4th
round of the Six Party Talks concluded successfully with a Joint Statement
released on 19th September 2005. In the statement North Korea Òcommitted to abandoning all
nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and returning, at an early date,
to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to IAEA
safeguards.Ó The other parties
Òagreed to discuss, at an appropriate time, the subject of the provision of
light water reactor [sic] to the DPRKÓ and Òstated their willingness to provide
energy assistance to the DPRK.Ó[4]
Lord
Guthrie raised the Six-Party Talks with Mr Kung Sok Ung, Vice-Foreign
Minister. Mr Kung insisted on
giving a long-winded historical account before concluding that North Korea was
forced to seek a nuclear deterrent as a response to the Òhostile policy of the
US aggressorsÓ.[5]
When
pressed further Mr Kung said the building of a Light Water Reactor (LWR) was an
essential precondition of denuclearisation as a visible sign of mutual
confidence, and evidence that the US had dropped its Òhostile policyÓ.
General Kim
Sang Ik, Deputy Minister of the PeopleÕs Armed Forces, said the potential for
progress depended entirely upon the US, that the US had to drop their Òhostile
policyÓ, and again he premised this on historical inaccuracies.
Regardless
of the content of the Six-Party Joint Statement, North Korea appears unwilling
to abandon its nuclear programs, but it appears to want to use the prospect of
denuclearisation as an inducement for the outside world to provide LWRs and
other energy assistance.
A vital distinction from the 1994
Agreed Framework is that the current process of talks involves six parties
(China, North Korea, Japan, South Korea, Russia, the US) instead of two, and
therefore it is more difficult for North Korea to deny or re-interpret its
commitments. The delegation got the impression that North Korea was much
keener to engage bilaterally with the US rather than have Six-Party Talks.
b)
Humanitarian Assistance
The North
Korean government has announced its intention not to renew visas for foreign
aid workers beyond the end of 2005.
Relief agency workers are extremely concerned that the aid programs they
work on will have to be terminated.
Vice-Foreign
Minister Kung informed Lord Guthrie that North Korea was grateful for
assistance received in the past but Òto keep relying on the international
community was not good for self-sufficiencyÓ. Mr Kung said North Korea was expecting a good harvest this
autumn, but that anything was possible, so it might be that emergency aid
agencies could be asked to return in the future.
For some
years the North Korean government has been calling for emergency relief aid to
be replaced by development aid. It
appears that the Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee (established following
the natural disasters and famine of the mid-1990s) is now to be disbanded,
leaving aid agencies without their main North Korean liaisons.
With the
worst of the famine over, it may be that as North Korea currently receives
considerable bilateral aid from China, South Korea and Russia then it no longer
feels such acute need for foreign aid agencies. Certainly the North Korean
government is extremely uncomfortable with the numbers of foreigners on its
soil.
Some NGOs
have been informed that their programs can continue only with local staff. Foreign staff would no longer be
allowed residency, but could visit.
However there are few (if any) agencies which could accept such lack of
transparency.
Multi-million
dollar programs may survive, particularly those which can brand themselves as
giving development aid (for example, FAO, WHO, UNDP, UNICEF). In any event, by making foreign workers
feel uncertain and under threat, the North Korean government may hope to make
them easier to control. Much of what the North Koreans said was unclear and it was
felt that decisions could still be changed.
c) Human
Rights
Despite
raising human rights as a key concern, the delegation received no engagement
whatsoever on the issue from Mr Choe Thae Bok and General Kim Sang Ik.[6]
Mr Kung Sok
Ung[7]
responded to questions on human rights by trying to portray negative coverage,
including a BBC documentary, as led by US-owned media. This was firmly rebutted.
Lord
Guthrie said that he had allowed inspectors into British military prisons to
see if inmates were being treated correctly. He admitted the prison authorities were not always
exonerated, but said that such a system did deal with the issue. Mr Kung referred to prisoner
maltreatment in Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq.
Lord Guthrie reinforced the point that the perpetrators were being
punished.
Mr Kung
said that human rights in North Korea could not be measured with a western
yardstick. He said that for North
Korea the prime human rights were Ònational sovereignty and
self-determinationÓ. He said the
government provided the rights of eating, housing, clothing, medical care and
education, which were important rights.
