Poverty in North Korea

Poverty in North Korea

Poverty in North Korea is extensive, though reliable statistics are hard to come by due to lack of reliable research, pervasive censorship and extensive media manipulation in North Korea.^{[1][unreliable source?]}

Poverty in North Korea has been widely repeated by Western media sources^[2][3][4] with the majority referring to the famine that affected the country in the mid-1990s.^[5] A 2006 report suggests that North Korea required an estimated 5.3m tonnes of grain per year while harvesting only an estimated 4.5m tonnes, and thus relies on foreign aid to overcome the deficit.^[6] Starvation continues to be a systemic problem. In 2021, there were reports of widespread starvation in North Korea.^[7]

Poverty in North Korea has also been attributed to poor governance by the government and sanctions.^[8] It is estimated that in 2020, 60% of the North Korean population were living below the poverty line.^[9]

See also

• Media coverage of North Korea
• Jangmadang
• Economy of North Korea#Crisis and famine

References

1. "There are no reliable statistics about the poverty rate in North Korea; however, International relief organizations observed severe economic damage and many Koreans suffering from chronic food shortage". Quote from Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Economic Overview, The Eurasia Center. [1] archive
2. Hy-Sang Lee (2001). North Korea: A Strange Socialist Fortress. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-275-96917-2.
3. Hugh Dyson Walker (November 2012). East Asia: A New History. AuthorHouse. p. 657. ISBN 978-1-4772-6516-1.
4. Khan, Mehreen (December 2014). "Six charts that show how North Korea became the most miserable place on earth".
5. Professor Tae-Hwan Kwak; Professor Seung-Ho Joo (28 March 2014). North Korea and Security Cooperation in Northeast Asia. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-4724-1786-2.
6. https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/northkorea0506webwcover.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
7. "As winter looms, reports of starvation in North Korea". BBC News. 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
8. "Global Profile of Extreme Poverty". Sustainable Development Solutions Network. 10 October 2012.
9. Crespo Cuaresma, Jesús; Danylo, Olha; Fritz, Steffen; Hofer, Martin; Kharas, Homi; Laso Bayas, Juan Carlos (17 March 2020). "What do we know about poverty in North Korea?". Palgrave Communications. 6 (1): 1–8. doi:10.1057/s41599-020-0417-4.

Further reading

• Kich, Martin (2006). "Korea, North". In Odekon, Mehmet (ed.). Encyclopedia of World Poverty. Vol. 1. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications. pp. 615–617. ISBN 978-1-4522-6518-6.
• Smith, Hazel (June 2009). "North Korea: Market Opportunity, Poverty and the Provinces" (PDF). New Political Economy. 14 (2): 231–256. doi:10.1080/13563460902826005. S2CID 154813368.