[imText1]”Good Friends”, a North Korean support organization claimed that the current situation is similar to the start of the Great Famine in the mid-90s and proposed an emergency support by purchasing 100,000 tons of corn from China along with expedited food support to North Korea.
Good Friends opened a press conference at the Press Center on the 2nd and emphasized that the food situation in North Korea is urgent. They also hastened for effort saying that “To prevent the starvation of the citizens of the neighboring areas of danger such as the Northeast continental area, humanitarian aid needs to be additionally carried out in an urgent recovery manner to North Hamkyung and North Pyungan.
Good Friends have asserted that since last June, around 10 people have been starting to starve to death in North Pyungan, Yangkang, Jagang, North Hamkyung and other cities and counties of northern areas of North Korea. As of the end of last month, 300 people in Hamheung and 100 people in Onsung had starved to death.
Regarding such assert of “Good Friends”, the government claims that there are no such conditions. The WFP that had given food support to North Korea said recently, “It is difficult to verify the starvation of North Korean residents”.
However, director Bupryun raised his voice and complained, “They must know how many die from remarks such as ‘there is no condition of starvation.'” He repeatedly called for immediate food support to solve the North Korean mass famine crisis.
He emphasized, “How much would [ordinary] organizations dealing with North Korean news know about the situation? It is unfavorable for the government to say, ‘there is no starvation’, when in reality they do not even know. They should rather say, ‘it has not been confirmed’.”
Currently, Good Friends is the only organization that asserts that there is a starvation situation going on regarding the North Korean food situation. Defectors, some of the other North Korean related supporting organizations and North Korea agricultural experts state that it is difficult to completely take in the opinion that there are casualties from starvation.
Kwon Tae Jin, Executive Research Officer of the Korean Rural Economic Institute, said through Yonhap News on the 2nd that “Considering the support from our country and international organizations, there is a shortage of about 300,000 tons of food. However, with the distribution of the seed potatoes growing greatly, the harvest from potatoes and the farming fields will be able to settle this quantity”.
The director has said, “We have confirmed on many different aspects and have encountered this information through sources that are credible to us.
According to Daily NK’s research, the price of North Korean food seems to be stable at the current time. Such is because if there is a shortage of rice or food, food could be imported from China and the market price can be controlled. An “invisible hand” seems to be functioning in North Korean markets at least regarding food. It does not seem as if the starvation crisis from 10 years ago will reemerge.
Despite this, we believe that the government should follow Good Friends’ opinions completely and in conjunction with the WFP they should take charge to investigate the truth.
Good Friends has done much work as a North Korean support organization. The director says, “How much would [ordinary] organizations dealing with North Korean news know about the situation?” and self-evaluates himself but Good Friends have been continuously reporting news from North Korea with its limited extent. Although they have their limits, we should consider to state that they are building their own ways of operation.
The most important point of the government’s policy towards North Korea is to save the North Korean people. The Kim Jong Il regime must be destroyed and North Korean people must be rescued so that the 70 million North and South Koreans can build together a future for the Korean peninsula. This should be the basic philosophy for a policy towards North Korea and thus it is necessary for the current government to investigate the truth into the food situation of North Korea.
However, if the South Korean government investigates the truth alone, there is a high possibility that the North Korean authorities will not accept them. Especially because the Kim Jong Il regime considers Kim Dae Jung – Roh Moo Hyun administration as a joke, if Kim Jong Il receives such a proposal he will scoff it off as “humorous fellows”.
Thus, the government must first head the investigation jointly with the WFP and have connections with the U.S.’ international rescue organizations. It is necessary to have a joint-investigation with the U.S. Here, the Good Friends and other Korean organizations that support North Korea must accompany them.
There are lots of benefits to international investigating organizations entering North Korea in a joint manner.
First, it helps to create channels to connect the international community with the internal side of North Korea. Second, if more international organizations, it would help the citizens being less sheltered from the outer world. For these reasons, the government must realize that the route of ‘mutual cooperation among the people” is the way for both North and South Korean citizens to fall altogether.
Third, the significance behind the entering of international investigation bureaus into North Korea is that the Kim Jong Il regime will slowly start to fit under international standards. It is impossible for North Korea to comply with international standards on its own so this means that the international community will actively pull North Korea out. The North Korean problem is hard to solve without an ‘active involvement’ on behalf of the international community. Fourth, this is a silent message to the North Korean citizens that “The international community is on our side.” We must frequently implement the awareness that the international community is on our [North Korean people’s] side but Kim Jong Il is not.
For such reasons, it is necessary for the government to work jointly with the WFP and the U.S. and even China, if necessary, to establish a bureau to investigate the food situation. In addition, even if the Kim Jong Il regime refuses, there is nothing to lose on the part of our government. It is only to Kim Jong Il’s loss. It is good for the government to further plans on the establishment of an international investigation bureau on North Korea.