He said therefore the state provides the people with their right to life
and their right to existence. Lord
Guthrie said he was shocked to hear human rights described as the right to
existence, but said that it was about much more than that: it was about
dignity, about quality of life, about fairness.
In 2003,
2004 and 2005, the EU has supported resolutions at the UN Commission on Human
Rights condemning abuses in North Korea.
Following the Six-Party Talks, Christopher Hill stated, ÒAs part of
discussions for normalisation, we want to discuss other important issues: human
rights abuses, biological and chemical weapons programs, ballistic missiles
programs and proliferation, terrorism and illicit activities.Ó
The
impression one gets by visiting North Korea is of gross violations of the most
fundamental rights. The population
is exhausted. Most of their time
is spent working or else preparing for propaganda parades/displays extolling Kim
Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. The
Mangyongdae ChildrenÕs Palace did not seem so much a centre of excellence as a
zoo of prodigies, of children used as propaganda slaves.
Part of the
delegation encountered a group of young men in Pyongyang who were unusual in
their approachability and cheerfulness.
Several joined in conversation, but when a criticism of North Korea was
put to them, their cheerfulness evaporated immediately to be replaced by fear
and silence. In North Korea people
are daily forced to express the Party line but are clearly terrified of
expressing divergent ideas. At no time did the delegation witness any sign of dissent.
Saturday
24th September
Greeted at Pyongyang airport by Mr Ri Jong Hyok, Deputy to the SPA and Chairman of the Korea-UK Friendship Group; and by HE David Slinn, UK ambassador to North Korea. In the evening Mr Ri hosted a welcome dinner for the delegation.
Sunday
25th September
Revolutionary
Martyrs Cemetery
Visit to Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery, Mt Taesong, which commemorates the 1930s anti-Japanese guerrilla struggle in Manchuria. The cemetery is more concerned with honouring loyalty to Kim Il Sung than honouring sacrifice for Korea.
Attended the Sunday prayer service at Jangchung Catholic Church. The delegation was extremely pleased to hear that the church is visited by priests from abroad approximately five times per year, and that the visiting priests can say Mass. However, it has not been explained why no priests are permitted to live in North Korea, nor why North Koreans cannot be ordained. Hence the service was led by laymen and as such was non-Eucharistic.
The
delegation found it odd that every seat in the church was taken, with not one
left empty nor one person left standing.
This happens nowhere else in the world. It was also peculiar to witness the congregation dash for
the door immediately as the service ended, thus avoiding any interaction with
the delegation. The impression was
that services are under the close scrutiny and control of the KWP. It is difficult to tell which aspects
are genuine and which are contrived.
The
delegation left over fifty rosaries which had been blessed by John Paul II and
a number of prayer cards from Aid to the Church in Need, as well as several
booklets on the Martyrs of Korea published by the Catholic Truth Society, in
the hope that all these would be distributed.
Visited
Pyongyang Zoo, which largely consisted of domestic animals, most of which
appeared reasonably healthy.
However some were suffering from severe conditions which could be easily
treated with the correct medicine (for example, sarcoptic mange). There was minimal environmental
enrichment. Several of the animals
were gifts from foreign heads of state.
Visits to
Mangyongdae Native Home, the Tower of Juche Idea and the Arch of Triumph, all
of which served as opportunities for guides to convey propaganda.
Monday
26th September
Visited the
International Friendship Exhibition at Mt Myohyang, where gifts are still being sent for
President Kim Il Sung, despite his death in 1994.
Paeksong
Cooperative Farm
Met local
officials and UK embassy staff at Paeksong Cooperative Farm, Pyongsong City, South Pyongan
Province (24km north of Pyongyang).
The farm is sponsored by and receives regular visits from the British
Embassy. The 800 hectare farm
supports 2,000 people through 500 workers. (An arable farm of comparable size in the UK would employ
workers in single figures.) In
previous years surplus produce could be sold at markets. However as of this
autumnÕs harvest all surplus is to be sold to the government at a fixed price. There is no
place for the entrepreneur.
