[imText1]As North Korea faces the worst food shortage since the severe mass starvation in 1997, there are testimonies that once again call for our attention. “Twenty seniors died of starvation in Jangsang dong of Dukchun city in South Pyongan province.”
Such testimony is truly a shock considering that there have been no official reports on death by starvation for the past 8 years since the mass starvation in 1997 not even by international organizations such as WFP and FAO.
Kang Man Chul, who recently defected to China from Dukchun through Huiryeong testified, “Tens of aged and weak people died of starvation where I lived in Jangsang-dong of Dukchun city.”
“The food crisis of this year is similar to that we experienced during the “March of Suffering” period (campaign of survival during the period of severe food crisis throughout 1994-1998 ). We can count with fingers those still alive who are above sixty years old,” said Kang who used to be a minor. He defected on April 8 to China and presently works as a helper in a Chinese farm.
Kang’s testimony calls for special attention for it reaffirms the very WFP report given by Richard Reagan on May 20. The report thoroughly stated that there has been no mass-scale food assistance since the 10tons of food delivered last October, and if the situation is to be left as it is, it will born mass deaths.
“In case of Dukchun city, there were so many people who suffered of malnutrition for the past ten years and many die of starvation or side effects of malnutrition. This spring, the weak aged people were the first one to die,” Kang said.
In North Korea, between early April to mid June until the new potatoes are produced is “Ridge of Barley” (a period where people do not even have barley to eat) every year. Since the international food assistance decreased starting last October. Now it is considered as the worst food shortage ever since 1997 mass starvation. The following is the one to one interview with Mr. Kang.
“Weak Aged Ones First Ones to Die”
– How is the food situation now?
“It is not worth saying. The situation now is similar to the time that was end of the “March of Suffering.” More and more die of malnutrition. Since the food distribution in January where we received food for ten days, but since then we received nothing more. The UN rice (international aid rice) was distributed once last December, five kilos each.”
– When did the old people die?
“Starting this spring. With no food distribution, already weak old people started die one by one. Some died completely starved and had no strength and some died of illness.”
– What kind of town is Jansang-dong?
“It is mine town. There is Dukchun Mine in the town. It consists of about 350 families with 1,000 residents.
– How many seniors die?
“I do not know the exact number but it must be more than twenty. There of many patients of pneumoconiosis in mining town. Many died of malnutrition and pneumonia.”
– How is the mine situation?
“It is about to close down because there is no electricity and the mine holes are filled up with water. The workers cannot meet up the “basic need production (8.3 Plan)” which the workers must, so they pay the 2,500 won to the chief miner. Last year at least we were given food distribution tickets if we met the 8.3 Plan but the tickets were not given this year. If you do not pay the chief, he submits reports saying, “Kang XXX does not come to work” to be sent to do forced labor.”
Kang defected to China because he did not have money to pay the mine chief to avoid forced labor. Since he had no money to make a living either, he told his workplace that he is leaving “to mine gold in the river” and defected to China.
– How do people survive when they are unable to pay the 8.3 Plan (2,500 won)?
“They have to work at the farms. They are given 250g of corn gruel a day while working at the farm. It is better to work one summer in China and return to work instead of farming to eat gruel.”
There many North Koreans coming in and out of China for farming. Usually North Korean defectors enter China in spring time to farm (help the Chinese farmers) and return to North Korea after they are paid when the harvest ends. They earn about 1000 Yuan to 2000 Yuan a year. This is the second time Kang defected to China.
– How did you transgress (cross over the Tuman River)?
“Recently the border patrol in Huiryeong City intensified. Before they let us cross over if we pay about 200-300 Yuan, but now they make us pay up to 1,000 Yuan. I hardly made through Huiryeong, I went to Inkye-ri and crossed over to Sanhe, China. Because the water level of the river increased, socrossing over was more difficult.”
Steal Potato Seeds and Rob Cows
– How is your family situation?
“It has been so long that our family saw rice. Since everybody eats plants on the mountains, there are no more plants. We only boil plants in the aluminum pot so it turned black and our teeth also turned black.”
According to Kang, the hungry secretly go to potato farms regardless of the owner and eat the potato send at nights.
“In the morning we often hear, “somebody’s house was robbed.” The farmers sometimes put electric wires over the fences and they take turns to be vigilant at nights. There were a number of people who died electrocuted trying to eat some potato seeds.
The cow robbers who seemed to be inactive for a while are also active again. The hungry people try to attack the poultry farms (state owned). The farmers tie the cows along the river side after their work is done, and the cow robbers take them slaughter cows many miles away. When a cow disappears, the people from the cooperative farm search for it for few days and they forget about it. Since all the cows are “state owned” there is no owner for the lost cow. However, when one is caught for cow slaughtering, he is sentenced to death because he is treated same as a murderer.
WFP Reports “Food for Three Million People is to be Cut Off”
The Monthly Report of the WFP on May 26 reported that between this March and April price of corn increased by 40% and imported rice 25%.
Richard Reagan, the representative of the WFP-Pyongyang office said in the interview with Radio Free Asia on May 20 that unless a mass scale international food aid is sent to North Korea, among the 6.5 million people who received food from the WFP, food aids will be cut off of 3 million people.
According to the FAO and WFP reports, yearly food consumption of the North Korean population is about 5.1million tons. Although North Korea relied on international food aid to fill its shoot shortage, for this year, North Korea has nothing more than 100,000 tons of food. sugar from Cuba, beans from Sweden and flour from Australia.
The amount of food in short between the years of 2003 and 2004 was about 944,000 tons. The reason why the food shortage became more severe this year is due to the military emergency food savings and food aid cut from the international society due to the nuclear problem.
