• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.81-100
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• 2017

This study measures the degree of dollarization in North Korea using results from a survey of 231 North Korean refugees. Specifically, we compare foreign currency use of households as both store-of-value substitutes (i.e., asset substitution) and transaction substitutes (i.e., currency substitution) before and after the confiscatory currency reform of 2009. The degree of dollarization has advanced since the currency reform in terms of both asset and currency substitutions. Survey results also indicate that the Chinese yuan is frequently used in the Sino-North Korean border area, whereas the US dollar is predominantly used in non-border areas. Furthermore, foreign currency increasingly serves as a medium of exchange not only for large transactions but also for smaller transactions, such as food purchases.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.265-268
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• 2006

The present authors investigated intestinal parasitic infections among North Korean residents and refugees in China in 2003. The Kato-Katz method was applied to 236 residents and soldiers in a town on the North Korea-China border and to 46 people at a refugee camp in China. Only eggs of Ascaris and Trichuris were detected, with egg positive rates of 41.1 % and 37.6%, respectively. The total egg positive rate was 55.0% and most of those who were egg positive were only lightly infected. Women of 61.2% and men of 53.1 % were egg positive. The refugees from rural areas showed higher egg positive rates than those from urban areas. The present investigation confirmed high prevalence of soil-transmitted intestinal helminths in rural borderline areas of North Korea.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.279-304
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• 2022

This paper quantitatively analyzes the current status of North Korean consumer payment instruments through a questionnaire survey of 292 North Korean defectors. In the 2010s, it was found that the payment experience ratio of domestic currency cash and grain decreased, while the payment experience ratio of foreign currency cash increased. The use of foreign currency reached a stage where it was spread not only as a store of value but also as a medium of exchange. However, the most frequently used payment instrument by North Korean consumers was still domestic currency cash. By region, in inland urban areas both domestic currency cash and U.S. dollars are used and in the North Korea-China border region both domestic currency cash and Chinese yuan are used, while in inland rural areas dollarization does not occur because both domestic currency cash and grain are used. Meanwhile, despite the stable price trend during 2013-2019, the dollarization hysteresis effect is appearing, and both the purchasing power risk theory and the network externality theory are considered to have explanatory power for the cause. The results of this paper suggest that as dollarization is intensifying, it is expected that more costs such as shortages of commodities will be incurred than in the past if North Korea's de-dollarization policy is reimplemented. Also, in the case of domestic currency cards, which the North Korean authorities introduced in 2015 as part of a means of financial reform, this paper suggests that it may continue to be difficult for domestic currency cards to normalize official finance under the dollarization hysteresis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.45 no.2 s.142
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• pp.139-144
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• 2007

We investigated a small-scale serological survey to screen tissue-parasitic helminthiases of North Koreans as one of research programs for re-unification of Korea. Soil-transmitted helminthiases were found highly prevalent among North Korean residents at the border with China. ELISA using 4 tissue-parasitic helminth antigens was applied to 137 residents living in Cheongjin-shi, Hamgyeongbuk-do, North Korea and 133 female refugees in South Korea in 2004-2005. Among a total of 270 samples, 31 (11.5%), 25 (9.3%), and 11 (4.1%) were positive for specific IgG antibodies to antigens of Clonorchis sinensis, Taenia solium metacestode, and sparganum, respectively. The overall positive rate was 21.5%; 38.2% in males and 15.8% in females. The present finding suggests that tissue parasites, such as C. sinensis, T. solium metacestode and sparganum are highly prevalent in some limited areas of North Korea. These foodborne tissue-parasitic helminthiases should be considered for future control measures of parasitic diseases in North Korea.

