North Koreans are facing dire conditions of starvation as the reclusive nation remains isolated from the rest of the world. In a series of secret communications with the BBC, three residents of the totalitarian state shed light on the harrowing realities of watching their neighbors perish from hunger, revealing a potential crisis worse than North Korea’s famine in the 1990s that claimed the lives of three million people.
“At first, I was afraid of dying from Covid,” expressed a construction worker, emphasizing the prevailing fear of starvation. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted Pyongyang to fortify its borders with Russia and China by constructing extensive fences spanning hundreds of miles. Reports indicate that authorities have given orders to shoot anyone attempting to cross these heavily guarded borders.
However, these isolation measures have disrupted crucial supply lines necessary for feeding North Korea’s 26 million citizens. Importation of grain, fertilizer, and farming machinery from China has been halted, exacerbating the country’s perennial food shortage. Smugglers, who previously provided food from China through illicit markets, have been deterred by the risk of death associated with border crossings, leaving many North Koreans without access to sustenance.
A local market trader lamented that approximately three-fourths of her supplies used to come from China, but since the pandemic, the stalls have been empty. Desperate North Koreans have resorted to knocking on her door, pleading for food. In a village near the Chinese border, the construction worker disclosed that five people had already succumbed to starvation due to depleted food supplies. In Pyongyang, the capital, a woman recounted the tragic discovery of a family of three found dead in their home, victims of hunger.
Despite acknowledging a “food shortage” afflicting the nation, North Korea’s authoritarian leader, Kim Jong Un, has diverted significant resources toward the country’s nuclear arms program. Last year alone, an estimated $500 million was allocated for testing 63 ballistic missiles, an amount that could have addressed the annual grain deficit in North Korea. This diversion of funds, coupled with the emergence of starvation even among the middle class, is a troubling sign according to experts.
“We are not talking about full-scale societal collapse and mass starvation yet, but this does not look good,” warned North Korea economist Peter Ward in his conversation with the BBC. The past three years have shaken the loyalty of many North Koreans towards their leader. Myong Suk, a resident, reflected on the shifting sentiments, stating, “Before Covid, people viewed Kim Jong Un positively. Now almost everyone is full of discontent.”
{Matzav.com}
Kimchi. Where did it go?