US 'not withholding food aid from North Korea'

[EnglishLady]

BBC News

US officials have denied an accusation from former President Jimmy Carter that the US is withholding food aid from North Korea.

A state department official said the North Korean government was responsible for the plight of its people.

US food aid was suspended two years ago after the North said it was not wanted.

North Korea has warned of severe food shortages this year as a result of the harsh winter. The UN has announced plans to distribute emergency food aid.

The UN's World Food Programme said 3.5m people in the North who were suffering from malnutrition would be fed.

The WFP said the operation "will include the highest standards of monitoring and control to ensure that food gets to where it is needed".

A regular concern of donors to North Korea is that aid gets siphoned off to the large armed forces and does not reach those most in need.

US and South Korean officials have blamed North Korea's autocratic government for the chronic food shortages the country faces.

North Korea has been dependent on food aid since famine in the mid-1990s.

'Human rights violation'

After a three-day trip to North Korea last week Mr Carter accused the US and South Korea of human rights violations against North Koreans by withholding food aid.

"One of the most important human rights is to have food to eat, and for South Korea and the US and others to deliberately withhold food aid to the North Korean people is really a human rights violation," he said.

"As you know well, the North Koreans were the ones who abruptly suspended the aid program in 2009, ordering our humanitarian personnel to leave the country and leave behind 20,000 metric tons of US food," the state department's director of policy planning, Jacob Sullivan, said.

"Everyone should remember who is responsible for the plight of the North Korean people, and that is the North Korean government itself," he said.

State department spokesperson Darragh Paradiso said on Thursday that US policy towards North Korea was "consistent with our long-standing goal of providing emergency humanitarian assistance to the people of countries around the world where there are legitimate humanitarian needs".

The US remained "concerned about the well being of the North Korean people," she said.

 

[layoutshooter]

Carter needs to dry up and blow away. He is so full of garbage it is beyond belief. The North Korean government is one of the most demonic governments the world has ever seen. They fit right in with China, Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany.

 

[blackpup]

The North Korean government can not feed their own people, but they can build missiles and nuclear weapons. Prime example of a government gone amok.

jimmy

 

[layoutshooter]

The North Korean government can not feed their own people, but they can build missiles and nuclear weapons. Prime example of a government gone amok.

jimmy

This is what happens when a government takes over food production. The Soviets had a lot of problems when they controlled farm production as well. North Korea keeps their people a little hungry and weak to control them. They are always sure that their military is well fed and strong.

Just as government is not able to create wealth and REAL jobs they cannot farm better than a private land owner can.

 

[greg334]

South Korea has enough money that they themselves can defend the DMZ and feed North Korea.

 

[layoutshooter]

South Korea has enough money that they themselves can defend the DMZ and feed North Korea.

Why should South Korea feed the north? I doubt they have enough land to produce that much food.

 

[blackpup]

South Korea has enough money that they themselves can defend the DMZ and feed North Korea.

The US. does need to tend to it's own problems, not foreign entanglements.

But I get a little nervous about a rogue government having missiles and nuclear weapons.

I would also say the US. does not have to be responsible for other countries policies and problems.

 

[greg334]

The US. does need to tend to it's own problems, not foreign entanglements.

But I get a little nervous about a rogue government having missiles and nuclear weapons.

I would also say the US. does not have to be responsible for other countries policies and problems.

The problem is that there is no rogue government, nothing is hidden and the NK government is recognized. Not to pick on you, but your comment illustrates the problem we are forcing others to think like we are or force them to think like the UN wants them to think. Libya is a great example.

 

[EnglishLady]

The problem is that there is no rogue government, nothing is hidden and the NK government is recognized. Not to pick on you, but your comment illustrates the problem we are forcing others to think like we are or force them to think like the UN wants them to think. Libya is a great example.

Maybe "rogue" is not correct if it was an elected Government ... how about hostile to other nations

 

[blackpup]

The problem is that there is no rogue government, nothing is hidden and the NK government is recognized. Not to pick on you, but your comment illustrates the problem we are forcing others to think like we are or force them to think like the UN wants them to think. Libya is a great example.

By rogue government I was referring to their Nuclear blackmail policies. Not the North Korean government's legitimacy.

I agree with you with over not trying to force other cultures to think as Americans do.

Layoutshooter also has a point over commitments that America has made to other countries.

Particularly the comment about jimmy carter drying up and blowing away

jimmy

jimmy

 

[greg334]

Well to answer both posts, the NK hasn't invaded another country since we have had a cease fire, they haven't launched a nuke nor have they actually come out and demanded anything like a ransom.

HOWEVER, we have invaded several countries in the past, threaten them and now as of today, our military has overstepped a mandate in libya. ALONG with that, the UN has done its share of the same thing too.

Hate to admit this but if anyone is rogue, it is the US and the UN members.

 

[blackpup]

Kidnapping Japanese citizens comes to mind. Sinking South Korean ship, shelling South Korean base, issuing threats if the US. and South Korea carried out scheduled military exercises.

Yeah the US. will probably regret having UN membership one day. I would not disagree even a little bit.

As for invading and threatening other countries, I think the US. had good intentions. Unfortunately the old saying, the road to hades is paved with good intentions, comes to mind

jimmy

 

[clcooper]

Well to answer both posts, the NK hasn't invaded another country since we have had a cease fire, they haven't launched a nuke nor have they actually come out and demanded anything like a ransom. .

so the tunnels under the DMZ was before the cease fire . and there is 4 tunnels .

 

[greg334]

Tunnels under the DMZ is not what I'm talking about. They are still at war with SK and it is SK problem, not ours.

