Since North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s China visit last month, North Korea has released a series of follow-up measures, prompting speculation that North Korea-China relations might be changing. North Korea is moving really fast to deal with China-related issues. First, North Korea convened an expanded meeting of its Workers’ Party Political Bureau on June 6 for a report of the outcome of Kim’s China trip. On the same day, the standing committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly announced an ordinance designating Hwanggeumpyeong and Wihwa Island as special districts. Two days later, North Korea and China held a groundbreaking ceremony for the joint development of the area. Professor Jeon Ga-rim at Hoseo University explains that the measures are aimed at making official the outcome of Kim Jong-il’s China visit.

The expanded meeting of the Workers’ Party Political Bureau on June 6 was the first such meeting in 30 years since December of 1981 when it was presided over by then-North Korean leader Kim Il-sung. The rare meeting last week was the venue to officially announce that the party’s system and functions have been back to normal and even reinforced since North Korea held a convention of the Workers’ Party on September 28 last year for the first time in 44 years. It is also notable that last week’s conference once again demonstrated the unique, friendly relationship between North Korea and China ahead of the 50th anniversary of the North Korea-China mutual assistance treaty.

Meanwhile, North Korea’s Workers’ Party and China’s Communist Party held a “strategic dialogue” at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang on June 10. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that the two sides exchanged views on the issues of mutual concern and the ways to advance their friendly, cooperative relations further. Diplomatic experts note that it is rather unusual for North Korea to use the expression, “strategic dialogue,” for a meeting with a foreign country.

In general, the term “strategic dialogue” implies a comprehensive discussion of wide-ranging issues, not a particular subject. Since the North Korean leader’s China trip, both sides have stressed bilateral economic cooperation. It is considered very unusual for North Korea to discuss with China potential ways to boost cooperation in various other areas, including politics and diplomacy. North Korea has never discussed such a broad range of issues with China in the past.

Some compare the current situation to that of 1991, when then-North Korean leader Kim Il-sung visited China. Following Kim’s China visit at that time, North Korea convened a meeting of the Workers’ Party Political Bureau and announced new measures, including the designation of the Rajin free economic zone and the inter-Korean joint declaration on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. At present, North Korea seems to be making similar moves as it did 20 years ago. The series of recent measures indicate that North Korea-China relations, which had touched on almost exclusively political and diplomatic cooperation, have now expanded into economic collaboration as well.

The previous North Korea-China relations were mostly focused on politics and diplomacy, but they have widened to economic and even social areas. In other words, bilateral ties tended to lean toward politics in the past, but the two countries are now seeking mutual benefits through economic cooperation, which I think is a significant change. The South Korean government has suspended aid for North Korea since the North’s two military provocations last year. I imagine the subsequent international collaboration has put great pressure on Pyongyang. To find an economic breakthrough at least, North Korea inevitably had to strengthen cooperation with China.

Experts cite the Hwanggeumpyeong special district near the mouth of the Apnok River, or Yalu River in Chinese, as the most prominent example of stronger economic cooperation between North Korea and China.

Hwanggeumpyeong is an island located in the Dandong district of China in the lower reaches of the Yalu River. The fertile area covering 11.45 square kilometers has been used mostly as farmland so far. Here, North Korea and China plan to develop modern industries, like the software business and modern agriculture. The specific plan will likely give a real boost to economic cooperation between the two countries. Previously, economic cooperation was conducted in the form of China’s unilateral, massive assistance for North Korea. In a shift from the old practice, bilateral relations have developed into mutually beneficial ones, in which North Korea, too, plays a certain part. China finds it advantageous to secure cheap labor and an access to the East Sea. Also significantly, Beijing has demonstrated to the outside world that it reinforced relations with North Korea through economic cooperation based on the principle of reciprocity.

Experts are also noting that the groundbreaking ceremony for the Hwanggeumpyeong joint development project was attended by high-ranking officials from North Korea and China, including vice chairman of the North’s powerful National Defense Commission, Jang Song-thaek, and Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming. This means economic cooperation between the two countries, engaged by provincial governments and regional companies thus far, is moving into a new direction led by the central government.

