American Friends report on North Korea
Reflections on sixty-five years' work in Korea have been published
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has issued a report reflecting on the organisation’s work in Korea over the last sixty-five years. Engaging North Korea – Volume II shares the AFSC’s views on the critical issues it sees as opportunities for dialogue between the US and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The report states: ‘Many observers have noted that whenever the US has engaged the DPRK in dialogue over the last several decades, the DPRK has scaled back or refrained altogether from conducting missile tests. It follows that an effective strategy for de-escalating the tensions we see today would be to open dialogue on an issue where progress is possible – and keep those communications channels open.’
The AFSC has identified four humanitarian issues where progress appears possible. They are: the reunification of Korean and Korean-American families; the repatriation of the remains of US servicemen left in the DPRK following the Korean war; people-to-people exchange programmes; and humanitarian aid projects designed to meet basic needs for North Korean people.
