Asmolov Korea. This is unlikely in North Korea
, N. B. Volgin; genus. 1968) - Russian scholar of Korean studies.
Encyclopedic YouTube
-
1 / 3
Views:
Biography
Some publications
- Asmolov, K.V. History of edged weapons: East and West. Part I. - M., 1993. - 264 p.; Part 2. - M., 1994. - 352 p.
- Asmolov, K.V. Korean political culture: Traditions and transformation / K. V. Asmolov. - M.: IFES RAS, 2009. - 484 p.
- Asmolov, K.V. The system of organizing and conducting military operations of the Korean state in the VI-XVII centuries. Evolution of military tradition: Author's abstract. diss. ...cand. ist. Sciences: 07.00.03 / K. V. Asmolov; ISAA at Moscow State University. - M., 1997. - 14 p.
- Asmolov, K.V.[Articles] [ Electronic resource] : [More than 250 notes] // New Eastern Outlook. - El. text. Dan. - Access mode: http://ru.journal-neo.org/author/asmolovk/ [Capt. by content]
- Asmolov, K.V.[Collected texts] [Electronic resource] / Samizdat: [Server modern literature at Moshkov's book]. - El. text. Dan. - Access mode:
11.04.2013
Konstantin Asmolov
Unification of Korea - what problems should we expect? Part 1.
The inter-Korean aggravation, superimposed on the image of North Korea that exists in the mass consciousness in general, gave rise to a very widespread sentiment in the category “Isn’t it time to close this annoying and odious regime? It would sooner burst, the two Koreas would unite, and peace and tranquility would come throughout the Far East.”
Proponents of this approach (including ex-President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Lee Myung-bak) proceed from the idea that the united country will be a complete analogue of the current South. As Lee Myung-bak said on this occasion, “to heung Taehan minguk” (translation: “More big republic Korea"). With the same level of economic prosperity, with the same level of personal security (including for foreigners), with the same level of development civil society and civil liberties. They imagine the consequences of the unification approximately by analogy with the unification of Germany, where everything seemed to work out without serious incidents. It will be enough to carry out a series of reforms, establish your own rules and repress those who disagree. The aspirations of the people suffering under the yoke of the dictatorial regime will finally come true, and the layer that oppressed them will suffer the deserved punishment.
Unfortunately, this will not happen. Let’s imagine that in the foreseeable future (as a result of this aggravation or in a couple of years) unification (or rather, the absorption of the North by the South) is really happening, and let’s look at the blocks of problems that a united Korea will face.
Let us immediately note that the German version is not relevant here. Firstly, the GDR was one of the top ten economies in Europe, and the gap between the economies of the North and South is very large. Secondly, there was no three-year war between the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany, which affected every family. This shadow of the historical past, which was reinforced by ideological confrontation " cold war“, was and remains a serious obstacle, but today at least four groups of risks are added to it, the understanding of which makes us cautious about the idea of unification, especially in the near future.
First and the most obvious block is economic difficulties. Developing North Korea so that it does not become just a source of cheap labor for the South will take a long time. It will take a lot of effort to at least create a functioning transport infrastructure there. According to calculations by American economists published in the magazine “ Wall Street Journal" in the early 2000s, the unification of the country would cost $1.5 trillion, which was the gross national product of the Republic of Kazakhstan for three years. Modern calculations already speak of two to five trillion, and also based on the assumption that everything will happen peacefully. If we take into account scenarios with civil wars, the costs will be exorbitant.
An additional burden of even 2 trillion. the country cannot bear dollars, and it is unclear how many more years it will take for such an amount to be allocated from the budget of the South without serious internal upheaval and sharp decline standard of living, not to mention large sums. Lee Myung Bak tried to solve the future financial difficulties through the introduction of a special tax, which he proposed publicly in August 2010, but this initiative was met with public protests, and he had to “play it back.”
This also means that in the event of a sudden unification, the specified volume of expenses will place a very heavy burden on the economy of the Republic of Korea, regardless of whether South Korea will pay for everything itself or will be forced to resort to the help of external creditors, having the chance to get into an equally serious debt yoke, than during the “IMF era” or South Korea before the military came to power, when up to 40% of the budget revenue was American aid. It will be possible to forget about economic growth and projects aimed at improving the standard of living of the population, and perhaps for a long time. It would be good if the standard of living of southerners simply did not rise. Falling is a more realistic option.
