동아시아의 평화와 화해의 정치학 Scrapbook: Draft report on North Korea v.2

2018-10-24

Draft report on North Korea v.2

Gmail - Draft report on North Korea

DRAFT REPORT ON A TRIP TO NORTH KOREA v.2

At Yearly Meeting in both 2017 and 2018 Sejin Pak, an Attender at Adelaide RM, held sessions on the subject of North Korea. Sejin, who was born in South Korea, was concerned that North Korea received an unjustifiably bad press which could lead to acceptance of catastrophic conflict with a country which was regarded as the “Axis of Evil”. To counter this, he wished to take a group of Quakers to North Korea to see the country for themselves, and to look for ways of better relating to the people of that country.

That visit has just occurred. A group of 12 Quakers and friends of Friends have spent a week in North Korea as tourists travelling with a concern for peace. Sejin gave assistance with organising the tour and providing information about North Korea, so that we were both prepared and satisfied that we would be safe there. Despite some alarm by friends and family we are pleased to relate that we have all returned without mishap, apart from Wilma who fell and cut her head and received good medical treatment. It will take some time to process our experiences, but we would like to present this preliminary report.

We stayed in Pyongyang which is a modern city, the entire original city having been destroyed by bombing during the Korean War. Having a blank slate to build on, the North Koreans have constructed a beautifully planned city with wide streets, predominantly public transport, and safely separated bicycle lanes. The buildings show architectural originality, the public areas are clean, and life is orderly – perhaps a little too orderly for Australian tastes!

This we found difficult, and kept stressing that ours was a friendship tour and we wished to have a relationship with the local people wherever possible.

We were especially fortunate that American Friends Service Committee has been working in North Korea for the past 15 years and have a good reputation for assisting with agriculture. This made it possible for us to be considered a study tour rather than merely tourists, and to see places not on the usual tourist itinerary. We were particularly fortunate to be able to meet Mr…………………………. a senior official in the Department of Agriculture. He spoke with surprising frankness about the difficulties imposed by sanctions – lack of oil means a shortage of fertilizer and fuel for agricultural machinery. Mr. ……………. pointed out that this makes the life of farmers very labour intensive. He seemed interested in the possibility of Australian Quakers doing similar work to American Friends on a farm in North Korea

We were able to visit a farm where Quakers have worked, and were lucky to have Rowe Morrow and David Swain with us to explain aspect of Korean farming. It was rice harvest time, and those of us without a rural background have returned much wiser in the uses of rice stalks and maize husks!

Following the meeting with Mr ………….we were able to visit the Vegetable Research Centre where the Director lamented that sanctions made it impossible to import new varieties of seed which might increase productivity.

There were some challenging aspects to the tour. North Korea is a country very concerned with racial difference – the entry form asks you to state your race as well as your nationality. In the hotel the Europeans had a different dining room from the Chinese tourists, so it was a good witness that our group was racially mixed and we were able to eat together.

Apart from some limited Buddhism (we were told the monks pray for the good of the people and leaders) religion is banned. You cannot take a Bible into North Korea. But our guides got used to Quakers falling into collective silence.

Another thing that was difficult for Quakers – especially Australian Quakers – is the great respect for authority. The North Koreans revere their leaders, especially their founder Kim Il Sung. We came to see this as a genuine sentiment. At every place you visit you will be told it was established by the wish of a Great Leader, and you will learn every date on which one of the leaders has visited. Guides were sometimes flustered when we asked questions about other aspects of the school, farm, factory or cultural centre. Sometimes they were amazed that tourists were interested in Korean culture, sometimes they thought our questions intrusive. Our guides, who were used to dealing with Chinese tourists, found us a bit hard to handle, but good humour generally overcame our differences.

The group returned tossing around ideas for helping the North Korean people for whom we have considerable admiration. We hope to further develop these ideas and to bring proposals to AYM in the future.

