International pressure on North Korea has entered a new phase, as the U.N. Security Council has decided on new sanctions on North Korean officials and companies related to the nation’s second nuclear test. The sanctions, which were finalized on July 17th, are the first that target North Korean individuals. Previously, international pressure against North Korea amounted to simple verbal warnings, but this time, the U.N. seems to be determined to put stronger pressure on the North. Initially, some Western countries proposed putting 15 officials on the sanction list, but the council eventually reduced the number to five. The Security Council targeted three North Korean firms for sanctions in April, and it added five more organizations to the sanction list last week. Here’s Professor Yu Ho-yeol from the North Korean Studies Department at Korea University to explain more about North Korean individuals and companies that will be subject to the sanctions.

The individuals on the list include Yun Ho-jin, director of Namchongang Trading Corporation. Yun was caught smuggling materials related to North Korea’s uranium program out of Germany. Other officials include Ri Je-son, director of the General Bureau of Atomic Energy, and Hwang Sok-hwa who is in charge of nuclear programs in the bureau. Namchongang Trading Corporation is a trading firm under the General Bureau of Atomic Energy. The sanction list also includes Korea Hyoksin Trading Corporation. These trading firms mainly conduct transactions in materials related to nuclear and missile development. Also, Iran-based Hong Kong Electronics, another firm on the list, has served to connect North Korea and Iran. In brief, the Security Council listed five North Korean officials and five organizations subject to sanctions.

North Korea fired a series of missiles this month, following its April 5th rocket launch and its second nuclear test in May. As a result, China, which had been reluctant to join sanctions against North Korea in the past, is no longer opposed to the scheme. So, how will the latest punitive measures influence North Korea? Many are wondering whether they will be effective.

A travel ban will be imposed on the five North Korean officials. Also, the sanctions will constrain the North Korean companies from engaging in foreign transactions related to finance and insurance. Once the U.N. member nations put the sanctions into action, North Korea will find it very difficult to trade materials needed to develop weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear weapons and missiles. The sanctions have a symbolic, political meaning in criticizing Pyongyang’s provocative acts. But these measures will make it hard for North Korea to continue to indulge in illegal trade or expand such activities. In this respect, we cannot underestimate the sanctions. We have to continue watching the situation, but I think they will have practical effects.

Despite the strong U.N. sanctions, North Korea remains relatively calm. Deputy chief of North Korea’s UN mission, Pak Tok-hun, said that North Korea would not recognize the U.N. Security Council resolutions and stressed that the measures would not affect his country. Meanwhile, the United States says it will continue imposing sanctions and pressure on North Korea until the nation returns to the denuclearization process. U.S. assistant secretary of state for public affairs, Philip Crowley, said during a recent press conference that Washington won’t just wait for North Korea and the Obama administration will seek a “new approach” to the nuclear problem. His remarks indicate a shift from Washington’s previous stance. Also, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, Kurt Campbell, said that the U.S. is preparing for a wide range of plans aimed at pressuring North Korea. Campbell made these comments in a meeting with South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon on July 18th during his Asian tour. He also said the U.S. would provide a “comprehensive package” of incentives to North Korea if the nation takes irreversible steps to dismantle its nuclear programs. Professor Yu analyzes that the U.S. is pressuring North Korea while still leaving the door open for the North to return to negotiations.

The Obama administration has taken a hard-line stance toward North Korea, based on strict principles. It regards North Korean issues as a grave concern in Northeast Asia. It’s clear that the U.S. is determined to break the past pattern of rewarding North Korea for its provocative or wrong behaviors through incomplete agreements. Yet, Kurt Campbell said during his Northeast Asian tour that the U.S. would leave open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea. This shows that there’s little change in Washington’s traditional approach, which is, using both dialogue and pressure at the same time. In this sense, I don’t think the U.S. has decided on potential incentives for North Korea yet. The U.S. will now begin coordinating views of each involved nation and discussing more effective ways to resolve the situation.

As the U.S. stresses a “two track” strategy based on pressure and dialogue in dealing with North Korea, some mention the possibility of resuming negotiations between the two countries. Disappointingly, North Korea’s No.2 man, Kim Yong-nam, declared on July 16th that the six-party talks have reached a permanent end. Nevertheless, diplomatic experts have a positive outlook for the six-party nuclear negotiations. Professor Yu explains.

