"Effective Humanitarian Assistance in North Korea" by Hala Sun

Introduction

“South Koreans are very apathetic towards North Koreans.” These were the words of Peter M. Beck, former Executive Director of the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, on April 10, 2008, during his speech at Georgetown University about the current human rights violations in North Korea.[1] At first, I was very surprised by his bold comment, especially since I am a South Korean; however, after thinking about what he said, I realized that, overall, it is true. Every year when I visited South Korea, I always wondered why people almost never discuss about North Korean humanitarian crises. At the same time, I also wondered why the world is not taking an aggressive action against human rights violations in North Korea. Are we not discussing North Korean issues because we have no access to what is happening inside that country? Alternatively, are we assuming that we cannot do anything because the “enemy” is Kim Jung Il? Or are we simply becoming apathetic? Occasionally, the South Korean media have featured North Korea’s current events, but these events were most of the time related to North Korea’s nuclear weapons. As a citizen of the world, I am frustrated with the overall apathetic atmosphere. However, instead of being discouraged, I have decided to be more passionate about researching what is happening in North Korea, who is helping the vulnerable North Koreans, and what is being done about the human rights violations. As I continue to seek ways on how the international community can advocate for North Koreans’ human rights without endangering their lives or creating a political conflict with the North Korean government, I decided to take a closer look on nongovernmental organizations in North Korea and how they have responded to the humanitarian crises that exist side by side with human rights violations. Furthermore, I wanted to explore how effective NGOs are in their pursuit of humanitarian assistance in the midst of many challenges they face in an oppressive country.

Background

On the same day I heard Peter M. Beck’s speech at Georgetown University on human rights violation in North Korea, I also had a chance to listen to the life story of Mr. Kim Hyun Sik, a defector who escaped North Korea in 1993 with the help of a South Korean CIA and a Russian mafia. I felt very privileged to hear about North Korea from someone who served as a private tutor to the wife of Kim Il Sung—the first communist dictator in North Korea. At the same, I was shocked to hear what the majority of North Koreans believe. According to Mr. Kim, North Koreans regard Kim Il Sung as their God and Kim Jung Il as their Jesus. People believe that they live in a “paradise”; they believe that South Korea, on the other hand, is a place like “hell.” Mr. Kim added that he had never heard of the term “human rights” until he defected to South Korea.[2] I was furious to hear that Kim Il Sung and Kim Jung Il have brainwashed the North Koreans to become grateful and loyal to their oppressive regime—even during the famine when many of them died.

In the mid-1990s, a great famine hit North Korea. During this period, almost three million North Koreans died. According to the North Korean government, natural disasters have caused the famine and death. However, organizations, such as the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) and the National Geographic Channel, claim that natural disasters are not the only reason why so many people died and still continue to suffer today. Ten percent of the North Korean population died during the mid-1990s, and today, 40 percent of the North Korean children are chronically malnourished, not to mention that the average height of a seven-year-old North Korean kid is 20 centimeters shorter and the average weight is 10 kilograms lighter than a normal South Korean kid.[3]

It is an undeniable fact that the cause of the famine, the death, as well as the ongoing humanitarian crises in North Korea are due to North Korean government’s mismanagement, denial of human rights, and blockage of foreign humanitarian assistance entering the country. According to HRNK’s 2005 report, “Hunger and Human Rights: The Politics of Famine,” during the famine, the North Korean government used its expenditures to strengthen its military forces and used its military forces to stop people from traveling in search of food.[4] There were ways in which the North Korean government could have stopped the famine, such as seeking multilateral assistance from other countries. However, Kim Jung Il refused foreign aid and was aggressive in preventing people to live—a fundamental human right we must all have. What makes Kim Jung Il more inhumane is the fact that he, who was against foreign influence or aid, indulged himself in foreign imported products in the midst of the crisis, owning 100 foreign limousines and becoming the largest single customer of Hennessy-cognac in the world.[5]

