{"id":4215,"date":"2019-05-27T13:46:43","date_gmt":"2019-05-27T04:46:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4215"},"modified":"2019-05-28T17:38:30","modified_gmt":"2019-05-28T08:38:30","slug":"south-to-send-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2019\/05\/recommendations\/south-to-send-support\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e \u201cPeople are starving\u201d: South to Send Support...But Will Food Reach Those Most in Need?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Photo) An elderly lady scours a field for rice following a harvest. Photographed in rural Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province in November, 2012 by ASIAPRESS<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 Exploited citizens going hungry<\/h2>\n

The World Food Program (WFP) and other international organizations have concluded that food aid to North Korea this year will fall short by 1.4 millions tons. And, in February, the North Korean regime requested support from international organizations.<\/p>\n

But which section of North Korean society is being forced to live in the worst conditions? A reporting partner living in North Korea, when asked this question, answered, \u201cThe farmers have it toughest. There is a growing number of \u2018hungry households\u2019 with nothing to eat- more and more people are starving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Farmers are the ones producing the food. So why are they the ones starving?<\/p>\n

The North Korean government, stubbornly maintaining its system of collective farming, imposes quotas on cooperative farms to produce food for the military and the rest of the country. Farmers are allowed to keep whatever crops they produce in excess of the quota. However, the quotas are set far too high. And, as food distributed after the fall harvest runs out, many households begin to starve.<\/p>\n

\u25c6 Drastic reduction in rations for workers in the munitions industry<\/h2>\n

What other people are suffering?<\/p>\n

On May 9, a reporting partner living in a central region of the country said, \u201cMunitions factories are concentrated in Chagang Province, where, since spring, food rations have stagnated- people are now starving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Changang Province, home to the munitions industry, is an area which is strictly controlled by the government to maintain secrecy. As such, workers are given extra food such as bread, cooking oil, and sweets in addition to the usual food ration. In other words, many residents in the isolated province are entirely dependent on the state for food. So, should the distribution system fail, they can quite easily find themselves in trouble.<\/p>\n

The difficulties faced by these people would be greatly alleviated if restrictions on private trade were simply eliminated. With cash earned through private market activities, they could procure food on their own.<\/p>\n

What about ordinary people in the cities?<\/p>\n

A merchant woman, living in a northern region of the country, said, \u201cIf you go to the market, there is food there. But nobody has any money. Private business is struggling so the cash flow has been greatly reduced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many factories and companies in urban areas stopped dispensing wages and distributions a long time ago. Therefore, wives of workers have to earn cash to buy food through their own market activity. As the economic sanctions have damaged North Korea\u2019s exports, however, the economy and purchasing power of residents have worsened dramatically. Despite this, the woman says, \u201cWe are not facing starvation just yet\u201d.
\nNext page : Rank-and-file soldiers starving the most...<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25c6Rank-and-file soldiers starving the most<\/h2>\n

Perhaps the hungriest group in North Korea is the soldiers of the People\u2019s Army. The military is given plots of farmland in order to help procure food but, in most cases, soldiers are highly dependent upon the state\u2019s food supplies. A shortage of supply is becoming increasingly common though, as the government does not have the resources to feed an estimated 1 million troops- an entire 5% of its population.<\/p>\n

In addition, embezzlement and fraud is rampant, with military officers frequently selling military provisions on to private markets. Given this situation, it is a common saying in North Korea that, \u201cIf you join the army, you will suffer from malnutrition.\u201d (It must be noted, of course, that there are special forces and other units, such as those stationed at Panmunjom, which are favored.)<\/p>\n

The way to reduce hunger in the military is simple. The excessive number of troops needs to be reduced in order to allow hungry soldiers to return to society and engage in free economic activity.<\/p>\n

\u25c6 If you believe in \u2018brotherly love\u2019, send food first to those most in need<\/h2>\n

President Moon Jae-in, in a live KBS broadcast on May 9, said, \u201cIn the name of brotherly love and humanitarianism, we must provide food aid.\u201d<\/p>\n

If that is the case, identifying where and by whom this support is most urgently needed is of great importance. The priorities of the Kim Jong-un regime will be far different however. The regime will be vying for aid to be distributed to the specific regions, organizations, industries, and personnel which are most critical to maintaining power.<\/p>\n

Simply sending rice to the regime is not satisfactory. If President Moon is taking the idea of \u2018brotherly love\u2019 seriously, he must put every effort into sending food to those most in need. (Kang Ji-won \/ ISHIMARU Jiro)<\/p>\n

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