Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front

The Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front (AINDF) is a banned popular front organization in South Korea.

Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front
반제민족민주전선
Founder
  • Kim Jong-tae
  • Choi Yong-do
Founded25 August 1969 (1969-08-25)
Headquarters
Ideology
Political positionFar-left[3][4][n 2]
Regional affiliationWorkers' Party of Korea
Website
www.aindft.com
Korean name
Hangul
반제민족민주전선
Hanja
反帝民族民主戰線
Revised RomanizationBanje Minjong Minju Jeonseon
McCune–ReischauerPanje Minjong Minju Chŏnsŏn

The AINDF is guided by Juche, the official state ideology of North Korea, and aims to carry out a popular revolution in South Korea, achieve independence by removing the United States Forces Korea, and hasten the reunification of the country. The AINDF is identical in organization to the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea, the de jure popular front of North Korea, and has missions in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang (the only ostensibly South Korean organization to) and another in Japan.[5]

The AINDF is banned in South Korea under the National Security Law as a spy group for the Workers' Party of Korea, the ruling party of North Korea, but operates clandestinely within the country and is regarded as a legitimate organization by North Korea.

History

The Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front was officially founded on 25 August 1969 by Kim Jong-tae (김종태, 金鍾泰), who published a magazine named Chongmaek (청맥, 靑脈), and Choi Yong-do as the Revolutionary Party for Reunification (통일혁명당, 統一革命黨), with a history dating back to the 1964 formation of a preparatory committee. The group was established during the period of the Third Republic of Korea, an anti-communist military dictatorship under President Park Chung Hee, and both founders were executed along with other leaders of the organization; other members were sentenced to long prison terms. Kim Jong-tae's wife and two children were never seen again.

On 27 July 1985, it renamed itself to the National Democratic Front of South Korea (한국민족민주전선), and renamed its propaganda broadcasting station (that had a main station in Haeju) from "Revolutionary Party for Reunification" (통혁당방송, 統革黨放送) to "Voice of National Salvation" (구국의 방송, 求國의 放送).[6] It adopted its current name on 23 March 2005.[7]

Notes
  1. A number of scholars, such as B. R. Myers and Michael J. Seth, argue that the ideology of Workers' Party of Korea, which the AINDF follows, has little in common with communism.[1][2]
  2. A number of scholars, such as B. R. Myers, describe the Workers' Party of Korea, which the AINDF follows ideologically, as far-right due to its emphasis on Korean ethnic nationalism.[1]

References

Citations
  1. Myers 2011, pp. 9, 11–12.
  2. Seth 2019, p. 159.
  3. Lee 1989.
  4. Kim 1999.
  5. Boose 2003, p. 122.
  6. The Chosun Ilbo 1985.
  7. Lee 2005.

Books
  • Boose, Donald W. (2003). Recalibrating the U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance. DIANE Publishing. ISBN 9781428910706.
  • Lee, Jin-kyung, ed. (1989). 주체 사상 비판 [Criticism of Juche ideology]. Vol. 1. 벼리.
  • Myers, Brian (2011). The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why it Matters. Melville House Publishing. ISBN 978-1933633916.
  • Seth, Michael J. (18 December 2019). A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538129050.

Journal articles

News articles
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