Up to this date, the North Korean government fails to reach out and to provide the necessities to North Koreans—not because the government lacks the capacity but because it refuses in doing so. Therefore, having humanitarian organizations that are willing to reach out and to provide different necessities to North Koreans who are in desperate need is crucial. Before North Koreans can seek their human rights, or before they can realize that their human rights are being violated, they need basic necessities to live and to survive—basic necessities that humanitarian organizations can provide. In the article, “Hunger and Human Rights: The Politics of Famine,” it is stated that, “[g]iven that human rights are meaningless in the absence of the basic sustenance required to maintain life itself, the humanitarian imperative necessarily trumps human rights concerns and requires continued engagement even where basic rights are denied.” [6]

Humanitarian Players in North Korea

Among various humanitarian players, I have selected two key organizations that are currently active in providing humanitarian assistance in North Korea. These two organizations are Mercy Corps and World Vision. Aside from the fact that these two organizations take the lead in various humanitarian projects, reaching out to the vulnerable population in North Korea, I have chosen Mercy Corps because I personally know someone from Mercy Corps and his stories about North Korea has sparked my interest for this research. Meanwhile, I have decided to choose World Vision because the organization started in Korea in 1950s, helping orphaned children during the Korean War.[7] Furthermore, I hope to work at this organization in the future. Using these two organizations as an example, I hope to define what humanitarian aid is like in North Korea and how humanitarian organizations evaluate or ensure that their aid is “effective.”

Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a non-profit organization that defines humanitarian aid as a tool to “alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression.”[8] Mercy Corps has been working for 29 years, providing aid to help people build secure, productive, and just communities. It reaches out to 106 nations, but specifically responds to people who have experienced disasters, conflicts, poverty, and instability. The underlying reason why Mercy Corps provides aid is that they “believe in the intrinsic value and dignity of human life.”[9] Furthermore, Mercy Corps believes that it is their “duty” to serve others by being “effective stewards of the financial resources entrusted to [them].”[10] They have adapted the Universal Declaration Human Rights’ principles—accountability, participation, and peaceful change—as their guide as they provide humanitarian assistance. [11] The types of aid that Mercy Corps provides mostly focus on is emergency relief and sustainable economic development assistance, such as food, shelter, health care, water and sanitation, agriculture, education, and small business loans. However, Mercy Corps hopes to go beyond “simply handing out food” kind of assistance—it seeks to strengthen civil society by promoting citizen participation and accountability. [12]

World Vision

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization that defines humanitarian aid as a tool to “tackle the causes of poverty and injustice.”[13] Its work encompasses relief, development, and advocacy—an area where Mercy Corps does not focus on. Since 1950, World Vision has been working to provide the daily needs of people, to build peace and promote justice in the community, as well as to encourage spiritual transformation with the help of churches and individuals. The organization reaches out to approximately 100 countries, serving almost 100 million people, including “earthquake and hurricane survivors, abandoned and exploited children, survivors of famine and civil war, refugees, and children and families in communities devastated by AIDS in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.” [14] While Mercy Corps’ motivation to pursue humanitarian assistance is the value and dignity of human life, World Vision, on the other hand, provides aid to people who are especially oppressed and poor in order to demonstrate and share God’s unconditional love for all people. Similar to Mercy Corps, the types of aid World Vision provides focus on disaster relief and development, which includes water and sanitation, food and agriculture, health and hygiene, education and literacy, and economic development through small business loans, and children program. One of the main differences between Mercy Corps and World Vision is the children program. Mercy Corps seeks to nurture children through innovative education, health, and nutrition programs while World Vision, on top of all physical needs, also focuses on the psychological and spiritual needs, such as providing counseling services and “safe houses” for traumatized children to live.[15]

Mercy Corps in North Korea

Mercy Corps has been working with vulnerable North Korean families since 1996. Mercy Corps saw and still continues to see the need of aid in North Korea especially because of many natural disasters, such as flooding and drought, as well as extensive deforestation, and fuel shortages that have happened in the country. These natural calamities destroyed North Korea’s agricultural system; as a result, several crises emerged, such as food shortage, malnutrition, and diseases. By seeing all these adversities, Mercy Corps has specifically reached out to vulnerable North Korean families who have been impacted by economic collapse, agricultural failure, and lack of medical services.[16]

The three main projects that Mercy Corps is doing in North Korea are the following: (1) Emergency Medical Assistance; (2) Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives; and (3) Food Aid.

