<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Regarding one of Frank Hoffman's comments about religion in North Korea--really a point of method--he wrote that <div><br></div><div>"If you read studies about e.g. the history of publications, arts, and/or censorship -- AND I MEAN NEW studies, not the old cold war works from before the 1990s (because those exclude the U.S. propaganda war tactics, which are an important part of the picture) -- <br>then you will see that there are very strong parallels between Soviet politics in Europe and politics in North Korea (in the period 1945 to 1949)."</div><div><br></div><div>I may be misreading this, but for two decades some scholars have assumed that we did not really know anything about North Korea until post-Berlin Wall communist documents became available. In fact since 1977 we have had one of the very best archival collections on any communist country sitting in Washington, Record Group 242, which I mentioned a few days ago. This is an even rarer archive, because it was not vetted or declassified by the state concerned (as all national archives are), but rather by U.S. intelligence authorities--and then very weakly, because so few could read Korean. </div><div><br></div><div>A scholar could write a book on religion in the North, 1945-50, just using these voluminous materials. I remember opening one box, and finding dozens of scrolls written by Buddhist monks trying to console Kim Il Sung on the drowning death of his son. I also recall materials on the Elmer Gantry-like hijinks of Rev. Moon Sun Myung and his "Israel Church" in 1947-48. But there was much, much more.</div><div><br></div><div>The real question is what caused the regime to extirpate Christianity during and after the Korean War. Don Clark provides part of the answer, as did Richard Kim in <i>The Martyred</i>. Curiously, though, no one refers to the harrowing account in Hwang Sok-young's <i>The Guest</i>, of Christians massacring alleged communists in the North by the thousands, including mothers and their children. And then there was the response I got when I inquired about the absence of Christian churches on my first visit to Pyongyang in 1981: "We thought that a Christian nation that could bomb us so mercilessly for three years, must follow a false God."</div><div><br></div><div>Perhaps we need another novel, one about Americans in Korea since 1945 titled "The Innocent." </div><div><br></div><div><div apple-content-edited="true"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div>Bruce Cumings</div><div>University of Chicago</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span></div></span> </div><br><div><div>On Sep 12, 2011, at 12:00 PM, <a href="mailto:koreanstudies-request@koreaweb.ws">koreanstudies-request@koreaweb.ws</a> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>Send Koreanstudies mailing list submissions to<br><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><a href="mailto:koreanstudies@koreaweb.ws">koreanstudies@koreaweb.ws</a><br><br>To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit<br><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>http://koreaweb.ws/mailman/listinfo/koreanstudies_koreaweb.ws<br>or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to<br><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>koreanstudies-request@koreaweb.ws<br><br>You can reach the person managing the list at<br><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>koreanstudies-owner@koreaweb.ws<br><br>When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific<br>than "Re: Contents of Koreanstudies digest..."<br><br><br><<------------ KoreanStudies mailing list DIGEST ------------>><br><br><br>Today's Topics:<br><br> 1. "theatrical performances" in the DPRK (Jim Thomas)<br> 2. Korean Literature Position (Sarah Frederick)<br> 3. Re: Koreanstudies Digest, Vol 99, Issue 21 (Donald Clark)<br><br><br>----------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Message: 1<br>Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2011 09:05:44 -0700<br>From: Jim Thomas <jimpthomas@hotmail.com><br>To: Korean Studies Discussion List <koreanstudies@koreaweb.ws><br>Subject: [KS] "theatrical performances" in the DPRK<br>Message-ID: <BLU165-W53BBC8B787D88039118F2BDD030@phx.gbl><br>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"<br><br><br>Greetings! And Happy Chusok!<br><br><blockquote type="cite">Nobody believes [the two Christian Churches in Pyongyang] exist for anything other than show. Defectors (I realize not everyone believes what they say) say the people we see at those churches are basically actors placed there for our benefit. <br></blockquote> --Don Kirk<br><br><blockquote type="cite">I took part in Sunday services in two of these churches and did not have the impression that these services were a theatrical <br></blockquote>production for foreign tourists... <br> --Eckart Dege<br><br>Accepting that, to many, Christian church services in the DPRK may at least seem like theatrical performances--and putting aside for the moment who they are aimed at--I would ask if these are fundamentally different from other theatrical performances in the North, such as those that one sees on tours of DPRK classrooms or in restaurants with karaoke?<br><br>In other words, is it possible that "theatrical performance" is an inherent part of the DPRK culture (as we see in Mass Game practice sessions, Worker's Party meetings, Kim Jong Il's public appearances, tours of Kim Il Sung's glass tomb, and seemingly almost every public event in the DPRK)? And this must be distinguised from "performances" that fundamentally serve to cover up (e.g. repression or lack of religious belief)?<br>best,<br>jim <br> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> <br>-------------- next part --------------<br>An HTML attachment was scrubbed...<br>URL: <http://koreaweb.ws/pipermail/koreanstudies_koreaweb.ws/attachments/20110911/2e094253/attachment-0001.html><br><br>------------------------------<br><br>Message: 2<br>Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2011 16:19:29 -0400<br>From: Sarah Frederick <sfred@bu.edu><br>To: koreanstudies@koreaweb.ws<br>Subject: [KS] Korean Literature Position<br>Message-ID: <5C28A822-8310-4C8D-B899-7FB5F3C8489E@bu.edu><br>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<br><br>I would like to post the following advertisement for a position in Korean literature. Any who applied to our search last year are warmly welcomed to re-apply.<br><br>Thank you,<br>Sarah Frederick<br><br>---<br><br>Boston University<br>Assistant Professor,Korean Literature<br><br>Boston University invites applications for a tenure-track position in Korean Literature at the Assistant Professor rank, to begin in Fall 2012 (pending budgetary approval). Area of specialization within Korean literature is open. Familiarity with the debates and approaches of comparative literature is desirable, and candidates with scholarly expertise in film studies are also encouraged to apply. The PhD is required at the time of appointment, as is native or near-native fluency in Korean and English. At Boston University, the successful applicant will join a vibrant faculty community in East Asian literature, comparative literature, and interdisciplinary Asian Studies. She or he will be expected to build on a well-established Korean language program to develop a curriculum in Korean literature. There will also be opportunities to teach courses in comparative literature, interdisciplinary Korean studies, or film studies; teaching load is two courses per semester. A robust res!<br>!