Starvation in North Korea

...

The catastrophic floods North Korea suffered in 1995 and 1996 made the famine situation worse. The floods devastated the agricultural and infrastructural infrastructures in the country. Following the epic floods were severe droughts that were experienced in 1997, then in 2000 and 2001. The droughts were complemented with extremely cold winters that reduced the ability of the DPRK to produce food (So 2013). These natural disasters not only contributed to but also hastened the collapse of North Korea’s agricultural capability that had begun in the 1990s.

Furthermore, the intensive use of chemicals in North Korea for farming led to massive land degradation from then, and as a result, declining soil fertility, acidification, and erosion, and later water pollution (IBP 2015). The lack of agricultural fertilizers at around 1993 plus poor storage and transportation for agricultural produce made the nation have less tons of grain that were not enough for self-sufficiency. The nation had also been followed improper economic policies, which it lack foreign exchange that could be used to purchase oil for generating electricity and for purchasing spare parts, therefore, factories were idle, and the economy was deteriorating further as even public transport was collapsing (Chang 2010).

One of the factors that aggravates the starvation in North Korea till today is the nation’s association with terrorism plus the transfer of weapons that it has been said to have with rogue states. Additionally, the DPRK has had a continued technical state of war with South Korea due to failed negotiations for a long-lasting peace treaty between the two. The state also has a technical state of war with the United States. This situation has led to international condemnation and trade sanctions, therefore, the state does not receive much foreign aid and it doesn’t conduct international trade that is enough to deal with the state of starvation that has been experienced since the late 1990s. The nation is still experienced a downward economic spiral as it only receives imports from countries like China (Kim, Terence and Seliqer 2011).

Overall, the famine and penal starvation in North Korea was said to be state-induced. The ruthlessness of the Kim family’s regime, the difficulty in mobilizing humanitarian assistance, the cutting of trade and bilateral cooperation between by the South Korean government after North Korea sank its warship and shelled Yeonpyeong Island in 2010 contributed to the famine. Additionally, the government’s redenomination of its currency led to the limiting of international exchange and the crackdown the government took on markets and foreign currency use yielded inflation and severe shortages (Manyin, Emma, Ian, Mary Beth and Cooper 2016).

As a result of the starvation, huge numbers of North Koreans are currently suffering from malnutrition and it is almost impossible to get medical support in case illnesses arise from malnourishment. Hospitals have few doctors as most of them have left to make a living on their own doing business or other menial jobs. Some people have even starved to death due to the lack of food and malnutrition (Coll 2011). The lack of sufficient economic statistics makes it hard to figure out the extent of starvation or malnourishment in the country, and the statistics are mainly estimations (Lankov 2014).

Conclusion

Political favoritism that has favored the expansion of the country’s private economy with businesses such owned and operated by the state and wealthy private individuals, corruption, massive military spending, have all undermined North Korea’s food-rationing systems (Lankov). It has been difficult to recover from the poor agricultural and ecological practices that began degrading the nation’s food production in the 1990s. More so, the lack of sufficient funds to import supplies for the people have made the people keep starving, even to death. Unless the government undertakes policies that cut military spending in a huge way and ones that build the economy based on its agricultural and industrial capability, more citizens risk starvation. The government should get back to making international trade agreements by signing deals with other states that it previously traded with. This can only be made possible if it slows down its military exploits. It should rebuild its industries since it is clear that the current state of things in the DPRK could only get worse. The discussion and findings above portray how the starvation came to be and its extent.

Appendix

Appendix 1

[pic 1]

Bibliography

Armstrong, Charles K. Tyranny of the weak: North Korea and the world, 1950–1992. Cornell University Press, 2013.

Central Intelligence Agency. “The World Factbook: Korea, North”. Last modified January 12, 2017, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html

Cheng, Tan Wee. Hotspots and Dodgy Places: Travels through North Korea, Sudan and Distant Lands. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Ptd Ltd. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=475815. 2010.

Coll, Stephen. “North Korea’s Hunger”. The New Yorker. Accessed April 13, 2017. http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/north-koreas-hunger

Haggard, Stephen, Marcus Noland, and Erik Weeks. North Korea on the Precipice of Famine. No. PB08-6. Washington, DC: Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2008.

Howard-Hassmann, Rhoda E. "State-Induced Famine and Penal Starvation in North Korea." Genocide Studies and Prevention. 2012.

International Business Publications, USA. Korea North country study guide. Volume 1, Volume 1. Washington D.C. International Business Publications. 2015

Kim, Suk H., Terence Roehrig, and Bernhard Seliger. The survival of North Korea: essays on strategy, economics and international relations. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=768111. 2011.

Lankov, Andrei. “North Korea and the Myth of Starvation”. Al Jazeera, Accessed April 13, 2017 http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/03/n-korea-myth-starvation-2014319124439924471.html

Lee, Donna. "The North Korean Famine and Food Shortage: The Problem, the Politics, and the Policy." (2006).

Manyin, Mark E., Emma Chanlett-Avery, Ian E. Rinehart, Mary Beth Nikitin, and William H. Cooper.