Starvation Effective Tool in North Korea
The North Korean government is
using starvation as a means of keeping its population in line
according to Dr. Robert Bedeski (Political Science) who has just
returned from a trip to Northeast Asia, including China, South Korea
and Mongolia. Bedeski says it is unlikely the North Korean government
will lessen its restrictions on food aid from other countries, making
it very difficult for any sort of humanitarian assistance. "In
tolerating a low level of nutrition among the civilian population,
the government can control the population and reduce the possibility
of effective dissent," he says, adding that those highly placed in
the North Korean government and in the army remain amply-fed while as
many as 100,000 North Koreans are interned in concentration camps.
Professor Bedeski conducts research into environmental and arms
control issues as well as social and political change in North east
Asia.
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