Meanwhile, things have just begun to change in South Korea. economic policy and set course to build social state. This is the first attempt in East Asia build a Swedish model: expansion of free healthcare, introduction of free preschool education and a 50 percent reduction in costs for education at other levels, the development of public pension system and even overtime pay, which is unusual for the Republic of Kazakhstan. These are very serious expenses that require an increase in taxes, but in the event of a sudden unification, either they will be curtailed, because the North will need to be developed, or they will be continued, and the North will be financed on a residual basis.
Will ROK corporations revive North Korean industry for their own purposes? The situation is most likely to develop according to the German version, when North Korean labor will be used at South Korean enterprises. In this case, most likely, in unskilled jobs. So a vicious circle may well form when, due to economic problems labor moves to more developed parts of the country, and its shortage in lagging regions further hampers their economic development.
The unenviable position of the remnants of the DPRK industry will be associated with another factor: part of the costs of the “unity bill” will inevitably be borne by large concerns, but such costs are acceptable to them only if, as a result, they do not get competitors for their own money. Therefore, the industry of the “newly annexed lands” will be partly acquired, partly simply stopped by the new owners. A situation where factories are closed and supermarkets are opened in their place will do little to promote national unity.
But the less investment in the North, the more socio-psychological problems related to second group. These problems relate to how North Koreans will integrate into the society that has absorbed their country.
With increasing contacts, it became more clear that different Koreans may live in the North and South, and the mentality of the inhabitants of the North is very different from the mentality of the inhabitants of the South. They also differ in the characteristics of the language - de facto, in the North and South, a independent options literary language, which greatly increases mutual misunderstanding. According to former ROK President Kim Dae-jung, during the summit in Pyongyang in 2000, he and Kim Jong-il understood each other by about 80%.
Moreover, even in height and appearance, due to a certain malnutrition in the North and European food in the South, North and South Koreans are quite strikingly different from each other in appearance, which is why the Southerners no longer perceive the Northerners as “completely their own.” But even a brief division into two countries, together with traditional and ubiquitous regional differences, leads to the fact that the division into “us” and “them” does not immediately disappear. Moreover, this division will be fueled by difficulties of adaptation and by the fact that regional differences between North and South are deeper than, say, traditional South Korean regionalism.
The upcoming problems are well illustrated by a whole series of materials devoted to how those representatives of the DPRK who managed to get to the South adapt to modern South Korean realities. Many difficulties are caused by an unusual way of life for them. This is a “local” lack of knowledge of English and hieroglyphs, inability to handle South Korean equipment of any kind, and the lack of the level and quality of education required in the conditions of the South. As a rule, former North Koreans find themselves on the lower rungs of the social ladder. According to Korean sociologists, the average monthly income of a family of defectors was almost three times lower than the income of the average South Korean family. Being married to a refugee from the North is not prestigious, and this very fact is hidden.
At the same time, refugees are reproached for laziness and deceit, especially defectors, who often actively lie in order to increase their status, and are ready to invent any myths in order to prove their worth (the latter is understandable, since there are more and more defectors and the average attitude things are getting worse for them). North Korean workers are credited with the mentality of soviet workers who need constant supervision, indicating their tendency to aggression and desire to solve problems by force.
Immigrants from the North complain of discrimination, of being treated as second-class citizens, of difficulties finding employment, and strive to leave the Republic of Kazakhstan in search of an “even better life.” According to a September 2004 survey of 100 defectors in South Korea by the Segye Ilbo newspaper, 69 percent of those surveyed said they wanted to go abroad. Moreover, 33% of respondents said that they would return to North Korea if they had the opportunity. Northerners living in the South believe that Southerners are “self-centered, self-serving, cold, and arrogant toward the poor and unfortunate.” “The North lives poorly. But as poor as he is, his people are just as attentive to each other. There is no callousness here.”
What is being done to adapt refugees to modern life, is not enough even for the current situation. The question is: how will the processes proceed after a third of the population of the united country experiences similar difficulties?
