Aid to North Korea

the North Korean regime have contributed directly and indirectly to the humanitarian crisis in the country. The absolute control over citizens’ lives, the distribution of benefits according to political loyalty, the ultimate threat of banishment of whole families to prison camps for political offenses all point to human rights abuses of the most egregious nature. Many of those who have successfully fled the regime, including former Workers Party SecretaryHwang Jang Hyop, refer to the North as one large prison camp and suggest that the sooner the regime falls, the sooner relief will come to the people. Others point to the massive misallocation of resources by the regime. Scarce funds and resources are poured into military programs and Kim cult monuments while hospitals lack heat, basic medicines and equipment. Another argument is that only fundamental changes in economic structure and policies will bring an end to the crisis, and find little evidence that the Kim Il Jong is willing or able to implement such reforms. So, should aid agencies simply hold back and “let nature take its course”?

One impact that is profound in its implications is that North Korea, for all its trumpeting on self-reliance, has become fundamentally dependent on the charity of the international community for the survival of a large portion of its population.