WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3400/97 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Human rights in North Korea
25. 5. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 158/99 (98/C 158/129) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3399/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Council (28 October 1997) Subject: Human rights in North Korea As many as a million people have apparently starved to death in North Korea. The terrifying figure is thought to appear in a secret North Korean Communist Party document. What is certain in any event is that North Korean agriculture is in such extreme difficulties that children are suffering from severe malnutrition and are even being abandoned by the roadside. Farmers are so weak with hunger that they cannot satisfy their needs by cultivating the land. According to current estimates, there is a shortage of between one and two million tonnes of food, yet the requests to the United Nations in April of this year spoke of just 200 000 tonnes. The reluctance to ask for sufficient international aid stems from the North Korean leader Kim Jong Ilís fear that the widespread presence of international agencies necessary to implement a massive food aid programme could undermine his leadership. Beyond the political manoeuvring, however, North Korea remains trapped in a desperate plight. The countryís civilian population has to make do with a daily intake of 750 to 1 000 calories, whereas 2 500 calories are required for a normal diet. Will the Council therefore furnish an official report and appeal to the North Korean Government to remedy the serious crisis? Answer (16 February 1998) The European Union continues to be concerned about the food situation in North Korea. It has been difficult to assess the seriousness of this crisis, not least because the North Korean Government has not been transparent about it. But there are serious grounds to believe that the situation is bad. That is why the European Commission recently decided on an aid package worth 55 mecus (approximately USD 65 million). These funds are mostly distributed in close cooperation with the World Food Programme (WFP). The Commission has also dispatched some independent field workers within the framework of the WFP and UNESCO programmes. (98/C 158/130) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3400/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (28 October 1997) Subject: Human rights in North Korea As many as a million people have apparently starved to death in North Korea. The terrifying figure is thought to appear in a secret North Korean Communist Party document. What is certain in any event is that North Korean agriculture is in such extreme difficulties that children are suffering from severe malnutrition and are even being abandoned by the roadside. Farmers are so weak with hunger that they cannot satisfy their needs by cultivating the land. According to current estimates, there is a shortage of between one and two million tonnes of food, yet the requests to the United Nations in April of this year spoke of just 200 000 tonnes. The reluctance to ask for sufficient international aid stems from the North Korean leader Kim Jong Ilís fear that the widespread presence of international agencies necessary to implement a massive food aid programme could undermine his leadership. Beyond the political manoeuvring, however, North Korea remains trapped in a desperate plight. The countryís civilian population has to make do with a daily intake of 750 to 1 000 calories, whereas 2 500 calories are required for a normal diet. Will the Commission therefore furnish an official report and appeal to the North Korean Government to remedy the serious crisis?