Amnesty for North Korean Leaders
Andrei Lankov over at North Korea Zone has an interesting article published in the International Herald Tribune about amnesty for North Korean leaders before any reunification between the two Koreas can occur.
Then what would be the fate of North Korea’s leaders? Unlike their ex-Soviet comrades, they have few if any ways to transform themselves into successful capitalists or democratic politicians. Even if they manage to follow the example of the new Russian super-rich and privatize state-owned companies, these rusty, antiquated plants will not be of great value, especially if large South Korean conglomerates move in. Capitalism in the North will be built by the managers of Samsung and LG Korea, not by born-again Communist apparatchiks.
And then there is a fear of persecution. This is not paranoia. The regime has committed many crimes. For decades, the North Korean population has been treated with a systematic ferocity the world has not seen since the collapse of Pol Pot’s Kampuchea. Torture is a normal part of any investigation, and the families of more serious political criminals are also sent to prison. About 200,000 people are incarcerated in prison camps which rival Stalin’s in their brutality.
The Communist bosses cannot even hope to run and find asylum somewhere. Even if a country like Russia or China agreed to accept them (and that’s a big if), there are few chances that they would be safe if Seoul demands their extradition. We saw it before when the former East German strongman, Erich Honecker, sought asylum in Moscow but was arrested and extradited by a new Russian government. Moscow didn’t feel much loyalty for a man who had been Moscow’s best (and very efficient) ally for decades.
Thus the North Korean elite is cornered. These people do not want to tamper with the existing system, since they are afraid it would collapse. They have nothing to gain and everything to lose – not only their privilege and power, but also their freedom and perhaps even their lives.
What can be done? The short answer is amnesty. People who run the country should be granted immunity from persecution for all crimes committed during the 60-odd years of their rule. I am fully aware that we are talking about people who were in many respects as bad as Stalin and Hitler. But amnesty is necessary – not for them, of course, but for countless people whose lives would be so much better if the North Korean leaders were less persistent in their rejection of reforms.
Make sure you read the rest on your own.
Mr. Lankov is probably right about providing amnesty but I don’t think even that would get these thugs to change their ways. As long as they feel secure with their power and there is no real threat to them losing it, it is in their interest to keep things the way it is. So these thugs are not going to begin reforms because they are given amnesty or suddenly care about their people. They will begin reforms only when it is a last resort. Thus a variety of international pressures such as embargoes, sanctions, and aiding refugees is needed to destabalize the regime.
Amnesty is useful in preventing a full scale war. If the North Korean leaders feel they have no other options to keep their power then they will choose to start a war. However, if they know they have guaranteed amnesty then they would think twice about starting a war because they are sure to die with that option. But there is always the whole “Korean Pride” thing to worry about. They may rather choose to go down in a blaze of glory instead of accepting amnesty and the loss of “face” in stepping down from power and allowing the world to see what the “Workers Paradise” is really about.
I don’t really see the North Korean leaders choosing this option like Saddam Hussein did in Iraq becuase the Nork leadership does not have the concern about how the Korean people will view them historically in the future. Saddam did not want to be viewed in Arab history as someone who gave in to the Americans to save his own hide and Arabs to an extent admired him for standing up to the Americans until he was drug out of a spider hole. However, nobody in Korea will admire the Norks for standing up to America. They will just be hated more. So accepting amnesty would look more favorably on them historically because they would be saving many Korean lives. So amnesty is a useful option.
