Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1996 15:44:33 +0900
From: Hong Kyoung-doo <rhizome-AT-plaza.snu.ac.kr>
Subject: Re: varieties of actually existing socialism


Hello, 
I'm a student in South Korea and participating in a youth group named 
Youth Group for Progressive Turning..
It's my first posting in English (My English is not good, so there are 
some ligustic wall..), but I am interested in this kind of discussion 
and have read other's posting..
I wanna add something about DPRK, because it's very important topic for 
me and other people in Korea..


Richard Bos wrote:
> 
> Thanks for an interesting and thought provoking peice. There are other
> factors which affect things in the DPRK and Cuba as well. Blockades
> imposed by the USA have increased the pressure to survive. This has
> caused such dire economic distortions, that it is a wonderful
> acheivement to exist at all.
> 
> I know very little about Slovenia. I will find out some more on that
> subject.
> 
> Rosser Jr, John Barkley wrote:
> 
> >      It is important to talk about various movements
> > around the world, but it is also important to consider
> > the status of various models that exist in terms of
> > what might actually be followed upon a coming to power
> > of any such movement.  I see four major existing
> > models:
> >      1)  The DPRK (North Korea).  The last fully
> > functioning command socialist economy, it has done
> > much better economically than many currently give it
> > credit for.  Although way behind the southern ROK in
> > official per capita income, it is near the ROK in real
> > quality of life and is much better in gender equality
> > and income equality.  In the mid-60s it was well ahead
> > of the ROK in real per capita income, a status it
> > maintained into the 70s before its "juche" isolation
> > and being caught between the USSR and PRC in their
> > conflict began to seriously negatively affect it.
> > Today it is in serious difficulty after having been
> > cut off by the fy the Soviets with the end of the CMEA
> > and the apparent lack of strong interest by the PRC in
> > aiding it significantly.  The current food
> > difficulties are heavily weather-related, but also may
> > reflect deforestation due to energy needs since the
> > end of Soviet energy assistance.  What is striking is
> > that, despite a small opening at Ronjin, the DPRK is
> > the only regime that appears to be resisting the
> > global trend towards market capitalism.  But it is
> > doing so with a falling real per capita income, an
> > extreme internal political repressiveness, and an
> > extreme cult of personality.

The problem of economy is important, as Mr. Barkley said, in 70s the per 
capita income of North surpass the South and the economy of North was 
recognized as a successful model until 1980..
But there are a specific point, I think, because that's not only  a 
problem of official creteria such as per capita income but the problem 
of social organization(especially labor organization and labor 
process..) and of the structure of power hierarchy, and some cultural 
problems..
I think there are many differences between DPRK and western societies.
That's based on specific historical experience of DPRK, there were no 
modernizing process such as civil revolution,  the ideology of Freedom, 
Equality, Charity, so called democratizing process, the concept of human 
rights(DPRK is notorious by bad human right situation..), and the 
freedom of press etc..
For example, in DPRK, "You are a individualist" is most abusive language 
, the perfect collectivism is leading ideology for conquest over 
capitalism. It's constructed by 'Juche' ideology made by Kim Il-sung,
in north Korea they insist that 'Juche' ideology is a creative 
development of Marxism. 

It's really right to say that the situation of DPRK is overdetermined by 
US, but I think DPRK can't be a model of others..
For anti-imperialism, DPRK can be important, but can international 
solidarity between DPRK and western progressive parties be possible?
I don't think so..

Well, I'm sorry that I can't explain many in English and I hope there 
will be misunderstaning. We have some materials about DPRK (in Korean)
so if you have interests, please inform me..

comradely,

Hong Kyoung-doo.


     --- from list marxism2-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---