Die, Swedish Imperialists!
The blog is writing itself again:
The Communist North Korean government has declared Sweden their enemy and a US war puppet. […]
According to information from the Swedish Armed Forces, this brusque message was first conveyed in a North Korean radio broadcast, then printed as an official document and distributed to the United Nations.
The North Koreans’ attack is not directed against the Swedish government as such, but against Sweden’s and other neutral countries’ military observation missions on the border between North and South Korea.
Sweden is active in the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) present in the area. Following the end of the Korean War in 1953, the NNSC’s task is to keep the peace with the help of the Swedes and the Swiss in demilitarized zones. [The Local, Sweden]
HT, James Taranto.
As I explained in my blog, the swedish media of course oversimplified* this piece of “news” extremely. They seem to be doing that a lot when it comes to North Korea, which I’m sure goes for much of the US media as well.
*I realize that this might make me sound as an NK-apologist, something that I definetely am not.
Jog taler inte pa svensk. Please explain your point in English.
My point is that there are a few things they should have written about in order to get the whole picture right. F x, that Sweden was a part of the UN Coalition force during the Korean War, which I guess technically means that Sweden and North Korea are still at war with each other. Or, why not just the simple fact that the North lashes out on different things in this manner every single day. Brutal language isn’t really uncommon in the North Korean media, to say the least. The “attack” on Sweden, in light of that, doesn’t seem that newsworthy to me. Some papers seemed to want to make people believe that the Nodong’s would start falling over Stockholm the next day, something that at least I haven’t noticed happening yet.
Just to clarify…
“Neutral” as used in the Armistice Agreement for both NNSC and the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission (NNRC) refers to nations that did not contribute combat troops. (cf: How Communists Negotiate, by ADM C. Turner Joy) Although Sweden was part of the UNC during the war, their contribution consisted solely of field hospital staff, therefore they were eligible to participate in the NNRC and NNSC. The Swedes did not participate in the 1954 peace talks since they did not consider the country to be a belligerent. Would Sweden now be in a state of war with North Korea? No.
Switzerland was the other nation representing the UNC with the NNSC and NNRC. Czechoslovakia and Poland, although communist, had no troops involved in the war – and represented North Korea and China. India, also a contributor to UNC field hospitals, chaired the NNRC and provided security during Big Switch and Little Switch.
Today, Sweden and Switzerland remain in Panmunjom. The Czechs were thrown out in 1993 after the country split. The Poles were thrown out in 1995, but they are technically still part of the NNSC. All NNSC missions are in the South (contrary to the article) since the North no longer recognizes the NNSC.
Does it sound too far-fetched for North Korea to consider field hospitals as hostile forces? Not to me. But, you’re probably right, and I stand corrected.
Does anyone know where to get a hold of the actualy statement in which North Korea declares Sweden an enemy? I’m not doubting it’s existence, I just think that it could clarify a thing or two. Either way, I’d really like to read it for fun.
Good question. Here’s a recent KCNA article suggesting that the report isn’t complete nonsense — it accuses the Swedes at the NNSC of being tools of the Americans — but you won’t see the word “enemy” anywhere. That said, I don’t exactly subscribe to the Rodong Sinmun or Minju Chosun, and the article sources to a statement sent to Swedish diplomats at the U.N., so I can’t say we have the whole story here. Nor can I rule out that they also called you “brigandish imperialists” just for extra fun.
If you seriously question the story, maybe you can write to your government and ask them if this is all b.s. I’d be glad to post a correction/update if that’s so. After all, world leaders are sitting on edge as we speak, fingers poised next to buttons, wondering if the Il-28’s will turn back before they’re over Uppsala. 😉
I’d be interested in Hibernius’s take on North Korea’s version of the history of the NNSC (great comment, btw).
The North’s version is summed up nicely in the articles (but like everything else, the truth is very different). I’d have to do some research to find out their view on what happened up to 1956 when part of the original NNSC mission was done. As far as the UNC saw it, Czechoslovakian and Polish delegations were effectively intel gatherers whereas the Swiss and Swedish delegations were prevented from doing the required inspections. In 1956, it was back to the base camps for the delegations, and they would just meet to discuss troop rotations as reported and to do special investigations – both still armistice requirements.
Czechoslovakia and Poland were the real puppets in the deal until the 1990s. A good example was the investigation of the infiltration tunnels where they “confirmed” that they were abandoned coal mines just like they have in Eastern Europe. Too bad the geologic base of the Korean peninsula is granite and the coal was smeared on the walls by the KPA. Like any investigation by the Military Armistice Commission, the NNSC always had two different results – one from the Swiss and Swedes, another from the Czechoslovakians and Poles. Once Czechoslovakia and Poland gravitated to the West, it was game over for the NNSC as far as the North cared.