• Strategy21
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• s.31
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• pp.27-56
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• 2013

The United Nations Command (UNC) and the communist North failed to reach an agreement on where the maritime demarcation line should be drawn in the process of signing a truce after the Korean War because of the starkly different positions on the boundary of their territorial waters. As a result, the Armistice Treaty was signed on July 1953 without clarification about the maritime border. In the following month, Commander of the UNC unilaterally declared the Northern Limit Line (NLL) as a complementing measure to the Armistice. Referring to this, North Korea and its followers in South Korea wrongfully argue that the NLL is a "ghost line" that was established not based on the international law. However, one should note that the waters south of the NLL has always been under South Korea's jurisdiction since Korea's independence from Japan on August 15, 1945. There is no need to ask North Korea's approval for declaring the territorial waters that had already been under our sovereign jurisdiction. We do not need North Korea's approval just as we do not need Japan's approval with regard to our sovereign right over Dokdo. The legal status of the NLL may be explained with the following three characteristics. First, the NLL is a de facto maritime borderline that defines the territorial waters under the respective jurisdiction of the two divided countries. Second, the NLL in the West Sea also serves as a de facto military demarcation line at sea that can be likened to the border on the ground. Third, as a contacting line where the sea areas controlled by the two Koreas meet, the NLL is a maritime non-aggression line that was established on the legal basis of the 'acquiescence' element stipulated by the Inter-Korea Basic Agreement (article 11) and the Supplement on the Non-aggression principle (article 10). Particularly from the perspective of the domestic law, the NLL should be understood as a boundary defining areas controlled by temporarily divided states (not two different states) because the problem exists between a legitimate central government (South Korea) and an anti-government group (North Korea). In this sense, the NLL problem should be viewed not in terms of territorial preservation or expansion. Rather, it should be understood as a matter of national identity related to territorial sovereignty and national pride. North Korea's continuous efforts to problematize the NLL may be part of its strategy to nullify the Armistice Treaty. In other words, North Korea tries to take away the basis of the NLL by abrogating the Armistice Treaty and creating a condition in which the United Nations Command can be dissolved. By doing so, North Korea may be able to start the process for the peace treaty with the United States and reestablish a maritime line of its interest. So, North Korea's rationale behind making the NLL a disputed line is to deny the effectiveness of the NLL and ask for the establishment of a new legal boundary. Such an effort should be understood as part of a strategy to make the NLL question a political and military dispute (the similar motivation can be found in Japan's effort to make Dokdo a disputed Island). Therefore, the South Korean government should not accommodate such hidden intentions and strategy of North Korea. The NLL has been the de facto maritime border (that defines our territorial waters) and military demarcation line at sea that we have defended with a lot of sacrifice for the last sixty years. This is the line that our government and the military must defend in the future as we have done so far. Our commitment to the defense of the NLL is not only a matter of national policy protecting territorial sovereignty and jurisdiction; it is also our responsibility for those who were fallen while defending the North-Western Islands and the NLL.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.184-192
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• 2011

Cultural heritage is the historic symbol implying the life of people and regionality. Accordingly, the study on cultural heritage along the border between Korea and China is a very critical and urgent task for educational purposes as well as to secure historic and cultural awareness and national identity. The border area between Korea and China is classified into the areas along Aprok River and areas along Tumen River where the cultural heritage of various ethnicities is scattered. Accordingly, this study tried to find the approaches to implement and use the exhibition contents for educational purposes as well as visual applications rather than a literary study on cultural heritage in the border area between Korea and China. The results of this study will be the opportunity to enhance the practical understanding of the modern states as well as to learn the cultural awareness of the territory of a modern state and people's awareness of the importance of world heritages. Furthermore, the results of this study will be used as the resources for historic and cultural tours on the web or applications and help to understand the cultural features of Korea and China in the northeastern region as well as historic awareness in educational programs using exhibition materials in a museum.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2022

Background: In South Korea, African swine fever virus (ASFV) has spread among wild boars through Gangwon-do to Dangyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do on the southern border of Gangwon-do. To prevent the spread of ASFV to African swine fever (ASF)-free areas, it is necessary to identify areas with a high probability of finding ASFV-infected carcasses and to reduce the density of wild boars in those areas. In this study, we described the propagation trend of ASFV among wild boars, constructed the habitat suitability maps for ASFV-infected carcasses, and suggested areas with a high probability of finding ASFV-infected carcasses and an important route of ASFV transmission. Results: Despite the active quarantine policies in Korea to prevent the spread of ASFV through wild boars, there was no significant difference in the monthly average of number of ASFV-infected carcasses observed between 2020 and 2021. The ASFV-infected carcasses were found more in winter and spring (January to April). Since the first ASF outbreak in wild boars on October 2, 2019, the maximum width of ASFV-infected carcass distribution area was 222.7 km for about 26 months till November 20, 2021. The habitat suitability map, based on GPS coordinates of ASFV-infected wild boar carcasses, shows that highly detectable areas of ASFV-infected carcasses were sporadically dispersed in western and southwestern parts of Gangwon-do, and ranged from north to south of the province along the Baekdudaegan Mountains, whereas poorly detectable areas ranged along the north to the south in the middle parts of the province. Conclusions: Our suitability model, based on the GPS coordinates of ASFV-infected carcasses, identifies potential habitats where ASFV-infected carcasses are likely to be found and ponential routes where ASFV is likely to spread. Among ASF-free areas, the areas with high suitability predicted in this study should be given priority as survey areas to find ASFV-infected carcasses and hunting areas to reduce wild boar populations.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.1-26
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• 2009

