News From the KFA(C)

An Occasional Update From George Graham
Official Delegate (Canada), Korean Friendship Association

KFA CANADA SITE RECEIVES 10,000th VISITOR

On July 14, the KFA (Canada) site received its ten-thousandth visitor. Based on stats collected during the two months the site has been up, here's what I can tell you about the typical visitor to our site:

Not surprisingly, about two-thirds of visitors to the site are from Canada. Nearly all the rest come from the Unites States, Japan, south Korea, Russia and various EU countries. We've also had a few visits from friends in Africa and South America.

Most visitors to the site arrive via the main KFA site and its 'Canada' link. The rest come from search engines, in particular Google, while a very small group of visitors type the URL directly into their browser. I've no idea how those folks heard about us.

We have the ability to track all sorts of things, such as operating systems, browsers, resolution and, yes, the IP addresses of all visitors. Having the ability does not mean we do it, however. I respect the privacy of visitors to the KFA (Canada) site. And besides, I don't have the time or the inclination to research every single one of the hundreds of visitors we receive each and every week.

Membership in KFA (Canada) has grown by roughly 10% since the site went up in May. I don't know if one figure is related to the other, but I'd sure like to think so.

CHANGES AT KFA CANADA

Irwin Oostindie, former KFA Official Delegate for Canada and General-Secretary for the KFA in Canada, has resigned from the latter position to focus on his personal project related to the DPRK, the website 'Axistogrind'.

On behalf of KFA members in Canada, I would like to thank Irwin for his work on KFA's behalf. While he will no longer be involved in administering the KFA in Canada, Irwin will continue as a member of the KFA and, through his project, he will continue to do very important work on behalf of promoting a greater understanding of the DPRK.

We wish him the very best.

KFA CANADA WEBSITE RECEIVES MORE THAN 2,100 VISITORS IN FIRST MONTH

During May, the KFA Canada site received more than 2,100 unique 'hits' from around the world.

I'm thrilled.

This site may have gone live at the beginning of May, but except for a small number of friends and international KFA colleagues we had no visitors at all. Around the middle of the month the main KFA site provided a link to KFA Canada. Then the numbers took off. What makes these numbers impressive is that 95% of the visitors came to the site during the last ten days of May. If that continues, we could be looking at monthly traffic of 6,000-10,000 within the next month or so.

The big question, though is, "Does it work? Does anyone really care?"

I think so.

I've received e-mails from Koreans living in Canada as well as from and students wanting more information about the DPRK. One junior high school student is doing a project that compares the governments of Canada and the DPRK. (Ambitious!) I even received an e-mail from a Canadian living in Japan who wanted to know if he could visit the DPRK while staying in Seoul! He was disappointed when I told him that just wasn't possible.

The site is also inspiring a few more people to sign up for membership in the KFA. The numbers are still small -- only a couple of new members per week -- but that can only increase.

KFA CANADA ASKS POLITICAL PARTIES FOR VIEWS ON KOREA

Since Canadians are going to the polls on June 28, I thought it might be a good idea to let KFA members in Canada (and around the world) know what the various political parties think about Canada-DPRK relations. With that in mind, I sent the following note to each of the federal parties fielding candidates in this election:

I am writing on behalf of the Korean Friendship Association (Canada), the Canadian section of the Korean Friendship Association. The Korea Friendship Association is an organization with thousands of members around the world. Approximately 5% of the KFA's international membership is in Canada. KFA Canada's goal is to promote understanding between Canada and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). We do this through supporting cultural exchanges and the provision of direct aid to the DPRK. We support the peaceful reunification of Korea in accordance with the North-South Joint Declaration of June 15, 2000.
In order to provide our members with some guidance regarding the upcoming federal election, we are writing to ask a few questions about your party's foreign policy, specifically as it relates to relations between Canada and the DPRK. Your answers may be e-mailed to: canada@korea-dpr.com. I would ask that you return your responses no later than June 14, 2004. All parties' responses will be posted on our website, which currently receives several hundred visits per day.
If you have any questions, please e-mail canada@korea-dpr.com.

