This
article states that North Korea may be on the brink of another famine. This could be a result of last year's devastating floods, the increase in food prices and a malnourished population. According to the U.N., nearly 40% of young children are "chronically malnourished." The Democratic Republic of North Korea is still recovering from a famine in the 1990s that was said to have killed about a million people. The U.N. is concerned that the food shortfall of 1, 600, 000 tons of rice and wheat this year will mean that the malnutrition will increase and that children will receive less food than thay are needing to receive. The prices of rice and other staple foods has doubled over the past year. This means that the country does not have enough food to feed its people and has not received any contributions from South Korea over the years. Another part of the problem is North Korea's government that is led by Kim Jong Il. He has refused outside aid and denies that his country has suffered from famine. Pyongyang cut off the U.N. group's operations in 2006 and before the cut, the program has been assisting more that 6 million North Koreans. Now it can only help a little more than a million of the most vulnerable population, which are women and children.
I think that this is another important issue to look at because everyone knows North Korea as an isolated country. Now with North Korea's government, it shows how much pride they have for their country. Especially Kim Jong Il because he is denying that his country was in a state of famine before. The way that I am reacting to this is that it's like gas prices going up everyday. I know it's not the same as food but it's what we need in everyday life. All I know is that the Philippines is also going through a similar problem with their agriculture. They have less rice fields and are in a shortage of rice which makes a lot of its population suffer, especially those in poverty. I think that the government has to step up a bit and help out with the problem thy're facing (even though I know they won't) and stop having so much dignity and pride over themselves.
Labels: Current Event
