Quote:
Originally Posted by seanchai
Quote:
Originally Posted by braveman
...I've never been to North Korea, but I do know that it is a totalitarian nation where many are on the verge of starvation.
How do you know that?
Since there is no debate about N. Korea being a totalitarian state, I assume you are asking: how do I know that many North Koreans are starving. Like I said before, one only has to follow the news accounts, the BBC, Reuters, The New York Times to name just a few outlets. In addition to many reliable news accounts, independent relief agencies and human rights groups have reported on the situation in North Korea. It's a very closed society, but information does leak out.
Link to many articles on the food situation in N. Korea:
http://www.google.com/search?client=...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
North Korea to ‘Urgently’ Need Food for 40% of People, UN Says
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By Heejin Koo
Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- North Korea, plagued by years of famine, will “urgently” need food aid for 40 percent of its population, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme said in a report yesterday.
The country is facing a shortfall of more than 800,000 tons of grain for the year through October 2009, in what is likely to be a third straight year of dropping food production, the report said.
About 8.7 million of the country’s 23 million people will “urgently need food assistance,” because “the country’s agricultural production will not meet basic food needs,” according to a FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission report. The agencies visited North Korea from Oct. 9-24.
“The findings of the mission confirm WFP’s fears that millions of DPRK households will suffer through yet another year of food shortages,” WFP country Representative Torben Due said in a statement from Pyongyang, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“Accessing enough food and a balanced diet will be almost impossible, particularly for families living in urban areas or in the remote food-deficit provinces in the Northeast,” Due said. “This could have grave consequences for the health of the most vulnerable groups.”
Floods, drought and economic mismanagement have led to persistent food shortages. The South Korean government said in August it is considering a UN request to help raise $60 million to buy food and other essential supplies for its neighbor.
North Korea and South Korea remain technically at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended without a peace agreement. North Korea has about 1.2 million soldiers and South Korea about 500,000 on the border. There are 28,500 U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea.
To contact the reporter on this story: Heejin Koo in Beijing at hjkoo@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: December 8, 2008 15:37 EST
2008
How Famine Changed N. Korea, Human Rights Watch, February 26, 2008
N Korea's food crisis 'worsening', BBC News, 20 March 2008
N. Korea's elite facing food shortages, aid group says, Associated Press, March 20, 2008
North Korean food shortages make tense situation worse, International Herald Tribune, April 3, 2008
North Korea’s Growing Rancor May Increase Hunger, The New York Times, April 4, 2008
Spectre of famine stalks North Korea again, Scotsman, 06 April 2008
Desperate North Korea seeks food aid: UN official, Reuters, Apr 11, 2008
North Korea's Transformation: Famine, Aid and Markets, Human Rights Watch, April 15, 2008
United Nations Warns of North Korean Food Crisis, Voice of America, 16 April 2008
North Korea at risk of famine, says U.N., CNN, April 17, 2008
North Korea's food shortage may worsen, U.N. agency says, Los Angeles Times, April 17, 2008
UN fears tragedy over North Korean food shortage, The Guardian, April 17 2008
North Korea hunger, Reuters AlertNet, 18-04-2008
North Korea — nutrition or nukes?, The China Post, April 19, 2008
Famine Looms in North Korea, GlobalSecurity.org, 20 April 2008
N. Korean Family Recalls Losing Six Members, The Christian Post, Apr. 28 2008
North Korea heading towards famine - report says, Reuters, April 30, 2008
S. Korean Principles Vs. Hunger in North, The Washington Post, April 30, 2008
North Korea Today - Famine special, ReliefWeb, 01 May 2008
NKorea's food crisis bringing starvation: aid group, AFP, May 2, 2008
The Next Great North Korean Famine, TIME, May 06, 2008
