Is North Korea facing starvation?

 

File photo of Kim Jung Un. BBC.

North Korea may be facing a starvation crisis. BBC. Information out of North Korea is hard to come by due to the Coronavirus lockdown of their borders, but there is some evidence of food shortages in the country. Kim Jung Un has admitted that the crisis is similar to the situation in the 1990's called the Arduous March, where thousands of North Koreans starved to death. Food stores were depleted last year due to major typhons and other natural disasters making this years harvest critical. Tens of thousands of people, including members of the military, have been sent to the fields to ensure every grain of rice is harvested. North Korea's problems are compounded by limited contact with the outside world due to sanctions and the Coronavirus lockdown. There are some signs that Kim will open the borders to China in order to get much needed supplies, medicine and food. 

My Comment:

It's very hard to get ahold of what is going on in North Korea today. Much of what we know comes from North Korean exiles who have an agenda of their own and might not be totally trustworthy. With most official lines of communication cut off due to the pandemic, it's possible that the situation isn't as bad as the BBC is reporting or it could be even worse. 

That being said, I don't think there is much doubt that there is a food crisis in North Korea. Kim Jong Un pretty much admitted it. And the disasters that struck the last harvest are well known. And it's not like North Korea hasn't had food problems before. Their isolation means imports are hard to get and natural disasters hit there fairly commonly. 

There was another story about North Korea's food crisis of course. The government there is now breeding black swans for people to eat. Eating swans isn't unheard of but it is for general consumption. I don't really see how it would be economical to breed swans for food but I guess they are trying. It would be a good source of protein if nothing else. 

The biggest problem has to be North Koreas Coronavirus lockdown. They have closed their borders to everyone, even China, and this has had drastic consequences. Supposedly there is no Coronavirus in North Korea due to the lockdown but it has also cut off the country from much needed supplies and food. 

Honestly, I think this was a major mistake. I do think that the virus would hit North Korea much harder than most states due to primitive medical care, poor nutrition and the general unhealthiness of the people there, but I think at some point you have to admit that the virus isn't anywhere near the threat of starvation. Opening the borders would allow supplies to move in and exports to move out, but keeping the borders closed will make everything worse. 

In the past, when North Korea was in dire straits like this, they would resort to saber rattling. Doing so usually got them concessions that included aid for their people. I don't think that will work this time. The international media will likely totally ignore them. There were a few small stories about North Korea's past missile launches this year but in general North Korea is not on anyone's radar right now.