This will also affect the level of personal safety. If a third of the country’s population consists of people with a different mentality, accustomed to surviving at any cost and at the same time finding themselves in the niche of “second-class Koreans,” then the typical picture for modern Seoul is when it is fashionable to leave a laptop on a park bench and return for it two hours later, will become fantastic.
In the next article I will consider the problems associated with the possible unification of the two states, such as socio-political and foreign policy.
Konstantin Asmolov, candidate historical sciences, presenter Researcher Center for Korean Studies Institute Far East RAS - especially for the Internet magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.
http://www.ru.journal-neo.com/node/120740
Konstantin Valerianovich Asmolov | |
---|---|
Date of Birth | Nov. 1(1968-11-01 ) (50 years) |
Place of Birth | Moscow |
A country | |
Scientific field | Korean studies, history |
Place of work | IFES RAS, ISAA at M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University |
Alma mater | ISAA at Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov |
Academic degree | Candidate of Historical Sciences |
Academic title | Leading Researcher |
Scientific director | M. N. Pak |
Website | makkawity.livejournal.com |
Biography
Region scientific interests: Korean studies (history, political science, sociology, military history), international security, source study and analytics.
Hobby: role-playing games(widely known in the role-playing movement in the USSR and Russia since the late 1980s as the author of plots for board and field games), Korean traditional fencing, “alternative political science/construction game worlds", cats. Fluent in Korean [ ], visited the DPRK several times. He maintains a thematic blog on LiveJournal.
Scientific works
Monographs
- Asmolov, K.V. History of edged weapons: East and West. Part I. - M., 1993. - 264 p.; Part 2. - M., 1994. - 352 p.
- Asmolov, K.V. Korean political culture: Traditions and transformation. - M.: IFES RAS, 2009. - 484 p.
- Asmolov, K.V. Korean political culture: Traditions and transformation. - 2nd ed., trans. and additional - M.: Russian Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Science; Dmitry Pozharsky University, 2017. - 704 p. - ISBN 978-5-91244-217-9.
- Asmolov, K.V. Not just missiles: A historian's journey to North Korea. - M.: Russian Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Science; Dmitry Pozharsky University, 2018. - 320 p. : ill. -
(pseud.: N.B. Volgin) b. November 1, 1968 in Moscow. Father - Asmolov Valerian Lvovich, choirmaster/piano teacher; mother - Asmolova Valentina Leonidovna, engineer. In 1991, he completed a one-year course of study at the international. Faculty of Yonsei University (Seoul, diploma No. 585 dated August 23, 1991). In 1992 he graduated from History and Philology. Faculty of ISAA at Moscow State University, specializing in “historian-orientalist, referent-translator cor. language", where he studied with M.N. Paka; in 1995 - full-time graduate school at the ISAA at Moscow State University. Cand. ist. Sciences (02.27.1997), dissertation topic: “The system of organizing and conducting military operations of the Korean state in the VI-XVII centuries. The evolution of military tradition." (139 pp., ISAA at Moscow State University), scientific. head - M.N. Pack. In 2003, completed a special training course (class No. 2003-3) at the College of Security Studies at the Center for Security Studies in the Asia-Pacific region in Honolulu, USA (certificate dated December 11, 2003)? in 2008 - professional retraining at the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation under a program designed to perform a new type professional activity in the field of higher education pedagogy.
Teacher (1986–1987, 1989–1996), director (1991–1996) of the School of Young Orientalists at ISAA. Lecturer at the Department of History of the Far East and South-Eastern Countries ISAA at Moscow State University (1995–1996), Lyceum No. 1524 (Moscow, 1996–1997), Art. scientific employee of the Department of History of the Far Eastern and Southeast Asian Countries of the ISAA at Moscow State University (2002-2015). Leading scientist employee of the Central Research Center of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (since 1998). Consultant on Korea for the magazine “Problems of the Far East” (since 2002). International Educational and Scientific Center for Korean Studies AND SAA at Moscow State University (since 2015). Author of methods for interactive teaching of undergraduate and graduate students at interuniversity events using business games. ExpertRussian International Affairs Council (RIAC).
Twice he gave lecture courses at NSU: “Political Culture of Korea” (February 2011) and “The History of Korea in the Mirror of Analytics” (May 2014).
