NK defectors develop post-unification reconstruction plans for hometowns
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Kim Byeong-uk, left, founder and president of the think tank North Korea Development Institute and founder of the 185 Project, poses in his office in Seoul on June 13. Standing next to him is Park Jung-wook, a non-resident fellow of the institute who declined to show her face out of fear for her safety and that of her family. / Korea Times
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Some 30 North Korean defectors have rolled up their sleeves to create reconstruction plans for their hometowns and help residents improve their lives post-unification.
As part of the launch of the 185 Project, named after the number of counties and towns in the totalitarian North, they have collaborated to produce county-specific development strategies that can be used to reconstruct the North when and if the two Koreas are unified.
“While studying the reunification of East and West Germany, I thought there are certainly roles that we defectors could play in the reconstruction of North Korea,” said Kim Byeong-uk, the founder and president of Seoul-based think tank North Korea Development Institute and founder of the 185 Project. “West Germany spent a lot after the reunification mainly to fill the development gap with East Germany. I think South Korea can cut unification costs if it narrows the development divide with the North. If concrete, area-specific construction plans are in place, it will be easier for the South to reconstruct the North, and this, consequently, will reduce costs.”
Kim, a former provincial government employee in the North and a holder of a doctoral degree in North Korean studies, said the reconstruction plans should benefit North Koreans. “We want to give the North Korean residents the hope that just as South Korea rose from the ashes of the Korean War to become a powerful economy, they can, too, if the development plans are implemented after reunification.”
One of the project’s current plans is for North Korea’s public markets. By analyzing satellite imagery, the project members obtained related information, such as the number and size of existing markets there and the number of people who make their livings in the markets.
“We’ve found 414 markets all across North Korea, which have become an integral part of the North Korean way of life,” Kim said. “The number accounts for only legal markets. Given that there are also illegal markets, the actual figure for markets would be higher.”
North Korean authorities have allowed the year-round public markets since 2003, collecting taxes from vendors there.
The final version of 185 Project’s public market overview report will be unveiled in late June. In his preview of the forthcoming report, Kim said thriving markets in the North may indicate where the Hermit Kingdom is headed.
“Markets have outgrown the communist state, and even its leader, Kim Jong-un, won’t be able to stop them,” Kim said. “As long as the North Koreans are allowed to make a living through the markets, they won’t care much about politics or nuclear weapons. But they won’t sit back if the North Korean authorities attempt to suppress market activities because these are their lifeline,” he said.
In 2009, during the Kim Jong-il regime, the North adopted a set of measures to suppress market activities out of fear that capitalism will spread. But the restrictions didn’t lead to the decline of the markets, according to Benjamin Katzett Silberstein, author of the 2015 report “Growth and Geography of Markets in North Korea.” He said satellite images do not reveal corresponding decreases in aggregate market size.
Kim said the thriving markets in the North indicate that a wind of change is blowing. He also noted that in the country’s relatively basic manufacturing industries, North Koreans import raw materials from China and send them to the cities or counties that have sufficient facilities and labor forces to process them into finished products.
“For example, they bring textiles from cities near the Chinese-North Korean border and send them to the inland cities that have a significant labor force, composed mostly of household workers. They use the textiles to make clothes at home and then sell these processed products in the market,” Kim said.
South Korean products are also sold in the North’s markets by way of the Chinese-North Korean border cities. Ramen and the chocolate-flavored snack cakes called Choco pie are reportedly big hits in the North.
“The markets are classrooms in which North Koreans learn the capitalistic way of life. The thriving markets indicate that, whether intentionally or not, North Koreans are preparing themselves for reunification,” Kim said.
185 Project
Last year, the institute completed a research project on a reconstruction plan for the northeastern city of Musan. In the report submitted to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the project members proposed that South Korea consider building wind turbines in the city post-unification to make the most of its wind power, cope with energy shortages and boost the local economy. “Musan is the best county for wind power, so we proposed establishing a wind power industry there,” Kim said. He declined to give further details of the findings of the classified report, saying it is confidential.
Kim spearheaded the research project last year after realizing that a number of his fellow North Korean defectors shared his view that feasible reconstruction plans are needed to help their hometowns better prepare for unification.
He contacted South Korean experts to ask if they were interested in collaborating in the project. While the South Koreans responded positively to the proposal, Kim eventually excluded them because he didn’t like their idea for dividing the work. “They said they were willing to work with us if we can pass on related data to them so that they can produce the reports under their names,” he said. “That would have been unfair.”
Kim then called on other North Korean defectors who could assist him in the research and development project for their homeland. About 30, including Park Jung-wook, joined the institute as non-resident fellows.
However, although the institute was already open, the founding members found it difficult to jumpstart the 185 Project. The ambitious project required a deep understanding of satellite imagery, which they did not have. Necessary assistance came from an unnamed North Korean defector who earned his doctoral degree from a German university. Some North Korean defectors decline to give their real names or prefer speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear for the safety of their family members still living in the North.
“He helped us complete the North Korean map with detailed information about the 185 counties and districts,” said Kim. “While looking at the imagery and the names of the counties, we defectors were able to determine what kind of facilities are in the neighborhoods because of the information from the nearly 30,000 defectors in the South who are from all across the North.”
The project members were also able to overcome financing problems with the help of some generous South Koreans.
“We have three key donors, and I appreciate each of them for their generous donations,” he said.
“Yang Bong-jin, the owner of the Chungmuro-based building that houses the institute, generously offered us to use the third floor for free. “Mr. Kim Tae-sik, who owns an IT company in Bucheon, donated 20 million won for our research activities. His donation was used as the seed money for this institute. Mr. Cho Seung-sik, the publisher of Books Hill publishing company, sends us 500,000 won every month to pay for the office’s utility fees. Without them, we would not have been able to start this project.”