Background – North Korea 背景ー北朝鮮

North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – DPRK) had suffered massive destruction during the Korean War (1950-53). As Stephen Hugh Lee notes in his book The Korean War, on one day alone, 23,000 gallons of napalm had been dropped on Pyongyang.

 The North Korean countryside during the Korean War

朝鮮戦争中の北朝鮮田舎の風景

The desire for labour to support the DPRK’s immensely ambitious economic development plans is believed to be one reason for Kim Il-Sung’s announcement in September 1958 that his country would welcome the “return” of compatriots from Japan.

The Dream: The Chollima (Flying Horse) symbolized the DPRK's economic plan