Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=1/7/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=WFP/NORTH KOREA (L-O)

NUMBER=2-298120

BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN

DATELINE=GENEVA

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The U-N World Food Program says millions of people in North Korea are going hungry because of a sharp drop in contributions from international donors. Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva.

TEXT: The World Food Program says it has had to cut off assistance because it does not have enough food.

The W-F-P spokeswoman says this means food rations will have to be eliminated for three-million people, including children in school feeding programs, pregnant and nursing mothers, elderly people, and patients in hospitals.

W-F-P spokeswoman Christiane Berthiaume says Japan, which was a huge contributor, cut off aid last year and said it would not renew assistance until relations with North Korea are normalized. South Korea has not cut its food donations to North Korea.

The spokeswoman says the United States has continued to provide aid.

But, she says U-S Officials told Pyongyang in June they would cut back on assistance if the government did not allow aid agencies access to all parts of the country. Ms. Berthiaume notes that 44 of North Korea's 206 counties are off limits to relief workers for what the North Korean government calls security reasons.

/// BERTHIAUME ACT ///

The United States, as always, and is still the most important donor country for W-F-P operations in North Korea. They have given last year in 2002, 157-thousand tons of food. But, since June, they have obviously reduced their contribution because they have linked their contribution to improvement in the distribution of food aid.

/// END ACT ///

Ms. Berthiaume says the reduction in U-S aid is not related to the current dispute over North Korea's nuclear policy.

The World Food Program says last year was the first time since 1995, when the agency began operating in North Korea, that its programs have not been well supplied.

The agency says it needs 80-thousand tons of food to assist six-point-four million North Koreans for the first three-months of this year. But, it has received less than half of what it needs. (SIGNED)

NEB/LS/AWP/RAE