초록 열기/닫기 버튼
Since the 1950s, North Korea considered the “overseas compatriot” or haeoe dongpo** issue an important policy agenda under the perception that they could provide political and ideological support and legitimacy for the regime. From the early 1970s, North Korea began to expand the diaspora policy that went beyond the Koreans in Japan to the United States to promote a “worldwide movement of overseas compatriots.” Concomitantly, North Korea launched a public diplomacy campaign toward the U.S. to gain American public support for its political and diplomatic agendas during this period. This public diplomacy towards Americans intersected with the development of a policy towards Koreans residing in the United States. This study explores the development of North Korean policy towards Korean Americans that began to evolve in the 1970s. The historical background behind the evolution of this policy as well as specific policy objectives and strategies are depicted. Ultimately, this policy was focused on engaging with Korean Americans who could act as a link between the two countries with the aspiration that they convey North Korea’s policies to the United States, improve its international image and increase global support for Korean reunification on North Korean terms. I argue that the efforts in the 1970s laid the groundwork that contributed to a formulation of a more tangible policy starting in the late 1980s and early 1990s that included hosting family reunions, group tours to North Korea, cultural and religious exchanges and promoting the establishment of pro-North Korea associations in the United States.
