Bernie Sanders’ DPRK Policy

Even though the Hanoi summit failed, the United States should continue diplomatic efforts with North Korea. A peace agreement is the best path for American security, and for the security of the region. pic.twitter.com/cvIMlScGFl— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 5, 2019

Bernie Sanders tweeted a video outlining his DPRK policy, which was basically given to him by the group Women Cross DMZ and their founder, Christine Ahn. The video shows Ahn exclaiming that possible military conflict on the Peninsula needs to be “taken off the table” and that, “what needs to be on the table is a peace agreement.” Ahn further indicates that the Korean War is responsible for the military industrial complex, the quadrupling of the Defense budget, the casting of the US as the world’s police force; and she claims that 90% of Koreans want the war to end. Further, she’s shown in the video advocating for a piece by piece lifting of sanctions in exchange for DPRK weapons program dismantlement. Finally, she outlines the humanitarian crisis in the DPRK — malnourished children, lack of medicine and medical supplies, etc. — without acknowledging that the primary responsibility for this crisis lies with the DPRK.

The video is sure to appeal to many Democrat voters with limited knowledge of the DPRK situation by offering the hope of peace, less military spending resulting in more entitlement spending, and diplomacy with the North. However, the video — and the policy given to Sanders — relies on misinformation about the effectiveness of sanctions and the cause for the human rights crisis in the DPRK. Christine Ahn is a well-known activist and has studied this space for many years, so why is she misrepresenting the DPRK situation?

Who is Christine Ahn?

Christine Ahn is the founder of Women Cross DMZ which calls itself,
“a global movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War, reunite families, and ensure women’s leadership in peace building.” Ahn has consistently advocated for a Peace Treaty as a precondition for DPRK weapons program dismantlement, in line with the official DPRK stance. In 2015, Ahn crossed the DMZ by first flying into Pyongyang alongside 30 other activists to advocate for a peace treaty, which — together with statements praising DPRK leaders quoted in the KCNA — resulted in her being banned from entry to the ROK. In addition to the state news media, The group’s statements praising the “wonderful work” being done by the Kim regime was featured in a propaganda video produced by Minjok Tongshin (People’s News). Famously, Minjok Tongshin has received the Kim Il Sung award from the DPRK and the founder has claimed that there is no human rights situation in the North at all.

The group has attempted to deny their pro-North ideology, however, the video evidence and tweets from the group are pretty damning.

DPRK BOOTY! pic.twitter.com/2HoQycQE5a— Coleen Baik (@colbay) June 6, 2015

Christine Ahn’s Pro-DPRK Ties

As I wrote previously, Moon Jae In staffed his cabinet with the pro-DPRK Jusapa faction, to include Im Jong Seok who was imprisoned for orchestrating a South Korean student’s travel to the DPRK. In this vein, Christine Ahn’s own travel ban to the ROK was lifted following President Moon’s election. The student that traveled to the DPRK, Im Su Kyong, went to the World Youth Festival in Pyongyang to meet with Kim Il Sung. Pak Chol, the lead interpreter for that event, would later become the senior counselor at the DPRK mission to the UN where he would meet frequently with Ahn in New York. Further adding to the accuracy of the Pro-DPRK label placed upon President Moon’s Minjoo Party, Im Su Kyong — elected as a Minjoo assemblywoman in 2012 — called a DPRK defector a “traitor” and further stated

“How can a son of a bitch like you, a North Korean defector of humble birth, come and challenge a lawmaker of the South Korean parliament?”

Im further betrayed her Pro-DPRK ideology by calling a fellow 386 Generation activist who began calling out DPRK human rights abuses a “son-of-a-bitch traitor” who will be killed by her “own hand.”

While Christine Ahn has denied KCNA quotes of her praising the Great Leader’s work for the liberation of his people, she has continued to parrot the regime’s talking points.

Whoa. The truth. @WILPF @NobelWomen @WomenCrossDMZ @KoreaPeaceNow time to get to work on the UN and UNSC… https://t.co/g860KZsiYZ— Christine Ahn (@christineahn) April 5, 2019

In 2004, Ahn spoke out against the North Korean Human Rights Act indicating, “The current discussion on North Korean human rights is completely focused on the narrow scope of political repression… We must focus on North Koreans’ right to food, health and dignity.” In Ahn’s speech, she declared that peace and inclusivity would solve the human rights crisis, not war or sanctions. This talking point is again stressed in the Sanders video where she is willing to acknowledge a human rights crisis exists, but refuses to place the blame on the Kim regime that would rather export food items to fund its weapons programs, rather than feed its own people. Moreover, although a self-described feminist, Ahn also refuses to acknowledge the DPRK’s horrendous record on gender-based discrimination.

When it comes to DPRK aggression, Ahn’s record is equally dismal. In 2010, Ahn wrote that the DPRK shelling of Yeonpyeong-Do — which resulted in the deaths of 2 ROK Marines and wounding of 15 Marines and 3 civilians — was rooted in the disputed NLL and the South’s “aggression.” She did not, however, note that the South was conducting a live fire drill whereby artillery shells were aimed away from the North, while the North’s barrage directly targeted the island. Further, Ahn has again parroted the DPRK line that the Cheonan was not, in fact, sunk by a DPRK torpedo.

The real story about the sinking of the South Korean ship the Cheonan. Clearly not North Korea… http://bit.ly/cheonan— Christine Ahn (@christineahn) December 1, 2010

Conclusion

It is painfully obvious that Bernie Sanders has no real knowledge of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, its history, or how to move forward addressing the issue. Unfortunately, he has outsourced his policy position to an activist with a well-documented record of pro-DPRK activities against US interests. Equally disturbing is the current foothold that Ahn’s ideological comrades hold in the ROK government. Bernie Sanders may very well be the Democrat candidate to face Trump in 2020, and the ROK will still have another 2 years of the Moon Administration following the next US presidential election. It would seem that the next two years (ROK national assembly elections, US presidential election) will prove extremely consequential to the security and freedom of the Korean people.