Running Head: THE NORTH KOREAN CONFLICT 1

The North Korean Conflict: A review of Literature

Zayra Mojica

University of Texas at El Paso

Mr. Shuv Rana Bhat

RWS 1302: Rhetoric and Composition 2

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Abstract

With recently opening up to the world, the knowledge and ongoing history of North

Korea has been kept secretive for decades. The knowledge of its society, economy, government,

and current situation overall has been unknown to the general public. Their conflict with the US

has always been known of, but their reasonings and struggles have been unknown to everyone

around the world. Many believe North Koreas only ally is China, and why that maybe true, no

one knows the exact reasoning for it other than their both communist countries. The purpose of

this literary review is to define the situation inside of North Korea, with focusing on its

relationships with China and the US, its influences to its economy and society, to understand and

connect the outcome of how we know North Korea to be today.

The North Korean Conflict: A Review of Literature

North Korea has been seen as a secretive communist country by everyone around the

world. After the Korean War ended on August 10th, 1945, it caused Korea to split into two, the

North and South Korea we know today. Up until the last few decades North Korea has been in

isolation, this unfamiliarity with the country has caused the entire world to view it with

uneasiness.

Economically, the country heavily depends on Chinese imports to survive (Wolf, 2005).

The country is known to be one of the strictest dictatorships of this time. In the more recent years

North Korea has been enforcing their advancement on nuclear technology. By having nuclear

weaponry as on option for their defense, theyve become a bigger threat to the entire world. With

the recent US presidency of Donald Trump, the relationship of both countries has seemed to

escalate beyond proportion. The purpose of this literary review is to define the situation inside of
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North Korea, by focusing on it economically, and on its allies and enemies in order to

comprehend its actual intentions. For these reasons debate continues over how big of a threat

South Korea actually is, it deserves serious consideration through the review of these three

questions:

1. What is the current situation in North Korea?

2. Why does China continue to support North Korea?

3. What are some differences an Underdeveloped country like North Korea, may have when

compared to a Developed country like the United States of America?

These questions will narrow the purpose of this literature review by using background

information the intentions, involvement of its allies and enemies, and the cause and effect of this

conflict for its neighboring countries.

What is the current situation in North Korea?

After Korea was split into two, North Korea has always seen the United States of

America as a threat. The way the USA brought down socialism in the former Soviet Union,

Eastern Union, and as speculated sooner or later North Koreas own Government (Park, 2000,

pg. 534). North Korea has only viewed the US as its only threat, in fact because of this it has

been normalized in North Korean society. In their eyes as a society, the USA can attack its

country at any given point in time. Because of this North Korea heavily bases its economy,

politics, and strategies around its military force for their own protection.

North Korea is known to be one of the most intensely organized societies in the world

and in history. People live simple, hardworking lives; in fact a Korean defector had come out to

say we were closer to our work colleagues than to our own husbands. (Soh, 2017, Pg. 232). In
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this society based around working, even households are limited to how much food they consume

a day.

Because North Korea is still living with the same technology from the 1940s, they lack

the knowledge and ability to take care of their own society. Depending on the amount of people

living in a household, and everyones position in that household it determines the amount of food

they get. Office workers get 700 grams of grain, Manual workers get 800 grams of grain, and

Children only get 300 grams of grain. (Soh, 2017, pg. 233). This amount gives the entire society

enough to stay alive but overall malnourished. For that reason North Korea depends on other

countries for edible and non-edible resources to survive. Countries like China, Russia, South

Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, France, and Germany all give aid to North Korea in one

way or another.

Why does China continue to support North Korea?

China is known to be North Koreas biggest ally, while it supports North Korea, it still

makes a lot of business working for other countries like the USA, Taiwan, Switzerland,

Australia, Brazil and South Korea. With China being North Koreas largest trading partner and

donor of aid, they end up losing a lot of money trying to support North Korea. North Korea only

pays back about a little more than half of the amount they are given (Wolf, 2005, pg. 13). They

make their money by exporting military products, electrical power machine building, chemicals,

and mining.

After the Border trade was revived in 1982, it caused the submergence of Chinese good

all across North Korea (Soh, 2017, pg 234). Goods from China spread illegally by underground

trading that routed from the borders of North Korea all the way into the centers of the country.
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On Figure 1, there is a chart that shows the Import, Export, and Trade deficits of North Korea.

The amount of Exports greatly surpasses the amount of Import, meaning that North Korea is not

making as much money selling their goods, as the amount they are spending to pay other

countries, like China.

Source: Wolf, C., & Akramov, K. (2005). Size, Growth, and Structure of the North Korean

Economy. In North Korean Paradoxes: Circumstances, Costs, and Consequences of Korean

Unification(pp. 9-20). Santa Monica, CA; Arlington, VA; Pittsburgh, PA: RAND Corporation.

Retrieved from http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/10.7249/mg333osd.11

With the submergence of more Chinese groups in North Korea, North Koreans have

become more knowledgeable on what happens in the outside world. Because of this more North

Koreans have planned to escape to China. When North Korean defectors are caught theyre

either deported back to North Korea or are forced to become slaves, whether it involves being
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forced into manual labor, or even being sold off to sex trafficking and even marriage (North

Korean Defectors, 2016). With the over population of men in China, they lack the resources to

procreate, and continue to grow their own population because of this many North Korean women

are often kidnapped and sold to Chinese men, as sex slaves or even brides.