In the 1990s, when the viewpoint that an ecosystem is a single network within a specific region was adopted, the preservation and management of natural ecosystems was proposed. With regard to Northeast Asia, the expansion of trans-boundary pollution due to rapid development and the swift destruction of the natural environment emphasize the necessity for environmental cooperation. The Northeast Asia region made up of South Korea, North Korea, three northeastern prefectures in China, the Russian far-east, and parts of Mongolia were selected to be analyzed for an ecological network. The significance of this study lies in the development of a methodology for building a Northeast Asian ecological network through the use of satellite images. Regarding the methods of analysis, stable habitats for four priority species were selected to be performed using overlay analysis. The result of the analysis of the ecological networks in the whole Northeast Asia region showed that there were key areas partly dispersed in the Korean Peninsula, but whether the key areas would be maintained in the long term is unknown. As for China, key areas were concentrated in the border areas around the Tumen River and in parts of the three northeastern prefectures. Russia had wide-ranging areas that could function as stable habitats for most species. As a result of the actual conditions of the ecological networks, most of the Northeast Asia region, including the Korean Peninsula, was in poor condition, requiring appropriate measures and their operation as soon as possible. Also, it was revealed that further investigation and research was necessary for border areas that were identified to be key areas.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.243-250
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• 2023

To explore the distribution and the resistance reaction of rice blast pathogens that may occur in North Korea, rice blast pathogens in the North Korean border regions of Dandong and Yeon-gil in China and the North Korean border region of Cheorwon in South Korea were analyzed. In addition, comparative analysis was conducted with rice blast pathogen in Suwon and Jeonju, inland regions of South Korea. Resistance reactions above average were observed in monogenic rice lines (IRBLzt-T, IRBL9-W, IRBL20-IR24, and IRBLta-CP1) in Jeonju, Suwon, and Cheorwon from 2018 to 2020. In Dandong and Yeon-gil, the monogenic lines IRBLz5-CA, IRBL12-M, and IRBL19-A consistently showed resistance reactions for three years. Notably, IRBL19-A exhibited strong resistance. Race distribution analysis in South Korea indicated a shift from KI to KJ dominance from 2018 to 2020, while in the North Korean border regions of Dandong and Yeon-gil, the KI race was dominant in 2021 and 2022. The race distribution of rice blast pathogens in China's North Korean border regions differed significantly from that in South Korea.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.164-172
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• 2019

Rice blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is the most important disease of rice in both South and North Korea. Cultivation of disease-resistant cultivar is the best way to prevent this notorious disease, but M. oryzae races have been continuously changed to adapt a new cultivar. Therefore, it is important to get the information about the race and avirulence genes of the pathogen for developing blast-resistant rice cultivar. Since the entrance of North Korea was prohibited, the information about the races of M. oryzae in North Korea border areas and South Korea was collected to get the information about the diversity of rice blast pathogen in North Korea. The disease occurrence on monogenic lines carrying single resistant gene was investigated in Jeonju, Suwon, Cheorwon, Goseong, and Baengnyeongdo in Korea, and Dandong in China. The monogenic lines in Jeonju and Suwon showed diverse ranges of the response, while those in Baengnyeongdo and Dandong showed relatively high resistant responses to rice blast. All the field isolates of M. oryzae were characterized for rice blast races by the Korean differential varieties and screened for known avirulence genes to determine the spatial distribution of avirulence genes and the population of M. oryzae.