| Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries | |
 | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 대외문화련락위원회 |
| Hancha | 對外文化連絡委員會 |
| Revised Romanization | Daeoe munhwaryeollak wiwonhoe |
| McCune–Reischauer | Taeoe munhwaryŏllak wiwŏnhoe |
The Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries (CCRFC; Korean: 대외문화련락위원회) is a North Korean organization tasked with organizing cultural exchange with other countries.[1]
The committee was founded when the North Korean state was declared. It was modeled after its Soviet equivalent, the All-Union Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries.[2] Initially the organization sought to generate goodwill toward North Korea abroad, but after the North Korean famine it has concentrated on acquiring resources.[3] It seeks hard currency from tourism, cultural diplomacy, and foreign direct investment.[2]
The committee supports the Korean Friendship Association and other friendship societies. The staff of the committee leads a relatively cosmopolitan life with access to foreign travel, people, and goods. Its personnel includes higher-ups in the ruling Workers' Party of Korea and the state security apparatus. The staff arrange business deals with foreigners to evade international trade restrictions and receive a share of the proceeds. Although these deals have had limited success, the committee remains influential as a point of contact for journalists and other foreign visitors, whose guides may be representatives of the committee.[2] Its activities overlap and to some extent compete with those of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[3]
The current chairwoman is Kim Jong-suk and vice-chairman So Ho-won.[4][5] It is based in Pyongyang.[6]
