Phases of the Relationship between East Germany and North Korea after World War II

Abstract

IntroductionAmong today's and in history's divided countries, such as China/Taiwan, Yemen, Cyprus, Ireland, and India/Pakistan/Bangladesh, the similarities between Korea and Germany are remarkable: Both countries were divided after World War II and both were divided under the involvement of the United Statesand the USSR. The latter assumed the existence of uniform states which emerged from the declaration of intent of the Potsdam conference in August 1945, as well as the Ministers of Foreign Affairs conference in Moscow in December 1945.1Despite the initial similarities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR), their further development on the political side-economically and ideologically-almost disappeared in the further progress. Rudolf Appelt, who published an article in the Socialist Unity Party's (SUP)2 magazine Einheit, was probably the first author to analyze the situation of both countries directly after the war in 1947. He found that already in 1947 the political and economic situation and trend in Soviet-occupied North Korea was very similar to the situation in Soviet-occupied East Germany. Appelt discovered similarities between the U.S.-occupied South Korea and the occupied western zones of Germany. Only a little time passed after the foundation of the two states until the DPRK recognized the GDR as a state.The special solidarity of the GDR to the DPRK is exhibited in the political, technical and humanitarian support during the Korean War and beyond. In the 1950s the SUP initiated a broad solidarity and donation campaign for North Korea. The Korea committee was founded in June 1951 and started fund-raising in nationally owned enterprises and other associations of the GDR. Until 1957, the Korea committee transferred donations to North Korea at a value of 40 million deutschmarks ( equivalent toabout 20 million euros) in total under the slogan "Who helps Korea, helps Germany." The total sum of unpaid postwar assistance to rebuild the country was a multiple higher (see table 1).3Commencement of Diplomatic RelationsAlready in November 1949 the GDR and the DPRK had entered into diplomatic relations, and they exchanged ambassadors immediately. Similar to the Republic of Korea (ROK) and being inspired by the "Ostpolitik" of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in terms of their policy towards the North (and the communist states of the Eastern Bloc generally), the DPRK took over elements of the reunification concept of the GDR.After the Korean War, the bilateral relations developed positively and rapidly. Otto Grotewohl, minister president of the GDR, visited Pyongyang in December 1955. Kim Il Sung, during those days chairman of the Minister Cabinet of DPRK, visited East Germany a year later. Already in 1953, both countries had entered into a treaty regulating the financing of noncommercial projects. In January 1955, a second treaty followed, establishing technical and scientific collaboration. In December 1955, two additional treaties were concluded, governing postal services and telecommunications, respectively. The GDR supported the DPRK in terms of reconstruction after the Korean War, in particular the reestablishment of the port of Hamhung on the east coast of North Korea. According to estimations between 1953 and 1962, the unpaid development aid of the GDR to the DPRK amounted to 217-545 million rubles. Hence, East Germany occupied the third rank of the development aid granting states rights after the USSR and the People's Republic of China (see table 1).The mutual visits of Otto Grotewohl and Kim Il Sung, their similar fate, the consent on unification policy and the strong support for postwar reparation of North Korea strengthened the solidarity between the two states. The relationship between Pyongyang and East Berlin experienced its heyday in this first phase, which can be regarded as the years between 1949 and 1961. …