Changes in North Korea as revealed in the testimonies of saetomins

책 소개

Since the mid-1990s, one of the most significant changes in North Korea has been the way in which the hitherto tight control over society is slowly being loosened, mainly due to the economic crisis and official corruption. Many people cross the border with China and wander within the country because of the ongoing economic hardships and they do so with the tacit approval of government officials. The simple aims of people maintaining their livelihoods and wealth creation have decriminalized this cross border travel to a great extent. Government control over the people is, thus, not as strong as it was before. It is a matter of some controversy as to whether North Korea, at present, is truly changing. The controversy is based on differences in understanding and standpoints of the concepts, scope and extent of change considering what the actual changes are and what should be considered as significant changes. With so many varying perspectives at play, it will not be easy to settle these controversies. In order to deal with these controversies, changes in North Korea and even North Korean studies should be developed so as to enable scientific and systematic changes to be 'explained' and 'predicted'. Furthermore, they need to be supported with sufficient materials to fully cover the subjects being studied thought given to the pertinent study method best employed. It is, however, close to impossible for South Korean and foreign researchers to have an opportunity to visit North Korea and to be present in the country to collect data and conduct research on the study areas concerned. The primary data for researchers is insufficient to carry out the research and most of this data is not reliable to use even if North Korean publications and the media could be used as primary source material. As the regime increases contact with the outside world, the difficulties in researching North Korea becomes less burdensome, but initial challenges such as a lack of data, limitations on collecting data, and questions regarding the data’s credibility still remain. Although it is basically extremely difficult if not impossible to accurately understand the reality of North Korea on account of the problems in gathering enough data, we must try to overcome this problem. This will be the way to get the utmost out of limited materials. In this regard, the testimonies of defectors who have experienced North Korean society first hand are invaluable. The testimonies from saetomins (North Korean defectors in South Korea) should be used with prudence, considering the conditions in which research is conducted into North Korean society and its changes. These research outcomes are, however, of great importance. Changes in institutions publicly addressed by the authorities can be found through official documents and various other means. Notwithstanding this, following-up this work by correlating it to illegal or actual activities, namely the formation of an unofficial system such as the people's consciousness, culture and change, is only possible through testimonies. The Korean Institute for National Unification has, therefore, invited saetomins and has recorded testimonies from them about the actual situation of North Korean society since the mid-1990s. From 1996 to 2007, they have been witness to various events and changes, which they experienced (or may experience) through their daily lives. This study, focusing on these saetomins' testimonies, aims to illuminate the actual conditions of these changes, which can help us determine whether North Korea is actually changing, how it is changing and what the obvious changes are, if any.

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