» 02/10/2010 10:02 KOREA Seoul: North Koreans risk starvation. Pyongyang admits: monetary policies wrong In 2009 there was a 200 thousand ton decline in the production of wheat. To feed the entire population 5.4 million tonnes needed, but in 2009 the harvest has failed to exceed 4.1 million. The regime confirms that the growth in inflation was caused by currency appreciation, and apologizes to North Koreans.
Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The shortage of food in North Korea is likely to worsen in 2010. Last year, wheat production decreased significantly and the population is at risk of hunger. It was confirmed today by a South Korean official, on condition of anonymity. The crisis has also been admitted by the leadership of the North Korean communist regime: the "Dear Leader" Kim Yong Il, in fact, has "apologised" to the people for inflation caused by currency appreciation and promises best production to provide food to every citizen.
A source from the South Korean Ministry for Unification emphasizes that, in 2009, Pyongyang produced 4.1 million tons of grain, a decrease of 200 thousand tonnes compared to 2008. Far below the 5.4 million tons of grain per year, needed to meet domestic demand and to feed 24 million people. The estimates provided by the Seoul government is based on simulations produced by the Rural Development Administration, which investigated the production data supplied by North Korea, and compares it with other factors such as climate and soil conditions. The decrease of approximately 1.3 million tons of grain is equivalent to almost four months of food stocks.
The decline in production is exacerbated by the suspension of supplies of fertilizer from Seoul - because of tensions over nuclear and missile tests by Pyongyang - and the refusal, in March, of a substantial block of humanitarian aid from the United States.
The serious humanitarian crisis in North Korea is also admitted by the top ranks of the North Korean regime, which admits - grudgingly - that its economic policy has promoted failures. According to the organization Good Friends, a South Korean aid group active in the North, Prime Minister Kim Yong Il has apologized for "the inflation caused by currency appreciation" promoted last year.
It created "confusion and unrest," over the lack of clarity on the price of consumer goods and foodstuffs. Enough to bring back bartering as a method of trade among people. For 2010, the Pyongyang leadership has assured that their "priority will be to resolve the problem food" and ensure a meal to all North Korean citizens.