<br>earch and publication agenda is essential. Salary competitive and commensurate with experience. Cover letter, curriculum vitae, and three confidential letters of recommendation should be submitted electronically to Ms. Rebecca Jackson, jacksonr@bu.edu; preference will be given to applications received by October 1, 2011. Additional materials will be requested later from certain applicants. Any recommendations that cannot be sent electronically may be mailed to Ms. Rebecca Jackson, Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature, 718 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215. Boston University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. www.bu.edu/mlcl; www.bu.edu/asian <br><br>-------------- next part --------------<br>An HTML attachment was scrubbed...<br>URL: <http://koreaweb.ws/pipermail/koreanstudies_koreaweb.ws/attachments/20110911/886873b8/attachment-0001.html><br><br>------------------------------<br><br>Message: 3<br>Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2011 17:34:05 -0500<br>From: Donald Clark <dclark@trinity.edu><br>To: "<koreanstudies@koreaweb.ws>" <koreanstudies@koreaweb.ws><br>Subject: Re: [KS] Koreanstudies Digest, Vol 99, Issue 21<br>Message-ID: <4867866722761278328@unknownmsgid><br>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1<br><br>My experience attending the Chilgol church several times over the<br>years is that it is typically Protestant, not Orthodox, that the<br>people attending are perhaps a few of what might be termed a<br>"congregation," and the minister appears to have a steady appointment<br>as the person in charge, albeit with no badge. The choir and music are<br>traditional and would be familiar in South Korea; however, the hymnal<br>is South Korean, a gift I imagine. The order of service is likewise<br>normal--nobody has to leave after 15 minutes, unless maybe they're<br>literally on a tour and their minders are trying to keep them on<br>schedule.<br> There's not much in my limited experience to suggest freedom<br>of religious expression in the DPRK. The Chilgol church, built as a<br>nod to the story that KIS's mother was a deaconess in a church in the<br>same neighborhood, is a state enterprise under the Kidokkyodo<br>yonmaeng, or Christian League, once directed by Kang Yang'uk, as has<br>been stated.<br> Korean Christians whom I've interviewed (and Korean relatives in<br>my family) who originated in North Korea, tell of tolerance for<br>Christian churches before 1950, though of course they couldn't<br>organize anything political and as one Korean uncle told it, a<br>professing Christian would never hold a government job or be something<br>like a teacher. Beyond that, fending for themselves on the margins<br>they could at least survive.<br> This ended when the Christians of Pyongyang rose to welcome RoK<br>and UN forces in October 1950, when the exiled Sinuiju pastor Han<br>Kyongjik and assorted American missionaries held a triumphal service<br>in the big Changdaehyon Church on the text "Arise, shine for thy<br>light is come!" When the KPA and Chinese returned some weeks later,<br>the remnants of Pyongyang's famous Christian community survived only<br>by running for their lives to the South.<br> Versions of this story are well known to list members. And of<br>course there's Richard Kim's novel "The Martyred."<br>Don Clark<br><br><br>Sent from my iPhone<br><br>On Sep 11, 2011, at 11:01 AM, <koreanstudies-request@koreaweb.ws> wrote:<br><br><blockquote type="cite">Send Koreanstudies mailing list submissions to<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> koreanstudies@koreaweb.ws<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> http://koreaweb.ws/mailman/listinfo/koreanstudies_koreaweb.ws<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> koreanstudies-request@koreaweb.ws<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">You can reach the person managing the list at<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> koreanstudies-owner@koreaweb.ws<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">than "Re: Contents of Koreanstudies digest..."<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><<------------ KoreanStudies mailing list DIGEST ------------>><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Today's Topics:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> 1. Koreanstudies Digest, Vol 99, Issue 7 (Frank Hoffmann)<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">----------------------------------------------------------------------<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Message: 1<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2011 04:02:04 -0700<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">From: Frank Hoffmann <hoffmann@koreaweb.ws><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">To: Korean Studies Discussion List <koreanstudies@koreaweb.ws><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Subject: [KS] Koreanstudies Digest, Vol 99, Issue 7<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Message-ID: <p06240601ca9226418118@[192.168.1.218]><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; Format="flowed"<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Fine. Thank you, for that info -- both very interesting.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Churches: So there are now four churches. To<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">summarize, and to correct my earlier note:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">(1) Pongsu kyohoe P'y?ngyang (Protestant Church P'y?ngyang), build 1988<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">(2) Changch'ung s?ngdang (Changch'ung Roman Catholic Cathedral), build 1988<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">(3) Ch'ilgol kyohoe (Ch'ilgol Eastern Orthodox Church), build 1989<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">(4) Life-Giving Trinity church (a Russian<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Orthodox church), opened August 13, 2006<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Should we not try to put things into a historical<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">perspective? Please think of other dictatorships<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">in history, the Nazi regime or Stalin's Soviet<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Union. There were also churches, there were also<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">organizations that seemed independent from the<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">state (keyword Benedictine order). But even in<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">those dictatorships there was more religious<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">freedom than in North Korea -- no, do you really<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">doubt that? Maybe not such a good comparison as<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Balazs Szalontai already pointed out in his very<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">educational Buddhism/Mongolia/NK reply. But there<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">are no Buddhists or 'shamans' allowed either.