Another reason China supplies North Korea is because its the only other communist

country that is around its border. If North Korea was taken over and turned into a socialist

country, China would be only surrounded by socialist countries. China would rather have a

violent and questionable ally near them, then to be completely surrounded by enemies (Albert,

2017). Ever since the Korean War happened, and the US has been fighting communism, China

and North Korea have been allies. Korean troops helped Chinese troops fight against American

troops. The struggle North Korea, and China faced against the US, has kept both communist

countries to help each other.

What are some differences an Underdeveloped country like North Korea, may have

when compared to a Developed country like the United States of America?

The country of North Korea has been isolated for the last 50 years. It is believed that

during this time it has not advanced from the technology that they had in the 1940s. While a

developing country like the US, has been in the leading league for technology. The difference of

50 years of isolation has made a giant gap between these two countries.

The societies of both countries are centered on different things. North Koreas society is

based around having a strict, organized, military based society. The North Korean public is

trained and tested to always be ready for a war to break out. As for the society of the US, it is

based on many different things, like the integration of different cultures, technology, education,
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entertainmentetc (Gomez, 2017). North Korean citizens dont have the same rights and

freedom that US citizens have.

Another factor that differentiates both countries is the concept of communism and

capitalism. North Korea is a strict communist country, while the US follows a more independent,

democratic concept as a country. North Korea leader, Kim Jong-Un uses his authoritarian power

to limit the knowledge of his country about the outside world (Cuellar, 2017). With the lack of

ability to learn about the world, North Koreans are involuntarily only able to believe the things

they are told about. Because of this Kim Jong-Un influences the opinions of his citizens with

propaganda. While in the US, Americans have the technology and ability to learn about all the

different countries around the world. Americans, in a way are able to gather information and

make their own individual opinions.

The work force of both countries varies a lot in comparison. North Koreas economy is

known to be divided into three sectors. The primary sector is made up of agricultural, mining,

and factory work, the defense sector is based on the military work, and the court economy, that

consists of providing goods and services for North Koreas elites and economy (Wolf, 2005, pg.

12). As for the US, it has a mixed economy, which focuses on a free enterprise system. It

focuses on the concept of public ownership, and because of this it is hard to break the system

down into categories.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this literary review has analyzed and answered many questions concerning

the current situation of North Korea, and the reason it has turned into the country it is today. As

time goes on the situation of North Korea changes by the way it interacts with other countries
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like China, and the US. Will China ever stop supporting North Korea? Will North Korea ever

attack the US and vice versa? As of now, these questions will remain unanswered. As more time

and research is needed to keep up with its ever changing conflict. North Korea is the perfect

example of what a communist, dictated country, thats on the verge of ceasing to exist. North

Korea is more than just a communist country, waiting to start a war any chance it gets, but a poor

nation, being led by the wrong person that is keeping it from expanding into its full potential.

References:

Albert, E. (2017, September 27). Understanding the China-North Korea Relationship. Retrieved

October 25, 2017, from https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-north-korea-relationship

Bong, Y. (2017). Continuity Amidst Change: The Korea United States Alliance. In WESLEY

M. (Ed.), Global Allies: Comparing US Alliances in the 21st Century (pp. 45-58).

Australia: ANU Press. Retrieved from http://0-

www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/j.ctt1sq5twz.7

Cuellar, N. (2017, October 21) Q & A: The North Korean Conflict. (El Paso Community

College Student, Interviewer)

Gomez, J. (2017, October 19) Q & A: The North Korean Conflict (University of Texas at El

Paso history major graduate, Interviewer)

Goo, Y., & Lee, S. (2014). Military Alliances and Reality of Regional Integration: Japan, South

Korea, the US vs. China, North Korea. Journal of Economic Integration, 29(2), 329-342.

Retrieved from http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/23723858

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Kim, J., Gershenson, C., Jeong, J., & Smith, T. (2008). Trends: How Americans Think about

North Korea: 2000-2007. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 72(4), 804-821. Retrieved from

http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/25167667

North Korean defectors sold as brides in China want to get their children back. (2016, September

26). Retrieved October 28, 2017, from http://www.denverpost.com/2016/09/26/north-

korean-defectors-sold-as-brides-in-china-want-kids-back/

Park, K. (2000). North Korea's Defensive Power and U.S.-North Korea Relations. Pacific

Affairs, 73(4), 535-553. doi:10.2307/2672443

Soh, E. (2017). Informal Life Politics of Marketisation in North Korea. In MORRIS-SUZUKI T.

& SOH E. (Eds.), New Worlds from Below: Informal life politics and grassroots action in

twenty-first-century Northeast Asia (pp. 227-248). Acton ACT, Australia: ANU Press.

Retrieved from http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/j.ctt1pwtd47.14

Wolf, C., & Akramov, K. (2005). Size, Growth, and Structure of the North Korean Economy.

In North Korean Paradoxes: Circumstances, Costs, and Consequences of Korean

Unification(pp. 9-20). Santa Monica, CA; Arlington, VA; Pittsburgh, PA: RAND

Corporation. Retrieved from http://0-

www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/10.7249/mg333osd.11