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DPRK GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS FROM OUR
INTERNET APPEAL TO QUESTIONS ON FAMINE SITUATION, DISTRIBUTION AND
DONATION POLICY
The following written response to our questions, presented during our rice distribution visit to Pyongyang this week, was given to us on March 12, the day of our departure. TEXT FOLLOWS The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Pyongyang, D.P.R.K Tel: 850-381-2-7222 Fax: 850-2-381-4660
Mr. Bernard Krisher Dear Mr. Krisher: We would like to thank you for your Internet Home Page on behalf of the flood victims and your most recent donation of 260 metric tons of rice collected through this campaign which you distributed directly to the civilian populations in Unpa, Anju and Huichon this past week. In answer to the questions you have posed, I would like to answer as follows: Question (1): We have recently read that you have stopped accepting international donations for the flood victims. But it is not clear if this is a unilateral decision or only directed against certain kinds of donations. Could you please clarify the situation? Answer: We are disappointed that our international appeal, to help victims of the severe floods which hit our country last fall and caused vast destruction of our crops, has been misused and politicized by some countries and people who wish use this calamity to their advantage. They have attached political or other self-interest conditions to such aid. Their campaign has been aimed at blocking donations, causing mistrust of our distribution system and creating a picture of instability in our society. This is a slanderous campaign challenging our dignity. Therefore we are rejecting any aid associated with such a campaign including that from South Korean authorities some of whose sinister forces politicize the humanitarian aid because they wish to place obstacles and hindrances in the way of donations. The South Korean authorities issued a study report stating North Korea had sufficient rice so there was no need to donate cereals. Because of this, other countries' organizations will not supply aid to us. We do not deny all aid. Aid based on pure humanitarian motives is continuing. We are also disappointed in organizations which pledged aid but have not provided it, donors who have requested unacceptable and humiliating conditions or demanded duplicated inspections which have already been satisfactorily conducted by appropriate UN agencies and duly reported. We are also wary of those who have caused undue delays in providing the emergency aid they promised. We are a society dedicated to providing fair and equal care to our people. We spared no effort after the floods to reconstruct homes and provide the necessities they lost. We were able to achieve such reconstruction in a minimum period under our Juche philosophy and we are able to survive even the critical food shortage through Juche, if necessary. However we cannot deny that we face a very severe food shortage in the coming months, until this year's harvest, if a large amount of rice is not imported. Our need is only rice. Some countries and organizations, well meaning and otherwise, have decided to ignore this need and send us materials we do not require. We reject such aid. Consequently we have also decided to issue no new appeals. We will not refuse aid already promised or sincere and humanitarian future aid from countries or organizations which have not stipulated conditions or politicized their aid. We are grateful to those who sincerely wish to aid us in this respect. Question (2): There have been media reports that international donations designated to the flood victims may have been distributed to the military. Can you comment on this? Answer: It is slanderous to imply that the international and private donations to our flood victims have been distributed to the military. Such statements are groundless. Those donations will not be, cannot be and are not given to the military. They are all provided without exception to the civilian population. Such international organizations as the WFP, UNDP and UNICEF have all monitored the distribution system of rice and are satisfied such donations have been properly distributed. Question (3): As rice is the only commodity you require, what is the best procedure for private organizations to help the flood victims? Answer: There are several ways-- (a) Donors may transfer cash by bank transfer to The Flood and Rehabilitation Committee and may contact us directly by fax to learn the means of transferring such funds to us. Donors will receive full written documentation and photos of their donations' distribution. They can discuss the details of such donations by sending us a fax and we will respond. (b) Donors may also purchase rice directly and ship it to one of our ports consigned to our committee. When it arrives and again when it is distributed we will provide a full accounting and documentation to the donors. We can also refer potential donors of rice to several firms, located in Europe, which will provide such rice (35 percent/broken) at $250 per metric ton including transportation to Nampo port. Donors may then negotiate with these firms directly. (c) Donations may also be made through the World Food Program or other private organizations with whom we are in close and regular contact s uch your Internet Campaign and others. The best way to deliver actual cereal donations is through the World Food Program as they are expert in this field. The most important donation now is cereals but other assistance is also still acceptable if it is not attached to any sinister political conditions. Question (4) Can you provide me with the current food situation? Is there a famine as has been reported or severe cases of malnutrition? Answer: No one can deny that the destruction of our stored rice and lost crop in our farm belt has resulted in severe belt tightening among our populations. We do face a growing food shortage as the statistics disseminated by the FAO and WFP indicate. Their independent February report states "The U.N. WFP/FAO mission found that production, imports and already committed food aid would only cover 4.8 million tons of rice, leaving a shortfall of some 1.2 million tons to feed a quarter of North Korea's 22 million people devastated by the flood." Sincerely yours,
Li Jong Hua
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