Korean Friendship Association
Encyclopedia
The Korean Friendship Association (Spanish
: Asociación Coreana de Amistad), headed by Spanish
citizen Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les y Pérez
, is an organization working with the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries
of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), as well as an organ of promotion/public relations for the Juche
movement. The Committee for Cultural Relations is the official government cultural liaison agency for North Korea
and purports to fulfill a similar role to that of the British Council
or the Alliance française
. The KFA was established in Spain in August 8 2000. In 2004, KFA members organized in North Korea an International March for Korea's Peace and Reunification supporting the reunification of the two Koreas, as well as the policy of the North Korean government.
These are necessary but not sufficient conditions, however, as even messages reflecting pro-DPRK views may be deleted. Members may be excluded without explanation or prior warning. The cumulative archives of messages, since the site's inception in 2002, are kept open to the public; however, messages from excluded members are permanently deleted.
The KFA pages provide a good amount of DPRK related material, including tourism tips and political essays, and it is possible to hear views from a DPRK point of view. The KFA Forum site is hosted and administered in Europe and gives links to Korean language teaching sites.
The objectives of the KFA are to promote the well-being of all members and to promote friendship between members of the KFA worldwide.
in 2005 described the KFA as follows:
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Asociación Coreana de Amistad), headed by Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
citizen Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les y Pérez
Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les y Perez
Alejandro Cao de Benós de Les y Pérez is a communist and the president of the Korean Friendship Association and has been an advocate of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea since 1990...
, is an organization working with the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries
Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries
The Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries is based in North Korea . It is responsible for organizing a wide area of cultural events and to develop international relations between the DPRK and many countries of the world....
of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), as well as an organ of promotion/public relations for the Juche
Juche
Juche or Chuch'e is a Korean word usually translated as "self-reliance." In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , "Juche" refers specifically to a political thesis of Kim Il-sung, the Juche Idea, that identifies the Korean masses as the masters of the country's development...
movement. The Committee for Cultural Relations is the official government cultural liaison agency for North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and purports to fulfill a similar role to that of the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
or the Alliance française
Alliance française
The Alliance française , or AF, is an international organisation that aims to promote French language and culture around the world. created in Paris on 21 July 1883, its primary concern is teaching French as a second language and is headquartered in Paris -History:The Alliance was created in Paris...
. The KFA was established in Spain in August 8 2000. In 2004, KFA members organized in North Korea an International March for Korea's Peace and Reunification supporting the reunification of the two Koreas, as well as the policy of the North Korean government.
Main objectives
The main objectives of the KFA are:- Be representatives of the viewpoint of the DPRK's government
- Learn from the culture and history of the Korean People
- Work for the peaceful unification of the Korean peninsula
The official line
The KFA lists two conditions for becoming a member:- Respect for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and its leaders.
- Respect for the other members in the KFA and the goals of the KFA.
These are necessary but not sufficient conditions, however, as even messages reflecting pro-DPRK views may be deleted. Members may be excluded without explanation or prior warning. The cumulative archives of messages, since the site's inception in 2002, are kept open to the public; however, messages from excluded members are permanently deleted.
The KFA pages provide a good amount of DPRK related material, including tourism tips and political essays, and it is possible to hear views from a DPRK point of view. The KFA Forum site is hosted and administered in Europe and gives links to Korean language teaching sites.
The objectives of the KFA are to promote the well-being of all members and to promote friendship between members of the KFA worldwide.
Structure
The Korean Friendship Association has members spread across many countries with an "Official Delegate" (OD) responsible for the activities in his/her country and secretaries appointed by the delegates. Above the Official Delegates, the "International Organization Committee" consisting of the President, the International Counselor and an International Organization Secretary who control and direct the activities of the KFA worldwide.KFA criticism
David Scofield in the Asia Times OnlineAsia Times Online
Asia Times Online is a bilingual English‒Chinese, Internet-based newspaper covering geopolitics, politics, economics and business "from an Asian perspective"...
in 2005 described the KFA as follows:
- The group's activities include "information" seminars where the enlightened benevolence of Kim's rule is championed, all part of its "alternative" view of the North. The ragged wretched displays of poverty and starvation are edited out and the voice of North Koreans not in the direct employ of Kim Jong-il are conspicuously absent. In place of uncomfortable reality, the KFA offers vacation photos of "their" North Korea taken during recent, state supported visits, complete with bowling, golf, amusement parks and Karaoke with young female party members. Members write glowing pieces, oblations celebrating Kim Jong-il's wise rule. No starving people, torture, summary execution, penury or despair in the Korean Friendship Association's North Korea. Just golf, great meals and evenings in the company of Kim Jong-il's beauties.
External links
Interviews with the KFA
- "I Will Be A Soldier of Kim Jong Il": A profile from Korean Central Television on Alejandro Cao de Benos - from July 22, 2005