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FAO/WFP: FOOD SITUATION REMAINS DESPERATE
Assessment of 29 June 1999
The combination of natural disasters from 1995 to 1997, which crippled the agricultural sector, and deepening economic slowdown since the early 1990s which has eroded national capacity to import food, essential inputs and energy, have severely undermined food security in DPR Korea. Unfortunately, efforts by the country to redress the chronic food problems through meticulous planning and intensive management of agriculture have had limited long term benefits in view of the scale of the problem and its root causes. Irrespective of the incredibly high level of emphasis and care that is given to food production nationally, food output this year, even under an optimistic weather scenario, will remain well below needs as productivity remains highly constrained by lack of land and sufficient fertiliser and energy for mechanisation and irrigation on which the sector depends heavily. In view of the scale and depth of the problem, and in order to help the country attain greater food security, both short and long term measures, with international support, continue to be required. In addition to ongoing emergency food assistance to meet immediate needs, it is imperative that international support be provided for recovery and rehabilitation in agriculture to ensure longer term food security.
....
Large-scale food shortages have resulted in chronic nutritional problems in the population at large, which may have long term irreversible consequences. A nutrition survey last year, indicated that moderate and severe stunting, affected approximately 62 percent of children surveyed, while the incidence of moderate and severe underweight, or low weight for age was approximately 61 percent. The incidence of stunting is likely to remain high, irrespective of remedial nutritional actions now, though nutritional supplements could reduce wasting which is also widely observed.

As food problems become chronic, it is becoming increasingly important that, in addition to cereals which have been the main component of food aid so far, foods providing essential amino and fatty acids and micronutrients be included to counter nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, it is imperative that international food assistance be further diversified to include a higher provision of oils and proteins.

Full report of the (WFP/FAO) Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission available from the FAO website

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FAMINE CONTINUES, ASSESSMENTS OF DEATHS DIFFER
Sallie Yea writes
During this past month, the DPRK suffered extensive crop damage from flooding due to Typhoon Olga, which sets back the country's struggle to recover from a 3-year famine. In the 1990s, North Korea's yields of rice, per acre, have averaged 2/3 of what they had been in the 1980s, in large part due to the withdrawal of subsidised petroleum & other agricultural inputs from Russia and China.

Acknowledging the current high-stakes diplomatic stand-off between the DPRK & US/Japan over North Korea's military testing of long-range missiles, aid experts stress that humanitarian aid not be withheld as a bargaining tool. WFP's Exec Dir. Catherine Bertini said this week: "A cut in humanitarian aid would be devastating to the lives of millions of children in North Korea." The World Food Program (WFP) estimates 590,000 MT were needed prior to the flooding, of which there was a contribution shortfall of 64,000 MT as of July. South Korea is providing fertiliser aid & the South Korean Red Cross sent $1 million worth of food & seeds to North Korea last week. The US granted food trading giant Cargill, license to sell half a million metric tons of grain to North Korea. North Korea's trade deficit grows worse; production of wood, vegetables and coal exports declined 50% last year.

Evidence from those who have fled North Korea (to South Korea and China) suggest that as many as 3 million deaths are attributable to the recent famine, though the DPRK hotly denies that millions have died. Two new reports discuss the issues.

The US government thinktank. United States Institute of Peace, released a report on 2 August 1999 entitled The Politics of Famine in North Korea. Written by Andrew Natsios, formerly Vice President of World Vision, estimated that that roughly 2.5 million people died during the 1995-1998 crisis. He warned that recent events portend renewed crisis: "reduced purchases of Chinese maize in 1999 will force higher prices in the private markets. Given the fragility of the private food system, may plunge the mountainous regions of the country into a new round of famine-related deaths." This 16-pg USIP report is available online

NORTH KOREAN MORTALITY AT SEVERE DISASTER LEVEL FOR 3 YEARS concludes the best research yet, base on innovative cross-border interviews with refugees entering China, published in the July 24 issue of The Lancet med. journal, "Mortality in North Korean Migrant Households: a Retrospective Study" (by Court Robinson et al. from Johns Hopkins Univ.). Within the households of refugees coming from North Korea's Hamkyong Province, mortality in 1997 (the peak year for deaths) was 20 times above the threshold for an international disaster. High disaster-level death rates persisted across 1995, 1996 & 1997.

