Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform

Book Launch and Discussion sponsored by the Asia Society
New York City, March 29, 2007

Welcoming Remarks: Mike Kulma, Director of Policy Programs, Asia Society
Remarks: Marcus Noland, Co-Author, Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform
Moderator: Barbara Demick, Los Angeles Times Seoul Bureau Chief

Executive Summary

On Tuesday, March 29 the Asia Society hosted a book launch with Marcus Noland, co-author of Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform. Los Angeles Times Seoul Bureau Chief Barbara Demick moderated a Q&A with the author following the presentation of his thesis to the audience, and she stated that she "was thrilled to read the book as a journalist because after following North Korea for about 5 years, and we [journalists] are always dealing with anecdotal material. Marcus has but everything in perspective with academic clarity." In his opening remarks, Mike Kulma noted the timeliness of the discussion, stating that "news reports have again focused attention on North Korea's limited capacity to feed it population. These reports suggest that North Korea is facing a shortfall of up to 1 million tons of food, which is approximately 20 percent of the food needed to feed its 23 million people. With the world food program and other agencies having their work cut back by the North Koreans in recent years, with recent floods wiping out part of the crops, and with the not unrelated and ongoing negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program, the factors continue to clime and combine to the detriment of the people of North Korea."

In their book, Stephen Haggard and Marcus Noland characterize the deplorable economic situation in North Korea. In the mid-1990s, as many as one million North Koreans died in one of the worst famines of the twentieth century. The socialist food distribution system collapsed primarily because of a misguided push for self-reliance, but was compounded by the regime's failure to formulate a quick response—including the blocking of desperately needed humanitarian relief. As households, enterprises, local party organs, and military units tried to cope with the economic collapse, a grassroots process of marketization took root. However, rather than embracing these changes, the North Korean regime opted for tentative economic reforms with ambiguous benefits and a self-destructive foreign policy. As a result, a chronic food shortage continues to plague North Korea today.

Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland present the most comprehensive and penetrating account of the famine to date, examining not only the origins and aftermath of the crisis but also the regime's response to outside aid and the effect of its current policies on the country's economic future. Their study begins by considering the root causes of the famine, weighing the effects of the decline in the availability of food against its poor distribution. Then it takes a close look at the aid effort, addressing the difficulty of monitoring assistance within the country, and concludes with an analysis of current economic reforms and strategies of engagement. North Korea's famine exemplified the depredations that can arise from tyrannical rule and the dilemmas such regimes pose for the humanitarian community, as well as the obstacles inherent in achieving economic and political reform. To reveal the state's culpability in this tragic event is a vital project of historical recovery, one that is especially critical in light of our current engagement with the "North Korean question."