In my very first blog post* several years ago, I called for a guest worker program for North Koreans in the ROK.
It seems that someone else is thinking the same thing (Korea Times):
In a delicate shift from its hawkish stance ahead of the presidential election, the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) Wednesday said it would consider inviting 30,000 workers in North Korea to the South for vocational training programs on the free market economy.
Of course, there are a lot of potential problems with the idea. For one, there would certainly be spies sent in among the 30,000 who can ply their trade when they are not busy hammering out pots or hauling cement. For another, getting them to go back after their training terms are done could be a problem (How are you going to keep Sang-a on the collective once she has seen Seoul?).
But in any case, it would be an improvement on Gaeseong Industrial Complex boondoggle as long as the workers are treated better than they are in Russia and Europe.
It is not all good news. They are also talking about creating “free economic enclaves” in North Korea, which sounds to my cynical ears like Gaeseong-light.
So how to they say their idea is different from what DJ and Roh have been doing for the past nine years? They would link the projects with seeking to changed North Korean behavior:
Unveiling the strong engagement options, Chung denounced the policy posture of the Roh Moo-hyun administration and the pro-government Uri Party. “Their policy has failed to bring change in Pyongyang.
“It is time to seek an alternative North Korea model that can bring peace and prosperity as well,” the lawmaker said.
I would not hold by breath waiting for Kim Jong-il and his boys to loosen the reins, but (if they actually follow up on this) it would be the basis for a more realistic approach to NK policy.
*(Hopefully the good folks at TypePad will get off their butts soon so I can get access to my blog for a link.)
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5 Comments
The guest worker/student exchange idea is nothing new. It was first used back during the cold war when several prominent Russian scientists were invited to study in the states. At the time there was huge opposition to the idea, mainly because it was thought they couldn’t be trusted. In the end the program was carried out, the Russians (I forget their names) studied, supped on capitalism, and went back to Moscow. Several years later several of them were the leading architects of change in Russia. They had seen for themselves what the real west was like and they understood that it was the better system. For a while they could not air their opinions under threat of imprisonment, death, but when the opportunity arose they were instrumental in exacting change.
The parallels between Russia during the cold war era and the DPRK of today are striking. Any info that gets into the North is good. Sure there are bound to be some spies amid the flotsam of students/workers that head south, but they pose little danger to destabilizing the capitalist south now. Just keep them away from the military.
Gaeseong Industrial Complex is flawed because its within the North’s borders. Information from the outside world can be screened and controlled very tightly. The logging and mining camps in Siberia were excellent ideas because A. Contrary to popular belief they were highly sought after jobs by ordinary Norks and B. They exposed them to the realities of the outside world. So many defectors began by seeing China from the camps, meeting free Chinese and Russians (who made fun of their Kim badges and told them the facts - that they were slaves). A Similar program in South Korea would be a huge step forward.
Problem is, I very much doubt the DPRK will have anything to do with it.
“For another, getting them to go back after their training terms are done could be a problem (How are you going to keep Sang-a on the collective once she’ seen Seoul?).”
I wouldn’t let it past the government to allow her North Korean ‘tenders’ to try to ‘convince’ her to leave.
…After all, it’s already been leaked that they had signed a secret agreement with the North promising that they they wouldn’t help anyone defect during the family reunions.
North Korea wouldn’t agree to such a proposal, as they wouldn’t really want their people to be exposed to the outside world.
The GNP proposal is one of a few in recent months showcasing their change of heart with regard to the sunshine policy. They have reversed their position with regard to it because of the efforts of park geun-hye when she took over as chair person to moderate and the knuckle draggers in the party.
It is exactly like something DJ or Roh MH would poroposed. They might try to make some PR spin or cosmetic dressing for the policy so they can pretend that the are different and so they can pretend they weren’t wrong for the last 10 years. But it is the same and they were wrong.