Last year, in the one comprehensive nutrition survey conducted in North Korea, 23% of children under 6 months-3 years of age were found to be severely or moderately malnourished or wasted (low weight for height), and over 60% of all children were underweight. The report, "Nutrition Survey of The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Report by the EU, UNICEF & WFP" is available online
WFP updates N Korea food aid info

Also of value is Don Oberdorfer's 1997 The Two Koreas, a Contemporary History, Mass: Addison-Wesley.
Compiled by Sallie Yea

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DPRK FOREIGN MINISTRY ON SATELLITE LAUNCH AND MISSILE DEVELOPMENT
(As we go to press the talks in Berlin between the USA and DPRK have just concluded but no reports have been issued yet by either side. In the meantime we reproduce this extract from the latest DPRK statement; Eds)

PYONGYANG, August 18 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea today issued a statement denouncing the hostile forces for getting most frantic in their peaceful satellite anti- DPRK campaign on the pretext that its peaceful satellite activity is "missile launch."

The statement says:

The hostile forces around the Korean Peninsula, describing the DPRK's launch of satellite in August last year as missile launch, claim that the DPRK is to re-launch a long-range missile and cry for what they call "countermeasure" in an effort to increase pressure upon the DPRK.

Underlying the anti-DPRK campaign is a very sinister political aim at tarnishing the image of the peace-loving DPRK in the international arena and isolating it through internationalisation of the pressure upon it; the campaign is very dangerous in that it may undermine the principle of impartiality in international relations.

As already known, the DPRK has not only a satellite activity programme for peaceful scientific researches into space but also a missile development programme for the nation's defense capabilities.

In August last year the DPRK succeeded in launching "Kwangmyongsong 1" with its own efforts and technology. That is the first shining fruition of the DPRK's satellite launch program.

The two programs belong to the sovereignty of an independent country from a to z. So, as far as the issue is concerned, the DPRK is not bound by any international law.

As far as satellite activity is concerned, the countries around the DPRK launched into it before the latter. The United States has more than 1,900 satellites in the space, Japan some 50 satellites and other surrounding countries not a small number of satellites.

The universe is the shared property of humankind and there is no discrimination in the peaceful use of it. That is the publicly recognised principle of international law enshrined in all the international resolutions which have hitherto been adopted.

There is no law which stipulates that a specified country is free to make and launch satellites as it wishes, while other country is not allowed to conduct satellite activity.

If satellite activity should be called into question, it may be done only when the number of the satellites launched by the DPRK is equal to that of the satellites launched by the surrounding countries at least. Only then can it be said that the debate on the satellite activity is impartial on an equal footing.

As mentioned above, the forces hostile to the DPRK have no justification to take issue with the DPRK over the satellite issue. Therefore, they set themselves against the DPRK's peaceful satellite activity, making every possible effort to describe it as "missile launch."

Judging from the principle of impartiality, the same can be said of the missile issue.

Most of the countries around the DPRK have developed missiles before the latter. They have far more missiles than it.

Why do they argue that only our missiles pose "threat?"

There would be no reason for us to fire missiles at the U.S. If they are not a warring party and if they do nothing harmful to us, even if our missiles can reach the U.S. Mainland.

If we fire missiles at the U.S. without any reason, will the U.S. stay idle?

There is no need to mention who first posed grave threat.

We have been compelled to develop missiles entirely because the U.S., a warring party, occupied south Korea by force of arms, continued deploying missiles and other sophisticated military equipment there from long ago and still harbours a wild ambition for military invasion of the DPRK. This is a self-defensive measure we have adopted unavoidably.

