 A United Nations agency is urging the United States, Japan and South Korea to give more food aid to North Korea despite current tensions in the region.
| Can anybody think of a good reason why? |
The World Food Program, which feeds about 6.5 million North Koreans, says donations should be increased regardless of the stand-off over the North's nuclear weapons, the Financial Times reported Friday.
| Lessee, here... Do it For the Children™? |
Aid agencies warn that food shortages are reaching a critical stage even as prices of stable goods soar, making life even more difficult for North Koreans, the report said.
| And we should care why, precisely? |
The WFP this week asked the South Korean government to increase its annual rice donations from last year's 100,000 tons to 150,000 tons, in addition to the 400,000 tons in bilateral food aid it gives. The United States in 2003 gave the WFP 100,000 tons of expensive food aid, such as vegetable oil, enriched corn soya blend, wheat flour and dried skimmed milk, but last year cut this in half, although Washington says it does not link humanitarian assistance to political events, the report said.
| ... even though it should. |
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