The Politics of Hunger: North Korea’s Control of Food Security
Imagine a bleak world where the concepts of food, water, electricity, human rights, and even love are unfamiliar to the inhabitants, trapping them in a perpetual abyss of deprivation and despair. Although this description may sound like the opening of a science fiction novel, it is actually a depiction of a real country in our world today: North Korea. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) covers an area of approximately 47,399 square miles with a population of 26,092,392 (CIA 2023). It accounts for just 0.33% of the world’s population (Worldometers 2023). Sixty-two percent of North Korea’s population resides in rural areas, while a mere 38% lives in urban settings (Macrotrends 2023). Surrounded by the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea, North Korea shares borders with China and Russia to the north, and a demilitarized zone separates it from South Korea. North Korea is one of the world’s longest-running dictatorships, controlled by their current supreme leader, Kim Jong Un.
Dwellings in North Korea consist of 13-story skyscrapers with thousands of apartments in the country’s capital, Pyongyang (An, et al 2022). Although leader Kim Jong Un has built attractive high-rise towers and vowed to improve construction quality, defectors say that the apartments have faulty elevators, poor water supply, and workmanship concerns (An, et al 2022). Additionally, North Korea offers free housing, but it is often small and unequipped since the average size of an extended family is 4.4 persons, no more than two generations, and the majority of dwellings are two-room structures (PRB 2010). Furthermore, the typical gross annual wage in North Korea is just 1,825,000–3,650,000 North Korean Won ($2007.5 — $4051.5) (Minimum wage). A conventional meal in a North Korean household includes rice, soup, meat, seafood, vegetable, eggs, and other side dishes (Sigley 2021). However, these dishes are for the elites who live in urban areas. According to Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector, “even finding a rat is a delicacy” (Rogan 2021). The less fortunate living in rural areas face a tremendous food security crisis that continues to impact the majority of the North Korean population.
North Korea is a tightly controlled nation and largely isolated from the international community due to its strict dictatorship government. Through the years, this choice has led to several issues for the country, the biggest being poverty and food shortages. During the 1990s, the country suffered a devastating famine known as the “Arduous March,” in which between 600,000–1,000,000 people, or around 3–5% of the population, died (Noland 2022). The UN Food and Agriculture Organization found that in 2019, the country was left with a food deficit of 1.36 million tons (UN 2019). According to Lucas Rengifo-Keller, a research analyst at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, trade figures, satellite pictures, and UN and South African assessments show that the food supply has once again reportedly fallen below what is necessary to meet the basic requirements for human existence (Hancocks 2023). Since the 1990s famine, the trends of food insecurity in North Korea have clearly worsened, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
There are numerous theories that explain the cause of North Korea’s food security problem, and the accurate one is essentially a combination of all of them. Nicholas Eberstadt, a political economist at the American Enterprise Institute, believes that even if the Kim government has the resources to feed its entire population, it would not, as they use hunger as a weapon to control the population (Chisholm, 2018). Although the North Korean government argues that food insecurity in the country is due to natural disasters, critics blame hunger and malnutrition on what they claim are purposeful government tactics to deny food to disfavored social groups (Smith, 2021). These evidence-based theories suggest that the reason behind food insecurity in North Korea is primarily due to its corrupt and selfish government. This imbalance of power has severely impacted food security, which has harshly affected the population. A U.N. report describes that an estimated 11 million people in North Korea, which is over 43% of the population, are undernourished with one in five children stunted, posing a threat to an entire generation (Lederer).
Another factor contributing to North Korea’s food insecurity is that control is centralized well above the level of production via the Ministry of Agriculture. Some North Korean farmers have little influence over operational choices that affect crop yields or even the kind of crops they can grow (Ward, 2023). To address this issue, Kim Jong II intended to modernize North Korea’s agricultural sector through a project known as the Field Responsibility System (FRS), which would provide farmers with a quota of better housing and ever-increasing quantities of consumer goods. However, these planned improvements did not take place, and the solution failed due to a lack of political will and the controlling nature of the government in North Korea.
Another approach that the UN took to pressure North Korea’s government was to restrict the import of refined oil products to 500,000 barrels a year (Smith, 2021) as they recognized North Korea’s dependence on imports. However, North Korea denies this dependency on imports as it contradicts the regime’s central claim. Therefore, the UN’s approach did not have an impact on Korea’s political situation but instead made the food shortage issue much worse. At the plenary meeting in 2023, Kim proposed another solution requesting that authorities construct new irrigation systems, provide more effective farming equipment, and turn additional tideland into farmland to achieve agricultural goals (Kim, 2023). However, examining the history of North Korea’s promises and the progress that has been made since this proposal proves that there has been no improvement.
