DPRK is wanted to be shown as a country which has closed itself to outside world and lives in a bell-jar far from reality. However, as the crisis of imperialism deepens, those living in a bell-jar are not DPRK but those acting as if there is no U.S. military blockade and imperialism.
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has become the centre of liberal block propaganda after the Cold War. DPRK, which is even more on the agenda in recent days because of the possibility of war is presented as if it were a “strange” country why and what it did could not be understood. While DPRK’s military presence is presented as a legitimate cause for war, the public is tried to be persuaded for the US presence in the region and possible occupation. However, contrary to media distortions, it is not the DPRK that cannot be predicted, but the US. The possible intervention of the US concerns all the countries in the region, especially China. For this reason, DPRK crisis gains a global character.
WHY ARE THERE TWO STATES IN KOREA?
During the Second World War, Korea was projected to be a “united” and “democratic” state with its liberation from the Japanese invasion. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, today known as “North Korea", is in fact, the legitimate state, which is agreed to be founded through the Treaty of Moscow, in which the United States is also a party. And South Korea is a US “puppet state” that was founded by the US-backed dictator Syngman Rhee contrary to the treaty signed with the USSR. Following the Korean War initiated with US support, DPRK managed to survive by gaining a significant victory, even if it had severe losses.
In South Korea under the Syngman Rhee administration, the opponents were under heavy pressure while the communists were prisoned or killed. Communism is still not allowed in South Korea. Rhee, who was in power for 12 years, had to abandon his post after the controversial elections. In South Korea, after Rhee, no president had any significant public support. After the overthrow of Rhee, the Second South Korean Republic was short-lived. Park Chung-hee, a US-backed dictator again, came to power and led South Korea for a long time. Together with the former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, the daughter of Park Chung-hee's, how South Korea is a country has become clear. Park Geun-hye had to leave her duty due to the scandals.
In South Korea, where so-called “democracy” exists, being a “pro-DPRK is a legitimate reason to close a political party. For example, the Unified Progressive Party, established in 2011, received more than 10% of votes in 2012 and got into the parliament. The party, winning the support of the public in a short time, was banned and closed in 2014.
DOES DPRK LIVE IN A BELL-JAR?
Having established good relations with the socialist camp during the Cold War, DPRK has become lonely with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the disintegration of the socialist camp. Maintaining diplomatic contacts with the countries having historical relations such as Cuba, China and the countries where the left governments are in power DPRK, has, on the other hand, displayed an “enclosed” picture. The underlying reason of this is the “Juche” ideology. The three pillars of the Juche ideology which is based on “independence” are “political independence”, “economic independence” and “defence independence”.
In order to understand why the Juche ideology has become the basis of the DPRK, it is first necessary to understand the conditions of the DPRK and China. Contrary to DPRK which expose to the inhuman practices of the US, the People's Republic of China has not seen the US as a primary problem at any time in its history. Mao Zedong saying “you side with either socialism or imperialism”, had stated that the People's Republic of China was the side with socialism between 1949-1961. However, after 1961, he adopted a foreign policy called “struggle on two fronts” and said to have been opposed to “both Soviet and US”. After 1973, Mao asserted that the primary problem was the Soviet Union, suggesting the establishment of an “anti-Soviet” alliance in which the US is included with a “single-war line” policy. After Mao, Deng Xiaoping also followed a policy close to the US. Although a mutual defence agreement has been made between the DPRK and China, the DPRK has never been mistaken about the size of the support it can receive from China against the US.
In the 1990s, after the distribution of the socialist blog, Kim Jong-il who wrote texts defending socialism, imposed a politics called “Songun” and prioritised the military in the new period. Seeing the attack by the US inevitable, the DPRK won military deterrence against the US, which it had once defeated and prevented the imperialist occupation. Internal functioning of DPRK is not within the scope of this article series. However, as you can see, DPRK does not live in a bell-jar. On the contrary, with the awareness of the aggressiveness of imperialism, in a world with full of US bases, in response to the propaganda of the liberal media and the US military siege, DPRK is trying to defend itself and to exist as an organised society.
Those who close their eyes to US bases in South Korea, US Fleet in Korean waters, US warcrafts flying all over the world, and nuclear weapons around them cannot point to the DPRK army and ask “Why do they develop nuclear weapons?” Because those who live in bell-jars are in fact those trying to pretend as if there were “no imperialist aggression”.
TRUMP AND DPRK
Donald Trump, elected as the President of the United States, has increased tension in the region with his aggressive rhetoric against DPRK and put the possibility of war back on the table. While war preparations of the US continue against the DPRK, the recommendations of US National Security Council to Trump is to increase the nuclear presence in the region, to assassinate and to sabotage against the DPRK government. It is known that DPRK plays an important role in talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Asking China to "tame" DPRK government, Trump threatens it will take military action against DPRK if China fails to do so. It is clear that China is dissatisfied with the US military presence in the region because of the crisis in the South China Sea. Chinese-US relations, which have been good for a long time, are experiencing a period that can be described as “the calm before the storm” due to the deepening conflict of interest despite mutual gestures after Trump has come into the office. While Trump threatens China with the occupation of the DPRK, it should be remembered that China's approach to the DPRK will be "pragmatic" rather than "principled". China seems to have agreed to put pressure on the DPRK on behalf of the US in order to delay the confrontation with the United States. It is seen that various possibilities including "military intervention" are evaluated in Chinese media. However, the NATO military siege on the US front is targeting not only the NSC but also Russia and China.
However, the NATO military siege under the leadership of US is targeting not only the DPRK but also Russia and China.
THE FUTURE OF THE REGION
Along with the elections in South Korea, a name defending dialogue with DPRK has come into power in South Korea. The rhetoric of Moon Jae-In elected as the president of South Korea has objective grounds for South Korea.
While the people of South Korea are clearly unwilling to accept the military presence of the US and the mass of weapons it has built in the region, there are massive protests in the country for this reason. The involvement of Japan in the region also makes the Korean people, who do not forget the pain of Japanese militarism, angry.
It is clear that, along with the DPRK, South Korea will be the country that will suffer the greatest damage and loss from a war to be experienced with DPRK. Therefore, peace insurance in the region against US aggression is that the people cannot be convinced the war.
Even though the DPRK has only been trying to be shown as a "global threat" by countries that have killed millions of people over the last 20 years, in the statements of the DPRK, it is always emphasized that the country is in favor of peace, not war and it will not be the first attacker.
Tomorrow: Anxious steps in India
Mapping the crisis of imperialism - I, II, III and IV :