For the U.S. to slander the DPRK over missile issue reminds one of a thief crying " stop thief." This is a trick to continue inciting antagonism towards the DPRK, create "fear of crisis," make Japan bear the financial burden for the development of the " theatre missile defense" system and sell more weapons to south Korea.

Japan is now making much more ado over the missile issue than others.

It is long since that Japan has been within range of missiles of other countries. However, it is now making a fuss, highly sensitive only to our missiles.

The reason is clear.

Japan has not liquidated the past crimes it committed against us, though it is at the turn of the century.

That is why Japan is fearful of our missiles only, though there are many missiles around it.

If Japan truly feels threat from our missile, it must know that the key to the problem is in its own hands.

If it is short-sighted, confined to its selfish interests, it will meet an irrevocable failure.

We will continue our effort to catch up with neighbouring countries in the field of peaceful satellite activities. As regards the missile issue, we are always ready for negotiation if the hostile nations honestly ask for it out of an intention to alleviate our concern.

We make it clear once again, however, that on behalf of the dignity of the nation, we will resolutely counter any unfair attempt to discriminate against us.

Source: KCNA available from People's Korea website

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SPORTS CONTACTS
North-South soccer match
(South) Korean Confederation of Trade Unions football team visits Pyongyang

Breaking the Straight-Jacket, Breaking New Grounds for Peace and Reunification

KCTU Delegation for "South and North Korean Workers' Football Gathering in Aspiration for Reunification" arrived in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), on August 10, 1999. The 37 member delegation, including 22 players and "carefully selected" KCTU representatives led by president Lee Kap-yong, was embraced by hundreds of thousands of people who lined the streets of Pyongyang from the airport to the Koryo Hotel.

The visit to the 'north' of the dividing line by the KCTU delegation was the first for the workers of south Korea (Republic of Korea) since the arbitrary partition of the country along the 38th parallel that accompanied the Japanese surrender and the end of 36 years of colonial occupation.

The historic visit and the five days of "emotionally exhilarating and draining" encounter were the fruition of the KCTU's effort to create new dimensions in the south-north Korea relations dominated totally by volatile military and security tension.

Source: KCTU News August 20, 1999
by email from jinbo.net. See also KCTU website

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DPRK AMBASSADOR VISITS NZ
The ambassador of the DPRK to Indonesia, KIM Pyong Hong, visited Wellington 18-21 July. This is the first time for some years that a North Korean ambassador had been to New Zealand and it follows recent talks between senior officials of Australia and DPRK in Bangkok.

Ambassador Kim paid a courtesy call on the Ministry of Foreign Relations and Trade. He met with Graham Kelly MP who visited the DPRK some years ago and who is Labour Party spokesperson on overseas aid and development. Tim Barnett MP hosted a briefing session for fellow MPs at Parliament. Ambassador Kim also had discussions with representatives from Caritas, Christian World Service and other aid agencies regarding humanitarian aid.

He participated in a workshop under the auspices of the NZ Institute of International Affairs and the Centre for Strategic Studies on the current situation in the Korean Peninsula and also addressed a meeting of the Asia Forum.

All who met and exchanged views with Ambassador Kim found the discussions both positive and helpful. The Ambassador said that he hoped that there will be further visits before long and that there will be a continued development in relations between DPRK and NZ
Details and speeches
Don Borrie and Tim Beal

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CHURCHES CALL ON NZ TO REMOVE FLAG
The Council for Mission and Ecumenical Co-operation (Presbyterian and Methodist) has re-iterated its request that the NZ flag be removed from Panmunjon. Murray Allen, Presbyterian Co-convenor has written to Don McKinnon drawing his attention to the comment made by World Council of Churches General Secretary Konrad Raiser after his visit to DPRK that "instead of maintaining an attitude of distrust and obliging North Korea to maintain an aggressive stance, the primary objective should be to reduce the level of tension."

Some information on Dr Raiser's visit can be found on the World Council of Churches website