North Korea’s Science and Technology Journals: Getting to Know the Scholars (Part 2)

Half 1 of this two-part sequence offered a listing of the Democratic Folks’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) science and expertise (S&T) journals which are obtainable overseas and famous the restricted quantity of data they include in comparison with journals revealed elsewhere on the earth. Half II will concentrate on what could be discovered from these journals about North Korea’s analysis priorities, the authors themselves, and sources of S&T data obtainable to them.

An Imperfect Information to Pyongyang’s Priorities

Comparatively quick as they’re on particulars, North Korea’s S&T journals can function a helpful information to understanding the nation’s priorities and/or rising pursuits in science and expertise—at the very least to some extent. For instance, one of many newer journals obtainable abroad is the quarterly Laptop Science, which seems to have began in 2000.[1] Its launch on the daybreak of the brand new millennium suggests Pyongyang’s rising curiosity in that space. One other instance is an article revealed early this yr within the Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences on worldwide developments in mRNA analysis;[2] the second endnote was to an article in a significant US journal on mRNA’s promise in combating COVID-19. From this text’s publication, we will cite revealed proof of Pyongyang’s concern concerning COVID-19 and its studying of US scientific literature to maintain currentwith, and maybe search to construct upon, Western analysis and growth (R&D) on this space.

Typically, if one have been to create a database comprising all obtainable articles of the 40 journals, one would then have the means to seek for traits in priorities. What number of laptop science articles have there been previously 10 years? What areas of laptop science seem most often? Which authors have revealed most often? Looking a database would yield some probably helpful information on Pyongyang’s priorities.

Nonetheless, we should have in mind the various pitfalls to such an strategy. One apparent one is that the obtainable paper path by itself can’t reply some questions. For instance, the Journal of Kim Il Sung College: Pure Science ceased publication on the finish of 2017. Instead, the college started publishing from 2018 particular person journals for chemistry, geoenvironmental science and geology, data science, life sciences, arithmetic, and physics. Do these titles symbolize North Korea’s current scientific priorities? What of atomic science, a significant a part of the college’s earlier Pure Science journal? Does the absence of a person journal for atomic power imply that Kim Il Sung College has devalued nuclear analysis? Do the various extra complete pages of scientific analysis revealed since 2018 (every new journal difficulty is roughly the identical variety of pages because the earlier Pure Science journal) point out that Kim Il Sung College has vastly expanded its science school? We can’t reply these questions by merely studying the 40 obtainable journals.

One other clear pitfall is that the 40 journals obtainable overseas are solely a fraction of North Korea’s S&T publishing output. For instance, an article on net server expertise within the Journal of Kim Il Sung College: Pure Science has for its first endnote a reference to Pyongyang’s Bulletin of the Korea Laptop Middle.[3] That this bulletin of the Korea Laptop Middle (KCC), apparently a key group in North Korea’s data science infrastructure, is just not available exterior North Korea suggests how a lot stays unknown and unavailable.

Studying References to Be taught In regards to the Authors

The references on the finish of an article can function a place to begin for studying one thing about an writer when an article lacks primary data just like the writer’s affiliation. In some circumstances, an writer will embrace a quotation of an article they wrote that was revealed overseas. For instance, Han Yong Nam co-authored with Kim Myong Track an article revealed within the Journal of Kim Il Sung College: Pure Science, citing within the fifth of 5 endnotes earlier work of his revealed by the Royal Society of Chemistry.[4] The North Korean journal provides us no data on Han; the British one informs us (in endnote 5) that he wrote the paper with Chinese language colleagues from the State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Jilin College, and Changchun 130012, and that Han is from the Division of Chemistry, Kim Il Sung College. Because of the endnote, we now know that Han is a member of the college’s chemistry school and that he appears to have studied lately at Jilin College in China. By referring to the overseas journal cited, the article will establish particulars such because the writer’s educational or skilled title, place of employment in North Korea, place of examine or work overseas, fellow North Korean colleagues, overseas connections and analysis pursuits.

