North Korea

Rebecca Briscoe
BA Chinese & German

Talk on North Korea with Jim Hoare

In February 2018 the East Asian Research Society (EARS) invited former diplomat of North Korea, Jim Hoare to give a talk on North Korea, including his experiences, views about and the prognosis of the future of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Jim Hoare studied Chinese and Korean for his undergraduate degree and went on to work in British embassies in China and South Korea, as well as founding the British Embassy in North Korea in 2003. The talk attracted attendees from all schools within the university, not least the LCS East Asian Studies department. Even with stories as simple as going to a shop to buy a lightbulb, Hoare was not only able to engage the audience with stories relatable to everyone but was also able to use those stories to educate us on the political and cultural differences between DPRK and the West.

Hoare’s talk covered most, if not all areas in great breadth and depth. When a ‘Westerner’ (i.e. From Western Europe or the US) tells others about life in non-westernised/not capitalist countries, they often fall into the trap of only talking about life from their own (foreigner) perspective, as that is what they have experienced. However, particularly in East Asian countries, the way one lives and is treated as a foreigner and as a local are vastly different. The important thing about Hoare’s talk was that he did not only talk about himself as a former diplomat from the UK – he made sure to cover his own lifestyle, life in the city and in the countryside, all accompanied by expressive and sometimes humorous photographs. During his talk, a picture really could tell a thousand words. This really helped us to gain a well-rounded view of life in North Korea.

Another aspect covered was the future of the DPRK, particularly in terms of foreign affairs. At the time of this talk there was neither confirmation nor indication that North Korea was considering denuclearisation. It was also unclear whether relations within the Korean Peninsula and with the US would improve, especially amid doubts about US President Donald Trump and his dialogue with Kim Jong Un. Hoare said that it is virtually impossible to predict North Korea’s relationship with South Korea and the rest of the world in the future. At the time, the DPRK’s relations with most countries were far from optimal, especially considering the media uproar and sanctions. However, Hoare did have a point, as we can see now that the process of denuclearising DPRK is underway and the two Koreas have begun to solidify their relations, which a few months ago was not foreseeable to most.

One might wonder how a talk about North Korea would help a student of Chinese. There are actually numerous reasons why students studying Chinese would be interested in such a talk; the speaker studied Chinese and Korean for his Undergraduate degree, which is interesting for us as we get an insight to life as a graduate and an idea about what kind of careers we could go into in the future. In addition, Mainland China is in an interesting position among all the upheaval about North Korea, especially as it is seen as the middle man between North Korea and the US. Indeed, just before plans for denuclearisation were announced, Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping had several meetings, often presenting a father-son image to the press. It is also helps students to paint a picture of international relations in East Asia, a part of the world which is becoming increasingly well-known and recognised, not least as a popular tourist destination, which means that more and more people want to know more information about the region – and we can provide it.