Snow men: Relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the left revolutionary movement of Chile (1965-1990) preparatory study
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Keywords
North Korea, Latin America, Armed Organizations, MIR, Chile
Abstract
The long and winding path of the relations of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with Latin America and the Caribbean continues to be an issue surrounded by very little visibility. Only in recent years, excellent research works on the relations of the DPRK with the governments of Mexico, Argentina and Chile - during the second part of the 20th century - have shed some light on this exciting plot. However, there are still facts and events that form a nodal part of this great story to be removed from the shadows.
It should be noted that reconstructing this story is very difficult, although not impossible. And it is difficult, first of all, because of the great difficulty that exists in consulting primary sources, both in our region and -mainly- in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In the first case, many of the actors who have participated in these events have died or remain reluctant to disclose moments of their political life that could be stigmatizing. Despite the years that have passed, there is still a lot of resentment about the open story about these experiences. Secondly, the impossibility, both economically and of free access to North Korean sources, conditions – in part – the reconstruction of this entire enormous historical puzzle. For reasons that are due to the general conditions regarding work in archives or the taking of direct testimonies in the DPRK, the complexity of accessing from Latin America becomes a Dantesque mission.
To the above, we must also add how complicated it will be to try to reconstruct the path along which these channels of relations circulated insofar as they were unofficial and informal contacts - often - without official records or public descriptions.
Notwithstanding the reservations expressed, this research may have a future. To this end, it is proposed – within the large field of inquiry that we will try to cover – to address one of the most emblematic cases: The Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR) of Chile and its connection with North Korea.
The working hypothesis, which is proposed here then, will focus on envisioning the possible existence of close ties between the militants of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the search for military training and advice between the decades 1970 and 1980. In particular, we will try to base this hypothesis – with a central axis – on the so-called “Plan 78” within the so-called “Operation Return” that began its guerrilla activities in July 1980 in the southern region of Neltume (XIV Los Ríos Region, Chile).
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