U.N. Food Agency Urges Continued Food Aid to DPRK

Food Supply Situation in N. Korea Improved: WFP

The food supply situation in noth Korea has improved in two years with food aid from the international community, the head of the U.N. World Food Program said, and she appealed for continued assistance to the DPRK

On her return from a recent six-day visit to the DPRK, WFP executive director Catherine Bertini said aid programs for north Korea have improved and children, a main target group of its projects, are exhibiting signs of improved health, and "the children are active and have become stronger nutritionally."

Bertini, who made her third visit to the DPRK from Aug. 5 to 10, also noted that her staff were able to ascertain that food aid was being fully distributed to its target groups, including children, hospitals, the elderly and pregnant and nursing women.

During their stay in the DPRK, she and her party visited North Pyongan and North Hamgyong Provinces and toured drought- and flood-stricken areas to review the progress of the WFP relief food operations in the country. The recent flood damage did not have devastating effects, she was quoted as saying by wire reports.

While pointing out the results of food assistance of the international donor community and the DPRK's rehabilitation efforts, she stressed the importance of continued international food assistance to north Korea and appealed to donors to make further contributions. According to the KCNA report, the WFP executive director said the food situation in the DPRK still remain difficult and expressed her will to continue to render aid including food in the future.

"The WFP would not stop humanitarian aid to the north whatever the world's concerns might be... It is absolutely essential that we as human beings carry out our humanitarian responsibility," the chief of the largest international aid organization said in Seoul in a press conference on Aug. 16.

She called especially for south Korea to continue to provide food aid to north Korea, saying that it should become the largest donor of food aid to the north as its "brothers and sisters."

Due to the recent torrential rains and floods which hit north Korea in early August, reportedly more than 90,000 ha of farmland submerged, 20,000 ha of land were washed away and buried under silt.

The U.N. food agency plans to provide 584,619 tons of food to the DPRK over the year ending in next June.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry announced on Aug. 16 that the government will give 4.45 million Norwegian kroner (578,000 dollars) for humanitarian aid to the DPRK.

The funds are earmarked for immediate medical needs and the training of hospital personnel.

The Norwegian government said that it intends to give a further five million kroner (650,000 dollars) to north Korea later this year for the same project. The aid funds are reportedly given through the Norwegian Red Cross to the International Committee of the Red Cross.