We wish to convey our on-going support for Sejin Pak’s concern for peace on the Korean peninsula. We have established an informal North Korea Working Group for that purpose, and will send this report to SANTRM, QPLC, and Standing Committee. We will also be informing our Regional Meetings about our experience.

This report is signed by those who are willing to form the Working Group..

Sejin Pak

Roger Sawkins

Sue Ennis

Wilma Davidson

Dale Hess

Rae Litting and David Swain

======
Draft report on North Korea

madelyn rugari <madelynr_@hotmail.com> Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 3:08 PM
To: "sensa@bigpond.net.au" <sensa@bigpond.net.au>, Roger <roger@sawkins.name>, Rae Litting <raelitting@hotmail.com>, Wilma Davidson <wilma2010@live.com.au>, Adrian Glamorgan <eco4humanity@gmail.com>, "davidjswain@gmail.com" <davidjswain@gmail.com>, Sejin Pak Gmail <sejin.pak8@gmail.com>, "rowemorrow2450@gmail.com" <rowemorrow2450@gmail.com>, dale hess <d.hess@ozemail.com.au>

I finally arrived home after this mini adventure (via Thailand and Malaysia) as flights had to be changed...

http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf42b5a

I hope you all had a less harrowing return journey!

Madelyn

From: sensa@bigpond.net.au <sensa@bigpond.net.au>
Sent: Tuesday, 23 October 2018 2:47 PM
To: 'Roger'; 'Rae Litting'; 'Wilma Davidson'; 'Adrian Glamorgan'; davidjswain@gmail.com; 'Sejin Pak Gmail'; 'Olwyn Maddock';rowemorrow2450@gmail.com; 'dale hess'; madelynr_@hotmail.com
Subject: Draft report on North Korea

Dear All (just saw your comments Rodger good ones!)

How is everyone? Home except for Rowe

For me I have a bit to process

Rae thanks for your excellent report and a good length

Re respect for authority perhaps one thing is missing -one thing that is perhaps missing is about the role of women in NK- second to a man which was evident in most of the jobs we observed them holding (except in one or two cases). Also women in the Juce ideology (as it was told to us- but I have not researched as yet) are second to men

UNDP 2018 index give some understanding but not a ranking on gender inequality (South Korea is there but NK the figures are not fully there due to sanctions?)

Sadly Australia is ranked 3 not 2 like last time I looked at the ranking

http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/GII 2018

This chart shows NK has
relatively high education of women
relatively good infant mortality rates
few women hold positions in government- below average for most parts of the world

Sejin you might like to comment more on this

=====

I have also attached a draft action plan of things we talked about ( most with our tour manager as well) while in NK for people to change, disregard or ? it is just a suggestion

I will also hold whatever comes next -or does not come next in the light

Do we need a zoom meeting in a week or so to discuss the next steps ( ie sharing photos writing to AYM, talks at RMS etc) and some unfinished business?

Best wishes

Sue

==========

PS Below is information on tipping

This is what Intrepid says https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au/north-korea/north-korea-highlights-103976/printtripnotes

NORTH KOREA

Tipping is expected in North Korea. In general you are not required to tip service staff, though it has become accepted in Pyongyang but not expected. If you feel service staff have made a special effort you can quietly give them a tip if you wish. Your local tour guides however should be tipped and they rely greatly on their tips, so be as generous as you like.
If you like it is also custom to bring in small gifts for your guides. Many foreigners will do this and either give an entrance gift or a farewell gift. Gifts can be of your choosing of course however as a guide North Korean male guides enjoy receiving foreign cigarettes and liquor whereas female guides like to receive chocolate or cosmetics.

Intrepid again https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au/south-korea

South Korea travel FAQs
Do I need a visa to travel to South Korea?

Is tipping customary in South Korea?

Tipping in some establishments (particularly more traditional ones) is considered impolite, and is sometimes indicated with a 'no tipping' sign! Western-style, tourist-orientated places, however, usually welcome and receive tips. Use your discretion.