Another approach that was taken by the United States was a diplomatic approach by former President Donald Trump who tried involving North Korea in a combination of sanctions and diplomatic engagement with the regime to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula (Sherman, Revere). However, this approach resulted in no significant breakthrough on the political issue of North Korea. Considering these failed attempts at targeting the food security issue in North Korea, it may seem impossible to find a solution due to government policies, limited resources, international sanctions, the control of food distribution, and the overall stubbornness of the government. It is obvious that this is an extremely complicated situation, and there will not be a singular solution that will solve every aspect of the food security problem that this country faces. It is clear that the political dilemma in North Korea is contributing not only to the food security problem, but to all of the other issues related to human rights. However, the recent food shortages in North Korea may pressure Kim Jong-Un to address the issue and come up with a solution. Kim’s biggest weapon is his nuclear programs, but Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Yeungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, suggests that “Kim Jong-un can’t advance the nuclear program stably if he fails to resolve the food problem fundamentally because public support would be shaken” (Kim, 2023). This 2023 food crisis in North Korea is a perfect opportunity for the United States and the United Nations to take action. My solution has multiple steps to improve the food insecurity issue in North Korea by targeting its political structure and leaders in a strategic manner. I have identified three steps that North Korea could take to potentially resolve the political tension in North Korea and solve the food crisis.
Examining the China-North Korea Relationship
Historically, China has been one of North Korea’s most important trading partners and has opposed the harsh international sanctions on North Korea (Albert, 2019). The United Nations can potentially use this relationship to encourage North Korea to engage in productive dialogue with other nations. China has the power to act as a mediator between North Korea and other countries and could help facilitate discussions on issues such as food insecurity that they are currently facing. Furthermore, pushing China to pressure North Korea’s government may bring about positive results. Increasing dialogue and communication may help address other human rights issues and reduce poverty and hunger over time. In fact, food insecurity is only one of the problems that the faulty government in North Korea has caused, and targeting the root cause may help solve many other issues. On the other hand, the food insecurity issue is a pressing matter currently, and there is a possible way for North Korea to focus on it solely without changing its entire government structure. China could increase its food aid to North Korea if North Korea agrees to restore cross-border trade (Choi, 2023). Although Kim Jong-Un wants North Korea to be independent, the pressure from the public may urge him to reconsider North Korea’s connection with China and help solve the current food crisis in Korea.
“Arms for Food” Approach
Another potential solution for North Korea is to exchange food aid for demilitarization or to provide arms to other countries. Although this may not be an overall beneficial solution, it will help the pressing issue of food insecurity in North Korea right now. It would be better to take a comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying factors contributing to food insecurity, but that would take much longer and result in the suffering of more people. It is clear that the government of North Korea is extremely corrupt, and the citizens have already faced enough damage. Therefore, exchanging arms for food would be the fastest way for North Korea to target the food insecurity issue. North Korea is already looking to make this deal with Russia as shown by new evidence from the White House. John Kirby, White House national security council spokesman, said that “as part of this proposed deal, Russia would receive over two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions from Pyongyang, and Russia is offering North Korea food in exchange” (Madhani, 2023). There are multiple limitations to the solution, such as exchanging arms for food could exacerbate tensions and contribute to regional instability, while potentially violating international laws and norms related to arms transfers. However, for North Korea, this is the easiest solution while also maintaining its philosophy for independence and self-reliance.
Increased Flexibility for North Korean Farmers
To target the issue of food production in North Korea, providing more flexibility to farmers is a direct solution. Giving farmers more freedom in terms of what they grow, operational control, and potentially sellable/livable tillage rights would encourage increased intensity of cultivation and more efficient use of resources. Incentives in the agriculture sector may increase motivation in linked companies and production of critical agricultural inputs given to farmers (Ward).
As agricultural production increases, the excess generated by farmers can increase rural household purchasing power, allowing them to purchase imported inputs. Although this solution has been attempted by Kim Jong II and shown to have failed, the current pressure facing North Korea may lead to another implementation of the solution, in a more serious and strategic manner. However, it is important to note that Kim’s motivation for the solution would not be to support his citizens, as even Donald Trump himself tweeted that Kim Jong-Un has a “depleted and food-starved regime” (Chisholm, 2018). Instead, the solution would be attempted to protect his nuclear program. Nevertheless, it would be a beneficial strategy to better the food crisis in North Korea.
In essence, the North Korean government has had a significant impact on food security in the country. Its strict policies and philosophy for self-reliance have led to chronic food shortages and malnutrition among a significant portion of the population. However, the implementation of the three-step approach outlined above can address the complicated situation in this nation. The North Korean government is under pressure to make a change or lose multiple assets. A push from the rest of the world can create significant change regarding the food issues in North Korea.
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