Through the Emergency Medical Assistance program, Mercy Corps has sent eight shipments of medicine and medical supplies (a total worth of $225,000 US Dollars) to inadequate hospitals in North Korea.[17] In 1996, Mercy Corps hand-delivered medicines worth $13 million dollars to North Korean flood survivors. Furthermore, with the help of USAID, Mercy Corps installed emergency generators and various medical equipments in six hospitals in North Korea.[18]

Meanwhile, within the Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives program, Mercy Corps started the “Apple Tree Project” in year 2000, in which the North Koreans have been able to plant 70,000 apple trees. These apples, grown in the southwestern region of North Korea, are sold either as a whole fruit for consumption or as juice. In addition to apple trees, Mercy Corps has sent fertilizers, windmills, alfalfa seeds, and various vegetable seeds. The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative program seeks to increase self-sufficiency as well as food security of North Koreans.[19]

Finally, Mercy Corps’ food aid program is large and significant as it takes the lead in providing food to North Koreans. This year, Mercy Corps has distributed approximately 100,000 metric tons of food. With its joint efforts with World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, Christian Friends of Korea, Global Resource Services, and USAID’s Food for Peace Program, Mercy Corps has distributed food and has managed to monitor its distribution. Some of the types of food that has been distributed are corn, wheat, vegetable oils, and beans. Mercy Corps especially tries to reach North Korean children, who are chronically malnourished, and North Korean mothers, who are mostly anemic.[20] Since monitoring aid distribution is crucial, Mercy Corps requires staff members to reside in North Korea to visit families and assess the impact of aid.

It is important to mention that Mercy Corps not only works with other NGOs in food distribution, but they also collaborate with private firms such as DHL, for faster delivery of aid, and Nike, which donated a large amount of clothes for North Koreans.[21]

World Vision in North Korea

World Vision has been working with insecure and weak North Korean children and families since 1995—the year the North Korean government finally requested humanitarian assistance. Similar to Mercy Corps, World Vision continuously see food shortage crisis in North Korea. Specifically, World Vision points out the “lack of arable land, collective farming, weather-related problems, and chronic shortages of fertilizers and fuel” as some of the causes of the current adversities in the country.[22]

World Vision and Mercy Corps are alike in terms of the types of aid being sent to North Korea—food, clothing, medicines, and sustainable systems. However, dissimilar to Mercy Corps, World Vision’s sustainable program focuses beyond agriculture; its sustainable program includes hydroponics, noodle production, child and welfare, and potable water projects.[23] Currently, World Vision has selected seven potable water sites that will provide services to 15,000 North Korean villagers, specifically to children, patients receiving home-care services, and pregnant women. On the other hand, the noodle production project is fascinating because with the help of North Korean scientists, there are now noodles in North Korea that are made of soybeans and corn. According to BBC News, not only this new type of noodle “delays the feeling of hunger,” but it also has more protein content than a regular noodle made of wheat and corn.[24]

In terms of food aid program, World Vision co-leads the project with Mercy Corps and works with three other NGOs with the support of USAID’s office of Food for Peace. Just a couple months ago, in October 2008, World Vision with four other NGOs distributed their fourth shipment of food to North Korea, targeting 894,000 vulnerable North Koreans. World Vision hopes that the shipment of 25,060 metric tons of corn and soy will sustain the people during the winter season.[25] According to World Vision, in addition to natural disasters, the current food shortage and malnutrition is problematic due to China’s barrier to food export. Moreover, the extent of the problem is unknown because of the North Korean government’s restrictions to access other areas of the country.[26]