All the involved countries, including the U.S. and China, advocate the same principle of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula when tackling the nuclear crisis. They share the view that North Korea should give up developing weapons of mass destruction and discuss subsequent compensation and improvement in relations with other countries within the framework of the six-party talks. North Korea said the six-way talks were “over forever,” but the other countries still think that denuclearization should be addressed within the multilateral dialogue frame.

Following Kurt Campbell’s South Korea visit, Seoul and Washington saw eye to eye on the need to block North Korea’s further provocation and find a path to dialogue instead. Now is time to formulate a forward-looking plan to resume dialogue with North Korea and mend the stalled inter-Korean relations, while maintaining cooperation with the international community.


[Interview] Hanawon Life Revealed for First Time to Mark Tenth Anniversary
Hanawon is a resettlement training facility for North Korean defectors. They learn basic survival skills here before starting a new life in South Korea. July 8 marked the tenth anniversary of the birth of the rehabilitation center. A commemorative ceremony was held at the main center of Hanawon in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. Due to this special occasion, Hanawon’s facility was opened to the public for the first time since its inception in 1999. Female defectors, teenagers and children stay at the main center in Anseong, and an extension center in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, accommodates male adults. Usually, three to five people live together in a 23-square-meter room, which is equipped with home appliances and basic household goods. Hanawon also operates a clinic and educational facilities, such as a library and a lecture room. Here are two officials to tell us more about the facility.


…The room has necessary furniture and equipment, including a desk, a computer and a TV set. We try our best to provide the trainees with everything they need in their daily lives.
…This is Hana Clinic. Public health doctors are dispatched here for treatment in five departments—internal treatment, dental care, Oriental medicine, psychiatry, and obstetrics and gynecology. This is a room for inpatients. Here, patients get an injection of Ringer’s solution or receive short treatment. Over there, you can see an ob-gyn room. Before arriving in South Korea, most defectors couldn’t get proper treatment even if they were sick. As a result, many of them discover their health problems only after entering this facility.

NA: A 12-week, 420-hour training course offers the newcomers various programs aimed at healing their mental scars and improving their physical health. During the 12 weeks, they also receive education about democracy, capitalism and a market economy as well as basic vocational training. After the daily training is over at 5 p.m., the defectors are allowed to spend their time personally on leisure and religious activities here at Hanawon. In the course of doing so, the trainees restore their mental stability and get themselves ready for a new life in South Korea. About 15-thousand defectors have so far completed the resettlement program at Hanawon, with 300 newcomers arriving in South Korea every month. But Hanawon’s facilities can’t accommodate the ever-increasing number of defectors from North Korea. The center’s director-general Yun Mi-ryang says it’s most urgent to develop education programs to better reflect the diverse age groups of defectors and their varying levels of education.

I’d say this is a structural problem Hanawon has. There are diverse age groups here—from a 100-day-old baby to senior citizens in their 70s. Their academic backgrounds vary, too. The defectors range from those who couldn’t even attend an elementary school to college graduates. It’s very hard to give lectures to those people from different educational and social backgrounds. To remedy the situation, it’s necessary to increase the number of instructors and expand facilities. We’re discussing ways to divide the trainees into different levels and provide better programs tailored to reflect their levels.

The defectors have high expectations for a new, free life in South Korea, but they also have fears of leaving Hanawon. Those who have already completed the training course encourage the trainees to have more confidence and motivation, stressing the potential role of the North Korean newcomers when preparing for Korea’s unification.

…Of course, I’m scared. I’m most worried about my North Korean speech and accent. I’m afraid I’ll have a hard time getting a job because of my heavy North Korean accent. But my fellow North Koreans who resettled here earlier say if I work hard, I can live well because South Korean society is different from the North Korean one.
…I’ve experienced many things earlier than those who arrived here later. I would live a better life now if I had known some tips. I’d like to let them know those tips. I really want to help them. Upon arriving here in South Korea, we, defectors, are entrusted with a grave, historic mission. We should prepare for the unification of Korea and take the lead in achieving that goal.