Tuesday
27th September
Panmunjom,
DMZ
Visit to Panmunjom on the De-Militarised Zone (DMZ), escorted by Lieutenant-Colonel Kim Kwang Gil. Further propaganda and historical inaccuracies were accompanied by accusations that the US was violating rules of the Military Armistice Commission (which has not convened since March 1991) by bringing excessive weaponry into the DMZ. Soldiers on the North Korean side were noticeably smarter and more disciplined than those on the South.
Koryo
Museum, Kaesong
Visit to
the Koryo Museum, Kaesong. The museum contained items of real
interest and very impressive artwork, as well as 1,000-year-old ginko trees.
Wednesday
28th September
Kim Il
Sung University
Visit to
Kim Il Sung University, accompanied by Mr Ri Jong Hyok.
Regrettably the students were absent (as they were either helping with
the rice harvest or else practising for the 10th October parade to
mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean Workers Party). The delegation was given a brief tour
of the outside of the university, missing the chance to speak with university
and foreign NGO staff present. The
science laboratories appeared devoid of modern equipment.
Mr Kung
Sok Ung, Vice-Foreign Minister
Meeting
with Mr Kung Sok Ung, Vice-Foreign Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MFA). Also present were Mr So Chol, Deputy
Director of the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr
Ji Su Gwan, Chief Desk Officer, Protocol Department, MFA.
The main
points of discussion are covered in the ÒsummaryÓ section of the report
(above).
Koryo-Global
Credit Bank
Brief call
on the Koryo-Global Credit Bank office at the Yanggakdo Hotel.
West Sea
Barrage, Nampo
Visit to
the West Sea Barrage at Nampo. The
barrage is an impressive feat of engineering. The dam at the mouth of the Taedong River is 8 km long, 16m
wide on the top and over 200m wide at its base. Sluice gates control the water level of the river, and three
locks allow cargo ships through of 2,000 tonne, 20,000 tonne and 50,000 tonne
capacities respectively.
The main
benefits of the barrage are: by controlling the water level of the Taedong
River larger ships can reach the port of Nampo, such that it can now receive 45
million tonnes of cargo annually; as the Taedong River has become desalinated,
thus making its water suitable for large irrigation projects; and the barrage
protects Pyongyang from flooding.
The barrage
was built by 30,000 soldiers of the Korean PeopleÕs Army (KPA) in the early
1980s. Many died during the
extremely difficult construction.
The project is portrayed as an example of manÕs victorious battle
against nature under Juche ideology and the guidance of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung
and the Dear Leader Kim Jong Il.
Attended Arirang Performance at the Labour Day Stadium, hosted by Mr Ri Sam Ro, Deputy to the SPA and Director of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Presidium of the SPA. It was an incredible show, involving 100,000 performers/gymnasts/children. Two to four thousand of them filled the arena for each scene, all of which were exceptionally well choreographed. One scene involved a taekwondo display by over 2,000 soldiers of the KPA. It was the most astonishingly well-executed drill any of the delegation had ever seen. Not a foot was seen out of place in what was an energetic and complex demonstration.
The performance
runs each night from 15th August to 17th October. The last time it was done was in
2000. The delegation was grateful
to be given the best seats in the house.
The performance attracted many tourists from China and Russia, and there
was a warm welcome in the stadium for hundreds of South Korean visitors.
With more
performers than viewers, the production would certainly be unviable anywhere
else in the world, if only for economic reasons. Although the show is extremely impressive, it leaves a bad
taste of compulsion and of unease at goose-stepping children.
Thursday
29th September
Kumsusan
Memorial Palace
Visit to
Kumsusan Memorial Palace, the mausoleum of Kim Il Sung, accompanied by Mr Ri Jong
Hyok. On reaching the casement
holding Kim Il SungÕs body, all North Korean visitors are required to bow. Of foreign visitors, some bow, some do
not.
Grand
PeopleÕs Study House
Visit to
the Grand PeopleÕs Study House, accompanied by Mr Ri Jong Hyok. The delegation met a Canadian woman
teaching English to a group of students in the study house. Also taught are Chinese, Russian and
Japanese.