Publicly, Mercy Corps only mentions the natural calamities and other non-political factors as the causes of the current crises in North Korea. However, it is worth pointing out that World Vision mentions the politics of North Korea—that the communist government impedes and hinders World Vision’s ability to provide effective humanitarian assistance. Even if the whole world knows about the communist regime of North Korea, and even if many people assume that the oppressive regime might be one of the main reasons why crises exist in the first place, it is important for a humanitarian organization to reveal the political hindrances in North Korea. It is understandable that many humanitarian organizations resist creating more political conflict with the North Korean government. In her book, “Hungry for Peace,” Hazel Smith states that many humanitarian organizations have not been supportive of direct advocacy—demanding policy change from the North Korean government—because they believe it would not achieve “desired results.” [27] Indeed, it is risky for humanitarian organizations, who currently have established a relationship with the North Korean government, to participate in advocacy. However, who knows North Korea better than the humanitarian organizations that have been inside North Korea and have seen the need for change? The world needs to know about what is happening in North Korea; moreover, governments and the other international organizations need to know about the challenges and the difficulties humanitarian organizations encounter in North Korea in order to collaboratively figure out ways on how humanitarian organizations can improve their operation to save lives and to spark a desire for human rights in the hearts of vulnerable North Koreans.

Challenges of Humanitarians in North Korea

Because of the communist regime, humanitarian institutions face various challenges—from entering the country and leaving the country. However, the first and foremost challenge is to have access to the areas where people are in desperate need. In the beginning, the North Korean government did not open its door to foreign assistance—not until 1995. However, the North Korean government has never opened its door fully—it continues to impose restrictions on where organizations can go and distribute aid. According to Hazel Smith, because the government restricts certain remote areas, not only it is hard for humanitarian organizations to attain information on who might be hungry and how the poorest are surviving in these remote areas, it is hard for the organizations to do an overall assessment and humanitarian programming.[28]

North Korean government opened its door to humanitarian organizations because the government finally acknowledged that it cannot feed its citizens without international aid. It opened its doors but humanitarian officials had to be use the word “reform” in discretion because the North Koreans equated the word with “attempts to dismantle their political and social system.”[29] The 1998 UN strategy document explains briefly the underlying reason to North Korean government’s fear:

“The local reluctance to change stems from history, mistrust and the fear to loose [sic] face. We should not expect the leaders of this country to contemplate any type of “reform” or further major opening if they are unaware of, particularly, social implications. These fears are not unfounded; they range from the loss of social values, welfare and cohesiveness to the introduction of crime and HIV/AIDS…”[30]

Despite North Korean government’s “open door” to foreign aid and despite the massive food aid, more than one million North Koreans died of hunger and disease, according to the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) report, “Failure to Protect,” published in 2006.[31] According to HRNK, there are three main reasons why many North Koreans died. First, HRNK believes that the North Korean government responded late to the crisis and sought aid when it was too late. Second, the government closed the Public Distribution System (PDS) in 1996 due to poor harvest. Finally, the government actively blocked the aid entering the regions where the aid was needed, especially those who depended on the PDS.[32]

Public Distribution System (PDS) is a discriminatory system that denies certain people to have an access to food; thus, even before the famine happen, this system was already slowly killing the people who were vulnerable. In North Korea, the government distributes food in two ways. When the farmers harvest their crops, they only retain a small amount of their harvest, and the government distributes the rest of the harvest to the population. The largest portion of the food goes to those people that the government favored—military, party officials, government-perceived “loyal” citizens, and those in favored occupations.[33] This horrible system has made it easier for the country to have food insecurity and for many people to die of hunger.

