WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3399/97 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Council. Human rights in North Korea
Date: 1997-10-28
Institutions: AMADEO, European Parliament
Subjects: EU aid, North Korea, Unesco, World Food Programme, food aid, human rights, hunger, international aid, malnutrition

25. 5. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 158/99

(98/C 158/129)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3399/97

by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Council

(28 October 1997)

Subject: Human rights in North Korea

As many as a million people have apparently starved to death in North Korea. The terrifying figure is thought to
appear in a secret North Korean Communist Party document. What is certain in any event is that North Korean
agriculture is in such extreme difficulties that children are suffering from severe malnutrition and are even being
abandoned by the roadside. Farmers are so weak with hunger that they cannot satisfy their needs by cultivating
the land.

According  to  current  estimates,  there  is  a  shortage  of  between  one  and  two  million  tonnes  of  food,  yet  the
requests  to  the  United  Nations  in  April  of  this  year  spoke  of  just  200  000  tonnes.  The  reluctance  to  ask  for
sufficient international aid stems from the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il(cid:146)s fear that the widespread presence
of international agencies necessary to implement a massive food aid programme could undermine his leadership.

Beyond the political manoeuvring, however, North Korea remains trapped in a desperate plight. The country(cid:146)s
civilian  population  has  to  make  do  with  a  daily  intake  of  750  to  1  000  calories,  whereas  2  500  calories  are
required for a normal diet.

Will the Council therefore furnish an official report and appeal to the North Korean Government to remedy the
serious crisis?

Answer

(16 February 1998)

The European Union continues to be concerned about the food situation in North Korea. It has been difficult to
assess the seriousness of this crisis, not least because the North Korean Government has not been transparent
about it. But there are serious grounds to believe that the situation is bad. That is why the European Commission
recently decided on an aid package worth 55 mecus (approximately USD 65 million). These funds are mostly
distributed in close cooperation with the World Food Programme (WFP). The Commission has also dispatched
some independent field workers within the framework of the WFP and UNESCO programmes.

(98/C 158/130)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3400/97

by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission

(28 October 1997)

Subject: Human rights in North Korea

As many as a million people have apparently starved to death in North Korea. The terrifying figure is thought to
appear in a secret North Korean Communist Party document. What is certain in any event is that North Korean
agriculture is in such extreme difficulties that children are suffering from severe malnutrition and are even being
abandoned by the roadside. Farmers are so weak with hunger that they cannot satisfy their needs by cultivating
the land.

According  to  current  estimates,  there  is  a  shortage  of  between  one  and  two  million  tonnes  of  food,  yet  the
requests  to  the  United  Nations  in  April  of  this  year  spoke  of  just  200  000  tonnes.  The  reluctance  to  ask  for
sufficient international aid stems from the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il(cid:146)s fear that the widespread presence
of international agencies necessary to implement a massive food aid programme could undermine his leadership.

Beyond the political manoeuvring, however, North Korea remains trapped in a desperate plight. The country(cid:146)s
civilian  population  has  to  make  do  with  a  daily  intake  of  750  to  1  000  calories,  whereas  2  500  calories  are
required for a normal diet.

Will the Commission therefore furnish an official report and appeal to the North Korean Government to remedy
the serious crisis?