Network Paper 28: North Korea

Author(s)
Bennet, J.
Publication language
English
Pages
36pp
Date published
01 Mar 1999
Type
Research, reports and studies
Keywords
Development & humanitarian aid, Food and nutrition, Food aid, Monitoring
Countries
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Organisations
ODI
The uniquely difficult political climate for international
assistance to North Korea has sometimes distracted from
the fact that people in the country are suffering for lack of
basic essentials, not least food. The government has
reluctantly admitted to the crisis, entering into an uneasy
pact with humanitarian agencies for the first time in modern
history. Evidence suggests that humanitarian assistance over
the past three years – notably the World Food Programme’s
(WFP) largest emergency programme in its history – has
been of positive benefit to those most vulnerable to
countrywide food deficits. Nevertheless, North Korea
presents an acute dilemma for humanitarians determined to
uphold minimum standards of accountability. The
government has consistently failed to provide adequate
information about, and access to, the populations of concern.
The clash of cultural norms and the deep distrust of foreign
intervention does not facilitate the requirements for
transparency and donor accountability.