The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    SHINee celebrates 15th anniversary of debut: 'It feels surreal'

  • 3

    Seoul on alert over Pyongyang's imminent spy satellite launch

  • 5

    Seoul city erroneously sends emergency alert after NK launch

  • 7

    Memorial Day 2023

  • 9

    Brave Girls to restart activities under new name

  • 11

    Japanese destroyer flies controversial flag as it arrives in Korea for joint drill

  • 13

    ANALYSISChina's ban on Micron tests Washington-Seoul alliance

  • 15

    Korea's diplomacy put to test amid signs of thaw in US-China relations

  • 17

    Local governments appeal to young generations through YouTube

  • 19

    'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' raises bar with epic battle scenes

  • 2

    Hybe's new boy group Boynextdoor aims to be 'one and only' presence in K-pop

  • 4

    ENHYPEN reaches new career high with latest album 'Dark Blood'

  • 6

    Korea's household debt-to-GDP ratio highest among 34 major economies

  • 8

    Korea eyes launch of 4th Nuri space rocket in 2025

  • 10

    Vietnam emerges as major market for Korean chipmakers

  • 12

    Purported N. Korean 'space launch vehicle' falls into Yellow Sea after 'abnormal' flight: S. Korean military

  • 14

    Rapper Mino attends sister's wedding in U.S. amid military service

  • 16

    Top 20% of income earners fuel increase in Q1 consumption as pandemic ends

  • 18

    Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists

  • 20

    Police brace for massive union protest

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Opinion
  • Yun Byung-se
  • Kim Won-soo
  • Ahn Ho-young
  • Kim Sang-woo
  • Lee Kyung-hwa
  • Mitch Shin
  • Peter S. Kim
  • Daniel Shin
  • Jeon Su-mi
  • Jang Daul
  • Song Kyung-jin
  • Park Jung-won
  • Cho Hee-kyoung
  • Park Chong-hoon
  • Kim Sung-woo
  • Donald Kirk
  • John Burton
  • Robert D. Atkinson
  • Mark Peterson
  • Eugene Lee
  • Rushan Ziatdinov
  • Lee Jong-eun
  • Chyung Eun-ju and Joel Cho
  • Bernhard J. Seliger
  • Imran Khalid
  • Troy Stangarone
  • Jason Lim
  • Casey Lartigue, Jr.
  • Bernard Rowan
  • Steven L. Shields
  • Deauwand Myers
  • John J. Metzler
  • Andrew Hammond
  • Sandip Kumar Mishra
Wed, May 31, 2023 | 12:03
John Burton
N.Korea's spat with UN
Posted : 2019-09-16 18:22
Updated : 2019-09-16 18:22
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
By John Burton

It might seem perverse for a country where 40 percent of the population faces the risk of going hungry that North Korea should request a reduction in the number of United Nations humanitarian aid workers there by the end of 2019.

But the intention of Pyongyang's rather unusual request might be to underscore its unhappiness over what is sees as the U.N.'s slow progress in approving sanctions exemptions for the supply of materials related to humanitarian relief.

North Korea has preferred the U.N. as the main deliverer of humanitarian aid since it is considered more neutral than other groups, and one in which Pyongyang is represented. U.N. agencies are involved in food, nutrition, water and health projects and reach more than two million people in North Korea.

Earlier this month, Kim Chang-min, head of North Korea's National Coordinating Committee for the U.N., said in a letter to the top U.N. official in Pyongyang, Tapan Mishra, that his government valued its collaboration with U.N. agencies and appreciated Mishra's efforts "to reactivate U.N. support" for the country.

But Kim then added that North Korea wanted the U.N. to cut the number of its staff in the country because its programs have "failed to bring the results as desired due to the politicization of U.N. assistance by hostile forces." He noted that the "scope and amount of U.N. intervention in the country run [sic] dramatically low" as a result.

The requested staff cuts for three U.N. agencies would be somewhat symbolic since it would only reduce the number of workers from 25 to 16 if fully implemented. North Korea wants the number of international staff with the U.N. Development Program to be cut to one or two from six, the World Health Organization to four from six and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) should cut its 13 staff by one or two.

The number of international staff with another U.N. agency, the World Food Program, would be determined according to the amount of food aid to be provided in a strategic plan for 2019-2021.

What appears to be at issue is the slow response of the U.N. Sanctions Committee on North Korea to grant exemptions to humanitarian groups to provide aid, which impedes their operations despite U.N. promises that the sanctions are not meant to interfere with humanitarian work.

This situation and related problems were highlighted in a recent U.N. report on the human rights situation in North Korea.

"As in 2018, sanctions imposed on the country, while not intended to affect humanitarian assistance, generated serious, unintended consequences and had a major impact on life-saving humanitarian programs owing to disruptions to the banking channel, the breakdown of supply chains, delays in the transportation of vital goods into the country and a steady decline in donor funding," it stated.

The report noted that the U.N. had introduced measures in August 2018 to expedite the sanctions exemption process for humanitarian operations, but "delays continue. Transportation costs and lead times have continued to increase, and humanitarian agencies are struggling to procure sufficient supplies from vendors. The challenges presented by the collapsed banking channel have not been solved, which hampers the implementation of humanitarian activities in the country."

Meanwhile, there was a 76 percent shortfall in requested funding for U.N. humanitarian programs in North Korea in 2018. "The appeal to improve the humanitarian situation in (North Korea) is among the lowest funded in the world, constraining the humanitarian operations in the country even further," it said.

The report recommended that U.N. member states should "provide adequate and sustainable funding for humanitarian assistance, especially food and medicine, with a view to improving humanitarian conditions and the human rights situation in the country."


John Burton (johnburtonft@yahoo.com), a former Korea correspondent for the Financial Times, is now a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and consultant.



 
wooribank
Top 10 Stories
1Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists
2Big businesses face growing union pressure to extend retirement age Big businesses face growing union pressure to extend retirement age
3Running convenience stores becomes popular among people in 20s, 30s Running convenience stores becomes popular among people in 20s, 30s
4Anti-corruption watchdog set to investigate crypto assets of lawmakers Anti-corruption watchdog set to investigate crypto assets of lawmakers
5Naver suffers shrinking online search market share Naver suffers shrinking online search market share
6Sluggish exports behind weak Korean won Sluggish exports behind weak Korean won
7Seoul resident clashes with authorities for raising dogs to nab 'North Korean spies'Seoul resident clashes with authorities for raising dogs to nab 'North Korean spies'
8Pyongyang may have delayed spy satellite launch due to technical issues Pyongyang may have delayed spy satellite launch due to technical issues
9Doctors, pharmacists to receive 30% bonus for offering telemedicine service Doctors, pharmacists to receive 30% bonus for offering telemedicine service
10HanmiGlobal to monitor building of 80,000 houses for Neom construction workers HanmiGlobal to monitor building of 80,000 houses for Neom construction workers
Top 5 Entertainment News
1'Elemental' director on bringing his personal story of immigration to cinema 'Elemental' director on bringing his personal story of immigration to cinema
2SHINee celebrates 15th anniversary of debut: 'It feels surreal' SHINee celebrates 15th anniversary of debut: 'It feels surreal'
3ENHYPEN reaches new career high with latest album 'Dark Blood' ENHYPEN reaches new career high with latest album 'Dark Blood'
4'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' raises bar with epic battle scenes 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' raises bar with epic battle scenes
5[INTERVIEW] Long-awaited extension of Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale to be pushed forward INTERVIEWLong-awaited extension of Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale to be pushed forward
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group