Starving North Korea
One of the world's most xenophobic, brutally population-exploitative, threatening regimes in the world is once again on the brink of seeing its population diminished through mass starvation. Little wonder that, since North Korea makes no investment whatever in ensuring food availability for its largely indigent population of 23 million people. Most of whom have no disposable income and are unable to buy food on the open market.North Korea, while it expresses its contempt and hatred for the outside world, claiming it to be hostile to the country's superior intelligence and scientific capabilities, has long depended on international donors to make emergency food available to its starving masses. And while North Korea does have a public food distribution system, those who receive public food handouts are not necessarily the poor and the starving.
Supplies are dwindling, and nothing trickles down to the needy who cannot fend for themselves. They roam about in fields digging for roots or herbs and grasses that cannot sustain life. The World Food Program has asked months ago for a release of a million metric tonnes of cereals for emergency food aid. A harsh winter and poor spring crop has led to a collapsed food market.
In 1995 three and a half million North Koreans starved to death. The United Nations is warning that given the shortages seen now, up to six million people in the country are on the verge of starvation. North Korea invests what treasury it has in designing and manufacturing rockets, satellites and nuclear weapons.
And its recent clashes with South Korea and the sinking of a South Korean navy corvette, raising the anger of the international community has resulted in little food aid coming from the traditional international sources. South Korea no longer ships food and fertilizer to North Korea as it did under its former "Sunshine policy" of attempted reconciliation.
The European Union has promised to deliver $14-million of emergency food aid, meant for children under 5 hospitalized with severe malnutrition, pregnant and breastfeeding women, hospital patients and the elderly. That won't go far, for too long. The country's food distribution system benefits the army, government functionaries and party loyalists, then industrial workers.
The elderly, widows and children receive anything remaining. And there is nothing remaining. Orphaned children whose parents have died of starvation roam the streets begging for food. Shortages are now so acute that those in the army claim that they too are receiving no sustenance. Since it is a closed society no one can know of a certainty how dire the situation is.
The need to act, to forestall an ultimate disaster once again taking untold numbers of lives is urgent. Yet there is also the suspicion that the regime is manipulating the concerns of the outside world, that it has reserves but wishes to maintain them, and is counting on the capitulation of the usual aid donors to provide emergency rations.
Most rational and responsible societies see their first and foremost duty to their people, to ensure that the basic needs of life are maintained. North Korea does not qualify as a rational and responsible society. It is a belligerent, closed, suspicious and nuclear-threatening country the level of whose alienation is so profound, it transcends the bounds of human understanding.
And then there is the conundrum about helping such a society by providing life-saving food to its society. Offering to do the work of the regime through compassion for human life and misery. In so doing, rescuing the lives of millions, while succouring the horrendous regime by default. For most, the choice is no choice but to help starving people.
Whose country's elite seems not to care one iota how many die.
Labels: Environment, Natural Disasters, Nature, Political Realities
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, July 07, 2011
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