Following Kim Jong-il’s visit to China, the Chinese central government seeks to lead regional governments and companies in strengthening cooperation with North Korea. As China is providing a great deal of assistance to North Korea, which suffers from diplomatic isolation and economic difficulties, North Korea’s dependence on China is expected to grow even further. We can assume that the situation in North Korea is pretty bad. In the past, participation by small-and mid-size companies or small-scale investment was enough to solve many problems in the North. But that’s not the case any longer. So, it is important to secure massive aid for North Korea at the governmental level.

North Korea and China are expected to push for other development projects involving the Wihwa Island special district and the Rason area in earnest, leading to much closer bilateral relations. How will this trend influence inter-Korean relations and regional diplomacy?

North Korea and China will maintain close ties in the future, which will affect South Korea’s policy toward North Korea considerably. Many will question the usefulness of Seoul’s North Korea policy. North Korea-China relations are mostly asymmetrical, which means Beijing will have a heavier influence on Pyongyang or intervene in North Korea-related affairs more actively. This development is not considered positive in addressing regional problems.

Many experts agree that there will be more to lose than gain in regional diplomacy, if North Korea and China further promote their friendly relations and facilitate bilateral economic cooperation. But some predict that the situation will prod North Korea into reform and openness. It remains to be seen how North Korea-China relations may evolve and what result their economic cooperation will produce. The arrival of an era of North Korea-China economic cooperation will continue to draw attention.


[Interview]24-Hour Call Center for N. Korean Defectors
Counselors are busy answering the phones here at the 24-hour call center for North Korean defectors, located in Yeouido, Seoul. Supported by the North Korean Refugees Foundation, the call center began full operation on May 30 to offer counseling on employment and psychotherapy as well as medical and legal problems—the most challenging issues North Korean newcomers have to address in their resettlement in South Korea. There are some counseling programs operated by local governments, but it is the first time a 24-hour call center exclusively dedicated to North Korean defectors has been set up to operate all year round. Here’s Park Myung-hee in charge of the call center.

This call center provides counseling on various difficulties North Korean defectors face and also helps them receive emergency aid when they are exposed to risks, such as violence and accidents. It also offers one-on-one, high-quality legal counseling. Lawyers from the Seoul region provide legal counseling from 2 p.m. through 5 p.m. every Monday. In brief, the call center handles general problems North Korean expatriates have to deal with.

Eight counselors are working at the call center. In four groups with two people each, the counselors are on call 24 hours a day. They are all counseling specialists with professional education and certificates. As a matter of fact, half of them are North Korean defectors. Being North Korean newcomers themselves, they are offering help that South Korean counselors are unable to provide.

There are a number of counseling centers in South Korea, but North Korean defectors are reluctant to visit such centers. Even though they do, many of them have difficulty in communicating with counselors and receiving service. But here, they’re willing to open their minds and restore their psychological stability while talking with counselors from North Korea. They feel this place is different from other counseling centers, which is a great hope to the defectors.

It’s been less than a month since the call center officially opened, but it has drawn an enthusiastic response from North Korean newcomers. In April alone, when the center was operated only on a trial basis, the number of counseling cases amounted to 638. The figure neared 60 on the opening day on May 30. Half of the phone inquiries are on medical and education support as well as housing applications. Also, many callers ask simple questions about administrative affairs and problems in everyday life. Whatever the question, the counselors put themselves in the newcomers’ shoes, listening to their problems carefully and empathizing with their weary lives. They mostly offer phone counseling, but they also visit the defectors’ homes if they wish. Many defectors suffering from depression and loneliness make phone calls at night. Taking this into consideration, the call center conducts a psychological test as well. Defectors who have used this counseling service say that it gives them great strength just opening their minds and having an honest talk with someone in their lonely lives.

It feels like everything that had been clogged up became clear. This is amazing. I love this feeling. Staying at home, I always felt uneasy and wondered if it was okay to say this or that. When I talk with a counselor here, I feel so relieved at heart. I realized a counseling center like this is absolutely necessary. I’ll introduce this center to many people.

More than 20-thousand North Korean defectors have come to South Korea, but it is far from easy for them to stand on their own two feet in South Korean society. Hopefully, the call center will prove greatly helpful for the resettlement of many more newcomers from North Korea.