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Korean Friendship Association

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The Korean Friendship Association, headed by Spanish citizen Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les y Pérez, is an organization working with the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), as well as an organ of promotion/public relations for the Juche movement. The Committee for Cultural Relations is the official government cultural liaison agency for North Korea and purports to fulfill a similar role to that of the British Council or the Alliance française. The KFA was established in Spain in November 2000. In 2004, KFA members organized in North Korea an International March for Korea's Peace and Reunification supporting the reunification of the two Koreas, as well as the policy of the North Korean government. The march was depicted in the documentary Friends of Kim, by dutch filmmakers Raphael Wilking and Hans Van Dijk[1].

The official line of the KFA

The KFA official line is closely linked to that of the DPRK. On the KFA Forum[1], any mention or discussion of critical articles is sometimes discouraged since they can already be found in most western media outlets. References to and discussion of DPRK/KCNA articles, which emphasize Korea DPR's point of view, is strongly encouraged.

The KFA lists two conditions for becoming a member[2]:

  • Respect for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and its leaders.
  • Respect for the other members in the KFA and the goals of the KFA.

The cumulative archives of messages since the site's inception in 2002, are kept open to the public. There is a large amount of DPRK related material including tourism tips and political essays, and it is possible to hear views from a DPRK point of view. The KFA Forum site is hosted and administered in Europe and gives links to Korean language teaching sites.

Membership is done by logging into the website and putting in the password of the user, e.g. "QDzDPy1234", these passwords can't be changed as they are logged in to the forum's server. The passwords are given by e-mail to the user after they had applied to join. A reply is given in around a week.

Structure

The Korean Friendship Association has members spread across many countries with an "Official Delegate" (OD) responsible for the activities in his/her country and secretaries appointed by the delegates. Above the Official Delegates, the "International Organization Committee" consisting of the President, the International Counselor and an International Organization Secretary who control and direct the activities of the KFA worldwide. (source:http://www.korea-dpr.com/kfaorg.htm)

The KFA in reality

The KFA's founder and president, Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les y Pérez, formerly a Barcelona-based IT consultant and since 2004 working full-time for the DPRK government, believes that his web site, although limited, is better than no site at all. Mr Cao de Benos is a citizen of Spain and is a "Special Delegate" of the DPRK government.

Kim Yong Nam, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, described the KFA as follows: "KFA is the main engine of the train of solidarity and friendship with Korea that pulls together the rest of the world and groups. Not only is it making a great contribution for the understanding of DPRK, but also for the building and defense of our socialist system." [3]

David Scofield in The Asia Times Online described the KFA as follows: "The group's activities include "information" seminars where the enlightened benevolence of Kim's rule is championed, all part of its "alternative" view of the North. The ragged wretched displays of poverty and starvation are edited out and the voice of North Koreans not in the direct employ of Kim Jong-il are conspicuously absent. In place of uncomfortable reality, the KFA offers vacation photos of "their" North Korea taken during recent, state supported visits, complete with bowling, golf, amusement parks and Karaoke with young female party members. Members write glowing pieces, oblations celebrating Kim Jong-il's wise rule. No starving people, torture, summary execution, penury or despair in the Korean Friendship Association's North Korea. Just golf, great meals and evenings in the company of Kim Jong-il's beauties."

See also

Interviews with the KFA

Articles on the KFA


  1. ^ Friends of Kim :: ENTER WEBSITE
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