PYONGYANG — North Korea is one of the most secretive countries in the world. Most cannot imagine what a day is like for the average North Korean citizen. Forty percent of the country’s population, about 24 million people, live below the poverty line. Most workers earn $2 to $3 per month. The standard of living has deteriorated to extreme levels of deprivation while the average life expectancy has fallen by five years since the early 1980s. Despite these statistics, many still do not know why North Korea is poor.
Food Shortages
One reason explaining why North Korea is poor lies in the food shortages within its borders. In a kind of repeating cycle, the prevalent poverty in North Korea has caused widespread food shortages. A famine that started in the 1990s had a lasting effect, and forced the country to become reliant on international aid to feed its people.
Since 2009, however, food assistance declined significantly. A study by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization found that 84 percent of households have “borderline or poor food consumption.” The food crises resulted in thousands of deaths and reduced many to poverty. According to the World Food Program, one-third of children are stunted due to malnutrition and infant mortality rate is at a whopping 33 percent. Food riots are a common occurrence due to the government’s “two meals a day” campaign.
Farming fertilizer also adds to the reasons of why North Korea is poor. Farming fertilizers used to be imported from South Korea. However, South Korea stopped sending them in 2008. The government, therefore, created a program where farmers used their feces as fertilizers. Factory workers were then required to meet a quota of two tons of human feces.
Healthcare
North Korean healthcare also explains why North Korea is poor. Healthcare is different in every country. In North Korea, health care is officially “free and guaranteed for everyone.” In reality however, residents are denied medical treatment unless they can pay the high prices for medicine. Often, residents will not be able to afford it, barring their access to health services and contributing to the country’s impoverished conditions.
Military Spending
While military spending is different for every country, this contributes to the reason why North Korea is poor. North Korea spends a large amount of its funds on the military. In 2001, the state spent more than $5 billion on military spending alone, which is more than 30 percent of the country’s GDP. North Korea is believed to have around half a dozen nuclear weapons. The country has not been involved in any wars since the 1950’s, but the state has shown support in smaller wars that correspond with the country’s strong beliefs.
Meth
It is not often where 40 percent of countries’ citizens are addicted to meth, but this meth epidemic heavily contributes to the reason of why North Korea is poor. With little to no government help, the production of drugs is used as an economic stimulus to negate the horrid economy. In 2000, North Korean factories began to produce methamphetamine which caused an increase in the domestic use of meth. The drug is now very prevalent and seen as a luxury. Many North Koreans are addicted to the drug as a result, and it’s estimated that 80 percent of residents use the drug while 40 percent are addicted.
Many political scientists agree that poverty in North Korea can be heavily attributed to poor governance by the totalitarian regime, and that it’ll take a radical change in the practices of the governing body to increase the economic stability of the country as a whole.
– Paige Wilson
Photo: Flickr