Scientific field interests: Korean studies (history, political science, sociology, military history), international security, source studies, historiography and analytics. Participant of the international conferences AKSE (Hamburg, 1999), at Hanyang University (Seoul, 1998–2014), in China, etc., round tables at the IFES RAS and the Carnegie Center (Moscow, 2004), annual conferences of Korean studies at the IFES RAS (Moscow, 1999–2017). Member of AKSE. About 150 works have been published, incl. 3 monographs.
Main works:
Panorama of Korean martial arts // Kempo (Minsk). 1992, no. 3. pp. 2–13.
Secrets of Kukkiwon // Eastern martial arts. Almanac. - M., 1992. S. 28–31.
Pongukkom and others // Martial arts planets (M.). 1992, no. 8. pp. 70–93.
*History of edged weapons: East and West. Part I. - M., 1993. - 264 p.; Part 2. - M., 1994. - 352 p.
The system of organizing and conducting military operations of the Korean state in the VI-XVII centuries. The evolution of military tradition. Author's abstract. Ph.D. dis. - M., 1995. - 24 p.
*History of martial arts. Unknown East. - M., 1996. - 464 p. (together with G.K. Panchenko).
The System of Military Activities of Koguryo // Korea Journal. Vol. 32. - Seoul, 1992, No. 2. R. 103–116.
*Martial arts of the Far East in Russia and the CIS: problems of adaptation // Civilizations and cultures. Vol. 2. - M., 1995. S. 203–214.
Korean Military Tradition: Historical Evolution and Reasons for Decline // Major Issues in History of Korean Culture. Proceedings of the 3rd Intl. Conf. on Korean Studies (MSU, December 17–20, 1996). - M., 1997. pp. 124–128.
Characteristics of “Tongguk Pyongyam” as a source on the history of the Korean military tradition // Korea. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the birth of Prof. M.N. Pack. - M., 1998. P. 104–122.
Rec. on the book: Park B.D., Park Taegyn. The March First movement of 1919 in Korea through the eyes of a Russian diplomat. - M. - Irkutsk, 1998 // Problems of the Far East. 1998, no. 5. pp. 150-154.
Korean military tradition. Main stages of evolution // Russian Korean Studies. Almanac. Vol. 1. - M., 1999. pp. 158–167.
First session of the Tenth Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK. New course new leader // Ibid. pp. 264–282. (jointly with A.I. Matsegora).
Russia’s perception of the political strategies of neighboring states regarding the Korean Peninsula // Trends in the development of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and possible alternatives Russian politics. - M., 1999. P. 60–94.
The Korean Peninsula in the geopolitical strategies of neighboring states // Russia and Korea on the threshold of a new century. - M.: Institute of Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1999. P. 21–41.
Socio-psychological changes in modern South Korean society // Korean Peninsula: myths, expectations, reality. Part 1. - M.: IFES RAS, 2001. P. 8–52.
Interpretation of the Imjin War in the book “Samurai: Military History” by S. Turnbull // Russian Korean Studies. Almanac. Vol. 2. - M., 2001. pp. 164–174.
Imjin War 1592–98 and Korean warrior of the 16th–17th centuries. // Para-bellum (St. Petersburg). 2002, No. 13 (Special issue). pp. 7–24.
Inter-Korean dialogue and principled opposition // Prospects for inter-Korean dialogue. Internal and external aspects. - M.: IFES RAS, 2002. P. 13–20. (sub. N.B. Volgin).
Social and psychological problems of inter-Korean dialogue // Ibid. pp. 121–132.
Inter-Korean dialogue and Japan’s position // KorusForum. 2002, No. 7 (15). pp. 75–82.
Trade union movement in the Republic of Korea // Problems of the Far East. 2002, no. 4. pp. 54–65.
The fight against corruption in South Korea // Problems of the Far East. 2002, no. 6. pp. 84–97.
Main characteristics of the administrative culture of South Korea // KorusForum. 2003, No. 7(20). pp. 20–31; No. 11/12. pp. 22-31. (in Russian and Korean).
Korean youth at the turn of the century // Korean Peninsula and challenges of the 21st century. - M.: IFES RAS, 2003. P. 157–170.
