Opening Doors in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

James Banfill; Jasmine Barrett; Carla Vitantonio; Nazanin  Zadeh-Cummings

doi:10.21153/thl2021volno0art1314

Authors

James Banfill Kyungnam University, South Korea
Jasmine Barrett University of Melbourne, Australia
Carla Vitantonio CARE International, Havana, Cuba
Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, Deakin University, Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21153/thl2021volno0art1314

Keywords:

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, international humanitarian aid, social enterprise, education, tourism, emergency response and preparedness

Abstract

This paper considers the opportunities for effective humanitarian collaboration in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). It brings together perspectives from three individuals with extensive lived experience working in the DPRK. Collectively, these authors have worked in various sectors of international humanitarian aid and other areas of engagement such as emergency response and preparedness, education, social enterprise and tourism. The paper draws from these experiences to present lessons on overcoming obstacles and harnessing opportunities in the DPRK.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

James Banfill, Kyungnam University, South Korea

James Banfill is a visiting research fellow at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University in Seoul, Korea. He has previously worked in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on cultural projects, sports exchange, tourism, agricultural training and humanitarian aid monitoring. He holds a master’s in soil science from Pennsylvania State University, United States.
Jasmine Barrett, University of Melbourne, Australia

Jasmine Barrett is a PhD candidate at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on the development of the disability sector in the DPRK. Her dissertation is tentatively titled ‘Disability in the DPRK: identity, social inclusion, and changing perceptions of disability’. Prior to joining the University of Melbourne, Jasmine was an entrepreneur partnering with the Korean Federation for the Protection of the Disabled to create employment for people with disability in the DPRK.
Carla Vitantonio, CARE International, Havana, Cuba

Humanitarian professional, author and activist Carla Vitantonio is a feminist and an advocate for human rights. In the past ten years, she has worked with governmental and non-governmental organisations in the DPRK, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Cuba. In each of those places, she stood beside the most vulnerable, being persons with disabilities, women and persons belonging to ethnic minorities. Carla believes in inclusive processes and the art of political negotiation. She has published two books with ADD Editore, Myanmar Swing (2021) and Pyongyang Blues (2019).
Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings, Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, Deakin University, Australia

Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings has been researching humanitarian issues in the DPRK since 2014. She is both a lecturer in humanitarian studies and a graduate of a humanitarian studies master’s program, informing her interests in humanitarian pedagogy and the role of higher education and critical perspectives in the humanitarian sector. Nazanin received her PhD from the City University of Hong Kong in 2019.

References

Abrahamian, A. (2020). Being in North Korea. Brookings Institute.

Brown, V.A., Deane, P.M., Harris, J.A. & Russell, J.Y. (2010). Towards a just and sustainable future, in J Harris, VA

Brown & J Russell (Eds), Tackling wicked problems: through the transdisciplinary imagination. Routledge, 3–15.

Flake, L.G. & Snyder, S (Eds). (2003). Paved with good intentions: the NGO experience in North Korea. Greenwood Publishing Group.

Glenk, F.J. (2020). Who adjusts to North Korea? The politics of humanitarian aid [master’s thesis]. Seoul National University.

Goodkind, D. & West, L. (2001). The North Korean famine and its demographic impact, Population and Development Review, 27(2), 219–238.

Médecins sans Frontières. (2014). MSF and North Korea: 1995–1998. https://www.msf.org/speakingout/msf-and-northkorea-1995-1998

Miller, J.L. (2012). Psychosocial Capacity Building in Response to Disasters. Columbia University Press.

O’Carroll, C. (2021, March 18). No UN or NGO workers left in North Korea after more expats depart Pyongyang.

NK News. https://www.nknews.org/2021/03/no-un-or-ngo-workers-left-in-north-korea-after-more-expats-depart-pyongyang/

Reed, E. (2004). Unlikely partners: humanitarian aid agencies and North Korea, in C Ahn, N Eberstadt and Y Lee (Eds), A new international engagement framework for North Korea?: Contending perspectives. The Korea Economic Institute of America, 199–229.

Saccone, R. (2003). Negotiating with North Korea. Hollym International.

Smith, H. (2000). Bad, mad, sad or rational actor? Why the ‘securitization’ paradigm makes for poor policy analysis of North Korea, International Affairs, 76(3), 111–132.

Snyder, S. (1999). Negotiation on the edge: North Korea negotiating behavior. United States Institute of Peace Press.

Solinska-Nowak, A., Magnuszewski, P., Curl, M., French, A., Keating, A., Mochizuki, J., Liu, W., Mechler, R., Kulakowska, M. & Jarzabek, L. (2018). An overview of serious games for disaster risk management: prospects and limitations for informing actions to arrest increasing risk, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 31, 1013–1029.

United Nations DPR Korea. (2014). UNCT DPRK Sector Working Groups. https://dprkorea.un.org/en/10761-unct-dprksector-working-groups

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2015). Emergency Handbook. https://emergency.unhcr.org/

United Nations Humanitarian Country Team. (2019). DPR Korea Needs and Priorities 2019. https://dprkorea.un.org/sites/default/files/2019-07/DPRK_NP_2019_Final.pdf

United Nations Humanitarian Country Team. (2020). DPR Korea Needs and Priorities 2020. https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/2020_DPRK_Needs_and-Priorities_Plan.pdf

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2017). OCHA on Message: The humanitarian principles. https://www.unocha.org/node/897

Zadeh-Cummings, N. (2019). Humanitarians in the Hermit Kingdom: NGOs, aid, and access in the DPRK [doctoral dissertation]. City University of Hong Kong.

Zadeh-Cummings, N. & Harris, L. (2020). The impact of sanctions against North Korea on humanitarian aid, Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, 2(1), 44–52.