Voice of America 5/11/97
NORTH KOREAN ARMY / FOOD
BYLINE=CHRIS SIMKINS
DATELINE=HONG KONG
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: A PUBLISHED REPORT FROM HONG
KONG TODAY (SUNDAY) SAYS WIDESPREAD
HUNGER IN NORTH KOREA HAS LEFT MANY
OF THE NATION'S SOLDIERS STARVING AND
LOOTING HOMES FOR FOOD. AS CORRESPONDENT
CHRIS SIMKINS REPORTS FROM THE V-O-A
ASIA NEWS CENTER, ANALYSTS SAY
INSTABILITY IN THE COUNTRY IS GROWING,
AS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FEEL
THE IMPACT OF FOOD SHORTAGES.
TEXT: HONG KONG'S "SOUTH CHINA DAILY"
SAYS MANY NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS ARE
SO HUNGRY THEY ARE BREAKING INTO
HOMES DEMANDING FOOD AND MONEY.
THE PAPER REPORTS NORTH KOREA'S FOOD
SHORTAGE HAS BECOME SO WIDESPREAD
IT IS TAKING ITS TOLL ON THE NATION'S
MILLION-PERSON ARMY.
THE NEWSPAPER QUOTES ETHNIC KOREAN
CHINESE WHO RECENTLY VISITED RELATIVES
IN THE COUNTRY AS SAYING ARMED SOLDIERS
WERE SEEN CONDUCTING NIGHT TIME RAIDS
ON HOMES IN SEVERAL CITIES. SOME
ACCOUNTS SAY THE NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS
ARE HOLDING DOMESTIC ANIMALS HOSTAGE,
FORCING PEASANTS TO REVEAL WHERE THEY
KEEP THEIR GRAIN.
ANALYSTS SAY THE FOOD CRISIS IS
CONTRIBUTING TO POLITICAL INSTABILITY
IN NORTH KOREA. CHARLES MORRISON --
WITH THE ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC
COOPERATION FORUM (APEC) EAST-WEST
STUDY CENTER IN HAWAII -- SAYS EFFORTS
SHOULD BE ACCELERATED BY OTHER
COUNTRIES TO CONVINCE NORTH KOREA
TO TAKE PART IN FOUR-PARTY PEACE TALKS.
/// MORRISON ACTUALITY ///
ANY INCREASED INSTABILITY IN THE NORTH
KOREA COULD BE A FACTOR THAT CREATES
INSTABILITY IN THE COUNTRIES AROUND
NORTH KOREA SO IT IS SOMETHING ON
WHICH THE U-S , SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN AND
CHINA ALL HAVE A VERY BIG STAKE AND
WILL HAVE TO WORK VERY CLOSELY TOGETHER.
/// END ACTUALITY ///
PYONGYANG SAYS THE FOOD CRISIS HAS NOT
AFFECTED THE NORMAL OPERATIONS OF ITS
MILITARY. BUT REPORTS NEAR THE CHINESE
BORDER SAY MANY NORTH KOREAN ARMY
BATTALIONS HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO CLEAR
FOREST TO PLANT THEIR OWN FOOD. OTHER
TROOPS ARE SAID TO BE WORKING IN
FACTORIES WHERE THE LABOR FORCE IS
TOO WEAK TO WORK. DR. STEPHEN LINTON --
AN AMERICAN AID WORKER WHO VISITED
NORTH KOREA TWO MONTHS AGO -- SAYS
THE COUNTRY'S FOOD SHORTAGE IS THE
WORSE IN ITS HISTORY.
/// LINTON ACTUALITY ///
THE CHILDREN LOOKED A LOT BETTER
THAN ANYONE ELSE BUT I THINK THE FOOD
SHORTAGE NOW IS REACHING DOWN INTO
THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS, AS WELL.
THEY LOOK BETTER THAN THE OLDER
PEOPLE BUT, CLEARLY, THEY ARE
BEGINNING TO FEEL THE IMPACT OF THIS
THING. I DO NOT THINK THEY CAN
SUSTAIN LIFE LIKE THIS WITHOUT SOME
SORT OF RESPITE.
//// END ACTUALITY ///
NORTH KOREA'S FOOD CRISIS WAS BROUGHT
ON BY TWO CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF
MASSIVE FLOODS THAT DEVASTATED
MOST OF THE COUNTRY'S CORN AND
RICE CROPS.
DR. LINTON SAYS THE AVERAGE ADULT
IN NORTH KOREA IS GETTING ONLY 100 TO
200 GRAMS OF GRAIN A DAY. REPORTS
NOW SAY EVEN NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS
ONLY AVERAGE BETWEEN 500 TO 600 OF
GRAMS OF GRAIN A DAY. DOCTORS SAY
A PERSON SHOULD GET AT LEAST ONE
KILOGRAM OF GRAIN A DAY, IF THEY ARE
NOT GETTING ANY OTHER FOOD.
NORTH KOREAN OFFICIALS HAD
ACKNOWLEDGED THE FOOD SUPPLIES WOULD
RUN OUT BY THE END OF APRIL. THE
UNITED NATIONS FOOD AID AGENCY
SAYS NORTH KOREA NEEDS AT LEAST
ONE POINT-THREE-MILLION TONS OF
ADDITIONAL FOOD TO MEET ITS BASIC
NEEDS THIS YEAR. IN AN EFFORT TO HELP,
NORTH AND SOUTH KOREAN RED CROSS
OFFICIALS WILL TRY TO REVIVE TALKS
THAT BROKE DOWN LAST WEEK, AIMED
AT GETTING MORE FOOD TO NORTH KOREA.
(SIGNED)
NEB / CS / WD
11-May-97 4:44 AM EDT (0844 UTC)
NNNN
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
