Who would the DPRK be a puppet of? The ROK was set up by the US Empire to serve its interests in the region, after the US declared the people’s councils and newborn PRK illegal, whereas the DPRK in the north formed more directly as a result of resistance fighters against Japan forming the WPK and solidifying the people’s councils as a legitimate state.
I consider myself pretty skeptical of American media, so if I’m wrong I welcome correction. But I assumed this wasn’t really disputed even among leftists.
They’re allies and do a good deal of trade, the DPRK isn’t a puppet of China. The ROK was literally set up by the US Empire for the purposes of securing its interests in the region. Leftists don’t really believe the DPRK is a puppet state, that’s more of a liberal thing.
Absolutely. Nodutdol’s Korea Education Toolkit is comprehensive, and is an excellent way to get a deeper understanding. Nodutdol is an anti-imperialist group of Korean ex-pats that seek reunification, and to do so they seek an end to sanctions on the DPRK and the US Empire off the peninsula.
One of my personal favorite anti-imperialist podcasts is Blowback.Season 3 goes over the Korean War, but if you love podcasts, I recommend listening from season 1, the Iraq War. Doing so will help give you a comprehensive look into how the US Empire works overseas.
Overall, Nodutdol’s list is more than plenty to get a good idea of why we shouldn’t demonize the DPRK, and should instead push for an end to the US Empire’s aggression towards it. I’ll throw in my intro Marxist-Leninist reading list for good measure. You don’t need to be an ML to oppose imperialism against the DPRK, but it’s still helpful for understanding the DPRK’s position and the stances they take.
While the DPRK and PRC are allies, the DPRK is not a puppet of the PRC. The PRC doesn’t have a military base nor does the PRC attempt to control or manipulate the doings of the DPRK.
As for your “Disputed among leftists.” I am not sure to what group of people who would call themselves leftists you are referring so I cannot comment on that
I mean you’re right that it’s not disputed among leftists, but that’s because it’s generally not contended among leftists. The US maintains a military occupation and economic domination of the south, while the same is not true of China and the north. This seems like another one of those “whatever bad thing we’re doing, China must be doing worse because they’re the bad guys” pieces of folk wisdom that can’t be substantiated. Which I’m not laying at your feet, to be clear, because I used to be a “communism no iphone 100 morbillion dead” person and I know how pervasive these cliches are.
Am I crazy for thinking both Koreas are puppet states that oppress their people?
Who would the DPRK be a puppet of? The ROK was set up by the US Empire to serve its interests in the region, after the US declared the people’s councils and newborn PRK illegal, whereas the DPRK in the north formed more directly as a result of resistance fighters against Japan forming the WPK and solidifying the people’s councils as a legitimate state.
Who, in your estimation, is the government of the north a puppet of?
China?
I consider myself pretty skeptical of American media, so if I’m wrong I welcome correction. But I assumed this wasn’t really disputed even among leftists.
They’re allies and do a good deal of trade, the DPRK isn’t a puppet of China. The ROK was literally set up by the US Empire for the purposes of securing its interests in the region. Leftists don’t really believe the DPRK is a puppet state, that’s more of a liberal thing.
Can you recommend any books, blogs, or podcasts to learn more?
Absolutely. Nodutdol’s Korea Education Toolkit is comprehensive, and is an excellent way to get a deeper understanding. Nodutdol is an anti-imperialist group of Korean ex-pats that seek reunification, and to do so they seek an end to sanctions on the DPRK and the US Empire off the peninsula.
One of my personal favorite anti-imperialist podcasts is Blowback. Season 3 goes over the Korean War, but if you love podcasts, I recommend listening from season 1, the Iraq War. Doing so will help give you a comprehensive look into how the US Empire works overseas.
I also recommend the Prolewiki articles on Korea, the DPRK, and the ROK for a Marxist-Leninist perspective. The article on juche is also quite good, in my opinion. There’s also the article South Korea was Created from Thin Air by US Generals.
Overall, Nodutdol’s list is more than plenty to get a good idea of why we shouldn’t demonize the DPRK, and should instead push for an end to the US Empire’s aggression towards it. I’ll throw in my intro Marxist-Leninist reading list for good measure. You don’t need to be an ML to oppose imperialism against the DPRK, but it’s still helpful for understanding the DPRK’s position and the stances they take.
While the DPRK and PRC are allies, the DPRK is not a puppet of the PRC. The PRC doesn’t have a military base nor does the PRC attempt to control or manipulate the doings of the DPRK.
As for your “Disputed among leftists.” I am not sure to what group of people who would call themselves leftists you are referring so I cannot comment on that
Can you recommend any books, blogs, or podcasts to learn more?
With fear of sounding like a smart ass, I do need to clarify your talking about the PRC, DPRK relationship, not what is a leftist?
I mean you’re right that it’s not disputed among leftists, but that’s because it’s generally not contended among leftists. The US maintains a military occupation and economic domination of the south, while the same is not true of China and the north. This seems like another one of those “whatever bad thing we’re doing, China must be doing worse because they’re the bad guys” pieces of folk wisdom that can’t be substantiated. Which I’m not laying at your feet, to be clear, because I used to be a “communism no iphone 100 morbillion dead” person and I know how pervasive these cliches are.