Intrepid Again South Korea https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au/south-korea/south-korea-real-food-adventure-107543/tripnotes

TIPPING:
If you are happy with the services provided by your group leader tipping - though not compulsory - is appropriate. While it may not be customary to you, it is of great significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels, inspires excellent service, and is an entrenched feature of the tourism industry across many Intrepid destinations. Please consider this when budgeting for your extra expenses on this tour.
The amount is entirely a personal preference, however as a guideline US$1-2 per person, per day can be used.
Tipping is not customary in South Korea in restaurants and for other service providers.

Draft 1 Action Point arising out of North Korean Study Tour 24/10/18

Possible out come	Next Action	Person responsible for liaison with NK	Person involved idea and taking to Q for endorsement etc	Out comes
Follow up on the offer of a farm	Contact the travel Agent	Sejin	Sejin Rowe Roger Others?
Follow up on suggested Bird Watching Tour · Sept 19 · At least 15 people mostly Q · 7-10 days · 3 star accommodation	Contact travel agent	Sejin	Sejin Then Rae Sue
Follow up on suggested Bike Riding Tour	Contact travel agent	Sejin	Sejin Adrian Others?
Follow up on suggested Architecture Tour	Sue to speak to Q in Melb and then talk to Sejin
Cultural Tour- no discussion as yet with tour operator	Wilma suggested this
Follow up on suggested ESL teachers need for this	Sejin to ask travel agent about this?

==============

From: Roger <roger@sawkins.name>
Sent: Tuesday, 23 October 2018 5:05 PM
To: 'Rae Litting' <raelitting@hotmail.com>; 'Wilma Davidson' <wilma2010@live.com.au>; 'Adrian Glamorgan' <eco4humanity@gmail.com>; davidjswain@gmail.com; 'Sejin Pak Gmail' <sejin.pak8@gmail.com>; 'Sue Ennis' <sensa@bigpond.net.au>; 'Olwyn Maddock' <olmad@iprimus.com.au>; rowemorrow2450@gmail.com; 'dale hess' <d.hess@ozemail.com.au>; madelynr_@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Draft report on North Korea

Thanks a million, Rae, for being so prompt.

Sejin’s first comments were made at YM 2017 in Adelaide during the Winter School session run by QPLC and at a subsequent discussion, so maybe you could start with that.

Could we also mention that Sejin is an Attender at Adelaide Meeting, was born in SK and it was very important that we had his assistance both before and during the tour?

I wonder if we could cut down some of the ‘tourist’ information and add something about:

The fact that we were treated as a ‘study tour’ rather than just tourists and hence saw and spoke to some people who were not on the normal tourist itinerary

The generally expressed wish for reunification and for peace with all countries

The fact that the meeting with Mr. X was unprecedented and he seemed interested in the possibility of some liaison between Australian Friends and a farm in North Korea on a basis that recognised our limitations.

Should we add David Swain’s name to that of Rowe Morrow?

==

I wonder if the last paragraph could be a bit more fulsome. Maybe:

The group returned tossing around ideas for helping the North Korean people for whom we have considerable admiration. We are intending to develop some of these ideas in the future and may be asking AYM to provide support in some instances. However, we have no specific requests at present.

We resolved to establish an informal North Korea Working Group to support Sejin Pak’s Concern and to ask SANTRM and QPLC to support his Concern for peace and friendship with the Korean peninsula. We have prepared this report for that purpose, and also for the information of Standing Committee and Friends generally.

This report is signed by those who are willing to form the Working Group and support the ongoing Concern.

Sejin Pak

Roger Sawkins

(Who else wishes their name to be here? – in alphabetical order?)

October 2018.

