While the United Nations Commission of Inquiry’s recent report on North Korea contains many facts and figures, one figure in particular stands out: $645,800,000.
That is what Kim Jong-un is said to have spent in 2012 on “luxury goods”, including cosmetics, handbags, leather products, watches, electronics, cars, and alcohol. Kim Jong-un also spent $1.3 billion on his ballistic missile programs in 2012.To put these figures in perspective, they should be compared with two others: $150 million and 84%.
The first is what the United Nations World Food Programme asked donor nations to give for food and other humanitarian aid for North Korean in 2013.
The second is the percentage of North Korean households that had “borderline” or “poor” levels of food consumption in 2013.
These figures are similar to ones during the devastating famine of the mid-1990s, where between 600,000 and 2.5 million people died of hunger.
These figures, along with other important information contained in the UN COI’s report, have several profound implications for how the international community must approach complex questions about food aid, sanctions, and diplomacy with North Korea.
Source: The New York Times
