[Under the title “Food Aid to North Korea: Time Is Not Right”, Bruce Klinger published this commentary in as Heritage Foundation WebMemo #3229 on 18 April 2011. Klingner is Senior Research Fellow for Northeast Asia in the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation. –CanKor.]
North Korea has again appealed for food aid to alleviate the suffering of its people. Teams from the World Food Program and non-government organizations (NGOs) have chronicled the country’s abysmal nutritional deficits, particularly for children and the elderly. Pyongyang told visiting inspection teams that it is now willing to accept strict monitoring requirements to prevent further diversion of food aid to its military, but doubts remain. However, North Korea’s need for food is not unique amidst other pressing global needs. Most importantly, Pyongyang’s refusal to implement economic reform and its belligerence against the very countries from which it seeks aid should preclude it from receiving large-scale aid. Read the rest of this entry »
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