Monday, January 19, 2004

Tension in the Korean Peninsula

Book Review by Tanweer Akram

Feffer, John (2003). North Korea/South Korea: U.S. Policy at a Time of Crisis. New York, N.Y.: Seven Stories Press. Price: US$ 9.95. ISBN: 1-58322-603-6.

The U.S.-North Korea tensions have not received high profile media attention due to the corporate media’s present focus on the continued resistance to U.S. occupation of Iraq and other geopolitical developments. Yet, the crisis in the Korean peninsula remains very serious and the possibility of a catastrophic war cannot be ruled out. John Feffer, a respected international relations analyst, has written a concise and informed account of evolving U.S. policy in the Korean peninsula. He provides a thorough analysis of the main issues, covering U.S. policy, North Korean politics, and Korean society.

Feffer begins by discussing how Korea’s history has shaped Korean people’s views and attitudes. After the Second World War, Korea was unjustly divided along the 38th parallel into North Korea and South Korea by the conquering powers.

Just as the USSR and the People’s Republic of China propped up the regime of Kim Il Sung in North Korea, the USA supported the regime of the dictator Syngman Rhee in South Korea. Feffer cites Bruce Cumings’ research to argue that, contrary to standard histories of the Korean War, the responsibility for starting the war falls on both sides. Feffer documents his arguments citing various scholarly studies and news clippings.

Both sides committed serious atrocities during the Korean War. The United States bombed irrigation dams and other infrastructure and used napalm chemicals. The North Korean Army also used brutal tactics and was responsible for mercilessly killing civilians.

Following the cessation of the war, North Korea rebuilt. Kim Il Sung successful played off China and USSR. North Korea’s dictator advocated an ideology known as “juche,” which emphasized self-reliance and self-defense. North Korean society was held together by feudal and Confucian social elements, which Kim Il Sung skillfully exploited to consolidate the Party’s control, which he passed on to his son, Kim Il Jung.

Meanwhile, South Korea experienced one of the most dramatic periods of economic growth and industrialization in history. Until the late 1980s South Korea remained a dictatorship, when strongman President Chun Doo Hwan was finally overthrown. But the ruling party’s candidate Roh Tow Woo was elected president because the opposition leaders, Kim Dae Jung and Kim Young Sam, could not agree on a common platform. Both the opposition leaders later served as democratically elected presidents of South Korea.

The present South Korean President, Roh Moo Hyun, was elected on the platform of bringing more transparency and openness in the political system and improving relations with North Korea.

Although Feffer is quite critical of U.S. policies, he harbors no illusion about the nature of North Korean society. He documents North Korea’s military power, economic decline, and recent political evolution. His analysis of U.S. policies is quite perceptive. He holds that the U.S. administration’s hard-line policies of military containment and economic isolation and regime change have in turn exacerbated North Korea’s own hard-line policies and brinkmanship.

Feffer develops a fascinating analysis of the evolution of Bush administration’s policies, which are increasing the risk of a conflict on the Korean peninsula. This is part and parcel of the doctrine of the global domination that the administration has been pursuing relentlessly. Since the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq, the North Korean regime has become more fearful of the possibility of a first strike by the United States. The regime has claimed that it clandestinely developed a WMD capability.

Feffer argues that, at present, the two Koreas are much more divided in the differences in standard of living and political system and culture than the two Germanys were before the unification of Germany. Nevertheless, he believes that the differences between the two Koreas are insignificant compared to ties that bind them historically and culturally. He concludes by discussing the limits and scopes for unification of the two Koreas.

East Asia is one of the world’s most economically dynamic regions, rich in human capital, foreign exchange reserves and technology. Instituting a peaceful transformation of the political regime of North Korea and developing it economically is the greatest challenge in Northeast Asia. Feffer advocates constructive engagement with North Korea, based on regional cooperation and a new vision of East Asia. If instead of the sane policies that Feffer champions, U.S. hard-line policies and North Korean brinkmanship prevail then there will be grave and dangerous consequences and risks to peace and security in East Asia.

Feffer’s book is an intelligent discussion of the U.S. policies and options in the Korean peninsula. It should be of interest not only to specialists and students of Asian studies, but also the general public, businesspersons, and activists.

Tanweer Akram, a regular contributor to Press Action, is an economist. His papers and reviews have appeared in Applied Economics, Journal of Emerging Markets, Bangladesh Development Studies, and Kyklos.

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