Hunger In North Korea

I have put off writing this piece for almost two months... researching and hoping to find some bit of information that would soften the prediction... some hope for the people of North Korea. I have found no hope. It seems that the Four Horsemen are destined to ride.... that famine, starvation and death stalk the land in North Korea and that there is no hope for millions of starving people.

A unique constellation of circumstances speed toward their ultimate collision and millions will starve.

North Korea is chronically hungry. Every year they produce a million metric tons too little food to feed their people. Hunger is a way of life.

The World Food Program has maintained a feeding program in North Korea whenever the government allows it access to feed the people, focusing on a supplemental program for women and children most at risk from malnutrition and starvation. The government ejected aid workers and terminated the supplemental feeding program in 2006. They have allowed a small supplemental program to continue until August of 2008. They will not renew the program.

Then last summer, in August of 2007 North Korea experienced torrential rains and flooding in its most productive agricultural areas and lost much of its crops.... flooded in the fields.

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization recently projected a 2008 food shortfall in North Korea of 1.66 million metric tons, a near doubling of the 2007 deficit, and the highest since 2001 primarily due to the massive crop failure caused by this flooding.

The price of food has almost tripled in the past year. The average worker makes about 6000 won per month. Currently the price of rice is 2,000 won/kg(up from 700-900 won/kg in April 2007) and maize costs around 600 won/kg (350 won/kg in April 2007). The high cost of pork (now around 5,500 won/kg), potatoes (5,000 won/kg) and eggs (200 won/piece) make these commodities a luxury that most people simply cannot afford.

Due to a declining economy and poor agricultural practices, food shortages are a chonic problem in North Korea. WFP (World Food Program) estimates that more than 6.5 million people there suffer from food insecurity... they don't know when or from where their next meal will come. Additionally, malnutrition rates are already high: 37 percent of young children are chronically malnourished, and one third of mothers are malnourished and anemic, according to the last large-scale WFP/UNICEF survey. That is the normal situation. The current food shortage is going to make those figures worse.... There will now be a serious decline from that normal point.

And the circumstances will get worse. In addition to last years floods and the drier than normal winter.... there is another problem lurking in the future.

It seems that every year the people of South Korea give food and agricultural supplies to North Korea to help them survive. Last December the people of South Korea elected a more conservative government, a government that informed North Korea that all aid would stop unless they immediately improved their human rights record and ceased their nuclear weapons development program. North Korea responded by escalating their missile program, warning that it had the capacity to turn the South into "ashes." They have since evicted several South Korean officials working on joint economic projects and test-fired short-range missiles off its west coast.

No food aid has been sent to North Korea from South Korea. No agricultural supplies have been sent. That means that no fertilizer has been sent.... which means that this years crops in the fields are not growing well and will not produce very much food for the people next year. And that means mass starvation for millions.

The situation is exaberated by the increased prices on the current global food market. Several major rice producing countries, including China, are curbing exports with higher tarriffs. North Korea has little cash and cannot purchase food on the open global market.

Aid organizations are faced with shrinking dollars that buy less food and higher prices for food and transportation. The USA has pledged 500,000 tons of food for North Korea over the next 12 months to the WFP, which will help, but it will not be enough.

There is some speculation that China may decide to provide humanitarian aid to at least feed the North Korean army until after the Beijing Olympics. North Korea, a country with a population of 23 million maintains a standing army of 10 million, many of them stationed right across North Korea's border with China, who may decide to feed the North Korean soldiers to avoid unpleasant publicity until the games are over and the focus of the world is elsewhere.

However, the recent earthquakes and subsequent devastation in China will affect China's ability to provide aid. China now has over 6 million homeless, hungry people of its own to feed and house, and an ongoing crisis of massive proportions.

Meanwhile, North Korea has lowered the daily ration of food given to workers and soldiers by the government from 265 grams per day to 200 grams per day and warns that the food rations will soon be stopped completely in some rural areas.  Distribution of food rations has been stopped in urban areas.  All food stores and markets are closed, their shelves empty.   The World Food Program estimates that 565 grams per day of food are required to prevent malnutrition and starvation.

With the lowering of the daily government ration, approximately 30% of the workers in North Korea stopped reporting to work, as they need to spend their time foraging for food for their families. This has further reduced the productivity of the country as factories and farms in many areas do not have the workers needed to continue to operate.

The Four Horsemen are riding and famine stalks the land. The people are hungry.... very, very hungry.