Whereas studying the endnotes could be helpful on this manner, language, translation and naming conference variations make this type of analysis difficult. Some widespread issues embrace:

• Identify order: Names are revealed in North Korean journals within the conventional Korean order—the surname precedes the given title. For instance, the household title of the well-known North Korean scientist Ri Sung Gi (리승기, 1905-1996), inventor of the artificial cloth vinalon, is Ri. Even within the English article abstract and desk of contents of DPRK journals, his full title would start with In a Western science journal, his title would probably seem in Western order, the place given title is written first: Sung Gi Ri.
• Initials: Within the English summaries and tables of contents offered within the North Korean journals, the writer’s full title is revealed. Nonetheless, that very same title could also be listed in Western journals with the given title became one or two initials. Thus, Ri Sung Gi may seem as S. Ri or S.G. Ri.
• Transliteration: There are a selection of methods to transliterate Korean script (hangul, 한글, within the Republic of Korea (ROK); chosongul, 조선글, or urigul, 우리글, within the DPRK) into Roman letters. Within the case of Ri Sung Gi, editors exterior North Korea, relying on whether or not they use a system devised within the ROK or the US, could transliterate his title as Ri Sung Ki, Ri Sung-gi, Ri Sung-ki, Ri Seung-gi, Ri Seung-ki, Ri Seung Gi or Ri Seung. In South Korea, Ri is usually written as Yi, which doubles the variety of prospects offered. When the potential of initials getting used is taken under consideration, the variety of methods through which to transliterate Ri Sung Gi will increase.
• Chinese language characters: Korean names are written in Korean script in North Korea, however in Chinese language characters in Higher China and in Japan, Ri Sung Gi (리승기) then turns into 李升基 .[5] The numerous simplifications of Chinese language characters undertaken in Asia after World Struggle II add one other layer of complication. For instance, an writer with “Hak” as a part of their given title can be 學, the older kind, in Hong Kong and Taiwan, however 学 in China and Japan. With China being the key vacation spot for DPRK scientists going overseas for superior examine, recognizing a reputation written in Chinese language characters in an endnote to a DPRK article as being an identical to that of the writer’s is essential to discovering data on North Korean scientists and engineers.[6]
• Russian alphabet: Korean authors who publish in Russia normally accomplish that in Russian. This provides one other layer of complication, because the title will seem in Western order, usually with initials rather than the given title. Therefore, if Ri Sung Gi (Ли Сын Ги in Cyrillic) revealed in Moscow, his title would have appeared as Сын Ги Ли, С. Ли or С.Г Ли.  Russians even have their very own system for transliterating Korean into the Latin alphabet by which a Russian editor would probably render Ri Sung Gi (Li Syn Gi) as Syn Gi Li, S. Li or S.G. Li.
• Past transliteration methods: Along with the varied transliteration methods talked about above, there’s additionally the issue of variants. The Korean surname Ri (usually translated as Yi exterior the DPRK, particularly in South Korea) can be offered as “Lee.”(Ri/Yi/Lee are all widespread methods to Romanize the identical Korean syllable). Furthermore, given names can usually be Romanized in a different way as effectively. As an example, the primary ROK president, Yi Sung-man, was identified within the West as Syngman Rhee—a non-standard rendering for each his household and given names. Thus, a reputation like Ri Sung Gi may doubtlessly seem as in a different way as Lee Seung-ki, or S. Lee in some cases.

Piecing Collectively Writer Profiles

If analysts, journalists or researchers exterior North Korea are armed with the information above, they’ll extra simply seek for data on North Korean scientists and engineers by rigorously inspecting the references on the finish of DPRK S&T journals. Under are some examples of what could be deciphered from these references.

Kim Ju Hyok and Kim Kyong Sol[7] wrote the article “Floor Resonance Evaluation Technique of Rotor-Fuselage Coupled System with MR Damper,” which appeared within the sixth difficulty final yr of the Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences.[8] The article comprises no data on the identification of both writer. Nonetheless, the second of the article’s three endnotes reads “(2) Okay. Kim et al. Sensible Mater. Struct., 25, 7, 075004 (2016).” As defined above, “Okay. Kim” may very well be Kim Kyong Sol. The truth is, a web based search confirms this, because the cited article could be discovered on the IOPScience web site:

“Design and experiments of a novel magneto-rheological damper bifold movement mode”
Kyongsol Kim, Zhaobo Chen, Dong Yu and Changhyon Rim
Revealed Could 24, 2016 © 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd.
Sensible Supplies and Buildings, Quantity 25, Quantity 7
Quotation: Kyongsol Kim et al. Sensible Mater. Struct. 25 075004

The Article Data part of the work reveals Kim Kyong Sol as being affiliated with each the College of Mechatronics Engineering on the Harbin Institute of Know-how (HIT) of the Folks’s Republic of China (PRC), and the Division of Mechanical Engineering at Kim Chaek College of Know-how (KCUT) in Pyongyang, DPRK. His North Korean colleague, Rim Chang Hyon, is affiliated with the identical KCUT division. The 2 Chinese language co-authors hail from the HIT College of Mechatronics Engineering. These clues assist illuminate the affiliations of the 2 DPRK researchers Kim and Rim, making clear that Kim studied at HIT and has at the very least two Chinese language educational colleagues.