General
Kim Sang Ik, Deputy Minister of the PeopleÕs Armed Forces
Meeting
with General Kim Sang Ik, Deputy Minister of the PeopleÕs Armed Forces. Also present were Major-General An Yong Ki, Director of
Military External Affairs (MEA); Colonel Sin Sung Chol, Chief of Section in
MEA; Colonel Kim Jim Myong, Sub-Chief of the Relation Section in MEA; Colonel
Kim Kil Un, Sub-Chief of Protocol Section in MEA; Lieutenant-Colonel Kim Chol
Jun, Staff of the Relation Section in MEA [translator]. The meeting took place
at a Ôguest houseÕ in Pyongyang.
On the
Six-Party Talks and denuclearisation, General Kim blamed the entire impasse on
the US. On reunification General Kim
repeated the position of the late Kim Il Sung, that it must be a step-by-step
process of unifying what is acceptable to both sides but leaving distinct areas
of difference (for example politics).
Lord Guthrie suggested it was unlikely that South Korean people would
wish to live under the North Korean system, and that the reunification of
Germany was more like a take-over of the east by the west.
Lord
Guthrie commented on the high level of spending on the North Korean
military. General Kim explained that
the songun
(Òmilitary firstÓ) policy was necessary as North Korea faced a direct threat
from the US along the DMZ. Lord
Guthrie pointed out that for many years western Europe faced a direct threat
from the USSR along a much longer Iron Curtain.
Lord
Guthrie said that the UK ended conscription in 1959, deciding that a smaller
professional army would be more effective than a large conscripted one. General Kim said the KPA existed not
only to defend the nation but also for socialist construction.
General Kim
and Lord Guthrie both expressed interest in possible exchanges of military
personnel between the DPRK and UK, perhaps beginning with low level sporting
contests.[8] For general interest, the delegation
handed over recent editions of UK military magazines (British Army Review,
Defence Director, Army Medical Services etc).
The
delegation might have counted the meeting a success on the grounds that Òour
manÓ was rational; made logical and pertinent points; spoke clearly and
directly; opened up about himself and about the UK; made tough criticisms; cut
short bluster and prevarication.
The North Korean side might have counted the meeting a success as Òtheir
manÓ conceded nothing, no promises; revealed nothing of his country or himself;
was for the most part courteous but also hawked and looked bored; proclaimed
the Party line. But such minor
successes left serious problems unaddressed. The most positive aspect of the meeting was that both sides
made jokes which both sides found funny.
Mangyongdae
SchoolchildrenÕs Palace
Tour of Mangyongdae SchoolchildrenÕs Palace, led by Mr Sin Ryung Gyun, Head of Artictic Subjects. The delegation was greeted by Mr Kim Chul Ung, Head of External Affairs, and accompanied by Mr Ri Jong Hyok. The delegation saw very young children engaged in sketching, painting, embroidery, singing, ballet, drama, music. All the activities were carried out to an extremely high standard.
At the end of the tour was a full theatrical performance involving many children. The delegation was concerned that the children had to be pushed far too hard to achieve such immaculate standards.
Reception
at British Embassy
The British embassy hosted a reception for NGO staff.
Friday
30th September
Fatherland
Liberation War Victory Museum
Tour of Fatherland Liberation War Victory Museum. The museum contained a beautifully painted panorama. The guide made no mention of the Chinese PeopleÕs Volunteers, underplayed the outstanding military success of Operation Chromite, and repeated baseless allegations that the US used biological weapons during the Korean War.
The historical narrative was inaccurate, and the museum treated as an opportunity for propaganda rather than for illumination. The displays seemed to have changed little if at all since the 1970s.
Mangyongdae
Revolutionary School
Tour of
Mangyongdae Revolutionary School led by Major-General Chae Jong Hik. Established in 1948 for the children of
those killed fighting alongside Kim Il Sung, the school now is home to 1,000
students, most of them whose fathers have died in service of the country (for
example in socialist construction).
All are expected to go on to be officers in the KPA. The facilities at the cadet school are
better than at most other schools in the country.
After the delegation
expressed extreme disappointment at not being able to meet with or see any of
the cadets, arrangements were made so that a classroom in action could be
visited. The boys present, being
taught geometry, seemed healthy and well disciplined.
