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The light brown sack with large green lettering is from S. Korea, marked, "Rice." Two sacks behind it are marked with American flag, which were donations from U.S.. |
Posted on 02/15/2005 3:33:56 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
/begin my summary
Most of the following photos are found at this link while most of the story is from another link.
The following photos are from a video taken last July in Sunam Market, Chongjin, N. Korea. Due to tightened security at Sino-N. Korean border, RENK could not get hold of the video until recently. RENK is a Japanese organization dedicated to N. Korean human rights and refugees. Donated grains from international relief agencies, intended for victims of Ryongchon explosion last April, were diverted by N. Korean officials. They sold the grains to merchants at market price, pocketing tidy sums of money for themselves. The following photos show these grains on sale at Sunam Market, Chongjin.
In the video, the following conversations took place between merchants and the person who was taking the video (clandestinely.)
[dialogue 1]
merchant : Would you buy some rice? video-man: They look good.... merchant : They came in from the recent shipment of aid. video-man: Where did they come from? merchant : They are from Ryongchon relief dontion. I went all the way to Ryongchon to get them. video-man: I see, that is why they are expensive. (In the video, the rice sack has a price tag, "450 Won for a kilo.")
[dialogue 2]
video-man: Do you have cold medicine? merchant : Yes, we do. video-man: What brand? merchant : It's (donated) U.N. medicine. video-man: Let me see the label. merchant : They are all good. They are all U.N. medicine.
Ryongchon is in N. W. N. Korea, near the Yellow Sea. Chongjin is on the shore of Eastern Sea(Sea of Japan.) in N.E. N. Korea. They are a few hundred kilometers apart in terms of road travel. Due to dire shortage of transportation, a large amount of grains cannot be moved by ordinary people. Another indication that people in power were involved.
The Daily NK plans to release the video soon.
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Donated American grains sold at Sunam Market in Chongjin, N. Korea | ||
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In the background, the board says, "Sunam Market." | ||
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Another picture of donated grains of all kinds in sack on display at this marekt. They are from U.S. or (other international relief agencies.) | ||
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A close-up view of some grains on sale. The sacks say, "White Rice" in Korean on the top. Below you can see red letters, which says, "CARITAS", and its logo. CARITAS is a Catholic relief agency. | ||
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Another picture of donated American grains on sale. | ||
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Donated S. Korean grains in differing sacks on sale. They haven't been even opened yet. | ||
/end my summary
Ping!
Becuase it's a global market now, IMO, everything that is shipped out of the USA ought to be marked with the flag prominantly displayed.
I remember articles about Communists relabeling charitable food donations 30 or more, years ago. Appropriating the labor of others is, and always has been, the m. o. of these miscreants.
Here we have the government apparatchiks discovering that market capitalism is the best way to move a product into the hands of those who need it.
The last time this method was subjected to ill-considered criticism we sent the Rangers into Somalia where they crushed the merchants and the apparatchiks. Then we met AlQaida which had no trouble moving into the power vacuum that resulted.
I suggest we leave these guys alone. Let them get a taste of "profit". The food will get eaten by hungry North Koreans anyway.
Yeah but they paid nothing for it and are pocketing the wholesale receipts for themselves. The resort to capitalism is because that is the only way the can steal.
Much like the lefties and OiL for Food kickbacks in Iraq.
The North Koreans were paying attention to Kofi's and his son's big hauls in that scam.
How sad that the poor are not eating tonight, but those who have money will do so.
It does make one ask how to help those who actually need the help.
It is the same problem all over the world, not only in North Korea.
Making the best of a bad situation we are sending them food and those who have some money are buying it.
Else all would starve.
I say let the magic of market capitalism do what it can to enslave even the minds of the most evil of people in order to bring order out of chaos, and to surface whatever amount of good we can find in that awful place.
BTW, no one has to teach Koreans how to steal. Certainly you've been told that before. Don't insult them by suggesting they had to have Kofi as an example.
Obviously having the UN handle the Aid is not working.
UN handle the food supplies.
LOL
I think the UN can only handle money, and not correctly.
A bit off topic, but when I look at these pictures, it is really striking how drab and grey that country is.
Take a look, in particular, at the picture that shows the back of a guy in a green shirt (3rd or 4th one down I think)... that is an area described as a "market"... look how dreadfully bleak that picture looks. And maybe there are selling the sacks of food aid, because there is NOTHING ELSE. It looks like that's all they have there. Maybe a few bags of rice or grain. What a God-awful place that must be to live...it's all grey and dreary and cold and empty. Have you EVER seem a picture taken inside NK where someone is smiling? I never have. Not much reason to smile it good ol' NK, I s'pose.
Bones
North Korea understands that Barnum was right.
I see our government has learned nothing new in the last 50 years.
I defy anyone to prevent the operation of markets except at gunpoint and at great cost.
It is natural, unavoidable, and in my view even for the best that this food has wound up being sold in a market. At least it provides for SOME sort of rational and efficient rationing into the population.
The alternative is distribution by government decision, and really, no government can have any possible idea how to distribute rice - or anything else - efficiently. And in most cases will just be distributed either stupidly, venaly, or by pure favoritism. None of these is preferable to market mechanisms.
It is really encouraging to see this market in operation in North Korea.
On February 20th at 11:05 a.m., Moremax (ch. 513 on DirecTV) is going to show "Welcome to North Korea", which will show "Welcome to North Korea". More info here: http://www.filmakers.com/indivs/WelcomeNorthKorea.htm
I subscribed to Cinemax for the month just to watch this show. I hear it's really fascinating.
Free advice to South Korea: Just invade North Korea if you care at all for your fellow Koreans.
We'll be happy to loan you some B-2s...
Hey Tiger rack your video
Sound like to me North Korea is one backward country that not their fault it more like Little Kim fault
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