Information Center on North Korea brings scholars from abroad

Inside the Ministry of Unification's Information Center on North Korea. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-min

By Jung Da-min

Russian scholar Fyodor Tertitskiy, who came to South Korea in 2008 to study North Korea, is one of the regular visitors to the Information Center on North Korea run independently by the Ministry of Unification since its foundation in 1989.

"The center hosts probably the world's largest collection of North Korean documents and publications outside the DPRK," said Tertitskiy, who holds a Ph.D. from Seoul National University. "It is an enormous asset for anyone who studies the country.

Located on the 5th floor of the National Library of Korea's main building in Banpo 4-dong, near the Express Bus Terminal Station in Seoul, the center offers a broad range of material about North Korea ― including major newspapers, literary works, textbooks, movies, animation and periodicals in various fields.

Apart from 40,000 to 50,000 items on display, there are 60,000 to 70,000 more in storage, according to librarian Kim Tae-min.

Inside the Ministry of Unification's Information Center on North Korea. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-min

As a specialized library, the center has the world's largest range of material related to North Korea. Kyungnam University's library for the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, located in Seoul and known for its focus on North Korea, has about 30,500 publications.

Among the center's total collection of about 110,000 volumes, 30,000 came from the North, while some are South Korean government publications.

This is why many scholars come to the center for their studies. Specifically, the proportion of foreign visitors is higher than that for other libraries.

Jung Hui-suk. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

"The actual number of foreign visitors who come to see North Korean publications is much higher than for statistics (one-two out of 10), because many of those on temporary visas do not register," said another librarian, Jung Hui-suk. "Foreign researchers whose studies focus on socialist countries often come."

More visitors have visited the center this year since February, when inter-Korean relations started to thaw with the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, according to Jung.

She said general visitors other than scholars or students studying the North also visit the center out of curiosity to see North Korean publications.

Some might wonder where all these publications about the reclusive country came from.

"The center has been purchasing North Korean publications from agencies in China or Japan, because it cannot buy data directly from the North due to international sanctions on the regime," Jung said.

Although inter-Korean relations have significantly improved with a series of cross border exchanges this year, dealing with North Korean publications can still be complicated when the two countries are technically in a war.

The red stickers on the covers of some of the center's North Korean publications indicate that their contents include propaganda or flattering remarks about the North Korean regime. Other than material dealing with objective subjects such as mathematics or science, most of the books, including literary works, carry the red stickers.

Some people say said such political hurdles are a nuisance.

"The most inconvenient thing about this (center) are the remains of Cold War era anti-communist legislation," Tertitskiy said. "There are still restrictions on scanning and copying North Korean publications here and I think the restrictions should be completely abolished as they pose zero threat to this wonderful country."

Users' Guide for the Information Center on North Korea. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-min

Regardless of diverging political opinions on how to deal with North Korean publications, it seems the center has been trying to provide more information on the reclusive country.

"Before 2005 when public demand for information disclosure significantly increased, the center was run under a closed system where bookshelves were left with only lists without actual books," Jung said. "The center has gone through changes along with the change of governments as well as inter-Korean relations."

Kim also said he wished the center could further serve as a bridge between the two Koreas.

"I hope there will be more opportunities for cross-border exchanges between libraries in the two Koreas," he said. "It'd be great if there was a North Korean counterpart for information on the South, then the two could serve as a hub for inter-Korean academic exchanges."

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