North Korea Research Paper

The problem that North Korea is facing at the moment is not the fault of the people, but rather the government’s. Kim Jong­un is a communist leader who is purposefully stripping his people of their daily needs and essentials. Food, in North Korea, is a status symbol. The one who is able to receive lavish treatments and expensive food, is usually the government. However, because there is so little in North Korea, not everyone is treated equally and the only way to rise above everyone else, is to join the military. There are thousands of North Koreans who die from malnutrition because food is hard to come by. Even farmers are not able to get sufficient nutrients from the food they grow because their soil lacks vitamins and other essential nutrients.

That money should be put to better use by providing North Korea with fertilizers for their malnourished crops. Instead of spending money on food, it would be wiser to spend the money on resources that could help provide more food. “For decades, North Koreans have planted just one crop, such as the Napa cabbage used to make the ubiquitous spicy side dish called "kimchi." They have also pumped pesticides into land that was already acidic, destroying the soil and cutting into the yield, foreign agronomists say” (Guttenfelder 16). Sending agricultural scientists to the field, would benefit the farmers of North Korea. The agricultural scientists will be able to teach the North Koreans how to grow certain crops without destroying the soil even more.

Although it may be more expensive to provide North Korea with the resources to better their soil rather than sending them money or food, it will provide a long­term solution to the

Pizano 6 problem. North Korea’s crops are a challenge because“...the terrain and climate in North Korea aren’t great for farming. The country is mountainous, and the growing seasons are

“In defiance of nature, North Korea’s isolationist leaders decided in the 1950s that domestic farmers had to fulfill all the country’s food needs. They instituted intensive agricultural practices to maximize yield from their limited arable land, relying on heavy irrigation and copious pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.”(Palmer 2). The heavy agricultural techniques that were used back in the day heavily influenced the soil’s malnutrition factors. By sending agricultural scientists to North Korea, the soil will be able to finally grow crops and be healthy.

Providing private aid to North Korea, such as the agricultural scientists, will be beneficial to the people of North Korea. This way, the military will not be able to gain more power over the suffering of the people. The North Koreans will finally be able to grow their own food and provide for themselves instead of relying on the government for help. Sending these agricultural scientists to North Korea, along with fertilizers and other resources used to help the soil, will cost millions. However, this aid will prove to be better for the future of North Korea due to it only helping those less fortunate rather than those affiliated with the North Korean