February 05, 2010

Interesting and heartbreaking article on food shortages in North Korea. U.N. officials say that millions of children and elderly people are at risk as a result of the shortages. According to a Seoul-based aid and human rights group called "Good Friends", two people a day die from hunger in South Hamgyong province. This week Kim Jong Il made a rare acknowledgement of his state's failure to provide food for its citizens. He said, "I am heartbroken by the fact that our people are living on corn. What I must do now is feed them white rice, bread, and noodles generously."

However, it is believed that the likelihood of him being able to improve nutrition in his country in the short term doesn't look good. South Korean officials have said that North Korea will probably face severe food shortages this spring as a result of a poor harvest this past fall. Adding to the food shortage problems is that last year North Korea unilaterally canceled an aid agreement with the United States that would have brought in 500,000 tons of food. In addition, for the past two years South Korea has refused to deliver large amounts of free food and fertilizer because North Korea has not gotten rid of their nuclear weapons.

There is also food shortages in the army. North Korean army commanders met with government officials a few weeks ago to discuss how to obtain more food for the troops. The priority of feeding the army affects the rest of the population. The army, which has 1.2 million soldiers, normally has first dibs on food that is grown in state-owned cooperative farms. They take as much as a quarter of the crop before it is distributed to civilians.

Further adding to the problem is that the capacity of private markets to supply food to North Korea has also taken a hit because of government-ordered currency revaluation in December. This disrupted market trading and caused inflation -- which drove up the price of rice and other commodities. The disastrous currency revaluation has been blamed on Pak Nam Gi, the head of planning and economy for the Workers' Party. He recently was fired. Outsiders believe he is a scapegoat. Furthermore, the head of the government bureaucracy that focuses on making money for the Kim family ("Room 39") has also been fired (though some believe it might actually be a result of the EU recently blacklisting him and thus he can no longer travel freely in Europe). South Korea's National Intelligence Service reported that North Korea has now recognized the social upheaval in their country caused by the currency revaluation and they are now easing curbs on black market trading to limit discontent. (Full Story)