"Starving to the Point of Mass Escape"... 'North Korea Food Crisis' Approaching a Breaking Point

"Over 700 Deaths in 3 Correctional Facilities Over 2 Years"
Military Rations Reduced... Starvation Reaches 'Affluent Area' Kaesong
Ministry of Unification and Presidential Office Clash Over 'Starvation Observations'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] Signals that North Korea's food crisis has reached a critical point continue to be detected. Following testimonies of numerous starvation deaths across various regions, news has emerged that prisoners suffering from hunger in correctional facilities have collectively escaped. However, the Ministry of Unification, which compiles these trends, has been criticized for causing confusion by reversing its assessment of North Korea's food situation multiple times within a few days.

According to sources on North Korea on the 22nd, dozens of prisoners escaped en masse from correctional facilities in provincial areas such as Pyongan Province and Hwanghae Province from the end of last year to early this year. Correctional facilities correspond to detention centers similar to prisons in South Korea, and are known to have very poor living conditions.

North Korean soldiers are moving around Kaepung County, Hwanghae Province, North Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

As North Korea's economic difficulties deepen, the food rationed to correctional facilities has become insufficient, and with middle managers embezzling even that, some prisoners risked their lives to escape. It is explained that during their escape, they committed crimes such as theft and murder to seize food, increasing residents' anxiety. North Korean authorities have banned nighttime travel and conducted random inspections around the correctional facilities where escapes occurred for several months, but are reportedly struggling to make arrests.

There is also news that about 700 prisoners have starved or died from illness over the past two years in three detention facilities, including Kaechon Correctional Facility in South Pyongan Province. North Korea's border closure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 worsened the food shortage and made food distribution in correctional facilities even more inadequate. Prisoners suffer frequent beatings and intense forced labor, but medical support is reportedly so poor that even injured prisoners cannot receive timely treatment. There are also cases where dozens died due to infectious diseases spreading within the correctional facilities.

"Worst since the Arduous March"... Even Soldiers' Food Rations Reduced

In September 2012, North Korean farmers in Kaesong are sorting harvested corn in the field. [Image source=Getty Images]

North Korea's economic difficulties have intensified due to last spring's drought, summer floods, and border closures caused by the spread of COVID-19. Last year, North Korea's food crop production was surveyed at 4.51 million tons, a decrease of 180,000 tons compared to the previous year, and even if grain imports from outside at usual levels are made, it is estimated that there will be a shortage of more than 800,000 tons compared to demand. Recently, for the first time since the 2000s, the grain ration per soldier was reduced, and numerous starvation deaths have been observed across various regions. It is reported that even in Kaesong, considered a wealthy area, people are dying of hunger.

Our government views that besides natural disasters and quarantine controls, 'policy failures' have worsened the food crisis. North Korea began implementing a grain policy strengthening government control from October last year, but distribution problems arose instead. Initially, North Korea's intention seemed to be to crack down on grain transactions between individuals while adjusting purchase prices to realistic levels. However, as transactions shrank, supply and demand problems occurred, and those who sustained their livelihoods through markets were also hit, resulting in problems in food procurement.

'Starvation Deaths Occurring' Yes or No... Ministry of Unification Reverses Assessment

Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Initially, the Ministry of Unification maintained a stance denying the occurrence of 'starvation deaths.' Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se also appeared at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee plenary session on the 15th and said, "I do not think starvation deaths are occurring in large numbers."

However, the Presidential Office held a Standing Committee meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) on the 18th, immediately after North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 'Hwasong-15' launch, and stated, "We deplore that despite the serious food crisis causing numerous starvation deaths, North Korea is neglecting human rights and people's livelihoods while focusing on nuclear and missile development." This was the first official acknowledgment of starvation deaths by the North under the current government. The next day, the Ministry of Unification reversed its previous assessment and issued a statement on the remarks by Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the North Korean Workers' Party, mentioning "a serious food crisis including numerous starvation deaths."

An official from the Ministry of Unification explained the reason for the differing opinions, saying, "(Minister Kwon Young-se's remarks) meant that the number of starvation deaths is not as large as during the Arduous March period," and added, "We have collected related circumstances and information through various channels and comprehensively considered evaluations from related agencies, concluding that starvation deaths are occurring in some areas. We will only disclose that the occurrence is 'recent.'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.