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Just think of the role that the culture of<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Buddhist lower level strata of society (minjung)<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">or 'shaman' culture, or Christian beliefs<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">(modelled after South America) played for the<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">1980s nativist Minjung cultural movement in South<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Korea. In North Korea you ONLY see the modernized<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">socialist version of HIGH culture, of court<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">culture, yangban culture of the past, mixed with<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">strong influences from Soviet and Chinese<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">socialist culture. Lower culture has not be<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">incorporated and modernized. I mean, there is<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">neither any sort of role of native believe<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">systems like shamanism or Buddhism nor of the<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">newer Christian religions. Religion has no role<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">in North Korea, and if you look at specific<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">culture--e.g. the fine arts or literature--you<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">can very clearly see that. The Kim cults are an<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">replacement for this. Religious believe systems<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">would offer an alternative, would get to the root<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">of the "people's" needs and desires, would offer<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">alternative 'paradises' and of course, and such<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">parallel worlds would weaken the Kim cults, the<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Kim system. There is a reason why a country like<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Cuba was the favorite place for tourists in<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">eastern Europe before 1990, and why today it is<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">one of the top locations for West European<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">tourists also--and why it is not a place like<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">North Korea. Strolling down Cuba Tac?n towards<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">the Castillo in Havana today, you will see plenty<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">of Picasso's "Guernicas" in all possible formats,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">materials, colors and interpretations, even on<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">busses or as murals, serious ones and rather<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">playful interpretations, state commissioned ones<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">and private works, and of course also abstract<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">paintings for sale and sometimes works in montage<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">or pseudo-montage techniques and prints that may<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">be called communist versions of Pop Art by local<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Cuban artists. You will see private sales shops,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">artists studios, pretty girls with micro-mini<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">skirts, churches, etc. Now, please, stroll down<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">T'ongil Street in P'y?ngyang to visit that new<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Russian Orthodox church (or whatever other<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">destination). What will you see on your way?<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Below is what others observed about the churches,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">and I find that very telling as regards to the<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">issue of "theatrical production." (Of course,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">yes, one has to be careful with any such<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'sources'--but I just find it hard to find an<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">alternative interpretation that in the end tells<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">me there is anything undecided, liberal, or<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">complicated.)<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">(3) Ch'ilgol kyohoe:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">We arrived around 10, there were 50 believers<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">in the church, singing and praying. Then after<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">15 minutes, they invited us to leave the place.<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">(...)<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">North Korea already has a Catholic church, which<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">for many seem to be 'showcases' built for the<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">visits of foreigners since they do not offer<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">regular liturgical service.<< (Eric Lafforgue)<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/2609230523/<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">(4) Russian Orthodox church:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">(...) quoted Ho Il Jin, chairman of the Korean<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Orthodox Church Committee as saying, "The North<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Korean government will successfully manage and<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">operate the church." (...) Reuters news agency<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">gave some background on how the church came to<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">be built. / "... in North Korea, freedom of<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">religion exists only in name, and the reasoning<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">behind Kim's current favoring of the Orthodox<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">religion remains unclear. What is known is that<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">the dictator first came up with the idea of<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">building the church on trip to Russia in a 2002<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">during which he visited an Orthodox house of<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">worship. / The next year, he sent four young<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">men from the newly established North Korean<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Orthodox Committee - all of whom had worked for<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">the North Korean intelligence service - for<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">spiritual training at the Orthodox Seminary in<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Moscow. During a crash course, the men were<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">taught to become servants of the Church. There,<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">they exchanged their dark suits with Kim's<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">insignia for priests' robes. / Following their<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">visit to the seminary, the freshly baptized<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Christians, who had previously known nothing<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">but the personal ideology of Kim Jong-Il and<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">his father, were sent to the far eastern<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Russian city of Vladivostok for practical<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">experience. / Fyodor Kim, one of North Korea's<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">new Orthodox deacons, admitted that it had been<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">'very difficult' to adopt the Orthodox<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">religion. But he didn't have much choice: the<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">'Dear Leader' had already made the decision to<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">build the church. (...)