Seung Hwan Ryu is a Doctoral Fellow at the Graduate School of East Asian Studies, Freie Universität Berlin. His research discusses international cooperation between North Korea and Tanzania during the Cold War, examining how theypracticed the idea of self-reliance in food production and agricultural development. Heholds a BA in History and Economics from Sogang University, South Korea, and an MA in Global Studies from the University of Vienna and Leipzig University. His article “Between Second and Third World: North Korean Use of “Imagined Affinity” in the Socialist Globalization Project with Regard to Tanzania,” was published in Comparativ (2023).

Prelude to the Isolation? North Korea’s Strive for Expanding its Boundaries of International Cooperation in the 1980s

Abstract: This paper discusses North Korea’s endeavor to expand its boundaries of cooperation through international engagements in the 1980s. Despite its long-standing ties with socialist states throughout the Cold War, North Korea actively pursued economic and cultural partnerships with capitalist and non-aligned countries in the late 1980s. This effort represented Pyongyang’s adaptive response to the global shift toward economic liberalization, even though North Korea faced setbacks with the collapse of the socialist bloc. This study demonstrates the antecedents of North Korea’s international isolation in the 1990s, known for its military provocations and nuclear tests, by examining the transient expansion and subsequent contraction of its boundaries of cooperation in the 1980s.

This research focuses on two significant phenomena to illustrate North Korea’s historical attempts to transcend its traditional boundaries of cooperation. First, its introduction of the Cooperation Law [Habyŏngbŏp] marked a departure from its longstanding principle of self-reliance, encouraging collaboration with foreign countries and corporations. As China and the Soviet Union largely expanded exchanges with Western countries in the 1980s, Kim Il Sung highlighted the necessity to open trade relations and collaborate in science and technology with foreign countries. The establishment of KOTACO (Korea-Tanzania Corporation) in 1986 exemplified this shift, which was a joint venture to develop agricultural technology in rural Tanzania. Second, North Korea sought global recognition by hosting mega-events, including its endeavor to co-host the 1988 Seoul Olympics and hosting the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students in 1989. During the WFYS, North Korea showcased its economic and cultural competence to international audiences. However, the lack of financial resources led to the discontinuation of many projects and the contraction of its expanded boundaries of cooperation.