North Korea should focus on meeting people’s needs
North Korea has reported a food shortage to the United Nations, saying in a voluntary national review that its food production fell to the lowest level in 10 years in 2018. It cited natural disasters, weak resilience, insufficient farming materials and a low level of mechanization as reasons for the drop.
The North admitted that it failed to achieve its national production target of 7 million tons of food ― according to the report, the reclusive state produced 4.95 million tons of food in 2018, the lowest in a decade. The shortfall appeared to be the direct result of a series of typhoons and floods that devastated farming areas in the North.
This is first time that Pyongyang has submitted such a voluntary national review report, showing how serious conditions are in the North. More worrisome is that the problem might get worse this year. In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un acknowledged that his country was facing a “tense” food shortage.
To feed its 25.8 million population, the North needs 5.5 million tons of food every year; however, the country is expected to face a shortage of 1.3 million tons this year, according to a research institute in Seoul. This indicates that Pyongyang will have to import food from other countries, such as China, or accept food assistance from the international community.
On July 1, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also said in a report that North Korea will likely face a food shortage of around 860,000 tons this year. This is raising the need for the international community to provide food aid.
Adding fuel to the fire, food prices in the North have been soaring since the start of 2021. In addition, its economy is expected to be aggravated further due to the failure of the Kim regime’s economic development plans. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation. The North sealed its borders to prevent the coronavirus from finding a way into the country, thereby making it hard to engage in cross-border trade with China.
The Moon Jae-in government has already offered food aid to Pyongyang, but the North has yet to accept the proposal amid stalled inter-Korean relations and deadlocked denuclearization talks with Washington. We urge the Kim regime to change its hardline stance and embrace Seoul’s humanitarian assistance to help its people.
It is also necessary for the North to change its “byongjin policy” of strengthening military capability and rebuilding a moribund economy at the same time. The Kim regime should refrain from further developing its nuclear and missile programs, and concentrate on meeting the basic needs of its citizens, while moving toward denuclearization, peace and prosperity. Without doing this, the North cannot avoid a food crisis as seen in the great famines of the 1990s.
North Korea has reported a food shortage to the United Nations, saying in a voluntary national review that its food production fell to the lowest level in 10 years in 2018. It cited natural disasters, weak resilience, insufficient farming materials and a low level of mechanization as reasons for the drop.
The North admitted that it failed to achieve its national production target of 7 million tons of food ― according to the report, the reclusive state produced 4.95 million tons of food in 2018, the lowest in a decade. The shortfall appeared to be the direct result of a series of typhoons and floods that devastated farming areas in the North.
This is first time that Pyongyang has submitted such a voluntary national review report, showing how serious conditions are in the North. More worrisome is that the problem might get worse this year. In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un acknowledged that his country was facing a “tense” food shortage.
To feed its 25.8 million population, the North needs 5.5 million tons of food every year; however, the country is expected to face a shortage of 1.3 million tons this year, according to a research institute in Seoul. This indicates that Pyongyang will have to import food from other countries, such as China, or accept food assistance from the international community.
On July 1, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also said in a report that North Korea will likely face a food shortage of around 860,000 tons this year. This is raising the need for the international community to provide food aid.
Adding fuel to the fire, food prices in the North have been soaring since the start of 2021. In addition, its economy is expected to be aggravated further due to the failure of the Kim regime’s economic development plans. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation. The North sealed its borders to prevent the coronavirus from finding a way into the country, thereby making it hard to engage in cross-border trade with China.
The Moon Jae-in government has already offered food aid to Pyongyang, but the North has yet to accept the proposal amid stalled inter-Korean relations and deadlocked denuclearization talks with Washington. We urge the Kim regime to change its hardline stance and embrace Seoul’s humanitarian assistance to help its people.
It is also necessary for the North to change its “byongjin policy” of strengthening military capability and rebuilding a moribund economy at the same time. The Kim regime should refrain from further developing its nuclear and missile programs, and concentrate on meeting the basic needs of its citizens, while moving toward denuclearization, peace and prosperity. Without doing this, the North cannot avoid a food crisis as seen in the great famines of the 1990s.
Acute food shortage
Source: Buhay Kapa PH
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