Canada is now the number one destination for Korean immigrants. The Korean-Canadian community is now the second-largest Korean community outside Korea itself. Korea is quite possibly the most homogeneous nation on the planet, and many Koreans have relatives living in both the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

1. In 2000, Canada officially recognized the government of the DPRK. On February 6, 2001, the governments of Canada and the DPRK established diplomatic relations. However, it is Canada's embassy in China that is responsible for providing all consular services to the DPRK, and the Department of Foreign Affairs admits that this limits Canadian diplomats' ability to interact with the North Korean counterparts. Do you support opening a Canadian embassy in Pyongyang, the DPRK's capital?
2. Recent tragedies like the train explosion in Ryongchon highlight the DPRK's need for basic humanitarian assistance with such things as food, basic medical supplies and other material aid. What is your party's position regarding providing aid to the DPRK?
3. Bilateral trade between Canada and the DPRK is extremely small, amounting to slightly more than $20 million per year. What will your party do to promote trade between our two countries?
4. The DPRK government has repeatedly asked for a permanent peace treaty to replace the Armistice agreement signed in 1953. Does your party support this?
5. What is your party's position on the continued presence of American troops in South Korea?
6. Canada was an active participant in the 1950-53 Korean War. More than fifty years later, what should Canada's role be in reducing tensions on the Korean peninsula?

I'm not optimistic that we'll get many responses, but anything we do receive will be posted on June 15, 2004. (Or earlier. Or later. Depends when people reply!)

KFA CANADA LAUNCHES WEBSITE (RELEASE POSTED ON VARIOUS NEWSGROUPS)

In honor of May Day, the International Day of Workers, Korean Friendship Association (Canada) launched its own website on May 1. The website will be maintained by the KFA's Official Delegate in Canada, George Graham and can be found at:

http://www.korea-dpr.com/users/canada/

"As KFA Canada prepares to register as a non-profit organization and begin active work within Canada, it is important for us to have an Internet identity that is separate from KFA as a whole," Mr. Graham said, "although our website will be hosted on the KFA's main site."

"The site is still under development," he continued. "At the moment it contains links to other organizations as well as a few samples of books, songs and videos from the DPRK. I think it's important to be flexible about content, and I would encourage KFA members in Canada and around the world to suggest ways in which we can create a site that is distinctly Canadian."

NEW KFA OFFICIAL DELEGATE IN CANADA (RELEASE POSTED ON VARIOUS NEWSGROUPS)

On April 6, George Graham was appointed Official Delegate for Canada. He replaces Irwin Oostindie, who becomes General Secretary of KFA (Canada).

"I welcome this opportunity to work with the Korean Friendship Association in promoting the peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula," Mr. Graham said. "The KFA, as the only organization of its kind that maintains an official, high-level relationship with the government in Pyongyang, is the ideal group to accomplish the goal of informing Canadians about the DPRK."

Canada's history in Korea is mixed. In 1950, Canada was among the first countries to volunteer its armed forces in support of the United Nations' 'police action' against the DPRK. However, in 2001, Canada and the DPRK established diplomatic relations. Now, hundreds of Canadians visit the DPRK either as tourists or as representatives of cultural or business organizations every year. Bilateral trade between Canada and North Korea is still very small (approximately US$22 million per year) but it is growing.

"The KFA has a tremendous opportunity in Canada," Mr. Graham says. "Our government recognizes the DPRK as a sovereign state, so we do not face the kinds of ridiculous charges regarding the 'Axis of Evil' that our American friends in the KFA do. Canada also has the second-largest Korean community outside of Asia, and there are many Korean-Canadians who have first-hand experience of American aggression against their homeland."

In the short term, KFA (Canada) will register as a non-profit corporation, giving it legal status within Canada. Projects currently under discussion include: organizing regular meetings across Canada, publishing a regular newsletter, organizing trips to the DPRK and establishing contact with Canadian news outlets.

Canadians interested in getting involved with KFA (Canada) are invited to write to Mr. Graham at: canada@korea-dpr.com.