North Korea

Today's New York Times has a story about North Korea that has had me thinking about my seven months working there with CARE and the U.N.'s World Food Program (WFP) in 1998.  Things were not good then and appear to be much worse now.  It is incredible that, 55-60 years ago, North Korea had the stronger and more industrialized economy of the two Koreas.  Today there is no comparison:  night-time satellite images show a dark northern half of the Korean peninsula and a south lit up like a Christmas tree.  (Click on The Mess that is North Korea to see the NYT heart wrenching story.  You can read more about my experiences there, and a bunch of pictures, by clicking My North Korea Experiences).

I don't see any way the North Korea problem can be solved without some initiative and leadership from within the country, either in the form of a popular uprising or a military coup.  An uprising seems unlikely from a cowed population unless it is somehow energized by some central (surely military) leadership that demonstrates a coup's relevance to it instead of just a play at the top.  So for the North Korean population as a whole, and for the outside world, it's a wait and see game -- and likely one of seeing who is going to pick up the pieces when things just totally collapse.

So, today I'm thinking:

Where are these people today, and how are they doing?

Did these kids survive?  They should be vibrant teenagers now.











What do these village leaders and party members really think about the current state of affairs?

I'm sad for these people today.  They were most hospitable to us on our many, many field trips and I wish them relief, a full stomach, and opportunities to do more with their lives than just survive.