Additional on-line searches for Kim and Chen Zhaobo, the article’s corresponding writer, result in a Wall Avenue Journal article from 2017 that identifies MR damping as a expertise associated to missile-launch methods and Dr. Chen as an aerospace skilled with expertise engaged on army initiatives. The article additional reported that Chen and Kim filed for a Chinese language patent in February 2017, claiming their joint work had purposes in aerospace and different fields. An American skilled cited within the Wall Avenue Journal article speculated that, though the paper by Chen and Kim needed to do with helicopters, Kim may apply the teachings discovered in China on MR damping to the event of missiles. Subsequently, a single quotation in a DPRK article yields not solely primary writer information that’s not discovered within the article itself, however suggests the writer’s doable involvement in Pyongyang’s efforts to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Studying the References to Know the Sources

The endnotes additionally show helpful in gaining some sense of DPRK S&T publications and the overseas data that North Korean researchers have entry to.

As talked about within the Half I of this sequence, the 40 DPRK S&T titles obtainable overseas are solely a fraction of the nation’s vary of S&T literature. Endnotes present a greater understanding of the literature solely obtainable domestically. In impact, citations from these 40 journals can be utilized to compile a card catalog of DPRK S&T literature that’s unavailable exterior the nation and is, maybe, largely unknown.

Listed below are a pair examples from the journals:

• An article within the subject of nuclear science and expertise by Pak Yong Jin et al., “On the Analytical Technique of Strong Samples within the Fuel Mass Spectrometer ‘MИ-1201B,’” revealed in a 2011 difficulty of the Journal of Kim Il Sung College: Pure Science,[9] consists of as one in every of its three citations a 1998 work by a Pak Sin Nam and others revealed within the DPRK periodical 원자력 (Atomic Vitality). This journal is just not on the record of North Korean periodicals for export.
• In data science, the identical difficulty of the journal consists of an article, “Voluntary Service Structure for Elevating Connecting-Functionality of Purchasers on the Internet Server,” that cites an article from the Bulletin of the Korea Laptop Middle (조선콤퓨터센터통보), one other publication not marketed for export.

This technique can be utilized for books as effectively. By reviewing the endnotes within the 40 journals which are obtainable overseas, one can construct over time what quantities to a library catalog of DPRK S&T literature. This yields each further puzzle items for constructing writer profiles and should level to new areas of analysis and growth.

Moreover, the endnotes present data on the overseas publications North Korean researchers have entry to as effectively. Within the 40 journals examined, the endnotes cited sources revealed in the US, Europe, China, Russia and Japan. Pyongyang’s researchers could not have the chance to review in nations just like the US and Japan, however they’ve entry to the world’s revealed S&T literature. For instance, the primary difficulty of quantity 57 (2011) for the Journal of Kim Il Sung College: Pure Science consists of an article on atomic power that cites Chinese language sources in two endnotes. The primary reference is to an article from the Chinese language journal 核动力工程 (Nuclear Energy Engineering). The second is to a 1988 e book written by a Fu Youzhou and revealed by China’s Atomic Vitality Press:  核反应推动力学 (Nuclear Energy Engineering).[10]

That stated, there’s additionally the problem of potential errors within the endnotes. For instance, an data science article within the above difficulty of Journal of Kim Il Sung College: Pure Science consists of the next quotation of a US cryptology convention’s proceedings:

• (5) D. Jucls et al. Superior in Cryptology, 1294, 150, 1997.

The temporary reference comprises three errors. Supplied under is the proper, full quotation:

• Ari Juels et al. “Safety of Blind digital signatures,” 150-164, in Advances in Cryptology – CRYPTO ’97 (17^th Annual Worldwide Cryptology Convention), Santa Barbara, CA.

In a single endnote we see that the writer’s abbreviated given title is inaccurate, the surname is misspelled, and the primary phrase within the title is miscopied. With these three errors, researchers could not discover the reference in a web based search.

Past DPRK Endnotes

As beforehand talked about, different DPRK media, exterior of the 40 S&T journals, exists. Most of them are what some would possibly dismiss as propaganda, however these sources nonetheless yield data on scientists, engineers, their affiliated organizations and their work within the type of textual content, pictures and movies.

Supplied under is a non-exhaustive record of normal DPRK publications and web pages which have textual content, pictures and/or movies associated to DPRK S&T:

• Rodong Sinmun (로동신문): each day newspaper of the ruling Employees Social gathering of Korea
• Minju Joson (민주조선): each day authorities newspaper
• Democratic Folks’s Republic of Korea (조선화보): illustrated month-to-month propaganda journal
• Kumsu Kangsan (금수강산): month-to-month propaganda journal
• Ryugyong (규경ryugyongclip.com): on-line DPRK web site that includes information on Kim Il Sung College.
• Thongil Hwabo (통일화뵤): bimonthly propaganda journal
• Korea Central Tv (조선중앙텔레비죤): information broadcasts and varied tv reveals

Following are some examples of normal sources (propaganda) that yield data on scientists past what we generally discover within the obtainable S&T journals.

