Skip to main content
Support
Article

New Documents on the Two Koreas and the Third World

Documents recently obtained and translated by the North Korea International Documentation Project depict in vivid detail the struggle between North Korea and South Korea to gain diplomatic recognition across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

New Documents on the Two Koreas and the Third World

The North Korea International Documentation Project has recently obtained and translated more than sixty documents from Romanian and Hungarian archives on the struggle between North Korea and South Korea to gain diplomatic recognition from countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. The documents are being made available to students, researchers, and interested readers through a collection entitled The Two Koreas and the Third World on the Wilson Center Digital Archive as part of a broader project on the history of inter-Korean relations supported by the ROK Ministry of Unification.

The inter-Korean struggle took on global dimensions in the late 1970s and early 1980s following the failure of the inter-Korean dialogue (see the collections on the Inter-Korean Dialogue, 1971-1972 and the Demise of Detente in Korea, 1973-1975 for further information). Both Koreas sought allies and supporters across the globe and particularly among countries active in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). In exchange for diplomatic recognition, North Korea and South Korea often provided economic aid, technical assistance, and military support to countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Some of the key findings revealed in the documents include:

  • Military delegations from countries such as Uganda andLibya visited North Korea, requesting that the DPRK train and arm soldiers;
  • North Korea's training programs in and support for Ethiopia allegedly frustrated the Soviet Union, whose own assistance to Ethiopia was being overshadowed by that of the DPRK;

To explore the documents, click here to be redirected to the collection The Two Koreas and the Third World on the Wilson Center Digital Archive.

The translation of these documents and others has been generously supported by the ROK Ministry of Unification.

Related Programs

North Korea International Documentation Project

The North Korea International Documentation Project serves as an informational clearinghouse on North Korea for the scholarly and policymaking communities, disseminating documents on the DPRK from its former communist allies that provide valuable insight into the actions and nature of the North Korean state. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program.  Read more

Cold War International History Project

The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program.  Read more

History and Public Policy Program

The History and Public Policy Program makes public the primary source record of 20th and 21st century international history from repositories around the world, facilitates scholarship based on those records, and uses these materials to provide context for classroom, public, and policy debates on global affairs.  Read more

Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy

The Center for Korean History and Public Policy was established in 2015 with the generous support of the Hyundai Motor Company and the Korea Foundation to provide a coherent, long-term platform for improving historical understanding of Korea and informing the public policy debate on the Korean peninsula in the United States and beyond.  Read more