DPRK’s Economic Zone a Signal for Peace

Posted by AsiaViews | Jan 2, 2018 | 0 |

By Jin Meihua*

China Daily

29 Dec 2017

On Dec 23, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea released its Dec 21 decision to build the “Kangnam Economic Development Zone” in Pyongyang, where foreign investors will be offered preferential land and tax policies. The construction of an economic development zone to attract foreign investment might be Pyongyang’s way of signaling it wants to help restore peace on the volatile Korean Peninsula.

This should be seen as a welcome move, as in recent times tensions have risen sky-high on the peninsula, raising fears of even a nuclear war either due to the DPRK’s nuclear and missile tests or owing to the joint military drills of the United States and the Republic of Korea.

The peninsula has been caught in a vicious circle of the United Nations (and the US and some other countries) imposing stricter sanctions on the DPRK as punishments for its continued nuclear and missile tests, and Pyongyang responding by conducting more such tests, apparently to thwart a military attack from the US.

On Dec 22, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution to impose tighter sanctions on the DPRK, which would reduce its exports and imports to the barest minimum and could cripple its economy. But the resolution also reiterates that greater efforts should be made to prevent war, by intensifying talks to reduce tensions on the peninsula.

Since the international community wants a peaceful resolution to the crisis, it should regard Pyongyang’s announcement to build an economic development zone as a positive gesture aimed at restoring peace on the peninsula. It is also important that the international community sees DPRK leader Kim Jong-un’s emphasis on the economic zone being part of Pyongyang’s parallel goals of achieving economic and nuclear development as an attempt to enhance unity at home.

Because of the tightening sanctions, the DPRK is facing a severe economic slowdown. And if the DPRK’s Korean Central News Agency said on Monday that the world has seen the rising power of the country, implying Pyongyang had become a nuclear power, it also highlighted the importance of the economic development zone, saying it would strengthen the DPRK’s economy.

But the development of the economic zone will be anything but smooth. UN Resolution 2397 caps the exports of refined petroleum products and crude oil to the DPRK at 500,000 barrels and 4 million barrels a year, respectively. The resolution also imposes caps on the exports of food and agricultural products, machinery, electrical equipment, wood and vessels to the DPRK.

Pyongyang plans to attract foreign companies engaged in the industrial, agricultural, high-tech and tourism sectors to participate in the economic development zone, but given the strict trade limitations imposed by the UN, it is difficult for the DPRK to realize that goal.

The “Kangnam Economic Development Zone”, however, is located in an area that has great potential, as its natural conditions are suitable for producing agricultural products and it has easy access to the DPRK’s largest steelworks, road network and largest port, which connects Pyongyang with the ports in other East Asian countries, including China and the ROK.

If Pyongyang takes serious measures to improve its relations with the international community, and succeeds in its efforts, it can turn the “Kangnam Economic Development Zone” into a strong engine for the economic growth of not only the DPRK but also Northeast Asia as a whole. But as of now, the prospects do not appear promising.

*The author is a researcher at the Northeast Asia Studies Institute at Jilin Academy of Social Sciences.

(source:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201712/29/WS5a459420a31008cf16da41e2.html)

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

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DPRK’s Economic Zone a Signal for Peace