Globalisation assessment Does NORTH KOREA fit THE DEFINITION OF A GLOBALISED NATION?
Task 1 - Gathering information. North Korea.
Task 1 - South Korea.
Task 2 - Gathering information. South Korea.
Link
Own source..
Task 2 - North Korea.
Link
Own source ..
Task 3 - Processing and evaluating.
North Korea - Link
I think this source is reliable because we know for certain that North Korea doesn't participate in much trade with the world and the borders are tightly controlled, making leaving and going to North Korea difficult. This shows North Korea is not globalised and very much keeps to themselves. This statement has facts and figures and is not written just from somebody's opinion. If it was written from someone's opinion, eg a blog, then the source would be very unreliable because they are just writing what they believe and think. This source is reliable because it has been surveyed and it is based on facts. "North Korea has the lowest level of economic freedom of the 179 countries measured." This shows it has "measured" facts and is therefore a reliable source.
This source is very detailed. It taught me about North Korea and all the aspects of the country, good and bad. I believe this source is reliable because it sources where it got it's information from so the writer has done research and the text is based on fact, not opinion. It gave thorough, detailed information about why governments avoid globalisation, what you can do, what they do etc. It states that North Korea is a very un globalised nation as it doesn't participate in trade, communication with other countries and other things. This source is reliable because it gives clear information that has been researched and is not based on someone's opinion
North Korea - Own source
This source gave very detailed information and explanation and helped me to understand more about North Korea and its anti globalisation. It helped answer the question by giving many facts which they clearly reference and link to their statements. It didn't give their opinion, instead it asked the reader questions "How can North Korean citizens be expected to have other rights if they are barely even granted with the right to live in their own society?" This makes the reader think and they are able to base their own opinions from the questions and facts. It does state where it got its information from and uses quote marks to back up their statements. ' “those who make allegations about human rights in the country are interfering in the country’s internal affairs and trying to force down their values”. How true is this claim? ' By asking a question they are not enforcing their opinion on the reader, but instead making the reader think and form their own opinion. This source is reliable because it is based on facts and the author does not state their opinion which makes the source un-biased.
South Korea - Link
The source helped answer my question by giving me facts and explanations. It was very detailed and definitely answered my questions. It is mostly reliable, but could possibly be "fake" or fabricated to make South Korea sound better because it is written by someone working for the 'Korean Times'. It is not written from their opinion so it is fairly reliable and the statements are true, such as "Last year, Hyundai-Kia surpassed Toyota as the biggest Asian carmaker in Europe. This year, the company saw record growth and market shares in the North American market." This statement is true because it is a statistic and someone can not just make it up. There is a possibility, however for them to be lying, because the source they got their information from is not stated, therefore the source is uncertain because it is written from someone in Korea and facts are possibly uncertain. It is most likely reliable, but you would need to do more research and get information from other websites before you took their word.
South Korea - Own source
This source is not very detailed and gives basic opinionated statements. It does give some facts such as "South Korea has the 15th biggest economy in the world in 2009, according to IMF". It does reference where it got its information from "IMF", but it is not a direct link, and is therefore uncertain. It didn't help answer the question that well because it is not very detailed and mainly just states things based on their opinion. It does give pros and cons of South Korea which is good because the reader can see both good and bad sides of South Korea. In conclusion, this source is uncertain because it does not clearly state where it got its information from and its statements are mainly based on people's opinions "South Korea still faces many challenges. It needs to expand its role in meeting global standards, such as participating in environmental agreements and contributing aid to developing countries." It is focusing on what the writer believes they need to do which is not facts and therefore uncertain because it could possibly be true and equally possibly false.
Task 4 - Processing
Task 5
North Korea is extremely isolated from the world and is one of the least economically developed countries in the world. North Korea's economy is based on self reliance, state ownership and central planning. This is the cause of poverty and undernourishment in the country. An indicator of globalisation is the Index of Economic Freedom. It says every human being is "free to work, produce, consume, and invest in any way they please". That freedom is protected by the state. In contrast to that, North Korea is measured as the lowest economic freedom out of 179 countries. The definition of globalisation is when economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through the global network of trade, communication, immigration and transportation. North Korea does not fit into the definition of a globalised nation. An example of North Korea not fitting into these standards is: "restrictions on trade are put in place to give benefits to local or national producers." This suggests that North Korea is not connected to the world because they don't participate in trade. They operate completely on their own. They do participate, however, in limited trade with Thailand, India, Russia, China and South Korea. Illegal trade of missiles, narcotics, counterfeited cigarettes etc is not uncommon across the Chinese border. North Koreans nation's borders are also very tightly controlled, along with freedom of Internet use. In North Korea, only public or education organisations are able to use the Internet and even then it's highly controlled. A North Korean would have no idea about search engines, email, online shopping or Facebook so communication with the outside world is rare. Because of this restriction, not much information is able to flow in and out of North Korea which makes it hard to know what really happens. North Korea produces fake images to make their country seem like an "island of happiness and prosperity". According to the IISS Military Balance 2011, "North Korea has 1.19 million people on active duty (1.02 million army personnel, 60,000 navy and 110,000 air), plus 189,000 active paramilitary personnel, and a further 600,000 reservists. 5.7 million North Koreans are reservists in the worker/peasant red guard which is compulsory to the age of 60." This is the opposite to happiness and prosperity. It is extremely difficult to leave and enter North Korea which means there is scarcely any immigration. If you visit for a holiday, you may not leave the tour guide, and you are not permitted to leave the hotel at night under any circumstances. Food shortages and starvation is a common problem and they rely on the World Food Program, China and South Korea to feed parts of its population. Overall, North Korea is an extremely isolated, economically undeveloped nation whose population is poverty stricken, starving and not given freedom rights. Therefore, North Korea does not fit the definition of a globalised country.