UN report details humanitarian crisis in North Korea

(Vatican Radio) The United Nations has released a report this week describing the extent and details of the humanitarian crisis in North Korea – a crisis the report says is chronic and underfunded.

The report on the needs and priorities of the country in 2015 includes a call for $111 million to fund its humanitarian operations, which give assistance to some 18 million food-insecure North Koreans.

Funding for those operations has decreased by more than 80 per cent over the past decade.

The UN Resident Coordinator in North Korea, Ghulam Isaczai, said that 2 million people, mostly children, pregnant women, mothers of young children, and elderly persons, are facing severe hunger and malnutrition. In addition, some 350 thousand women and children are in need of basic medical care. “We are appealing for more aid and support to keep the U.N. operation going. And if we don't provide the support, the gains we have made over the years will be reversed,” Isaczai said.

Isaczai went on to explain that the humanitarian crisis in North Korea is exacerbated by both natural and political factors, including a combination of extreme weather and agricultural mismanagement.

He said the U.N. is working with the government in North Korea to develop a 5-year plan to address structural causes of the crisis.