 

[layoutshooter]

South Korea MIGHT be able to handle North Korea. There is NO way they can handle a North Korea which is backed by China and or Russia. IF you believe that the "Cold War" is over there is NO problem and everything is OKEE DOKEE.

We could pull out and likely little would happen, I doubt that, but it could work out that way. We would have to find other areas to continue the "other" work that we do in South Korea besides helping to man the DMZ. Same with Japan, Germany etc. There is FAR more to what we do than just provide combat troops.

 

[layoutshooter]

South Korea MIGHT be able to handle North Korea. There is NO way they can handle a North Korea which is backed by China and or Russia. IF you believe that the "Cold War" is over there is NO problem and everything is OKEE DOKEE.

We could pull out and likely little would happen, I doubt that, but it could work out that way. We would have to find other areas to continue the "other" work that we do in South Korea besides helping to man the DMZ. Same with Japan, Germany etc. There is FAR more to what we do than just provide combat troops.

 

[greg334]

DO you actually think that China will involved itself in a war with SK by supporting NK?

Seriously?

I feel China has told the little man to either stop with the BS or get invaded by them. They have a large ready army at their disposal and with the news blackout that the NK have, not one person in the west would know what happened until China told the world.

What do we do than man the DMZ?

We shouldn't even do that. SK is a rich country, Japan is a rich country, and so are a few others who have a Direct Stake in any action. Let them either fund our operation 100% or get the troops home.

 

[layoutshooter]

DO you actually think that China will involved itself in a war with SK by supporting NK?

Seriously?

I feel China has told the little man to either stop with the BS or get invaded by them. They have a large ready army at their disposal and with the news blackout that the NK have, not one person in the west would know what happened until China told the world.

What do we do than man the DMZ?

We shouldn't even do that. SK is a rich country, Japan is a rich country, and so are a few others who have a Direct Stake in any action. Let them either fund our operation 100% or get the troops home.

There are certain types of intell work that HAVE to be done were we are doing them now because there is just NO other possible way, or places, to do that work. The laws of radio propagation cannot be changed. The work MUST be done, by us, so there is no other option.

SK IS an intell partner, to a degree. Same with Japan. We do NOT share 100% of every thing we do with every body.

Pull the combat troops off the DMZ? Could be done. That would put our intell troops at greater risk. There is just far more to it than meets the eye.

 

[clcooper]

DO you actually think that China will involved itself in a war with SK by supporting NK?

Seriously?

I feel China has told the little man to either stop with the BS or get invaded by them. They have a large ready army at their disposal and with the news blackout that the NK have, not one person in the west would know what happened until China told the world.

What do we do than man the DMZ?

We shouldn't even do that. SK is a rich country, Japan is a rich country, and so are a few others who have a Direct Stake in any action. Let them either fund our operation 100% or get the troops home.

China did it once before. why wouldnt they do it agian . the only place you will see any USA is right at the meeting spot (i forget what the call it ). where the building is half on north half on south . the rest of the DMZ is maned by the South Koreans .

South Korea is not rich . South Korea needs the US over there . they are not big on defense .

South Korea would not be able to feed all of the North . they dont have much crop land to start with .
South Korea built a train into North .but the North backed out . yes the USA helped to build it or fund it. it was to help get feed the north
i was there in 09

Originally Posted by greg334
""Well to answer both posts, the NK hasn't invaded another country since we have had a cease fire
Tunnels under the DMZ is not what I'm talking about.""

what do you call digging tunnels into another country then . to me that is invading another country

 

[greg334]

I think both of you miss a point, SK can afford to pay us for our services. Other countries who are at "risk" can be involved and rotate troops within the DMZ while we have to evaluate our position within the world and the expenditure of funds to maintain troops in places they are not needed - the DMZ is one place where we can pull out of and have SK, Japan and others step in.

Germany, Balkans, France, Africa, and other places should be also vacated by us.

China did it once before. why wouldnt they do it agian . the only place you will see any USA is right at the meeting spot (i forget what the call it ). where the building is half on north half on south . the rest of the DMZ is maned by the South Koreans .

At the time they were involved, the times were different, china was a closed country and was the Soviets. We didn't have a global trading network, we didn't have China branching out into Africa to acquire resources they need to grow more and they were not turning into a capitalist society.

It would have to be a very serious reason for them to get involved with NK and another conflict with SK and the UN - like an attack on China by the US.

South Korea is not rich . South Korea needs the US over there . they are not big on defense .

SK is a very rich and very industrious country and can stand on their own without a problem. They can also pay for us being there which they contribute nothing at this moment. IT isn't our border, it is theirs and the real issue is that we can protect theirs for what ever reason but we refuse to protect ours.

South Korea would not be able to feed all of the North . they dont have much crop land to start with .
South Korea built a train into North .but the North backed out . yes the USA helped to build it or fund it. it was to help get feed the north
i was there in 09

Well I don't care, to be exact they can turn to their neighbors to the south for help or even China.

As for a train, we can't build our own here but we can for another country - isn't that a waste of our money.

Originally Posted by greg334
""Well to answer both posts, the NK hasn't invaded another country since we have had a cease fire
Tunnels under the DMZ is not what I'm talking about.""

what do you call digging tunnels into another country then . to me that is invading another country

Actually no it isn't an invasion, they are still at war. Invasion would imply they are not at war, and there is no aggression on either side - which there is. The DMZ is a buffer to give them time but it isn't a wall to stop them. Beside I bet the same thing has been initiated by SK too.