The food shortage in North Korea is about to get worse, experts say

Seongju County, South Korea: The Sino-American War on the Frontlines of a China-Asia Warsaw Warfare

Before the residents of this village became known for their resistance against the Thaad system, Seongju County was known mainly for its farming community. Many South Koreans were concerned that it could put them on the front lines of a Sino-American conflict.

As Beijing and Washington clash over issues such as Taiwan, global supply chains and the South China Sea, anxieties have been on the rise. Numerous anti-American banners line both sides of the road that winds through the village and up to the American military base. Yankees, go home! Thaad, go home!” they demand.

Ms. Do and other protesters sat on plastic chairs on the two-lane road, shouting that they did not need Thaad. We need peace!” An hour later, police officers ​removed them — carrying them in their chairs — so the road could be cleared for trucks and water and fuel tanks going up the hill to the Thaad base​.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/19/world/asia/korea-china-us-thaad-missiles.html

North Korea’s response to the February missile test: A warning to allies and partners in the diplomatic and economic activities of the DPRK and South Korea

Since the Korean War, Washington has provided security for Seoul. But after South Korea established diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1992, China quickly replaced the United States as the country’s biggest trading partner, helping to fuel a thriving, export-driven economy​. About 30 percent of South Korean exports go to China or Hong Kong​ — almost equaling the country’s trade with the ​United States, Japan and Europe combined.

The US Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed sanctions on three companies and two individuals for “illicitly” generating income for the North Korean government.

“We’ve made clear over many, many months that we were prepared to engage with North Korea without any preconditions. The response from North Korea has been missile launch after missile launch,” he said. Our commitment to the safety of our allies and partners is ironclad. We have been closely coordinating to strengthen even more our deterrence and defense capacity, and that’s what we’ve been making clear.

The Government of North Korea uses trading companies such as Chilsong to earn foreign currency, and provide cover status for intelligence operatives, and has generated funds for the government since the 1980s.

“And so the result of these actions by North Korea is simply to even further solidify the work that we do together, the alliance that we share, and our commitment to the defense of our partners and allies,” Blinken said.

The European Union had previously designated several people for engaging in sanctions evasion and being responsible for supporting the DPRK’s nuclear and missile programs.

In mid-February, North Korea said it conducted a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), its third known test of the long-range weapon in less than a year. The missile landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone according to the Prime Minister.

In remarks at the Munich Security Conference the day of that missile test, Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin all condemned the launch.

North Korea hasn’t given up on hunger: Implications for trade, human rights and the agricultural sector of a populous country

Some experts say the country has hit its worst point since a 1990s famine known as the “Arduous March” caused mass starvation and killed hundreds of thousands of people, or an estimated 3-5% of what was then a 20 million-strong population.

Trade data, satellite images and assessments by the United Nations and South Korean authorities all suggest the food supply has now “dipped below the amount needed to satisfy minimum human needs,” according to Lucas Rengifo-Keller, a research analyst at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

The officials in South Korea concur with that assessment, and have recently indicated that there are deaths from starvation occurring in some areas. Though producing solid evidence to back up those claims is made difficult by the country’s isolation, few experts doubt its assessment.

In a sign of how desperate the situation has become, Kim Jong Un held a four-day Workers’ Party meeting this week to discuss a revamping of the country’s agricultural sector.

Various experts say that the problems have nothing to do with the people of North Korea. During the Pandemic, North Korea squeezed what little cross border trade it had through a second layer of fencing along 300 kilometers of its border with China.

“There’s been shoot on sight orders (at the border) that were put in place in August 2020 … a blockade on travel and trade, which has included what very limited official trade (there was before),” said Lina Yoon, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

China exported nearly 56 million kilograms of wheat and maslin flour to North Korea during the year 2022, according to Chinese customs.

But Pyongyang’s clampdown has strangled off unofficial trade, which as Yoon points out is “one of the main lifelines of the markets inside North Korea where ordinary North Koreans buy products.”

Cases in which people are trying to sneak things into the country with a bribe for a border guard have been completely abolished since the borders were closed.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/03/asia/north-korea-hunger-famine-food-shortages-intl-hnk/index.html

Towards a solution of the North Korean crisis: Economic mismanagement and crisis management in South Korea, as reported by the Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin

Various experts say the root problem is years of economic mismanagement and that Kim’s efforts to ramp up state control further will only make things worse.

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin told CNN in an interview last week that “the only way that North Korea can get out of this trouble is to come back to the dialogue table and accept our humanitarian offer to the North and make a better choice for the future.”

Seoul’s Ministry of Unification was quick to point out Pyongyang continues to focus on its missile and nuclear program rather than feeding its own people.

According to a rural development agency inSeoul, crop production in North Korea was 4% lower last year due to adverse weather and flooding.

The regime has a misguided approach to economic policy, Rengifo-Keller fears it may have a disastrous impact on the already suffering population.

“This is a chronically malnourished population for decades, high rates of stunting and all signals point to a deteriorating situation, so it certainly wouldn’t take much to push the country into famine.”