When humanitarian assistance entered the country, not only the government limited the areas where the organizations can distribute, but it also interfered in aid distribution and hindered monitoring. According to HRNK, the North Korean government created policies that limited the number of World Food Program and NGO workers delivering aid. Furthermore, the government hindered humanitarian assessments in analyzing what kind of aid is needed and where it is needed. Second, the North Korean government disallowed Korean interpreters to work with the humanitarian workers, making it more difficult to collect information and to make assessments. Third, the government denied the humanitarian organizations to have a transparent and independent distribution network; instead, the government forced that the organizations use the government-controlled PDS network. Finally, the humanitarian workers were not allowed to move freely without government “escorts.”[34]

According to the North Korean government, these restrictions are necessary because the country is vulnerable to foreign military attacks; thus, the government would like to protect its countries’ socio-economic information from its enemies.[35] However, because of these restrictions that hinder effective monitoring and distribution in North Korea, it is debatable whether organizations should continue in giving humanitarian aid. HRNK mentions in their report that one South Korean NGO estimated that almost 50 percent of foreign aid goes to “non-deserving people, including the military”[36] However, it is a valid question to ask: Is there such thing as “non-deserving people” in this world? World Vision, for example, seeks to serve “all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, and gender.”[37] Can the North Korean military people be considered in this category of “all people” that World Vision refers to? This is a question that all humanitarian organizations should think about, because the military people are also North Koreans who may have a poor family. The military people could have become “lucky” and have obtained a job that is favorable to the government. As I mentioned previously, all North Koreans are brainwashed—this includes the military people who do not have a choice but to serve the communist regime. Therefore, are military people truly “non-deserving”?

In terms of the extent of responsibility and the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance, HRNK raises four valuable questions that we should all ponder upon. First, “Should the international community provide assistance even if it means prolonging the life of a despotic regime?”; Second, “Does aid prolong the very policies that led to the famine in the first place?; Third, “Should donors provide assistance even if some portion of that assistance is diverted to undeserving groups, including the military and party cadre?” Finally, “If the decision is made to provide assistance, how can donors guarantee that food aid reaches vulnerable groups and achieves other objectives, such as inducing economic reforms or empowering new social groups?”[38] Truly, not only it is challenging to know if the aid will end up going to the people in need, but it is also very difficult to evaluate the performance and the effectiveness of the humanitarian assistance. However, humanitarian organizations have been able to measure and assess to the best of their ability, such as, systematic documentation and nutrition survey, meeting and coordination efforts, “inputs” and “outputs,” and types of aid being sent.

Assessing the Effectiveness of Humanitarian Aid

According to Hazel Smith, the primary goal of humanitarian agencies is to alleviate human insecurity by saving lives, and the second goal is to help create conditions that will allow sustainable human development to happen.[39] Achieving these two goals would signify the organization’s effectiveness. However, in the case of North Korea, it is a challenge to evaluate whether the aid has significantly impacted the life or the survival of an individual. Moreover, it is difficult to assess the extent of how significant the aid has improved the life of an individual—if the aid did reach. The North Korean government allows organizations to make an assessment from an individual visit but repeat visits to the same individual beneficiaries are almost never permitted.[40] Moreover, conducting surveys of households is not permitted in North Korea as well as determining and assessing the food source of the beneficiaries. However, the North Korean government has provided social statistics to humanitarian agencies to use; thus, allowing the World Food Program (WFP), another active humanitarian organization in North Korea, to restructure the information, monitoring, reporting, and evaluation systems and creating comprehensive information, especially on distribution capacity, for other agencies to use.[41] In addition, WFP, UNICEF, and the European Union were able to do an extensive nutrition survey in 1998 in collaboration with the North Korean government. Therefore, these data and survey have allowed humanitarian organizations in North Korea to analyze NGOs activities in depth and to evaluate the overall needs and vulnerability of North Koreans.[42]

In terms of coordination efforts, all humanitarian agencies working in North Korea, which include Mercy Corps and World Vision, meet regularly and share their fieldwork activities and observations through in country coordination. Furthermore, there is a commitment to interagency meetings (weekly) and inter-sectoral meetings (bi-weekly or monthly) in order to share information, to coordinate activities, and to enhance operations.[43]

Measuring humanitarian “inputs” and “outputs” is another way to assess humanitarian organizations’ effectiveness. To measure “inputs” in North Korea, the information could be taken from the amount of aid, trade, and agricultural productions.[44] On the other hand, to measure the “outputs,” the number of trees planted and the number of individuals sent abroad could be used.[45] For instance, through Mercy Corps’s “Apple Tree Project,” almost 70,000 apple trees were planted. However, there are limitations to measuring the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance through inputs and outputs because what is truly important is to know not how much aid has been sent in terms of money or how many plants have been planted, but to know how and why these types of aid have impacted the lives of North Koreans—a qualitative information that is difficult to obtain in North Korea due to restrictions.

