Citation

Kim JT. Terrorism 1988; 11(4): 309-322.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1988)

DOI

10.1080/10576108808435720

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

For the past three decades, South Korea has been subjected to various forms of political violence by North Korea, from a conventional war to nonconventional warfare including guerrilla tactics and terrorism. An analysis of the trends of North Korean terrorism points to the direction of increasing lethality and internationalization. A hypothetical profile of a North Korean terrorist drawn from the knowledge of North Korea's highly unorthodox form of socialistic political ideology, "Juche," its forty year‐old tradition of idolizing "the great leader," and the hermit‐like closedness of the state from the rest of the world, as well as some sketchy psychological profiles of North Korean terrorists currently available, indicates the following (1) a North Korean terrorist is an agent indoctrinated in a peculiar breed of political ideology that demands unquestioning dedication and single‐minded devotion to its creator; (2) he is prepared to surrender his life for the cause of liberating South Korea from "American imperialism;" (3) he evidences a high propensity toward self‐destruction; (4) he is an atheist who does not believe in any element of determinism--his living God is his political and ideological leader; (5) he comes from a special unit of the North Korean Armed Forces or an elite department of the Korean Workers' Party; (6) he is a professional terrorist who lives on it and for it; (7) he perceives himself as a liberator; (8) he uses terrorist tactics to achieve his goals; (9) he advertises and dramatizes the discontent of a certain segment of the South Korean people through radical students and members of extreme groups: (10) he would add fuel to fire to escalate social unrest in South Korea; (11) he is often involved in assassination plots against South Korean presidents, acting solitarily or in groups of varying sizes; (12) he appears to have a well‐defined ideology in which he has been thoroughly drilled. However, once exposed to reality in South Korea, a spontaneous recovery from his previous state of mind with respect to the political ideology seems possible. Possible deterrence of North Korean terrorism involves both national and international efforts. While some useful and effective patchwork can be applied for a special situation such as the 1988 Summer Olympics, which holds a high probability of terrorist attacks, the ultimate solution may rest in international cooperation on anti‐terrorism policies, such as the imposition of political and economic sanctions against North Korea on the ground of terrorism. The commitment and ability to act in concert by concerned nations on this international effort is paramount.

Language: en