"Most closed country in the world" and "communist monarchy": these are some phrases commonly associated with North Korea.Heard in commercial mediaTo portray the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or simplyNorth KoreaIn a rather stereotypical manner.
Recently, the country has once again made headlines in the news after US President Donald Trump made aMovement of removal of South KoreaAt the same time, it signaled an attempt at rapprochement by Pyongyang.
Currently, there are power dynamics in the global geopolitical landscape that influence the historic relationships between nations: an ongoing conflict between the US and Iran, a historical strategic and military partner of North Korea, and also the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The division of Korea
From a historical perspective, the formation of two countries from the division of a single peninsula is a direct legacy of World War II, when the world was already beginning to settle into a new order.Text: bipolar contextWhich would be depicted by the Cold War.
To: (Note: The provided text is incomplete. Assuming the intended content is about a journalistic article, here is a general translation based on the given information.) "At (date/time), regarding..."BdF InterviewLucas Rubio, president of the Paektu Institute, stated that Korea has always seen itself as a unified and millennial civilization. However, it suffered under brutal Japanese colonization from 1905 to 1945. "In addition to exploiting all the country's natural resources, [Japan's occupation] exploited all human resources in the most diverse ways possible, prohibiting political gatherings by Koreans, annihilating any form of public manifestation of Korea's culture and national identity," he recounts.
Despite the difficulties of the period, there was resistance that eventually allied itself with the Red Army, and in 1945, it launched a new offensive to the north of the Korean territory, while US troops entered the south. This process ultimately led to the division of the territory at the 38th parallel. "The president [Harry] Truman had a containment idea. The US enters and occupies Korea as a containment against Soviet expansion," he explains. In 1948, the space becomes free for the establishment of the Republic of Korea.
Washington's influence in the region remains intense to this day, with the maintenance of approximately 50,000 soldiers in South Korea. According to Rubio, this context severely limits Seoul's autonomy in inter-Korean decisions. "South Korea's position will always be subordinate to the United States," he defines. The researcher highlights that the country "operates always within the parameters and limits established by the United States," functioning strategically as a complement to the US military machinery in Asia.
North Korea
Regarding North Korea's political structure, Rubio deconstructs the label that the country is governed by a hereditary family autocracy. "Although it has indeed been governed for three generations by people who have a familial bond, North Korea is neither a dynasty nor a monarchy," he summarizes.
He explains that the choice of leaders like Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un was based on a popular political decision focused on historical coherence and the continuity of the revolutionary process, emphasizing that the executive power is structured collectively and that "Kim Jong-un cannot make a decision alone."
In the socio-economic and diplomatic aspect, North Korea maintains a state economy in which "there is no private initiative in key sectors of the economy," prioritizing national self-sufficiency. "It is a country that produces things that a country as large as Brazil does not produce: its own cell phones, TVs, satellites, and rocket launchers. And, well, an important thing to remember: it produces its own atomic bombs and missiles, which has proven to be a very important decision for that state as a survival strategy. It boosted the economy as well," he points out.
Lucas Rubio reinforces that the joint military exercises conducted by South Korea and the US have always been a point of great discomfort for Pyongyang. In 2024, there was a complete re-evaluation of the defense policy and an attempt at dialogue between the nations, with the participation of the US, which proved unfruitful. Since then, the North Korean government has formally defined its neighbor, South Korea, as "the most enemy state of North Korea, along with the United States."
"From North Korea's perspective, reunification is something impossible, seen by them as something that cannot be done under current material conditions, because South Korea is a totally dependent, occupied, and manipulated state by the United States," he reinforces.
To listen and watch
TheBdF InterviewIt airs from Monday to Friday at 4 p.m., onBrazil's Fact Radio98.9 FM in Greater São Paulo.