Finally, the type of aid being sent to North Korea is another crucial aspect to measure the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance. Aid becomes valuable when the beneficiaries are truly benefiting; thus, considering what type of aid to send would not only impact the lives of the beneficiaries but it would also ensure that the aid is delivered to the people in desperate need. According to Mr. Kim Hyun Sik, the North Korean defector I mentioned earlier, humanitarian organizations should stop sending rice and start sending more corn and other alternative grains. Mr. Kim explained that rice was considered as food for the “rich” people and for North Korean authorities; thus, rice aid usually does not reach the poor, hungry people.[46] Both Mercy Corps and World Vision seem to know this fact because they are sending more corn than rice.

In addition to sending the “right” type of food aid, it is also important to look into whether the humanitarian organizations match their aid with the nutrition the beneficiaries need. For instance, one of the food aid Mercy Corps sends is wheat. Since Mercy Corps tries to reach mothers who are anemic, the organization should invest in fortifying the wheat flour with folic acid and iron. According to studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fortifying wheat flour is an effective yet an inexpensive way to fight iron-deficiencies especially among pregnant women.[47] If Mercy Corps could invest in approximately $1.50 U.S. dollars per metric ton of wheat flour to fortify wheat flour with folic acid, iron, and other vitamins, then the food aid will be more effective in terms of meeting the needs of the beneficiaries. Meanwhile, World Vision should continue to expand its use of soybeans from noodle production project to other food projects to reach malnourished children. Protein is an essential nutrient especially for children because it builds up, maintains, and replaces tissues of the body, which includes all the muscles, organs, and the immune system.

Recommendations

After researching and analyzing the challenges and the effective ways to provide humanitarian assistance in North Korea, and after evaluating the current projects of Mercy Corps and World Vision, I would like to make the following recommendations to both organizations.

1. Mercy Corps and World Vision should increase its efforts in expanding its food aid projects and invest in fortifying the food that is being sent to North Korea in order to meet the proper nutritional needs of the beneficiaries. Specifically, Mercy Corps should fortify its food aid of wheat flour with folic acid and iron.

2. Mercy Corps and World Vision should consider hiring humanitarian field workers who already speak Korean to enhance negotiations with the North Korean government and to be more effective and efficient in collecting data, making assessments, and working with North Korean people, especially for capacity building projects.

3. Mercy Corps and World Vision should create more capacity building projects to increase interactions with North Koreans as well as to send more North Koreans outside the country to study abroad and to be challenged.

4. Mercy Corps and World Vision should focus more on small scale operations for easier monitoring, better assessments, and increase in interactions with North Korean authorities.

5. Mercy Corps and World Vision should increase its efforts in pursuing dialogues with the North Korean government and helping them understand that humanitarian assistance is not just giving food but their engagement in the common principles of humanitarian assistance, such as efficiency, transparency, and accountability, is important. Furthermore, Mercy Corps and World Vision should seek to strengthen its ties with the North Korean government in order to build trust and confidence and to have more successful negotiations in delivering humanitarian aid into the country.

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[1] Beck, Peter M.. "Truth and Human Rights in North Korea: From an NGO Perspective." Panel on the Human Rights Crisis in North Korea, Washington, April 10, 2008.

[2] Kim, Hyun Sik. "Truth and Human Rights in North Korea: From a Personal Perspective." Panel on the Human Rights Crisis in North Korea, Washington, April 10, 2008.

