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Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland

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Not to be confused with the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea.
Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea
조국평화통일위원회
Agency overview
FormedMay 13, 1961 (1961-05-13)
DissolvedJanuary 15, 2024 (2024-01-15)[1]
JurisdictionKorean reunification
HeadquartersPyongyang, North Korea
Parent agencyUnited Front Department
Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland
Chosŏn'gŭl
조국평화통일위원회
Hancha
Revised RomanizationJoguk Pyeonghwa Tong-il Wiwonhoe
McCune–ReischauerChoguk P'yŏnghwa T'ong'il Wiwŏnhoi
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The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK; Korean: 조국평화통일위원회) was a North Korean state agency aimed at promoting Korean reunification. The committee was tasked with relations with South Korea, which could not be handled through official channels because the North considers the South Korean government illegitimate. The committee operated from 1961 until 2024, when North Korea stated that it no longer seeks reunification.

Overview

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The CPRK was not a governmental body per se but rather an offshoot of the Korean Workers' Party's United Front Department; the distinction is intended to emphasise the North Korean government's position that the Southern government is illegitimate and should not be dealt with by official bodies.[2] It was established on 13 May 1961 as part of Pyongyang's ongoing response to the South Korean April Revolution of the preceding year which had resulted in Rhee Syng-man's resignation. The mere announcement of the CPRF's creation is believed to have exacerbated political instability in the South and to have contributed to the success of army general Park Chung-hee's coup three days later. In the aftermath of the Committee's creation, Pyongyang's reunification policy took a turn towards more pro-active means aimed at provoking the Southern government and inciting an internal Communist revolution there; Pyongyang concluded further military agreements with China and the Soviet Union, captured the USS Pueblo, attempted to assassinate Park Chung-hee in 1968 in what became known as the Blue House Raid, and shot down an American aircraft the following year.[3] The CPRF conducts propaganda operations in South Korea and elsewhere abroad.[4] During the fourth session of the 13th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) on June 29, 2016, the committee was reorganized and elevated into a state agency.[5]

On January 15, 2024, the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea formally abolished the committee along with two other state bodies focusing on reunification with the South, the National Economic Cooperation Bureau and the Kumgangsan International Tourism Administration.[1] South Korean reports indicated that websites ran by the CPRK, which were tasked with creating content for South Koreans, have not been accessible since the announcement.[6]

Membership

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Former chairmen

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Former vice-chairmen

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Decision of DPRK Supreme People's Assembly". Korean Central News Agency. 16 January 2024. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  2. ^ Oh, Kong-Dan; Hessig, Ralph (2002). Korea Briefing 2000–2001: First Steps Toward Reconciliation and Reunification. M.E. Sharpe. p. 265. ISBN 9780765609540.
  3. ^ Hwang, K. (1980). The Neutralized-unification of Korea in Perspective. Transaction Publishers. p. 89. ISBN 9781412829519.
  4. ^ Kim, Ilpyong J. (2003). "Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland". Historical Dictionary of North Korea. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-8108-4331-8.
  5. ^ "The Fourth Session of the 13th SPA: Tweaks at the Top". 38 North. 2016-07-06. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  6. ^ Lee, Je-hun (16 January 2024). "Declaring South fellow countrymen no longer, Pyongyang shutters inter-Korean exchange bodies". The Hankyoreh. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Modern Korean History Portal: Timeline: 1981". Wilson Center Digital Archive. History and Public Policy Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Choi Duk Shin, 75, Ex-South Korean Envoy". The New York Times. 1989-11-19. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  9. ^ Len, Samuel (2003-10-28). "Pyongyang official dies of crash injuries". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  10. ^ "S. Korean president meets DPRK officials". People's Daily. 2005-08-17. Retrieved 2013-05-28.

Further reading

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