The living
conditions were extremely Spartan.
Students are allowed no personal possessions beyond a toothbrush, and
are not allowed out except in groups.
One dormitory we visited had two large beds
for 30 cadets. 15 sleep together in each bed (although these ÔkungÕ style
beds are not unusual in Korea).
Mr Choe Thae Bok, Chairman of the Supreme PeopleÕs Assembly
Courtesy call on Mr Choe Thae Bok, Chairman of the Supreme PeopleÕs Assembly. Also present were Mr Ri Jong Hyok, Mr Ri Sam Ro, Mr Ji Su Gwan, and Mr Jo Kum Chol, Chef de Service, Foreign Affairs Department of the Presidium of the SPA.
Mr Choe asked after the Speakers of the British Parliament, Lord Falconer and Michael Martin MP. He also sent his regards to Baroness Cox, Lord Alton and Gary Streeter MP who had made previous visits.
The delegation raised denuclearisation, human rights and humanitarian assistance. Unfortunately, the ensuing conversation covered no points of substance. The Chairman came across as a man who no longer was on top of his job and had few views.
Pyongyang
Metro
Visit to Pyongyang Metro. Being over 100m underground the ornately decorated train
network doubles as an air-raid shelter for Pyongyang citizens.
British Embassy
Present at a farewell dinner at the British embassy were Mr Ri Jong Hyok, Mr Ri Sam Ro, Colonel Kim Jin Myong, Lieutenant-Colonel Kim Chol Jun, Professor Choe Yong Il and Mr Choe Yong Su. Unable to attend was Mr Jo Kum Chol. Present on the British side were, Lord Guthrie, Ambassador Slinn, Colonel Ogilvie-Graham, Kevin Lynch (FCO), Ewan Graham (FCO), Claire Thornton (FCO) and James Mawdsley.
Saturday 1st October
Departure from Pyongyang airport.
The
delegation was accompanied throughout the visit by Mr Choe Yong Il, Professor
of English at Foreign Languages School (interpreter for the delegation); and by
Mr Choe Yong Su, Senior Officer of the Permanent Committee of the Foreign
Affairs Department of the SPA (SPA liaison to the delegation). The translation was clear and accurate,
and both men were attentive to the delegation, helping accommodate some late
notice changes to the itinerary.
The delegation found themselves relatively unhindered if they wished to take unaccompanied walks from their accommodation at the Koryo Hotel.
For further
information about the visit, please contact JRRMawdsley@aol.com
[1] Jubilee Action, St Johns, Cranleigh
Road, Wonersh, Guilford, Surrey, GU5 0QX.
[2] Notably by Baroness Cox and Lord
Alton in September 2003; by Gary Streeter and Michael Bates in November 2003;
and by SPA Chairman Choe Thae BokÕs visit to the UK in April 2004.
[3] The delegation was accompanied
throughout the visit by Claire Thornton of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
who was on a familiarisation tour of the region.
[4] Immediately following the talks
Christopher Hill, the US Assistant Secretary of State, gave a statement making
it explicit that the US regarded the Òappropriate timeÓ to discuss nuclear
energy/LWRs would come only after verified denuclearisation and North KoreaÕs
full compliance with NPT and IAEA safeguards. On 20th September the North Korean Foreign
Ministry released a statement countering this to say, ÒThe DPRK, as is
clarified in the joint statement, will return to the NPT immediately and
conclude a safeguards accord with the IAEA and implement it if the US provides
LWRs, the basis of confidence building, to the DPRK.Ó
[5] Mr Kung claimed that in 1950 the US
started the Korean War by invading the North, rather than admitting that the
North invaded the South. This
falsehood is repeated at every opportunity in North Korean propaganda.
[6] Chairman of the Supreme PeopleÕs
Assembly and Deputy Minister of the PeopleÕs Armed Forces respectively.
[7] Vice-Foreign Minister covering EU affairs.
[8] General Kim suggested boxing or taekwondo. Lord Guthrie responded that boxing would be fine, but if they challenged Britain to taekwondo, we would reciprocate with cricket.