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'Huge Food Shortage In North Korea'(people in Pyongyang start starving)
Sky News ^ | 03/20/08

Posted on 03/25/2008 2:24:40 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster

'Huge Food Shortage In North Korea'

By Sky News

SkyNews - Thursday, March 20 03:18 pmA dire food shortage across North Korea has become so acute it has started to affect the country's elite in the capital, Pyongyang, reports say.

Aid agency Good Friends says food rations for some parts of the city have been cut by up to 60%, while others have seen their supplies cut off completely.

Only citizens who show absolute loyalty to leader Kim Jong Il and his regime are allowed to live in Pyongyang and are considered better off than their fellow countrymen.

But the food situation, which has mostly been felt in rural areas where rations have been suspended since November, has now spread to the city, according to the South Korean aid agency.

"Even ranking officials have run out of their (rationed) food supply, while a ban on (private) trade is strictly maintained," said an unidentified city official quoted by Good Friends.

"It is nothing but a death sentence."

The agency also said farm labourers were staying away from work because they were not getting any food. This was said to be affecting the planting of new crops.

South Korea's Hyundai Economic Research Institute has warned that the rising international cost of grain would impact further on the north's desperate situation.

A famine gripped North Korea during the 1990s, reportedly killing up to two million people. Since then, the country has accepted food aid to feed the population.

But South Korea's new conservative government has signalled it would stop providing unconditional aid to the north.

However, the US government this week sent an humanitarian expert to Seoul to discuss North Korea's food situation.

Last month, the UN's World Food Programme reported that close to a quarter of North Korea's 23 million people are affected by a lack of food.


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: foodshortage; grainprice; korea; nkorea; northkorea; pyongyang
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To: Gay State Conservative

What a sad picture. That says it all!


41 posted on 03/25/2008 9:38:57 AM PDT by Michael81Dus
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To: TigerLikesRooster; AmericanInTokyo; Jet Jaguar; All

All due respect Tiger that news?


42 posted on 03/25/2008 9:43:12 AM PDT by SevenofNine ("We are Freepers, all your media belong to us, resistence is futile")
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Whenever I read one of these stories I always think of MASH, and the pomposity of Alan Alda. Everyone on that show was so SURE Korea would be wonderful if the Americans just left. Check out S. Korea. Check out N. Korea.


43 posted on 03/25/2008 9:45:25 AM PDT by Richard Kimball (Sure, they'd love to kill me, as long as they can do it without admitting I exist)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
Never thought some American leftists' fascination with bio-diesel could have such far reaching effects.

Talk about the law of Unintended Consequences. Imagine a bio-diesel initiative sparking a second Korean War.

44 posted on 03/25/2008 9:47:24 AM PDT by Centurion2000 (su - | echo "All your " | chown -740 us ./base | kill -9 | cd / | rm -r | echo "belong to us")
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To: Centurion2000

oops ... sorry ... not bio-diesel ... ehtanol.


45 posted on 03/25/2008 9:50:08 AM PDT by Centurion2000 (su - | echo "All your " | chown -740 us ./base | kill -9 | cd / | rm -r | echo "belong to us")
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To: TigerLikesRooster

And how are the nuclear negotiations going? In the meantime, let the bastards starve.


46 posted on 03/25/2008 10:11:11 AM PDT by TexasRepublic (When hopelessness replaces hope, it opens the door to evil.)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
Again?

Let them eat missiles.

47 posted on 03/25/2008 10:13:19 AM PDT by KC_Conspirator
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To: moonman; Michael81Dus
We need to send satellite transmissions over there showing Americans stuffing their faces at those great Tennessee buffets or people looking at which steaks to choose from the tray at a Ruth Chris Steak House.

IMO,a much more effective mover would be to transmit TV and radio signals from *South* Korea to ordinary North Koreans.As "Michael81Dus" (a German) knows from personal experience the fact that many ordinary East Germans were able to listen to/watch West German radio and TV played a *huge* role in the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Seeing how South Koreans live day to day (through TV and radio broadcasts) would be far more powerful for their North Korean cousins to see than any photos from this country would be.

48 posted on 03/25/2008 11:21:04 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Women swooned in Mao's presence too.)
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To: Gay State Conservative; moonman

You´re right GSC - and pictures are better than radio. Problem is, that maybe just 10% of N Koreans have TV access. And power must be for rich only, as we can see that there are no lights on at night. The people of N Korea is too weak to stand up against their prison-guards. And we can hardly do a thing as long as China supports that - and does almost the same in Tibet.

Tibet, Myanmar (formerly Birma), N Korea - when will freedom prevail?


49 posted on 03/25/2008 11:32:08 AM PDT by Michael81Dus
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To: Balding_Eagle

“What should we do with our mountains of surplus crops?

I say, burn ‘em.

What do you say?”

And just let the hungry people die?


50 posted on 03/26/2008 4:32:06 AM PDT by RoadTest ( None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies - Isaiah)
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To: RoadTest

What do you say?


51 posted on 03/26/2008 6:31:16 AM PDT by Balding_Eagle (If America falls, darkness will cover the face of the earth for a thousand years.)
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To: Balding_Eagle

“What do you say?”

I say stop lying to the people about global warming and start drilling for oil on our own land and ship the corn to the areas that need them.


52 posted on 03/26/2008 1:05:53 PM PDT by RoadTest ( None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies - Isaiah)
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To: RoadTest

I generally agree with you, with the exception that ship should be changed to sell.


53 posted on 03/26/2008 1:40:07 PM PDT by Balding_Eagle (If America falls, darkness will cover the face of the earth for a thousand years.)
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