<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://www.eagleworldnews.com/2006/08/22/russian-orthodox-church-opens-in-the-north-korean-capital-of-pyongyang/<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">(1) Pongsu kyohoe P'y?ngyang:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Report from a North Korean defector to the South:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">"I had lived in Pyongyang from 1996 to 1998.<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">During that time, my cousin introduced me Mr.<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Hong, a forty two-year old official in the<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Foreign Ministry. (...) Hong was a graduate of<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">North Korea's most prestigious Mankyongdae<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Revolutionary Academy and studied French at KPA<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Security College. Since then, he had been<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">assigned as a National Security Agency liaison<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">officer to the Foreign Ministry. (...) In<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">February 1997, Hong was appointed to the Bongsu<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Church. At that time, I thought the 'Church'<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">was a type of state-run trade company, because<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Hong had been expressing his interest in<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">working at trade department. (...) the fellow<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">'Christians' in Bongsu Church are, in reality,<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">sent by the North Korean government authorities<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">such as United Front Department of KWP and<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">National Security Agency. It is not probable at<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">all for the state-run Bongsu Church to have a<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">true believer, whether of Christianity or any<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">other kind of religion except for the Kim Il<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Sung/Kim Jong Il cult."<br></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://orientem.blogspot.com/2006/11/pyngyangs-potemkin-church.html<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Best wishes,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Frank Hoffmann<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Prof. Dr. Eckart Dege wrote:<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">For a long time I also wondered how Chusok is observed in North Korea.<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Last time I visited North Korea during Chusok. Knowing that our<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">interpreter was the eldest son, I asked him who would do the ancester<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">rites on this day. He answered that his younger brother had to do them<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">since he was on duty translating for us. Then I asked how the rites are<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">performed in Pyongyang (where you don't find any graves). He explained<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">that all people are cremated and the urns are stored in special buildings<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">(one in each city precinct). On Chusok people go there, show a special<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">identity card and get the urn(s) of their ancestor(s). These they take to<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">a park, where they perform the ancestor rites and have a picnic. After the<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">rites they return the urn. We observed many such family groups on<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Moran-bong.<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Now to the churches: there are four in Pyongyang, the Changchung Cathedral<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">(Roman Catholic), the Pongsu Church (Protestant), the Chilgol Church<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">(Protestant) and a new Russian Orthodox church at Tongil Street. I took<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">part in Sunday services in two of these churches and did not have the<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">impression that these services were a theatrical production for foreign<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">tourists (in both cases I was the only foreigner). What struck me was the<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">fact that during the service they took off their Kim Il-sung badges. When<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">they went out after the service they put them back on.<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Happy Chusok,<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Eckart Dege<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">--<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Prof. Dr. Eckart Dege<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Geographisches Institut<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Universit?t Kiel<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">D-24098 Kiel / Germany<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Phone (home): +49 4342 889695<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Phone (mobile): +49 1717110654<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">-------------- next part --------------<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">An HTML attachment was scrubbed...<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">URL: <http://koreaweb.ws/pipermail/koreanstudies_koreaweb.ws/attachments/20110911/bacd5298/attachment-0001.html><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">End of Koreanstudies Digest, Vol 99, Issue 21<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">*********************************************<br></blockquote><br><br><br>End of Koreanstudies Digest, Vol 99, Issue 23<br>*********************************************<br></div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>