A search of Ryugyong  yields a 2018 article on promotions, through which one learns that Hong Kun Ui (홍근의), a division head at KCUT, acquired the title of professor in April of that yr. A web-based seek for his title in English utilizing a number of variations of transliteration then results in a 2017 English article in Science Direct for which Professor Hong is the corresponding writer:

• Kunui Hong, Eunchol Han, Kwangsong Kang, “Dedication of geological power index of jointed rock mass primarily based on picture processing.”

Within the article discovered on Ryugyong, Professor Hong is simply described as a KCUT division head. Nonetheless, by way of the Science Direct article, we study of his affiliation with the KCUT College of Mining Engineering, his e-mail handle ([email protected]) and the names of two of his KCUT colleagues.[11]

As a second instance, a Rodong Sinmun article that was revealed on March 2, 2022, on web page 6, celebrates the profession of Track Gwang Chon, a college member of Kim Je Received Haeju College of Agriculture, for his contributions to agriculture by creating herbicides. The article not solely consists of his affiliation, titles and analysis subject, however even a shade {photograph} of Dr. Track.[12]

In one other instance, the November 2021 difficulty of Democratic Folks’s Republic of Korea consists of an article on Kim Il Sung College, that includes {a photograph} of the KISU Superior Know-how Growth Institute (첨단기술 개발원) constructing the place the photograph caption lists its element institutes.[13]

As a ultimate instance, a profile of Pak Kyong Ryong from Situation 2 (March-April), 2022, of Thongil Hwabo describes him as a working at KCUT as a researcher within the Juche Metal Laboratory, Ferrous Steel Institute, College of Steel Engineering. The article additionally notes that he has the titles of Merited Scientist, Professor, and Ph.D. The article provides some particulars on his life, resembling his leaving South Korea a while after Liberation for “the Republic.” This data is rather more than we might discover about him in a North Korean science journal. Additional data is discovered within the profile’s accompanying shade pictures, which present Dr. Pak, a number of the books that he has authored, and what look like his laboratory, full with tools. Cautious overview of such propaganda pictures have the potential to yield data on the varieties of tools present in varied North Korean science laboratories, even perhaps to the identification of particular machines. Whereas satellites can present us the roofs of analysis institutes, propaganda magazines can disclose to us what lies inside them.

Past the Korean Peninsula, data on DPRK scientists, engineers, establishments and their actions could be present in worldwide scientific literature and normal information. Chinese language media of each varieties carry such data. For instance, the Chinese language Journal of Northeastern College (Pure Science) publishes articles co-written by North Koreans:

• Kim Sung Hyok, Zhang Hua-guang, Solar Qiu-ye, Zhou Jian-guo, “Consensus-Primarily based Distributed Uneven Energy Sharing Management in Microgrids,” Vol. 37, Situation 10 (2016).

The paper signifies that Kim, the corresponding writer in addition to the one Korean among the many 4 co-authors, is affiliated with the Northeast College College of Data Science and Engineering in Shenyang and the KCUT Division of Electrical Cooperation in Pyongyang. Past science papers, Chinese language media carries information of DPRK delegations visiting Chinese language universities and different organizations for S&T exchanges. Related searches within the media of different nations additionally yields such data.

The place to Discover the Endnotes and Different Data

Analysts, journalists and others who’re inquisitive about studying North Korean journals can discover them on-line and in print on KPM and thru different distributors. Moreover, Pyongyang has made a few of its publications obtainable on-line lately. For instance, the KISU web site consists of entry to the college’s science journals.[14] Pyongyang newspapers and different periodicals can be discovered on a number of websites.[15] DPRK S&T journals and different media in print could be discovered at main depositories just like the US Library of Congress, Japan’s Nationwide Eating regimen Library and the ROK’s Nationwide Library of Korea and the Ministry of Unification North Korea Doc Middle. The libraries that include a number of main publications, such because the Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences, can be discovered by way of the net library catalog WorldCat, which signifies college library holdings in the US for the journals at Yale, Harvard and Berkeley.[16]

Conclusion

Obtainable DPRK S&T periodicals can function the premise for amassing a big quantity of data on the scientists, engineers, establishments and initiatives of North Korea. This data, together with supplies discovered exterior of the Korean Peninsula, present most of the items to assemble a lot of the puzzle that’s DPRK S&T.