[3] National Geographic - Inside North Korea. 2007; U.S. and Canada: National Geographic Video.

[4] " Hunger and Human Rights: The Politics of Famine." U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea.

[5] National Geographic - Inside North Korea. 2007; U.S. and Canada: National Geographic Video.

[6] " Hunger and Human Rights: The Politics of Famine." U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea.

[7] http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/about/history

[8] "Mercy Corps > About Us > Overview > At a Glance." Mercy Corps - Be the Change.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] "Mercy Corps > About Us > Overview > Vision for Change." Mercy Corps - Be the Change.

[12] "Mercy Corps > About Us > Overview > History." Mercy Corps - Be the Change.

[13] "World Vision - Who We Are - World Vision." Sponsor A Child - World Vision.

[14] Ibid.

[15] "World Vision - Children in Crisis." Sponsor A Child - World Vision.

[16] "Mercy Corps > Countries > North Korea > Overview." Mercy Corps - Be the Change.

[17] "Mercy Corps > Countries > North Korea > Program Details: North Korea." Mercy Corps - Be the Change.

[18] "Mercy Corps > Countries > North Korea > Food for North Korea's Families." Mercy Corps - Be the Change.

[19] "Mercy Corps > Countries > North Korea > Mercy Corps Sends 100,000 Apple Tree Rootstocks To North Korea." Mercy Corps - Be the Change.

[20] "Mercy Corps > Countries > North Korea > Food for North Korea's Families." Mercy Corps - Be the Change.

[21] "Mercy Corps > Countries > North Korea > Food for North Korea's Families." Mercy Corps - Be the Change.

[22] "World Vision - Information and Facts About North Korea — World Vision." Sponsor A Child - World Vision.

[23] Ibid.

[24] "BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | N Korea 'develops special noodle'." BBC NEWS | News Front Page.

[25] "World Vision - Aid agencies send U.S. food shipments to North Korea." Sponsor A Child - World Vision.

[26] "World Vision - Information and Facts About North Korea — World Vision." Sponsor A Child - World Vision.

[27] Smith, Hazel. Hungry for Peace: International Security, Humanitarian Assistance, and Social Change in North Korea. Washington: United States Inst Of Peace Pr, 2005, 118.

[28] See ibid., at 120.

[29] Smith, Hazel. Hungry for Peace: International Security, Humanitarian Assistance, and Social Change in North Korea. Washington: United States Inst Of Peace Pr, 2005, 103.

[30] UNDP, “1998 Annual Report,” 2.

[31] " Failure to Protect: A Call for the UN Security to Act in North Korea,” 24. U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea.

[32] See ibid., at 24.

[33] See A FAILURE TO PROTECT, at 27.

[34] See ibid., at 24-25.

[35] Smith, Hazel. Hungry for Peace: International Security, Humanitarian Assistance, and Social Change in North Korea. Washington: United States Inst Of Peace Pr, 2005, 119.

[36] See A FAILURE TO PROTECT, at 25.

[37] "World Vision - Who We Are - World Vision." Sponsor A Child - World Vision.

[38] " Hunger and Human Rights: The Politics of Famine." U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea.

[39] Smith, Hazel. Hungry for Peace: International Security, Humanitarian Assistance, and Social Change in North Korea. Washington: United States Inst Of Peace Pr, 2005, 118

[40] See ibid., at 121.

[41] See ibid., at 119.

[42] EU, UNICEF, and WFP, “Nutrition Survey.”

[43] United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal 2001.

[44] Smith, Hazel. Hungry for Peace: International Security, Humanitarian Assistance, and Social Change in North Korea. Washington: United States Inst Of Peace Pr, 2005, 121

[45] Ibid.

[46] Kim, Hyun Sik. "Truth and Human Rights in North Korea: From a Personal Perspective." Panel on the Human Rights Crisis in North Korea, Washington, April 10, 2008.

[47] "Trends in Wheat-Flour Fortification with Folic Acid and Iron --- Worldwide, 2004 and 2007." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.