David Alton - Building Bridges: Is There Hope for North Korea?

When David Alton first asked me if I would be willing to read the manuscript of this book and write a preface to it my instant response was: Why dont you get someone who knows North Korea to do it? That is just the problem, he responded, it is difficult to find anyone in the public eye who knows North Korea! Point taken. Having now read the book I must admit that to me and to so many politicians, North Korea really is a far away country of which we know nothing.

What David Alton and Rob Chidley have done is first give us a fascinating and eminently readable account of Korean history. The earlier parts were completely unknown to me and even the Korean War its causes and outcomes were but a hazy memory. Then they describe the conditions inside North Korea, together with the long stand-off with South Korea; since no peace treaty has been signed they remain technically at war. It is an absurdity not helped by South Koreas greatest ally, the United States.

The authors are unsparing in their graphic description of life inside North Korea and especially the gulag prison camps. Yet they convincingly argue for constructive dialogue and food aid to open up that country. There were times in our recent past when it was difficult to envisage the reunification of Germany, the end of apartheid in South Africa, peace and coalition government in Northern Ireland, or democracy breaking out in Burma. Yet these things have come to pass, and so their thesis that one day the 38th parallel could be a mere signpost is not so fanciful. This is an instructive volume about one of the worlds most intractable and inscrutable trouble spots; but it bristles with faith and hope that a better life is possible for all who at present suffer in the isolation of North Korea. For that reason alone it is a most valuable read.

David Steel Lord Steel of Aikwood

This book is dedicated to the people of Korea who have endured much suffering with great dignity and courage.

In particular, David Alton would like to thank:

Professor Jae Won and the Law Department at Handong University; Ambassador Karen Wolstenholme, her predecessors, and the dedicated staff at the British Embassy in Pyongyang; Caroline (Baroness) Cox; Fiona Bruce MP; Jim Dobbin MP; Elizabeth (Baroness) Berridge; Lord Bates; Gary Streeter MP and the other officers of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea and its hon. clerk Keith Bennett; David Campanale and Chris Rogers of BBC World; Mark Rowland, James Mawdsley, Ben Rogers, and Sam Burke, who at different times all accompanied me to North Korea; Ambassadors Choo Kyu Ho and Lee Tae-sik of the Republic of Korea and Ambassadors Ri Yong Ho and Ja Song-nam of the DPRK, all unfailingly courteous and constructive; Xuelin, Lady Bates; John Lee; Justin Choi; Alice Choi; Luke de Pulford for his organization of the visit of the incoming delegation of the North Korean Speaker, Choe Tae-bok; Ann Buwalda and Danny Smith of Jubilee Campaign for their consistent encouragement and promotion of human rights and human dignity; John Kennedy CBE and Bill Hampson; Assemblywoman A. Young Lee and her husband C.J. Kim; Dr L.U. Kim; Dr James Kim; Fr Gerry Hammond; Cardinal Nicolas Cheong, Fr Hugo Park and the Archdiocese of Seoul; the Kim Dae-jung Presidential Library and Museum; the House of Lords Library always helpful and patient; Shin Dong-hyok, whose story I relate, and for whom I have unending admiration; and Yoo Sang-joon, whose visit to the Westminster Parliament in 2003, at which he recounted the loss of his entire family, provoked my interest in North Korea, and whose bravery, suffering, and dignity are representative of the Korean people I have been privileged to meet; Rob Chidley for his perseverance and professionalism in bringing this idea to publication, and Ali Hull at Lion, who commissioned and edited the manuscript; my four children who never cease to surprise and amaze me, and their mother, Lizzie, who has been a source of encouragement to me throughout.