================

From: Rae Litting [mailto:raelitting@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, 23 October 2018 2:10 PM
To: Wilma Davidson; Adrian Glamorgan; davidjswain@gmail.com; Sejin Pak Gmail; Sue Ennis; Olwyn Maddock;rowemorrow2450@gmail.com; dale hess; madelynr_@hotmail.com; Roger Sawkins
Subject: Draft report on North Korea

Dear Friends,

I am attaching a draft report on our trip for corrections and comment. I would appreciate the name of the Man from the Ministry. I have tried to keep to one and a half pages, and to concentrate on matters of interest to Friends. Much has had to be left out!

Love, Rae
---

DRAFT REPORT ON A TRIP TO NORTH KOREA

At Yearly Meeting 2018 Sejin Pak of Adelaide RM held a Show and Tell on the subject of North Korea. Sejin was concerned that North Korea received an unjustifiably bad press which could lead to acceptance of catastrophic conflict with a country which was regarded as the “Axis of Evil”. To counter this, he wished to take a group of Quakers to North Korea to see the country for themselves, and to look for ways of better relating to the people of that country.

That visit has just occurred. A group of 12 Quakers and friends of Friends have spent a week in North Korea as tourists travelling with a concern for peace.

Before going the group were provided with information by Sejin and shared what information they could find on the country, so that we were satisfied that we would be safe there. However, our friends and family often expressed the worry that we would be in danger from the authorities, that we would be confronted by horrible poverty, and that we would be scarred by the grim experience. We are pleased to relate that we have all returned without mishap, apart from Wilma who fell and cut her head and received good medical treatment. It will take some time to process our experiences, but we would like to present this preliminary report.

We were surprised at the number of tourists, mostly from China but some from the EU. There is a rather inflexible tourist schedule, and at every major monument or centre of cultural interest you will find rows of tourist buses. The aim of tourism is to impress tourists with the achievements and skills of the North Korean people while keeping them separate from the local population. This we found difficult, and kept stressing that ours was a friendship tour and we wished to have a relationship with the local people wherever possible. North Korea is also a country very concerned with racial difference – the entry form asks you to state your race as well as your nationality. In the hotel the Europeans had a different dining room from the Chinese tourists, so it was a good witness that our group was racially mixed and we were able to eat together.

We were fortunate to be there in autumn as the trees were taking on their autumn colours. The mountains near Pyongyang are spectacular at this time of year and we have plenty of photos to prove it!

We were especially fortunate that American Friends Service Committee has been working in North Korea for the past 15 years and have a good reputation for assisting with agriculture. We were able to visit a farm where Quakers have worked, and were lucky to have Rowe Morrow with us to explain aspect of Korean farming. It was rice harvest time, and those of us without a rural background have returned much wiser in the uses of rice stalks and maize husks!

Due to the good will created by AFSC it was possible to meet Mr…………………………. a senior official in the Department of Agriculture. He spoke with surprising frankness about the difficulties imposed by sanctions – lack of oil means a shortage of fertilizer and fuel for agricultural machinery. Mr. ……………. pointed out that this makes the life of farmers very labour intensive. Following this meeting we were able to visit the Vegetable Research Centre where the Director lamented that sanctions made it impossible to import new varieties of seed which might increase productivity.

Another thing that was difficult for Quakers – especially Australian Quakers – is the great respect for authority. The North Koreans revere their leaders, especially their founder Kim Il Sung. We came to see this as a genuine sentiment. At every place you visit you will be told it was established by the wish of a Great Leader, and you will learn every date on which one of the leaders has visited. Photos of all these visits are proudly displayed. Guides were sometimes flustered when we asked questions about other aspects of the school, farm, factory or cultural centre. Sometimes they were amazed that tourists were interested in Korean culture, sometimes they thought our questions intrusive. Our guides, who were used to dealing with Chinese tourists, found us a bit hard to handle, but good humour generally overcame our differences.

The group returned tossing around ideas for helping the North Korean people for whom we have considerable admiration. We wish to convey our on-going support for Sejin Pak’s concern for peace on the Korean peninsula.

2018-10-24

Draft report on North Korea v.2

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