Japanese Food Aid Sold in Markets of North Korea

[imText1]June 21, an urgent press conference was held by North Korean Democracy Network for Human Rights (NKnet) and Rescue The North Korean People ! Urgent Action Network (RENK) in the office of NKnet located in Seoul.

The press conference was to protest about the Japanese food aid sold in Namheung market in Anju city, North Pyongan province, North Korea. A video recording captured scenes of Japanese aid which says “Donated by Government of Japan” or “From the People of Japan” (50kg bags, produced Oct 2004, country of origin: Pakistan), stolen away to be sold to the people.

▲ Japanese food aid sold in Namhung market in Ahnjoo city of NK

The video was recorded by an agent from RENK, a well known Japanese NGO for North Korean human rights, lived hiding in North Korean for six month, and caught the scene of food aid sold in the markets. The date of the video is April 26th.

Lee Young Hwa, the director of RENK, who was currently working in Korea, held an urgent press conference today with NKnet. In the conference, he said, “This is the third time RENK publicly revealed visual evidence on international aid sold to the people in North Korea.” When asked about grain bags marked with Japanese flags, Professor Lee said, “Before, aid from Japan had no logos, but food were sent in plain white bags without any marks. This is why before, there were rumors that food was being sold but food from Japan was sold in the markets. For the first time Japanese food aid, the 125,000 tons sent through WFP were marked with both WFP logos and Japanese flags and stated that it was gift from Japanese people.”

Han Ki Hong, the director of NKnet added that “We are not against sending humanitarian aid to North Korea. However, North Korea has been literally begging for food for the last decade for its people. The situation did not improve but it has been proven that the aid has been circulated illegally by military and government officials to be sold to the people.”

While pointing out that there is something fundamentally wrong with the North Korean system if the North Korea could not improve despite a decade of international aid, Mr. Han said, “the internal economic system in North Korean must change and the humanitarian aid must continue to be sent with the condition of changes to be made.”

The food aid was sent from Japan to North Korea last year when Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi revisited North Korea and promised humanitarian aid. 125,000 tons of food was sent as the result, which is a half of 250,000 tons originally promised. The video contains the scenes of the aid sold in the markets in unaffordable price of 1050won per kilo of rice, which is equivalent of one third of average monthly wage.

The edited version of the video clip of five minutes on DVD were distributed to TV broadcasters and still-cut pictures to the newspapers (also avaliable in The DailyNK websites, both English and Korean) to be distributed from 12pm tonight due to the embargo.

Although the press conference took was held in Seoul, the effect is expected to be greater in Japan. One of the known Japanese broadcasters, Asahi TV was the first one to fill the conference room.

South Korea sent its fertilizers in North Korea in mass scale only last month. It has been sending 400,000tons of rice and 20 to 30 tons of fertilizers every year since the inter-Korean summit in 2002. Only last week, Kim Jong Il, in the conference with South Korea’s minister of unification, requested for 150,000tons more fertilizers in addition this year.

However, North Korea always refused to guarantee transparency or allowe monitoring for distribution of international aid. The international society reported that the international aid sent to North Korea is not reaching the people in need many times in the past.