Socio-psychological changes in modern South Korean society // Bulletin of the Central Committee for National Culture and Culture. Vol. 5–6. - St. Petersburg, 2003. pp. 249–283.
Political parties of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the background presidential elections// Russia and Korea in the changing world order. - M.: IFES RAS, 2003. P. 78–89.
Russia and Korea in the changing world order: // PDV. 2003. No. 3. P. 175-177.
Main characteristics of the administrative culture of South Korea. Parts 1 and 2 // Corus Forum. 2003, No. 7 (20). pp. 20–32; No. 11–12 (21). pp. 22–31.
Political parties in the Republic of Korea // Problems of the Far East. 2003, no. 4. pp. 46–63.
General Park Chung Hee. Feature article political biography// Seoul Bulletin. 2003, No. 77 (June). P. 14; No. 78 (September). pp. 14–15; No. 79 (November). pp. 14–15; No. 80 (November). pp. 14–16.
US military experts current problems Korean Peninsula // Korea in search of peace and prosperity. - M.: IFES RAS, 2004. pp. 175–186. The same (additional) // Problems of the Far East. 2004, no. 5. pp. 74–92.
Military classes of the Confucian cultural region // Odysseus: Man in History, 2004. M., 2004. pp. 127-143.
The main problems of Russian-Korean relations from the point of view of the theory of conflictology // Seoul Bulletin. 2004, No. 87 (August). pp. 8–9, 15.
Taekkyon is the most Korean of martial arts // Seoul Bulletin. 2004, No. 83 (March). pp. 18–19.
At the Center for Security Research in the Asia-Pacific Region, Honolulu // PDV. 2004. No. 3. P. 165-170.
To the 60th anniversary of the Victory in the Far East: On some issues of historiography // PDV. 2005. No. 5. P. 132-145. (jointly with I. Kurtukov, B. Yulin).
North Korea now - Stalinism, stagnation or creeping perestroika? // MDV. 2005. No. 2. P. 44-56; No. 3. pp. 61-73.
Transformation of the command and administrative system of the DPRK // Korea: new horizons. - M.: IFES RAS, 2005. P. 77–82.
North Korea in 2006 // Problems of the Far East. 2007, No. 3 and No. 4 (jointly with Suslina S.S. and Pak V.G.).
Korean political culture: Traditions and transformation. - M.: IFES RAS, 2009. - 484 p.
Great Russian Encyclopedia. T.15. Korea. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 2010. - Author. Art.: Korea from the first early feudal states to the end. 15th century P. 267; Korea at 16 – beginning. 20th century pp. 267-269; Korea under the Japanese Empire (1910-45). P. 269; Education of the DPRK and the Republic of Korea (1945-49). pp. 269-270.
Modern Russian historiography of the Korean War 1950–1953. // Korean Peninsula: lessons from history. Reports of the XIV scientific conference of Korean historians of Russia and the CIS countries (Moscow, March 30-31, 2010). – M.: IFES RAS, 2010. P. 136-146.
Myths about Korean War: about priority internal factors and the roles of Park Hong-young // Bulletin of Russian Korean Studies. No. 2. M.: Publishing House "Vost. lit." RAS, 2010. pp. 43-55.
Literature about life and works
Asmolov K.V. // Encyclopedia of Koreans in Russia. 140 years in Russia. - M., 2003. P. 832.
Kontsevich L.R. Russian Korean studies on modern stage// Russian Korean studies. Almanac. Vol. 3. - M., 2003. P. 14.
Korean studies in Russia: history and modernity. - M., 2004. P. 146.
Asmolov Konstantin Valerianovich // Modern Russian Korean Studies. Reference publication (Part 2. Bio-bibliographic dictionary of modern Russian Korean scholars). M.: March 1st, 2006. pp. 196-206. (Russian Korean studies in the past and present. Vol. 3).
Asmolov Konstantin Valerianovich // Orientalists of Russia of the 20th – 21st centuries. Biobibliographical dictionary. In 2 books. Comp. S.D. Miliband. M.: Vost. lit. RAS, 2008. Book. I. P. 75.
Curriculum Vitae and Publications (on the website of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies RAS)