Millions of North Korean Children Go Hungry

[the_glow_worm]

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Millions of North Korean children are not getting the food, medicine or health care they need to develop physically or mentally, leaving many stunted and malnourished, the United Nations said Tuesday.

Nearly a third of children under age 5 show signs of stunting, particularly in rural areas where food is scarce, and

Comments

[hinoema]

Also, I know responsibility falls squarely on North Korean leadership, but I'm a little disappointed by the response by South Korea. Thoughts?

That's a tough one, because from what I've read, the NK government essentially allows this to go on, hoping that these people will, by emigration or sheer need and possible violence, be a disruptive force to border nations. It's beyond tragedy.

[homasse]

What can South Korea really DO, though? Especially since North Korea is very openly hostile (ie, bombing a South Korean island that killed civilians, torpedoing one of their ships and killing South Korean sailors, and the recent asshattery of jamming South Korean GPS, threatening South Korean press, and general dickwaving). Some of the things they have done to try to help, like the joint factory complex, have had North Korea thrown temper tantrums and temporarily shut things down until they cool off. North Korea is not making it easy at all (Lee Myung-bak's ending of the Sunshine Policy didn't help, either, mind)/

And there's very little anyone can do to ensure than any aid that did get sent would actually go to anyone outside Pyongyang. :(

[the_glow_worm]

I know, but I can't help but wish South Korea would resume its policy of unconditional aid. I probably (definitely) wouldn't feel this way about any other two countries, but I do have a lot of strong, probably (definitely) naive feelings on reunification and sunshine and all that crap.

I agree that in general though, North Korean leadership bears the extreme majority of the blame, like 99.99%. I was hoping the Kim Jong Il's death would provide an excuse to restart diplomatic relations, but that macho posturing with the missile pretty much put paid to that. It was a nice fantasy for the .2 seconds that it lasted.

[homasse]

No country anywhere is going to give unconditional aid to another country that regularly threatens them with death and destruction, then occasionally shoots off rockets at them to remind them that they hate them. :/ It's just never gonna happen.

And as nice an idea as reunification is, reunifying would financially cripple South Korea - the gap is just waaaaaaay too big. One day, North Korea is going to collapse, though - the situation there is unsustainable. It is noooot gonna be pretty for the region when North Korea collapses in on itself.

I wish Jong-Eun wasn't as bad as Jong-Il/a military puppet, too. :(

[the_glow_worm]

I mean, South Korea did that exact thing for pretty much a decade, so clearly it's not an impossibility. Under the current climate, it's obviously not going to happen again. Which is a pity in my view, because for all its many flaws, the Sunshine Policy did have some success in warming relations.

Well, my thoughts are that as you say, one day North Korea is going to collapse and South Korea will be under enormous pressure, both internal and external, to help/unify with/support the leftover civilian population somehow--whether that's fair or not. South Korea is where at least half the refugees will head for anyway, so it doesn't even have a choice in the matter. So for the Koreas, "reunification" of some sort is going to come sooner or later. I think it's probably in South Korea's best interest to make that transition as smooth as possible.

:/

[lonely_hour]

to be honest, although the North Korean government is all to blame for their utter lack of any capability, sense, humanity &etc., i think this is a problem to be also dealt with globally. They don't want regime change, and until international actors can guarantee that, they're going to waste all their fucking money, that could be spent on food, on rockets that don't even work. Do you think there would have been an intervention in Libya if they had a nuclear bomb? At least everyone would have thought three times more than they did at the end. America's 'great power chauvinism', and indeed their 'world tours' doesn't help their sense of security.

i definitely don't want the current North Korean government to continue, but any consensus over the good of its people (unless the people themselves rise up), would also seem to be a bargain that includes keeping power where it currently lays. I think this may be what south korea feels, too.

[homasse]

The thing is, though, North Korea having/not having nuclear weapons has very little to do with why no one will attack them.

Do you know why Bush stopped referring to N. Korea as part of the "Axis of Evil"? Why even Bush went the diplomatic route with N. Korea, before they had nukes, whenever everywhere else got guns a-blazin'?

Seoul is 31 km away from the border.

N. Korea has enough regular artillery pointed at it to pretty effectively fuck Seoul up, and by proxy, S. Korea's government and economy. It would be the most pyrrhic war ever, since S. Korea would then curbstomp North Korea hard, but Seoul, which is the economic, governmental, and intellectual heart of South Korea, would be pretty ruined. Even Bush knew that was not the route to go. That's why the appeasement route has been used so long (that, and no one wants a war on the peninsula - the US would be treaty-bound to aid S. Korea, and China would come in for N. Korea, and NO ONE wants the clusterfuck of a war involving the US and China, least of all, well, the US and

[lonely_hour]

I see. I totally forgot about the China-north korea alliance o_o . That kind of taciturn behavior is like the awareness that one of syria's neighbours is israel.

Hmm, wouldn't call it the most pyrrhic war ever, though...save that for what happened to russia during WWII. Ah such a sticky situation, that was enlightening of you, thank you.

[rex_dart]

wouldn't call it the most pyrrhic war ever, though...save that for what happened to russia during WWII

This is not really a comparison that can be objectively decided or a question that's worth arguing.

[cpsings4him]

This situation just makes me so desperately sad. All those innocent people, just trying their best to live their lives, feed their families...and they just can't. The resources are not there. But that isn't even the saddest part. The saddest part, to me, is that, outside their little personality cult bubble? There's food enough for everyone. But it cannot get in...at least, not in any way that any one contributing can feel assured will go to where it is most needed. Those poor, stunted children.

As for the question regarding South Korea? I just feel like, you know, they've maybe just had enough of shit from the North. It would be hard to be continually the benevolent benefactor with the all the BS the North has pulled over the years. I'm not saying I don't agree with you, that I don't wish that the aid could continue...just that, I must say, I at least somewhat understand why it has not.

[azetburcaptain]

The resources are there, but they're being stolen. >:(

Can't blame South Korea for not doing anything

[jazzypom]

North Korea has been a thorn in their side for years now.