KEP - Food Shortage in N Korea??

ebearwife

I thought you might know something about this?

I was reading the news about Billy Graham's hospitalization and Franklin Graham's trip to N Korea and was curious since it is unusual at best that an American could travel there.  I found an article that the trip was through Samaritan's Purse and that there is a possible dire food shortage in the region and he is with a group assessing the situation.

Thoughts?  More information?

myrall

This isn't a rumor. It's 100% true. The regime has all but starved its population and NK is in the middle of an extreme famine. Rations have run out and the black market is booming for just essentials.

It is so incredibly difficult to get things in and out of NK. My husband's non-profit has actually shipped 40-ft. shipping containers of medical supplies there because the country's infrastructure is so badly damaged. And they had to totally go through back doors to do it.

Relief groups recognize the need to get aid there, but the regime won't allow it - they see much of it as further attempts to impose the will of the West on their country. 

It's terribly, terribly sad.

ETA: People are allowed to visit the country under special circumstances (and many do). I imagine the travel situation is much like traveling to Cuba. It's allowed, but there's no Embassy support and it's not a friendly situation. Most American visitors are put under the guide of official escorts and are not allowed outside the confines of Pyongyang. It's rare that the outside world gets a true peek at what atrocities are being carried out there. Most current information is from dissidents and defectors going across to China. 

ebearwife

This is horrible.    Its a shame a people have to suffer bc of politics.

There just isn't tons of information on this at all.  I did find another article that there are those who speculate that aid would in turn be used as revenue for the government which is a possible reason other countries hesitate to respond.